What bodily damage have you received from your guns?

[Molon Labe]

How about some details, Molon Labe?

What kind of FAL, and what kind of ammo? What part of the rifle was damaged?

Metric FAL (M444 Imbel). Port Ammo.

It happened last year when I was shooting in my backyard.

A round would not chamber correctly, so I racked the charging handle while peering into the chamber. Boom! I dropped the rifle and stood there in shellshock. I couldn't see very well; though my spectacles were still intact, the lenses looked as if they had been sandblasted. My buddy came running over and asked, "What happened?" He then looked at my face and said, "Holy sh*t, your face is bleeding!" I just stood there and remained silent. Like I said, I was in shock. I was just trying to determine if I was still alive and in one piece.

The magazine exploded and .308 rounds (from the magazine) were littered all over the lawn. The receiver was bent. We found the dust cover a couple hours later; it was about 40 feet away in the tall grass area.

FYI, I never touched the trigger, the safety was on, and the hammer never moved. Lesson learned: even if you follow the Four Safety Rules, a gun can still go off and people can still be hurt.

A postmortem inspection of the rifle revealed a clean break in firing pin, which I believe happened before the explosion. (In other words, I believe the broken firing pin was the root cause of the incident.) My best theory is that the "pointy end" of the firing pin was wedged all the way forward in the bolt, and the tip was fully protruding through the hole in the bolt. When the bolt was going forward, the pin was making contact with the primer on the cartridge. The pin ignited the round before the round was in battery as the bolt & carrier were traveling forward.

But... it could have been a lot worse. As mentioned above, the dust cover flew 40 feet away. What if it had launched toward my face? Or what if I had not been wearing my spectacles? Or what if a big chunk of brass launched toward my face? Or what if rounds in the magazine were ignited via the explosion?

After this incident, I can say with utmost confidence that only an absolute fool would shoot a gun without eye protection.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

Glad to hear you survived, Molon Labe.

I agree with you 100% on the importance of safety glasses while shooting. It's gotten to the point where I carry at least 3 pairs of safety glasses and 3 pairs of ear muffs in my car, just in case somebody else needs to borrow a pair.

Funny thing about eyes is that they don't grow back...

 

[Zach S]

I've been bruised by falling on my carry gun.

I've been cut by a BHP because of shooting high-thumb.

I've been bit by a BHP hammer like I'd imagine many others have.

I actually got bit by a glock slide. Once. I have no idea how I managed that.

I've had a huge bruise on my shoulder from firing about 30 rounds of 3" 00B in a very short period of time. I dont know if it was the 30 rounds or so, or not tucking it in for one of them. Oddly enough, I was fine when I left the range. I felt it the next day though.

The next weekend, I had a huge bruise in the same spot from pump firing TAP 00B in a buddies model 37...

Several Dialtones. Mainly "I wonder how loud my thompson/mossberg/AR15/kimber is without hearing protection" moments, research for HD situations. Other times were from not getting my ears on correctly (or in, or both).

Got a little skin caught between the charging knob and the upper on my thompson. Small cut, but it bled like a warwound. Ironicly, more serious cuts dont bleed much at all.

"Garand thumb." 'Nuff said.

My hand slipped of a H2000 and my finger got cut on the rear sight.

The back glass got shot out of my hot rod. I know it doesnt count, but prying the seat out of my rear sure wasnt fun...

 

[fletcher]

Only one that I recall. The first day I had my Makarov, I tried to unload a round from the magazine with my thumb. The round did not want to move, so I pushed hard, and the lips on the magazine pushed right back into my thumb - gave me two nice slits for a couple weeks

 

[kahr404life]

I watched a poor guy get Garand thumb and it scarred me for life .

 

[m39fan]

I don't have a Garand, but you've not lived until you've had a Hakim eat your thumb. Still hurts 1.5 weeks later. Of course it looked like hamburger when I pulled it out (or at least well tenderized meat! ).

I can't think of anything else, so I was probably due!

Take Care,
Mike

 

[CypherNinja]

Not froma ny of my own guns, yet, but I once caught a piece of steel jacketing from an M16 round with my thumb. This was at the ROTC range in Akron, OH.




+infinity about wearing glasses. My thumb was less than 6 inches from my face when it happened.

