Negligent or unintentional discharges - dry fire stories, please!
- Thread starter pax
- Start date
I have never released a bullet or shot by accident. I did witness an accidental discharge while at a skeet event. A gentleman fired his last shot from an over/under gun but only fired one barrel because the other clay was to far out. He turned and walked about three steps headed back to his area and "boom" he fired the other barrel over everyones head.
Aberration
New member
I have never accidentally discharged my weapon. I am too risk adverse. Check, double check, triple check...
I admit to two accidental discharges.
One was on the range. We were trained to pull the trigger on our 1911 prior to releasing the slide. This was to maintain the same trigger pull. When I released the slide I removed tension on the trigger. The impact of the slide going into battery caused me to discharge the pistol. Shot the bench and cost me 10 points for a 90 score on that stage and the match.
Second one involved failure to check that a revolver was empty. A 38 wadcutter will not penetrate a good pair of leather boots. It does sting a bit.
Skitter Skelton wrote a marvelous book on misses. It involved accidental discharges and shooting full length mirrors while practicing quick draws in front of his mothers full length mirror. He admitted to shooting two mirrors.
If anyone can find the book I would love to get a copy. Someone borrowed mine and I never got it back.
One was on the range. We were trained to pull the trigger on our 1911 prior to releasing the slide. This was to maintain the same trigger pull. When I released the slide I removed tension on the trigger. The impact of the slide going into battery caused me to discharge the pistol. Shot the bench and cost me 10 points for a 90 score on that stage and the match.
Second one involved failure to check that a revolver was empty. A 38 wadcutter will not penetrate a good pair of leather boots. It does sting a bit.
Skitter Skelton wrote a marvelous book on misses. It involved accidental discharges and shooting full length mirrors while practicing quick draws in front of his mothers full length mirror. He admitted to shooting two mirrors.
If anyone can find the book I would love to get a copy. Someone borrowed mine and I never got it back.
FIFY
Sorry...neither case was accidental. They both occured out of negligence (and a negligent training requirement to have you breaking rule 3 while releasing the slide).
There are very, very, very few, as in they basically don't happen, actual accidental discharges. In another thread I commented on recently, I gave the story of the only true one I've ever heard.
bazookajeff89
New member
would you care to share again Gaerek?
Well this is 'here-say' which maybe not what you wanted but it is from a firearms seminar where the MN state pistol champion (okay MN state pistol champ-I think it was bullseye - it was in the early '80's) was giving a talk about all things firearm and told the story of being at a friend's house and as he was leaving the friend said something like 'Oh you gotta try the trigger on my new 1911' and handed him the gun. He points it at the TV (a good bright thing to aim at) squeezes the trigger and blows away the TV. The guys wife was sitting on the couch watching the TV and he said she never flinched but he felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees.
The story unsettled me. If somebody who has shot enough to be a highly rated competition shooter can have a negligent discharge, what chance do I, a casual shooter have of NOT having a negligent discharge?
A question I ask myself to this very day and I never like the answer.
The story unsettled me. If somebody who has shot enough to be a highly rated competition shooter can have a negligent discharge, what chance do I, a casual shooter have of NOT having a negligent discharge?
A question I ask myself to this very day and I never like the answer.
In 23 years of on and off firearms experience, I have yet to have an ND. I had safety ingrained in my head from a young age. Some might call me OCD about safety. Chamber check anytime I handle a gun, whether I "know" it's loaded or not. I'm absolutely OCD about where my trigger finger is. I'm not trying to play "holier than thou," I'm just calling a spade a spade. I'm not saying it won't happen in the future, I am human, and am prone to momentary lapses of common sense, so I'm not saying someone is stupid or something for having an ND. However, let's call it what it is. A gun doesn't accidently fire. If it did, then the anti-gunners would have a great argument against guns. It requires the action of someone to fire. If a gun fires when it wasn't intentional, it wasn't an accident. It was negligence, because some common sense safety rule (and usually several) was broken.
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
Guys, this is not a GENERIC question of accidental discharges, nor is it a chance to bloviate over the esoteric distinction without a difference between accidental and negligent.
