I'm in the hospital because I made a near-fatal error

in College, I had a friend who was cleaning a revolver with his dad after a day of shooting… well you know the rest of the story. I saw him a few times after that but he eventually never returned to himself or school.
 
Godspeed for a safe recovery. And welcome to the forum.

Love your avatar, especially the stogie. I am also a cigar smoker. I know a man who knows where to stand... and if you know where to stand, Cuban cigars will drop out of the sky and hit you in the head. Bolivars, Monte Cristo's and Cohibas, mostly. yum, yum
 
Always check your firearms, especially while cleaning. Had a great uncle who was cleaning out his shotgun many years ago, forgot to check the chamber and ended up firing it off. Shot went through the basement ceiling and almost took my great aunt out in the kitchen. Almost have to keep a chamber line in my rifles just so I know that its empty, even though I'll always check regardless.

Hope you have a speedy recovery with no complications.
 
Necessary_Nutrient said:
I’m shocked how many experienced gun owners have no problem muzzle sweeping others.
Click to expand...

As am I. I see it alot on the clay range. Seems to be alot more prevalent in the shotgun crowd for some reason, (Dick Cheneys are everywhere), but still see it occasionally at the rifle/pistol range. I held my tongue a few times because I wanted to become friendly and was the new guy but I think I'm done with that. It's kind of ageist of me, trying to respect my elders when I know if somebody around my age or younger sweeped me I would have no problem addressing it.
 
Youtube's collection of NDs inside homes might be only a tiny percentage.

We know how often we Want to see a round In The Chamber:
(1) in a carry gun when leaving home, or handgun/rifle/shotgun, most of the time, at the range.

plus (2) at home possibly a dark red/golden "snap cap". A brass primer in a Live round might make the mind think that it's a snap cap with golden 'primer'?

Seeing a round, or snap cap in a gun chamber is extremely "normal" and "correct" ----------- o_O most of the time----- and might be a primary cause of the problem.

Let's look at Normal Precautions in Reverse/Backwards: Most of the time we Don't want a chamber to have a dark hole. We condition our expectations so very often.

This might be worth contemplating now and then.
 
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Prayers for a complete recovery by the OP. I know of a number of NDs, one of which caused a death. We have to remain careful, and never rely on "recent memory" or "short term memory" of what condition we THINK we left the gun in. Always treat it as though it is loaded. I tell myself this all the time and don't want to ever forget it.

Thanks to the OP and others in this thread who "testified" about events where they lapsed in safety. It is hard to admit these things but if it steers someone else in the right lane for safety, then it is well worth sucking up the embarrassment.
 
@Bearcat1982,

As several others have said, it took a lot of courage for you to post this experience, thank you very much. Hearing about such an experience from a person to whom it happened makes a way bigger impression than learning dry safety rules, your post may end up saving someone's life.

Prayers out for your complete and speedy recovery, and please keep us posted as to your progress.
 
Thank you for posting your story. The embarrassment is real but if it can make one person consider the reality of safety it’s a worthwhile thing. I’m sorry that you had to be reminded the hard way and I hope none of the rest of us have to. I wish you a full recovery with no complications and will say a prayer for you and yours.

Not so long ago I did something similar. Thankfully there were no consequences but there easily could have been. I took several pistols out to shoot including one new to me that I’d bought a while back but had not shot much. After firing all the rounds I intended to fire in this gun, I put it down and spent the rest of the time shooting another pistol. When I exhausted the ammo in that gun, I picked the first gun up again and I decided to dry fire it to practice smooth trigger control, and it went off. Luckily I was pointing it down range but I truly had no idea it was loaded. That really discombobulated me and so I took the mag out to check that the gun was now truly empty, just to make sure there would be no further surprises. The mag was empty.

Fast forward a couple days and I grab that gun from my pistol rack to clean it. racked the slide to check the chamber, and what happens? Another cartridge flies out. This rattled me more than the previous ND, because that occurred at the range and this occurred in my own bedroom.

I think, in the first instance, a light primer strike gave me a click and I just assumed that the gun was empty. Ordinarily the slide might be held open if empty but I’ve been known to ride the release occasionally on other guns and it’s a gun I’ve not shot much, and I also shoot many guns that don’t have a slide hold open; I made a bad assumption. I also got careless with checking because I shoot and handle a lot of less than reliable older guns, so when this one rattled off a dozen without complaint or obvious jam/misdeed I assumed it was working right and that any discrepancy (slide not locked back, less rounds fired than I thought I loaded) must be my inattention or error. Right attitude but a wrong application of it.

After the ND, when I’d unloaded the gun at the range, I’d neglected to check the chamber. I’d made a second bad assumption on the heels of the first… that the gun must now be empty. After my string of fire, when the gun went “click,” there were in fact 2 rounds left in the gun, and the ND resulted in chambering the last. Again, the slide wasn’t held open after the ND so I should have known or suspected another round was loaded, but my unfamiliarity with this gun let me miss this. Still, it comes back to safety. One should know one’s gun to identify correct and incorrect behavior, but one should always check the gun thoroughly too. What I did right, in both cases, was to make sure the gun was pointed in a safe direction, to know my target and what was behind it, and in the second case, to “assume the gun is loaded” and check, even though I “knew” the gun was unloaded. Following the rules resulted in a good scare but no holes in anything that shouldn’t have them and no tragic accidents. But it could easily have been a different story.
 
