Today I found a new way to screw up.

[Col. Harrumph]

So I'm at the range, putting five at a time through the J-Frame. OK, now for its big brother, the K-Frame. Loaded six, fired five and brought the target in. See the issue? I carry both of these (not at the same time). Fortunately I was at the range, not "in the field." THINK. Always THINK.

 

[lincen]

I had a new shooter hand me my Sig P210 with the hammer back and a round in the chamber. Thankfully his son in law was a firearms instructor and reminded him to always check while at the line…..

 

[ms6852]

It's real easy to screw up. One time I was showing my brother how to install a 2 stage trigger in his AR. I asked him if it was empty, yes was his reply. Dropped the lower and proceeded to change trigger. Dad was in the kitchen with us, after I installed the trigger, I assembled the AR to perform a functions check. Pulled the charging handle and a loaded round hits my father on the forehead. I knew better, but trusted my brother. Shows that one must always check for an empty firearm personally and not take ones word.

 

[rhino465]

If you make something foolproof, the world will produce better fools.

 

[NorthBorder]

If you make something foolproof, the world will produce better fools.

EXACTLY!

 

[Mark_Mark]

So I'm at the range, putting five at a time through the J-Frame. OK, now for its big brother, the K-Frame. Loaded six, fired five and brought the target in. See the issue? I carry both of these (not at the same time). Fortunately I was at the range, not "in the field." THINK. Always THINK.

better than smacking the ejector & closing the cylinder at the same time

 

[gwpercle]

You are absolutely Right

You Just gotta Count 'Em ... and Shoot 'Em !

Load 5 ... shoot 5

Load 6 ... shoot 6

Load 10 ... Shoot 10

Always count your shots ... in a gunfight or at the shooting range ...you need to know where you stand ...
Make it a Habit .
Be Careful and Think !
Gary

 

[J-Bar]

Frequently I load only one round in a cylinder or magazine. It slows me down and eliminates the urge to pull the trigger a second time to make up for an errant shot. If I want to practice double-action, I will load two, cylinder or magazine.

Every range trip I hear shooters in nearby lanes emptying 10 round + magazines in a precise metronomic rhythm. I have never understood what they think they are learning, other than wasting money and ammo.

 

[Pat Riot]

Years ago I would trust fellow shooters and gun buddies when they would say “It’s not loaded”.
My pal handed me his Marlin 1895 Guide Gun. It was brand new. “It’s not loaded” he said. Here I am looking it over, putting it to my shoulder, mock aiming at nothing in the sky…then he says “Check that trigger out”.
He reached over to cock the hammer. I pulled away and dropped the lever and a live 45-70 round flies out and whacks him in the forehead. Karma, right?
This is a guy that was A-J squared away in regards to his guns and gun safety. The look on his face was priceless. I think he apologized to me 2 dozen times that weekend. We used to do these weekend camping shooting trips at least once a month.
I’d bet big money he never inadvertently left a round in a chamber after that.
I know I have never trusted anyone telling me that a gun isn’t loaded since. I don’t care if I have seen them check it, I do it anyway.

 

[BobWright]

Three times I've been handed a firearm for inspection that was loaded. Fortunately it is second nature for me to check for myself. One of these was a Reising SMG!

Bob Wright

 

[cfullgraf]

So I'm at the range, putting five at a time through the J-Frame. OK, now for its big brother, the K-Frame. Loaded six, fired five and brought the target in. See the issue? I carry both of these (not at the same time). Fortunately I was at the range, not "in the field." THINK. Always THINK.

I’ve done similar things, fortunately at the range and as long as safe gun handling is practiced.

At one time, 5 and 6 shot revolvers were “it”. I’ll admit that I have stopped shooting a revolver when I thought it was empty but it was not.

Now we have 7, 8, and even 10 shot revolvers depending on cartridge and frame size.

Unlike a semi-auto pistol with an empty magazine, a revolver does not “tell” you that it is empty so folks need to be more vigilant verifying the safety of the revolver before passing it in.

Just be careful out there.

 

[2ndtimer]

Frequently I load only one round in a cylinder or magazine. It slows me down and eliminates the urge to pull the trigger a second time to make up for an errant shot. If I want to practice double-action, I will load two, cylinder or magazine.