Please reread Pax's request, I'll highlight the part that most people seem to have missed:
Please reread Pax's request, I'll highlight the part that most people seem to have missed:
Pax said:
I have witness 2 NDs, in my time in the military, one was in Iraq, just coming off a mission we were entering a base, we approached the clearing barrels (just inside the gate of every base overseas SOP is to stop and clear your weapons) i finished clearing my M4 and M9, i looked behind me to make sure my team was mounting back up, as i turn to look i saw a Major that had never been on mission before not very field savy, point his Berreta 9mm at the clearing barrel, pulled the trigger and POP, ND, he then pulled the slide back, pulled the trigger again and POP, 2nd ND i then yelled over at him and said, SIR DROP YOUR F**KING MAGAZINE.
The second occured in Afghgan, a young gunner had a malfuntion on his M249while out on mission, it was a double feed, not uncommon for a DIRTY M249, when we RTB, he attempted to clear the chamber while still in the turret of the HMMWV, he had the weapons muzzle on the floorboard of the vehicle and after several attempts of yanking back on the charging handle as hard as he could, (NOT THE WAY TO CLEAR A DOUBLE FEED ON A MG) the charging handle released, ejecting one round and when the charging handle slammed forward it chambered the second round and fired through the floorboard of the vehicle, striking a brake line before impacting in the dirt. Needless to say both of these instances could have been avoided with proper firearms training, weapons familiarity, and some common sense.
As far as a ND while Dry firing, ive never seen or heard about that, its not a dry fire if the weapon is loaded, Basically the first rule of firearms around the globe, check, double check, triple check a weapons chamber before handling the firearm..
The second occured in Afghgan, a young gunner had a malfuntion on his M249while out on mission, it was a double feed, not uncommon for a DIRTY M249, when we RTB, he attempted to clear the chamber while still in the turret of the HMMWV, he had the weapons muzzle on the floorboard of the vehicle and after several attempts of yanking back on the charging handle as hard as he could, (NOT THE WAY TO CLEAR A DOUBLE FEED ON A MG) the charging handle released, ejecting one round and when the charging handle slammed forward it chambered the second round and fired through the floorboard of the vehicle, striking a brake line before impacting in the dirt. Needless to say both of these instances could have been avoided with proper firearms training, weapons familiarity, and some common sense.
As far as a ND while Dry firing, ive never seen or heard about that, its not a dry fire if the weapon is loaded, Basically the first rule of firearms around the globe, check, double check, triple check a weapons chamber before handling the firearm..
I want to make it clear, I did read pax's post, which is why I didn't originally comment on that part of it (I only commented on my own experiences after being called out). Call it a pet peeve, call it, I like to keep people honest, but it bothers me a lot when people seem to think that their experiences were accidents, when they were clearly not.
Feel free to delete my posts, this one included, if you'd like, since they didn't actually answer pax's question. I just felt the need to explain myself here.
Feel free to delete my posts, this one included, if you'd like, since they didn't actually answer pax's question. I just felt the need to explain myself here.
Years back while in the service, a bunch of us would shoot skeet on days off. We were standing in a circle discussing our rotation and loading up. When I chambered a round in my Win 1200 pump, it fired stirring up the gravel in the circle. We were all surprised and they thought i had fired it. I knew I hadn't. I showed them the safety still on. I stepped out of the circle and pumped the action, only holing the pistol grip. It went off again.
When i took it down, I found the firing pin had broken in half and the safety would push it out the bolt face. Made a new one and never had any other issues.
The shotgun was new and had only been used 2 other days.
If I hadn't been pointing at the ground either time, somebody could have been hurt.
When i took it down, I found the firing pin had broken in half and the safety would push it out the bolt face. Made a new one and never had any other issues.
The shotgun was new and had only been used 2 other days.
If I hadn't been pointing at the ground either time, somebody could have been hurt.
SPEMack618
New member
Two stories...
Once, several of my fraternity brothers and I were going on a hunting trip. I was taking my .30-06 Mossberg for the first time. What at the time I blamed on lack of options, but now attest to stupidity, I loaded the magazine of the rifle before packing it. In the course of packing my friends truck, the rifle got removed from the vehicle and one of my fraternity brothers picked up and worked the action, actually attempting to see if it was loaded. Said fraternity brother then discharged the rifle, thankfully in a safe direction, not knowing that the rifle was then loaded. Guess he thought I had a magazine cut off.
Another time, I left a couple of shells in my Benelli Super Black Eagle after a hunting trip. I was showing said Benelli to a fraternity brother who worked the action and chambered the first shell and then ejected it, not realizing another one was chambered. He then shouldered it and promptly blew away my ceiling fan. Again, he thought the chamber was clear.