Simply the desire to Pick Up a new rifle - for just a moment- to relish the good ergos,

Means that a very Bad “ little voice” sometimes whispers…
“ Why rack the bolt to look at the chamber - you are Not gonna pull the trigger…so why does it matter?”

I must be totally frank. “It’s just for a moment”…..
 
Last night I've been moved out of ICU.
tark said:
Godspeed for a safe recovery. And welcome to the forum.

Love your avatar, especially the stogie. I am also a cigar smoker. I know a man who knows where to stand... and if you know where to stand, Cuban cigars will drop out of the sky and hit you in the head. Bolivars, Monte Cristo's and Cohibas, mostly. yum, yum
Click to expand...
I can't wait to get out and enjoy one.
 
Bearcat1982 said:
I've come here many times for information. If the mods will allow, I'd like to share my story. Thursday night I decided to take apart my bearcat 22. And it wasn't clear. And a very easily avoided accident happened. After having 27+ inches of intestines removed and part of my colon removed. I have a very good chance of full recovery. The bullet entered above the belly button and is currently in my hip. I'm still opened up and they may try to remove it before closing things up for good. My abs are put back together but are waiting on my stomach swelling to go down before and I believe threat of infection to subside before closing up for good.
View attachment 1137729
Click to expand...
,
I'm praying for your recovery. There is a thread on here from when I was shot last fall. Mine was slightly different than yours. But still came from an error in judgement.
Don't get mired down in depression. I had a group of brothers who would check in and let me know they were praying for me every couple days.
The guys on here were a huge help as well.
Eat healthy, drink lots of water, and look at the positives. You can make it through.
 
Bfh_auto said:
,
I'm praying for your recovery. There is a thread on here from when I was shot last fall. Mine was slightly different than yours. But still came from an error in judgement.
Don't get mired down in depression. I had a group of brothers who would check in and let me know they were praying for me every couple days.
The guys on here were a huge help as well.
Eat healthy, drink lots of water, and look at the positives. You can make it through.
Click to expand...
I'm going to look for your thread.
 
Mark_Mark said:
Let’s all Stop, take a deep breath, now take another deep breath.

It’s also a reminder of not being around people who are unsafe with firearm. Speak up and/or walk away! We all been there… Deer Camp, backyard BBQ with guns and booze. It’s OK to just leave!
Click to expand...

I quit hunting with my Father-in-law for just this reason. We would be walking in the woods and he would have his rifle cradled in the crook of his elbow, pointed at my head. I would slow down, cross over behind him and walk over to the other side. Pretty soon he would switch arms. Being young and new to the family I didn't say anything for a while. When I finally did say something to him he informed me that he was in the army and they taught him how to handle guns. I never went with him again! It caused a little friction in the family but I'm still here!
Now days, if you are around me you are going to handle your firearm safely or you're not going to be around me for very long!
 
My turn I guess. Buncha years ago I bought a case of Federal shells at Dick's (this was before that benighted chain saw the dark). Oddly, they were a pinkish color... turned out that Fed was rah-rah-ing breast cancer research. Well OK, I don't approve of breast cancer either.

I got home from the trap range and before putting up the gun 'till next Sunday I dropped the A-Zoom snap cap into the chamber, closed up and pulled the trigger. You have already guessed the result. Note to self: don't buy shells that are almost the same color as your snap caps.
 
lightman said:
Now days, if you are around me you are going to handle your firearm safely or you're not going to be around me for very long!
Click to expand...

This is critical. If the behavior can’t be remedied we can at least remove ourselves and loved ones from the situation. If it’s at a range where I’m a member I’ll report accordingly.
 
Ouch! Glad you survived the trauma, hopefully no infection follows.

I doubt there are many enthusiasts who haven't had an AD or ND by the time they're middle aged.

I've had two, one an ND that resulted from losing control of the hammer on a loaded SAA I was decocking, the other an AD that was the result of a broken firing pin in a new-to-me pistol that discharged a round when I sent the slide home; the pin had snapped at the cut for the block and rotated against the block, esentially making it an open bolt type fixed firing pin. Both times the weapons were pointed at the floor, but the second one was scary because I was upstairs in the kitchen of a bi-level home, and the 9mm round penetrated through the basement ceiling above a common area that thankfully nobody was in. 22 years ago, I remember it like it was last week.

And that is why I always emphasize to anyone I'm teaching or preaching to that muzzle control is paramount. Long as the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction, scared is the worst you'll ever get.
 
Col. Harrumph said:
My turn I guess. Buncha years ago I bought a case of Federal shells at Dick's (this was before that benighted chain saw the dark). Oddly, they were a pinkish color... turned out that Fed was rah-rah-ing breast cancer research. Well OK, I don't approve of breast cancer either.

I got home from the trap range and before putting up the gun 'till next Sunday I dropped the A-Zoom snap cap into the chamber, closed up and pulled the trigger. You have already guessed the result. Note to self: don't buy shells that are almost the same color as your snap caps.
Click to expand...
I was at a public trap range. The young man next to me had a pump shotgun, he had his finger on the trigger. Pumped a shell in and bump fired a round into the concrete in front me. About 20-30 shot bounce off the ground and hit my naked legs… HURT LIKE HECK. I can only imagine what being shot would feel like
 
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