Every range trip I hear shooters in nearby lanes emptying 10 round + magazines in a precise metronomic rhythm. I have never understood what they think they are learning, other than wasting money and ammo.

If you are training for defensive shooting, I am sure the threat will patiently wait for you to reload if you miss with your one or two shots. Most of us train the way we carry with full magazines or cylinders….

 

[Riomouse911]

I will vary ammo counts in magazines and cylinders. Sometimes it is loading just 5, mainly because ammo boxes come in 5 or 10 round rows, or I will load 6, 8 etc. and shoot two shot pairs.

I am glad to read that you caught the live round in your cylinder safely and not due to some sort of mishap.

Stay safe.

 

[35 Whelen]

I used to teach hunter education and my mantra was: "There is no such thing as an unloaded gun."

35W

 

[JmacD]

I’ve caught myself pulling a couple of dumb ones. And I’ve learned from all of them. So, every firearm I handle is loaded, weather it contains ammunition or not.

 

[Tallball]

FWIW, at the range I always squeeze the trigger six times for my j-frames and seven times for the k-frames.

If my mind wanders for a moment I might miscount by one, but so far not by two yet.

Leaving one or two cylinders empty is a terrific training technique.

 

[rdnktrkr]

When I go down range I use a chamber flag in a semi or bolt action and store them that way or with the bolt removed, for a revolver I open the cylinder and leave it that way on the bench. I've had guns handed to me and I always check them and before I hand a gun off I always check it.

 

[jmr40]

Most handgun ammo comes in 50 round boxes. Ten rows of 5. I like to shoot 5 shot strings when shooting for groups. With most semi-auto's I load 5, 10, or 15. I'll then shoot 1, 2 or 3 strings of 5 shots. I like to finish with an empty chamber. If I'm only shooting 1 group of 5 shots with a full mag then I have to clear the chamber when finished. If there are only 5 in there I finish with an empty chamber and the slide locked back. I've been known to fire 4 then pause to remove the mag before firing the 5th shot.

I currently only own 1 revolver, a 6 shot 3" Smith 65 but I always load just 5 and shoot a 5 shot group.

Maybe I'm a little OCD, but a big part of my reasoning is that it keeps the remaining ammo in the box in even rows.

Of course, for serious work I load most to capacity. With some guns/mags I may load down by 1 or 2 rounds.

 

[.38 Special]

See the issue?

Not perfectly, actually. In my world, the gun would either go back into the holster, or be set onto the bench with the cylinder open. Either way it would present no particular danger, assuming "treat all guns as if they are loaded" is being obeyed.

What am I missing?

 

[Col. Harrumph]

Hi, .38, I appreciate your question! I've been reading the responses and they've all been good reminders of the basics. My only point was that, having gotten used to counting five, I quit on the six-shooter with one left... meaning that I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.

 

[Ethan Verity]

Always follow the five rules of gun safety, and whether a gun is loaded or not becomes a non-issue. I wouldn't be startled realizing I miscounted and had another round left... because that round isn't going to shoot itself, and I don't pull the trigger haphazardly.

 

[Big-bore-bob]

Every range trip I hear shooters in nearby lanes emptying 10 round + magazines in a precise metronomic rhythm. I have never understood what they think they are learning, other than wasting money and ammo.

I believe this is called cadence, practice for recoil control muscle memory. This is important for me in uspsa competition when your engaging multiple targets. Mabye they do like emptying their bank account as fast as those magazines though.

 

[.38 Special]

Hi, .38, I appreciate your question! I've been reading the responses and they've all been good reminders of the basics. My only point was that, having gotten used to counting five, I quit on the six-shooter with one left... meaning that I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.

A very good point!

 

[StrawHat]

…

Every range trip I hear shooters in nearby lanes emptying 10 round + magazines in a precise metronomic rhythm. I have never understood what they think they are learning, other than wasting money and ammo.

Anytime I hear rhythmic shooting I think “competition practice”. It is the ones trying to sound like a full auto that have me laughing. Never yet seen one that could hit a target. Well, that’s not true. Ross Seyfried could have a great target long before the empties hit the ground.

Kevin

 

[Coyote3855]

I have made my share of dumb gun mistakes. Fortunately neither me nor my TV nor anyone else was harmed. Had a good friend hand me his Marlin 336 without opening the action. I jacked out seven rounds. His expression was priceless. Always, always check.