Once, several of my fraternity brothers and I were going on a hunting trip. I was taking my .30-06 Mossberg for the first time. What at the time I blamed on lack of options, but now attest to stupidity, I loaded the magazine of the rifle before packing it. In the course of packing my friends truck, the rifle got removed from the vehicle and one of my fraternity brothers picked up and worked the action, actually attempting to see if it was loaded. Said fraternity brother then discharged the rifle, thankfully in a safe direction, not knowing that the rifle was then loaded. Guess he thought I had a magazine cut off.
Another time, I left a couple of shells in my Benelli Super Black Eagle after a hunting trip. I was showing said Benelli to a fraternity brother who worked the action and chambered the first shell and then ejected it, not realizing another one was chambered. He then shouldered it and promptly blew away my ceiling fan. Again, he thought the chamber was clear.
Many years ago a buddy of mine had a S&W Model 19 with a 4" barrel. At the time he was living at his parents house, and kept the gun around for home protection. He would unload the gun, and dry fire it at the TV at night for practice. One night he told me he was practicing, then when he decided he had enough, he loaded it up, put it back in its holster, then set it on the end table. He was going to put it away during the next commercial. Several commercials came and went, and he completely forgot about the gun. He happened to look over at his gun at one point, then decided to practice some more, so he pulled it out, and shot a hole right through the center of his TV. He said that he was glad he didn't line up the sights on his sister's cat for that shot. I ended up buying that S&W from him.
When I was 16 I had a Ruger Super Single Six. I had gotten a B-Square scope base and a dot sight for it for Christmas. Sitting in my room on the bed, got it out of the drawer, opened the gate, spun the cylinder a few times to check it. Didn't see the dirty brass, and it wasn't a well lit room. Got the scope mounted and dry fired four times out the window. Fifth dry fire found its way through the window and into the side of my neighbors garage.
Scared the crap out of me and everyone else in the house. Was a great Christmas. To this day I do t know why it only had one round in it. Never was in the habit of keeping it loaded. Guess I got distracted when I had last put it away.
Scared the crap out of me and everyone else in the house. Was a great Christmas. To this day I do t know why it only had one round in it. Never was in the habit of keeping it loaded. Guess I got distracted when I had last put it away.
bazookajeff89
New member
Gaerek
If my comment about sharing made you think I was one of the ones trying to target you I wasn't, I was just curious about the only accidental discharge you know of
If my comment about sharing made you think I was one of the ones trying to target you I wasn't, I was just curious about the only accidental discharge you know of
Sorry, I must have misunderstood what you were saying. Anywho, here's the link...a really interesting read.
http://www.ajronline.org/content/178/5/1092.full.pdf
Although Tinner's story seems to fit the bill of an accidental discharge.
http://www.ajronline.org/content/178/5/1092.full.pdf
Although Tinner's story seems to fit the bill of an accidental discharge.
1967 give or take a year aboard the USS Farragut DLG-6. Seaman SXXXS assumed the ASROC watch. He accepted the duty belt, holster ammo and 45. He counted the ammo and inspected the gun as per protocol. My young friend liked to talk and was visiting with the guard he had just relieved. While a very bright person he could not chew gun and talk at the same time without falling down.
You release the slide and dry fire the gun into the air and then load the magazine. However if you are on auto pilot you load the magazine into the gun, release the slide and pull the trigger. If you are out to sea and the captain is on the flying bridge this is not a good thing. If you put a hole in the deck grating between the captains very large shoes it gets worse. For the rest of his tour of duty on that ship he stood his watches with a night stick. They didn't quite trust him with a firearm. When he tried to reenlist they handed him his honorable discharge and the Want ads. I hope he is still relying on a stick for protection.
You release the slide and dry fire the gun into the air and then load the magazine. However if you are on auto pilot you load the magazine into the gun, release the slide and pull the trigger. If you are out to sea and the captain is on the flying bridge this is not a good thing. If you put a hole in the deck grating between the captains very large shoes it gets worse. For the rest of his tour of duty on that ship he stood his watches with a night stick. They didn't quite trust him with a firearm. When he tried to reenlist they handed him his honorable discharge and the Want ads. I hope he is still relying on a stick for protection.