Today I found a new way to screw up.

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Some of my safety practices:
1. 1 handgun at a range session.
2 Always use snap caps for dry fire. For rimfires, the yellow No. 6 drywall screw anchors.
3. For dryfiring semiautos, dedicated magazines. A blued handgun gets a nickle or stainless magazine, a nickle or stainless handgun a blued magazine.
4. My most frequently used handguns and long arms are stored with snap caps.

 

[hey smepl this]

I don’t count my shots. I just shoot until it’s empty, then dump the spent rounds. So no chance of forgetting a live round in there.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Another practice-I don't mix my shooting styles. It's either Bullseye, 5 rounds in the magazine or cylinder, or Combat/SD, fully loaded magazine or cylinder.

 

[IWAC]

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.

Been there, done that....makes a person watchful!

 

[shoebox1.1]

When I was 19 I had an AD in an apartment with a RPK and a FMJ 7,62 round when through 2 walls. 3 kitchen cabinets and all the way through the refrigerator! Lucky it stopped on the other side of the ice cream jk. It was a low hit and no one was hurt but I learned a big lesson that day

 

[drobs]

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.

Counter point - I shoot at swinging steel gongs in my backyard. 1 shot per gong. Meaning each shot I take is a 1st shot.
That's basically the same thing you are doing but with a full 15rd magazine or fully loaded 6 shot cylinder.

 

[irving]

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 have the same situation shooting 6 in my Colt Cobra, then shooting 7 in my S&W 686 plus.

Did he shoot six or seven?

 

[roscoe]

I feel like the take-home message is to open your cylinder before going downrange. It is easy to forget to count (unless you are Sterling Archer), but opening the cylinder eliminates the issue entirely.

 

[hemiram]

Years ago, I was shooting with a couple of guys I barely knew and one of them wanted to shoot one of my guns, I don't remember which one it was, but it had a 17 round mag in it, and when I loaded it, I counted them right in front of him and said, "18 rounds altogether". I thought he understood why I said that, but he cranked off 15, and then started talking to us and while holding the gun at a weird angle, he pulled the trigger, thinking the gun was empty. He shot right through the target cable, and through the roof. He was charged $50, and he was totally embarrassed about it. He was surprised that it still had 3 left, he said, "I thought the most a handgun held was 15". "I said 18, so you would know it had 18 in it!"
Never went shooting with him again.

 

[CajunBass]

I'm another who almost always loads five at the range. Just my little contribution to OCD. Ten rows of five, or ten rows of ten, either way, five works out to an even number at the end of box. I eject the empties into my hand, then put them back in the box they came out of (or dump then into a bag for transport home). IIRC, there was a police shooting some years ago, that taught us not to do that, but then I'm not a police officer. Even back when I was shooting semi's a lot, I'd only load five, (once I'd established the gun worked with a full mag). Just a habit I picked up somewhere.

I don't "train" for a gunfight. I don't really even practice. I just go to the range and shoot. I'm old, and not very likely to change I don't suppose. I'm careful. I've had a couple of ND's in my time, and I don't want another. Those unloaded guns will get you that's for sure. The ND's I had were both "unloaded" and I told myself they were. I don't even trust myself anymore.

 

[stonebuster]

I'm another who almost always loads five at the range. Just my little contribution to OCD. Ten rows of five, or ten rows of ten, either way, five works out to an even number at the end of box. I eject the empties into my hand, then put them back in the box they came out of (or dump then into a bag for transport home). IIRC, there was a police shooting some years ago, that taught us not to do that, but then I'm not a police officer. Even back when I was shooting semi's a lot, I'd only load five, (once I'd established the gun worked with a full mag). Just a habit I picked up somewhere.

I don't "train" for a gunfight. I don't really even practice. I just go to the range and shoot. I'm old, and not very likely to change I don't suppose. I'm careful. I've had a couple of ND's in my time, and I don't want another. Those unloaded guns will get you that's for sure. The ND's I had were both "unloaded" and I told myself they were. I don't even trust myself anymore.

Both of my NRA pistol permit instructors admitted they had a ND in their houses and both were retired police/detectives. Shows it can happen to anyone when we don't follow safety guidelines. Probably happens more often than people admit.

 

[2ndtimer]

I feel like the take-home message is to open your cylinder before going downrange. It is easy to forget to count (unless you are Sterling Archer), but opening the cylinder eliminates the issue entirely.

At my club range, one of our rules is that ALL firearms are made safe before anyone goes down range, magazines removed, bolts open, slides locked back, cylinders open. We haven’t required chamber flags, but they are encouraged. Since our range is on land leased from the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, one accident could result in cancellation of our year to year lease.

 

[JERRY]

In real life you'd have kept pulling the trigger.

 

[Onty]

About fifty years ago we managed to get an old K.u.K. (Austro-Hungarian) pistol Roth-Steyr M1907, cal. 8mm Roth–Steyr, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roth–Steyr_M1907 .

Three of us (very young) were in mountains, and while in a small cabin, a friend pulled a slide, loaded round in magazine, pulled slide again and released it. Striker suppose to be sticking out as on the picture. BUT, I had noticed that striker is all the way out! I told to friend to keep pistol in safe direction, finger away from trigger, and while I went for the slider knob to pull slider back, pistol fired. No, he didn't touch trigger at that time. Luckily, lead ball went in the corner, nobody was hurt. More than one hour we tried to simulate that event, holding trigger partially pulled in all possible position, but couldn't replicate it. Since than, no striker fired or hammer hidden handgun for me. If there is no visible hammer that I could see and control, I don't want that pistol. Call this paranoia, luck of understanding or luck of confidence, I don't care. Just those handguns are not for me.

P.S. My apology for off topic on this SF about revolvers, but I just wanted to share my experience.

 

[halfmoonclip]

It's become sort of a 'secret handshake'; after Gunny A picks up a pistol, checks the chamber, hands it to Gunny B, who then checks the chamber again.
Just let it be a habit.
Moon

 

[WVRJ]

We are so blessed with all the different designs and capabilities of the guns we have to shoot. No safety DA,manual safety SA or DA,DA-SA with safety and/ or decocker,SA revolver, DA/SA revolver,the list goes on and on. I may shoot most of them in a day's fun and I very well can make a big mistake along the way. Go slow, enjoy the day and be careful.

 

[Hole maker]

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.

Glad you caught it. How about this, cleaned my revolver and took my dog for a nightly walk ( there is bear/ coyotes/ fox etc. where I go, got home took the gun out and it was unloaded, of course I could not shoot myself at least the creatures were safe too. Ron.

 

[Offhand McFlan]

I love my somewhat anemic little Radom P83, in 9x18 with the Eurostyle mag release. I'm very used to it. If not for the slightly wimpy cartridge it might be my favorite CC piece, just for its ergos design and action. I am SO used to the little bugger AAMOF, that many times I try to release the mag of one of my American-made guns the same way! Its usually just when I'm tired. But I never stop thinking, wow what would I do in a real shoot? Would I "wake up"?