 

[Fun2Shoot]

I learned to keep my mouth shut while shooting after my 45acp ejected it's hot brass and it bounced off a partition and landed in my mouth between my lower lip and front teeth! I spit it out and just kept firing.

That little sucker was hot.

 

[mack]

1. Second time shooting a semi-auto wrapped the thumb of my support hand around the butt of the gun and learned that it hurts when the slide runs over it.:banghead:

2. M1 thumb - twice - finally learned to hold the handle on the bolt with the other hand whenever cleaning the magazine or lubricatiing.:banghead: :banghead:

3. Held a Ruger Mark II to close to my face when trying to see the sights and line up on a coon in the twilight - when the bolt cycled it kicked my glasses off and left a nice semi-circle cut under my eye.:banghead:

4. Almost forgot the first time - shooting a Ruger single six - decided to steady my aim by resting the barrel across off hand arm - left burn holes in my shirt sleeve and some red marks on my skin.:banghead:

Of course that doesn't count assorted small cuts and pricks when cleaning or assembling and dis-assembling.

 

[davewilson]

A Couple -

1. A hot .22 shell down the shirt. I got a nice 2nd degree burn on the right pec that took about 3 months to heal up.
2. Sharp side of an ejected .45 shell from Kimber Ultra Eclipse hit me in the forehead. I had a nice half moon cut and a bit of bleeding. It was a good reminder of why safety glasses are so important.

 

[Tang]

Injury from guns

Fortunately none, I blew the barrel on my Wilson Combat CQB on Thursday 01-26-2006 with my reloads. What a stupid stunt, I was lucky.

 

[UWstudent]

cleaning accident.. glock bit me

 

[Herself]

1. Various rounds down my top. .22s are the worst! I stopped wearing low or V necks and it still happens! Hubby makes amusedly-rude comments about my nice little procedure of setting the gun down calmly and then doing the hot-brass dance. Ah, compassion!

2. Hammer-bit by an old Lama .38 Super rental gun, my first time shooting that round. I was having so much fun becuase it was spot-on accurate at seven yards that it took several mags before I noticed! Should have bought it and had the hammer bobbed. I let the name scare me off.

3. Bolt-bit by a Ruger Mark II on the web of my hand racking the bolt, by one of those darned little grab-ears at the back. Didn't notice 'til I saw the blood. Yeech! All over my nice Ruger!

4. Chipped/ripped thumbnail from firing my first semi-auto. Hey, wow, the slide...slides! Who'd'a thunk?

--H

 

[Manedwolf]

1. A hot .22 shell down the shirt. I got a nice 2nd degree burn on the right pec that took about 3 months to heal up.
2. Sharp side of an ejected .45 shell from Kimber Ultra Eclipse hit me in the forehead. I had a nice half moon cut and a bit of bleeding. It was a good reminder of why safety glasses are so important.

Luckily, I'd been wearing a hat, but for some reason, the Beretta 950 .25 (fun little thing to shoot!)...while it normally throws brass up and to the right, a +P load tends to end up landing the casing atop my head. I'm still not sure if it's the trajectory, or whether it was bouncing off the range booth sidewall and coming back at me.

That's definitely not one for people with thick hands, either. As long as you keep them low, you're good, but I've heard of that quick little slide giving people nasty bites.

If I am going to shoot anything C&R or such that I've not shot before, besides the goggles and all, I also put on a pair of $17 Nomex flight gloves from American Cavalry. They cover up beyond the wrist, and it's a lot better, I think, to see a burn scar on the glove than to get it across your hand.

 

[trueblue1776]

"snake bites" on web of hand from early Glock.

CAN I GET AN AMEN?

 

[runninmike]

Didn't happen to me but, when I was an armorer for the USMC rifle team @ Quantico, we took our annual trip to nationals @ Camp Perry, OH where one of our retired Marine Gunners was working in the pitts during a 1000 yard shoot, and he took a richochet from a .300 win mag into the cheek which entered thru, knocked several teeth out of his jaw, and exited his lower jaw and gave him several stitches in the under jaw area. Tough old Gunner that he was, he made it to our big celebration dinner that the team scheduled at the elk's club later that evening-although he did leave a little earlier than the rest of us, he got a standing ovation upon his exit.
Another guy caught an m-16 round in our own back yard range at Quantico during a state match. He was also a retired Marine CWO4 who owned and operated the roach coach(snack-truck). It hit him in the extreme upper left groin (2 close for comfort), and it baffled us because he was clear back on the 600yd line next to our armorer mobile gunshop truck, and the shooters were clear down on the 2 or 300 yrd line. After an investigation, it was learned that the offending projectile came from our friendly FBI academy next door(about a 1000 yards to our left). Both men are ok-thankfully.
Best-MC

