My first accidental discharge. Shaken.

[ThePlato]

Just wanted to write this out to calm myself I guess. I just recently bought a star model S in .380. When I bought it the grips were broken so I replaced them. Today was my first day taking the pistol out.

The star model s uses a trigger bar that sits flush with the frame on the right side. Unknown to me was the fact that these grips had a lip incorrectly placed that could catch the trigger bar. Well fast forward to me on the range. I fire the first shot reset the trigger and then on the second shot no bang, no hammer coming down, the trigger is just mush and the grip is wobbling around.

My first error was not immediately clicking the safety on like I was taught in the military. Instead I pressed the grip to the rear trying to reseat it. Unfortunately the grip panel had snagged the trigger lever. Which when I pressed it to the rear pressed the trigger bar to the rear. At which time the firearm discharged down range safely.

Scared the crap out of me. Dropped the mag, ejected the chambered round and flicked the safety on.

Some good things to note here. I was trained to always keep my firearm pointed down range. This saved me from a greater tragedy that could have occurred.

Ugh. Still shaken up.

 

[Big_John1961]

Glad to hear you are okay. Use it as a learning experience.

 

[The Watchman]

Good job remembering to keep it pointed downrange. Give it a little time the unsettling feeling will pass.

 

[Frozen North]

Congratulations on using proper muzzle control when it really counted! I am not familiar with the gun you describe, but it sounds like this one can really be called a malfunction for real this time.

The rules were followed and no one was hurt. This is why we follow the rules.

 

[swiftak]

It can really shake you up. I think most people who have been around guns for any amount of time have had it happen. Alot of people won't admit it has happened to them. It happened to me with a pistol. Really scary. Always pointed in a safe direction and the result is hopefully ok.

 

[jitdc]

I had an accidental discharge in the house several months ago. It can really scare the pants off of you. But it really engrains it in you to not be in a hurry or be careless when handeling firearms.

 

[mesinge2]

Glad your ok and no one was hurt but I think this should be a lesson that the rules really do prevent injury. Good Job!

 

[Drail]

Any gun design (and there are quite a few) that run trigger linkage OUTSIDE the frame is a gun I would never consider owning. You know why now. Congratulations on being in control of where the shot went. European designs are famous for this. There are much more intelligent ways to route the trigger linkage.

 

[W.E.G.]

oops.

 

[JayPee]

Nice going sir. Keeping the gun pointed downrange really saves a lot of grief.

I manage our club's military rifle and pistol matches and in the past five years we have had two unintended discharges of military rifles. In both cases the firearms were pointed at the target line and the bullets impacted where they were supposed to. The only damage was to the Match Director's laundry bill. Both were caused by well-intentioned mismanagement of a malfunctioning firearm by very experienced riflemen, so don't be too hard on yourself.

JayPee

 

[dprice3844444]

no go change your drawers and keep firing

 

[Lonestar49]

...

If one is to have an AD, you've had a better one that one can talk about..

Downrange is one's friend as you have demonstrated,

Keep it safe,


Ls

 

[1stmarine]

If you shoot a lot of rounds and long enough the AD is not an "if" but a matter of "when".
That is where the other rules come in place like always point in a safe direction.

 

[ol' scratch]

All equipment can fail. The fact that the gun was pointed downrange just proves you follow the rules.

 

[MachIVshooter]

At which time the firearm discharged down range safely

And that is why I emphasize muzzle control above everything else.

You did fine. Unintentional discharge, whether negligent or accidental, will happen at some point to most of us who handle guns and shoot with great frequency; As long as this rule is observed, startled is the worst that will happen.

 

[BADUNAME37]

That proves, if we abide by the certain 'ten-commandments' of firearm safety, even if just one, most times, nothing will happen if a shot is fired!

If our gun is ALWAYS pointed in a safe direction, the gun could go off all day long and not hurt or injure anyone or anything (except for possibly our pride or ego)!

 

[red rick]

I know how you feel it's happened to me. It happened about 5 years ago and it still feels like yesterday when I think about it, like now. The only positive, it's made me think of safe firearms handling 10x more.

Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction.

Thank God I followed this rule.

 

[Strahley]

I'm glad it was pointed in a safe direction, that's the most important thing

Sounds like a good reason to get a gun that isn't so...weird

 

[Mike J]

I had something similar happen to me around 26 years ago. We had been shooting & it was misting rain. When I went to decock the .44 magnum levergun I had been shooting the hammer slipped out from under my finger. It was pointed in a safe direction also. This is just a good reminder of what can go wrong. I believe I would change the grips back or modify the new ones to take care of this issue.

 

[bthr22]

When I began shooting pistols, or any other firearm for that matter, I was always taught that when there is a malfunction, a misfire, or in your case, just no function at all to drop the mag and empty the chamber before assessing any problem. I've been shooting pistol regularly now for about 6 years or so, (I'm only 19) and I haven't had an OD yet. Not to say, that it won't happen, but I think doing that before assessing a misfire, along with keeping the other fundamental safety rules in mind greatly reduces the chances of an OD

 

[ThePlato]

Bthr22,

Agreed fully. My ocd got the better of me and I attempted to fix the grip before doing something much more crucial.

 

[CrankyOldGuy]

I always respect the shooter that can see their own errors and own up to them.
Typically, if they have an AD they have obeyed the rest of the rules...nothing happens except a few rattled nerves.

Here, the Plato noted that he made a mistake and didn't activate the safety. Mistake two was attempting to repair a loaded pistol. But because he was diligent in muzzle discipline, no harm was done. Good job and lesson learned.

I watched a close friend's first ND. He cleared the pistol almost properly, removing the magazine and visually inspecting the chamber. However his eyes are a bit weak and it was twilight. He didn't see the round in the chamber and forgot to rack the slide a few times as I had taught him. The pistol was pointed, quite deliberately, at the ground downrange when he dropped the hammer. He jumped when the pistol fired...took a deep breath then looked up at me and said "I didn't rack the slide to clear it."

I take partial credit for that ND, I watched him clear the pistol, saw the visual inspection of the chamber and didn't say anything about not mechanically clearing the pistol.

You live and you learn.

 

[plunge]

i had something like this happen while deer hunting with a rifle. i saw some deer coming in so i cocked the hammer on my rifle and sat waiting. after they came in and were there for a while i got tired of holding my rifle and was going to set it down as nothing eventful was happening. i went to decock it and my hands were so cold the hammer slipped right off my thumb and the rifle went off scaring all the deer away. i had it pointed in a safe direction, but i headed back for camp. didnt figure anymore deer would be coming for a while

 

[1911Tuner]

Unintentional discharges are rather unsettling. It drives home the importance of never letting your mind wander from what you're doing...handling a potentially lethal machine...and to check and double check. It also clarifies the reasons for the four rules.

In the final analysis...it's embarassing and humbling and it's frightening, but as long as nobody got hurt, it's all good. Consider yourself among the lucky and vow to never let it happen again.

 

[Browns Fan]

I agree with 1stmarine, if you shoot alot it will increase the likelihood of an AD. As the saying goes:

The 2 loudest things a shooter will hear is:

A click when he is supposed to hear a bang.

A bang when he is supposed to hear a click.