Actually shooting your gun

[dakota.potts]

Today we were gearing up for a trip to the range. My dad's been running a little test with his 250 to see how long it will run dirty, but it's been about 300 rounds so he popped the upper off to inspect it and make sure everything looked OK.

He put it back on, racked the slide back, and the heavy recoil spring kicked in, launching the upper about 10 feet across the room with barrel and all. Guess he forgot to pop the slide stop back in No damage, somehow, but a lot of jokes about how he doesn't even need ammo to shoot his gun. I wonder if the SEALS teach that?

 

[45Gunner]

Sure hope you guys wear safety glasses while taking guns apart. While taking guns apart and cleaning them, sometimes my hands get a little oily (slippery) and I have lost my hold on the recoil spring plug and have launched the plug almost high enough to orbit the planet....well, maybe a slight exaggeration.
Anyway, I always make sure I am not directly under a light fixture and now clean the guns in my outdoor patio so when I launch a part, it usually hits something stucco and doesn't do any damage. Also keep a few spare springs and recoil springs on hand because sometimes it takes me a few days to find those parts. With the spare parts I can put my gun immediately back in service and leisurely search for the missing parts with a surefire flashlight and a cold brewski.

 

[JimmyR]

Similar story:

I was working on my Nagant revolver. I was taking it apart for cleaning, and removed the chamber gate. Well, there is a piece of steel that applies pressure to the gate, and the tension is controlled by a screw. Well, i forgot to loosen the tension screw. When i removed the screw holding the gate, it flew across the room, with the screw flying in a totally different direction. I ended up having to buy a new gate screw before finding the original one.

 

[g.willikers]

Long ago, I learned from working with cars, to make sure anything that goes sproing is aimed in a safe direction, preferably where it isn't likely to get lost.
If gun springs are deemed dangerous, try messing with auto struts.
Putting the gun inside a large box, while disassembling, usually catches any surprises.
If the gun is too large, use a small room with an uncluttered floor.
I use the guest bath.
Just make sure the toilet seat lid is down, though.