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Burn from a 10mm case that landed at my belt line after going down back of my collar. Crook of arm/elbow burn from ejected FAL 7.62 case. Various hammer bites, mostly from an old AMT, some bolt bites from a Ruger RST-4 when I was a kid. Recoil shattered nerves from a .45-70 Contender, along with a numb hand. Most serious was from an ill-timed .44 mag, facial cuts from copper shaved from forcing cone.

 

[IDriveB5]

before i learned to shoot my shotgun, i walked around for a couple days looking like i got punched in the face. not pleasant at all

 

[Dusty Rusty]

Have had a few:

1. Dislocated shoulder--12 ga.double barrel shotgun with a hair trigger and NO warning. Guy thought it was funny. Didn't even attempt to shoot anything for over 30 years until I turned 53.
2. Cut nose--another 12 ga. shotgun with a very heavy load I was not expecting. Cleaned up cut and tried again. Now I love my shotty!
3. Various web bruises from different caliber handguns. None from the S&W 500 though--imagine that!
4. 3rd degree burn from .22 brass landing in my bra--have a shell shaped scar.
(no peeking! )

 

[WayneConrad]

One day sweetie added up the gun purchases on my bank statement. She wacked me pretty good in the shoulder. Does that count?

 

[Gillster]

Took my nephew to a steel match and he caught a piece of jacket coming off of the next bay.

 

[AStone]

No burns from hot brass, bites from actions or exciting exploding guns to report.

But, tinnitus is my constant companion. Most of it comes from professional sound systems (6KW to 50kW), but at least part of that R I N G I N G is from shooting as a kid without ear protection.

I'm wondering these days if the occasional 'flashes' in my eyes are due to retinal detachment from touching off shotgun & rifle shots (AKA retinal detachment).
____

Admit it: we're masochists at heart. It's worth it.

Nem

 

[GregGry]

I got a slide bite from a desert eagle, on the first thumb joint. I was holding it pretty high up (I have never shot any high powered autoloaders, only revolvers) so I didn't know quite what to expect. After 50 rounds I had been cut 3 or so times (permanent scar). With a lower grip, some shooting gloves, and a firmer grip, it didn't happen again.

 

[AStone]

hand slid down

No burns from hot brass, bites from actions or exciting exploding guns to report.

Well, I was wrong.

Totally forgot (probably on purpose) an action bite.

Just after I got the 870P, I was practicing rapid dry fire.
(Yes, triple checked: unloaded, no one behind that wall for miles, etc.)

Rack, click. Rack, click. Rack, click. Rack...

Somewhere between R/C3 & R/C4, my left hand had slid down on the fore end.

As I racked for the fourth time, the web between thumb & fore finger got caught in the 870 action.

DAMN ... (throbbing pain, blood blister) that hurt real bad.

Only happens once though.

Nem

 

[foghornl]

Yeah, I've done the "Hot-Brass-Down-The-Shirt" Minute Waltz, too . . .more times than I really want to admit. BTW, I also have a burn scar from when I was yanking shirt away from me to dump out said hot brass, but it ended up ahhhhh uhmmmm "Inside-The-Waistband".

Rem1100 extractor bite...Was looking in the action of brothers new 1100, and thought "I wonder what this shiny thing way back down there does???" a couple of microsecond before the bolt slammed home, driving the extractor into the web between thumb and forefinger. VERY similar to the famous 'M1 Thumb'.

Scope bite, from not realizing that a Winny Mdl 70 in .30-06 has a dump-truck full more recoil than a Rem Nylon 66.

Trying the 'fast-load' on a single-shot Savage 94B 16-Ga. Trick was to carry a fresh shell in the forearm grip hand, shoot, hit the release, toss shell into chamber and crisply swing shut. I only got one part of that wrong...thumb went into chamber, instead of fresh shell.