Ok, I'm an idiot

[stevieboy]

Have any of you ever done anything as dumb as what I'm about to relate?

Took my beloved S & W Model 27 to the range today. Fired off two strings of 6 rounds at 10 yards. Everything was in a tight group, all level with the target's center, but about 2" to the left of my POA. I looked at my rear sight and I saw that it was adjusted slightly to the left of center. I couldn't remember moving the sight to the left, but hey, I shoot a lot, and I suppose that I could have done so sometime in the past to adjust for windage or whatever. So, I pulled out a screwdriver, cranked the rear sight to the right, and resumed firing. Everything was still 2" to the left but now, my shots were consistently low. Frustrated, I turned windage screw as far to the right as I could before the screw stopped turning. My next string was still 2" to the left, but now, WAY LOW. What the @#$%? I thought. My first reaction was that the sight was broken.

I put the gun away and took it home. When I got home I looked at my rear sight. It was still slightly to the left of center but it was at its lowest possible setting. What I'd been turning was the height adjustment screw and not the windage adjustment. So, 50 rounds of .357 thrown away, and I feel like an idiot.

 

[viciouskitty]

I haven't done that one yet but I have taken a trip to the range without ammo or without my targets on occasion, what a use for gas....

 

[RickB]

I was trying to sight-in my AR with a C-More red dot sight attached. I'd forgotten the instructions, but figured, how tough could it be? 90 rounds later, I was back where I started, dead-on for windage, and about 6" low at ten yards. Apparently, turning the elevation screw down, raises the POI? Don't know, as I immediately took the thing off and went back to irons.

 

[WVfishguy]

Big deal, stevieboy - I thought you were going to relate something really dumb.

I was handed an AK-47 at a local gun shop a few month ago. I pointed the barrel up toward the ceiling, and pulled the trigger WITHOUT EITHER ME NOR THE GUN SHOP GUY CHECKING THE CHAMBER Nothing happened, but once it occurred to me what I'd done, I about wet myself.

I'm getting so old, I actually FORGOT THE ALAMO!

 

[IMTHDUKE]

If that's the worse mistake you ever make....you'll be up for the Oscar

 

[Onward Allusion]

Yeah - I sometimes forget to go in the opposite direction of where the shot is landing with the rear sight. It happens.

 

[EarlFH]

I cleaned my 1911 one time, and went to the range, loaded a magazine, and pulled the trigger. when it didn't fire, I opened the action, and found out that I had not put the firing pin back in after cleaning it.

 

[old bear]

Big deal, stevieboy - I thought you were going to relate something really dumb.

I've got the topper, so far, I had to ask the direction to move my sights to change both the Windage and elevation

 

[Ozzieman]

OK confession time here at TFL.
My stupid moment. I purchased an NcSTAR scope (cheep Chinese POS) 10X40 power range finder, and lighted reticule. All for 100$.
I put it on a high end AR that I own to see just how bad the scope was.
The scope has wind age and elevations adjustment that are large knobs with .1 MOA lines round the knurled knobs. If Leopold made this scope it would be way over $1000.
Put it on the gun and went to the range and started at 50 yards.
3 down range and 1 inch group’s 6inch low and 5 right. Adjusted and got it on.
Went to 100 and it hit low an inch and right 2. Adjusted=same hole. Adjusted again and it only moved ¼ inch where it should have moved a full 2. Adjusted again ¼. Adjusted twice as much and its now off target.
I could go on and on and on. Some of the words I called this scope if I used here would get me kicked off TFL so I will let your imagination work on that one.
Went home and took the POS off the gun and in doing so the vertical adjustment came off the gun.
Ok not reading the instructions,,,,,,, you are supposed to remove the adjustment “caps” and adjust the scope with the screw head so that it shoot point of aim at 100.
Then replace the caps so that they are set to 0 and tighten the VERY SMALL Allen screws to tighten the ,,,,,,,
Well you know the rest. 50 rounds of 5.56 and nothing to show for it except the lesson to read directions that come with it.

 

[nefprotector]

it happens to the best of us.

 

[Ideal Tool]

wrong sight adjustment

Hello, Stevieboy, Don't feel too bad, only thing you were out was cost of ammo. Years ago, I was quite heavy into IHMSA Silhouette. New guy came to match, had an older, experianced shooter with him. He was shooting a brand new Virginian Dragoon in .44 mag. His rear sight was all the way down, but gun was still shooting high. Older companion suggested filling down front sight. I was just a kid of 25 or so, and so when I politely suggested he might want to think that over before removing metal. he gave me a withering look of disdain & proceded to take a coarse file to that sight. They filed & shot, filed & shot...darned if for some strange reason that gun was shooting higher than before! Finally, after front sight was a nub of less that 1/16" high, the o'l light came on. They packed up without a word and hurried out of there.

 

[jhvaughan2]

I did the exact same thing with a 30-06 rifle this past july, except is was to the right.

I looked at the screw and it showed "R" on one end of the dial and "L" on the other so I cranked it to the "L"

(Raise and Lower rather than Right and Left )

 

[Ideal Tool]

Sight Mis-adjustment

Hello, javaughan2. I have a couple of single-shot black powder match rifles with original style windage adjustable front sights. You have to be real careful with those suckers...especially if it's overcast out & you can't see too well...shooting glasses have no bifocals. Easy to forget to move in opposite direction of where you want bullet.

 

[BillCA]

Some days it'll happen to all of us. That one time when the brain farts begin to take hold because you've gotten just a wee bit too complacent.

For me... it was a case of being distracted by a lady shooter who had the kind of figure all women wish they had. I fired my S&W Model 25 and went to eject the empties.... and found I'd forgotten to use a moon clip. Had to poke 'em out with a pencil almost 1870's style!

I did, however, watch with some interest while a friend was loading a magazine at the range while talking to another range member. He and his wife were both sharing the lane. When he took his turn to shoot, I thought, "This'll be good." Why? He's shooting a brand new Sig 226 which he kept touting as the best 9mm on the market. But his wife had been shooting her Beretta .380. You see it don't you? While flapping his gums (and shushing me when I tried to say something) he was loading a magazine full of .380 Auto in his 9mm pistol. Sure enough. *Click*! Pulls hammer back manually. *Click* Ejects round, checks primer. Teeny dimple of a strike. Tries again. He did this five times before I told his wife to tell him. I figured she'd be able to save face for him. Instead, she doubles over in fits of howling laughter. Everyone at the range is looking. He's never quite forgiven me for that one.

 

[Ozzieman]

OK, one more. Last year went to the range I belong to (20 mile drive one way). Loaded up some new 45 LC bullets that I ordered and wanted to try them out before I loaded a bunch (500+) and work up a nice target load.
I have a lot of experience loading for the LC and really didn’t expect any problems.
Loaded up the car and got to the range and unloaded the car, set up the targets, set up the spotting scope. Set up the bench with sand bags. Set up the targets at 25 yards.
Set down at the shooting bench opened the case for the gun, pulled out the bags of loads and started with the lightest load and put one in the chamber of my Ruger Blackhawk.
Unloaded the gun and packed up the car,,,,,, you know the rest.
I have a dual cylinder Ruger. Forgot to bring the LC cylinder, it had the ACP in it.
Stupid, stupid, stupid<<<<<

 

[Ozzieman]

This actually happened this afternoon, pair of shooters at the range were shooting a nice looking AR.
BANG! And they dissemble the gun and ones calling for tools, work on it for a while and BANG! They dissemble the gun again. This goes on for about an hour with breaks of them lighting up cigars that smelled and looked like they came from the back side of a dog, (your right I don’t smoke).
I was shooting my high end AR and after about an hour of their 1 shot every 10 minutes they walked down and asked if I knew anything about AR’s.
I know enough that I’m not dangerous and asked what the problem was.
“The gun wont cycle.”
“Won’t eject?”
“No won’t push the bolt back, and I know the gas port is open when I put a bullet in the chamber and blow down the barrel, air will go through it.”
OK that was stupid number 1. I didn’t ask if the bolt was closed on a live round and they were blowing down the barrel.
That was when one of them said “I just built it yesterday!” and sounded like a proud parent.
I had him dissemble the gun and looked at the gas tube that sticks into the receiver of the gun. It ended only about ¼ inch from the front of the receiver. Easy to tell that the gas tube was not long enough to make contact with the bolt.
When I showed them how far my AR gas tube reached in to the receiver, one of them said “I knew that was it.”

 

[Paul105]

I don’t normally scope a single action handgun, but for accuracy testing purposes, I mounted a 4x Leupold EER on my Freedom Arms M83. Wasn’t really interested in “sighting in“ the scope, only wanted it close enough to shoot several groups on one target. The first shot was on the paper, but way off center. Guestimating the adjustment to get the POI close to center, I dialed in the adjustment and fired another round – nowhere to be seen on the paper – this is at 25 yds. I backed off the adjustment half way, and shot another round -- Still off the paper. Backed it off another half and the shot was in on the paper but in the wrong direction. I looked at the scope and sure enough I had mounted it with the windage dial in the elevation position. I must have mounted 30 scopes over the years, and yet this one was bass akwards – go figure. .

 

[droidw]

No, sir, you're not.

Respected sir,

As I always say, regarding firearm shooting disciplines:

You ain't shot yourself, you ain't shot anybody else, what a great day this is!

And, as an extra bonus, you learned something about your gun you didn't know before.

Kind regards.

 

[B.N.Real]

Do your sight adjustments one shot at a time with the target no farther then ten yards away if you are having a shooting issues with your sights.

Just remember the gun does'nt hate you.

It will only shoot where you point it.

I have had some odd days at the range but that's part of the fun of shooting.

Nothing is ever the same,one range day to the next.

An idiot would be calling Smith customer service and saying something was wrong with the gun.

You checked and rechecked the gun and found the flaw.

That's genius there.