Another "Preventable" Range Incident?

I hate to hear about a ND or AD at the range. No my misspelling was not deliberate these things have spell check and auto correct built in nowadays. I live in Texas and I shoot sometimes in the summer months and I wear tank shirts to the range myself sometimes. Yes I have been burned by some hot brass, some hotter than others but I've never felt the need to dance around because of it. I believe that if full face shields and padded riot gear were required range attire it still would not make it safe. Only the safety equipment between people's ears can do that. Let the flaming begin:D
 
There are plenty of videos on Youtube and other places showing fools shooting guns but there are also plenty of videos of ladies shooting and doing it correctly wearing only eye protection, and ear protection.

In this case it was an obviously inexperienced not thinking shooter. First she did not set the gun down so she could propperly dig for the brass second her finger was still on the bang switch and third she swept herself and who knows who everelse.
 
Firearm safety ultimately falls on the person holding/shooting the gun (minors excluded). New shooters should always be accompanied by a range officer or a knowledgeable shooting friend.

Each range will have different safety rules including proper attire; some ranges may not have any rules at all. How many videos or pictures do you see of women dressed inappropriately (e.g. 2 piece bikini or low cut shirts/tanktops) while shooting?? Plenty...
 
My conclusion is that wearing a broad brimmed hat will protect you from more than just the sun!
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One of the ranges near me has a rule that shooters must wear a baseball cap with the brim facing forward, along with ear and eye protection.
 
I had a hot shell casing go down the front of my shirt once -- it was just a standard button shirt with every button but the top one buttoned. I don't recall if I was wearing a baseball style cap, though I usually do. Yeah, it burned but I had the presence of mind to keep my gun pointed down range and finger off the trigger as I tried to pull the case off my skin through my shirt. Then I laid the gun down and used both hands. I'll add, however, that I don't have the same physical equipment this young lady did and that may make a difference. :)
 
One of the ranges near me has a rule that shooters must wear a baseball cap with the brim facing forward, along with ear and eye protection.
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Baseball/seedcorn/gimme hat is good. Wide brimmed hat is better. Widebrimmed hat, light colored longsleeve shirt and sunscreen is best, 3 out of 4 seasons.
 
Hello again ninjarealist,,,

It was the generic you. Sorry if it seemed like an accusation. Using the generic you is a bad habit of mine.
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Not a problem and I didn't take offense,,,
It only mattered in how I would frame my reply.

I got what you were saying,,,
Part of being a safe shooter is anticipating or simply being aware of bad things that can happen.

I would be willing to make a bet that the woman who shot herself wasn't even aware of the possibility of catching a hot case in her cleavage.

I've seen it happen so I am aware and dress accordingly,,,
Also when it happens to me it's not a total surprise,,,
So I have a better chance of controlling my gun.

When I was a kid my mom and pop just assumed I would be safe with my guns,,,
That was a bad assumption on their part because I was ignorant of possibilities.

I had to learn all of the dangerous things by experience,,,
It's a wonder I have all of my fingers and toes and never shot anyone else.

If I were sure the anti-gunners wouldn't take it to an expensive and prohibitive extreme,,,
I would advocate for mandatory comprehensive safety training to own a gun of any kind.

Aarond

.
 
It's up to the shooter to stay safe, for their sake and all others around them.
There's no telling where a hot piece of brass can go, so it's not as much about the clothing we wear to the range, but our safety procedures when the inevitable happens.
I once had a hot one somehow get past my hat and glasses and lodge just below my eye.
Talk about a surprise.
But no harm done and nobody got any new holes in them.
 
Thanks for posting this up. This story is a good reminder for me to add an additional education message in my discussions when taking new new shooters to the range. They all get the safety rules on paper, and drilled on the way to the range. They also get a suggestion on attire and use of hats. When at the range they get a dose of what to look for in squib, hang fire or jam situation, and most importantly - The muzzle must remain DOWN RANGE, along with direction that actions are opened, cleared and checked before leaving the line!

What I will add in the future is mention that distractions like hot brass can and will happen and add that you have to maintain focus on safety if it happens because distractions can lead to negligent discharges that can injure or kill.
 
Would have thought (hoped?) that SOMEONE in her group would have had enough horse sense to address the issue to the young lady so as to prevent something like that from happening. I'll bet she doesn't make the same mistake again (but, on the other hand???). :rolleyes:
 
My first experience with hot brass happened in a shooting class when a hot case from the shooter to my left landed on the collar of my t-shirt and rolled against my neck and stuck there. This being an unexpected situation I didn't have the presence of mind to simply holster my pistol and deal with the situation. Instead I knelt and put my pistol on the ground then removed the case from my neck. It was painful and caused a blister. I still have a scar on my neck. That unexpected and painful event caused me to be better prepared to deal with the situation should it happen again - holster first!

Another experience happened in a stall at an indoor range when a hot .22 LR case bounced off the stall partition and landed on the brow bar directly in the center of my safety glasses. It burned the spot right between my eyebrows. Fortunately all I had to do was put my pistol on the tray in front of me.

Still another experience was a .22 LR case that bounced off a 4x4 post, when I was shooting my rifle, and it landed between my forearm and the shooting bench. Again it stuck to my skin, creating a blister and a scar.
 
Here's a couple of suggestions for all y'all burning yourselves with hot brass:

-slow your rate of fire a bit. You aren't learning much doing multiple mag dumps, anyhow.

-switch guns, to let them cool between strings.....

-tune your ejector and/or extractor (and maybe your loads) to eject the brass away from you.

This won't save you from neighboring shooters' brass, but it'll reduce self-inflicted wounds .....
 
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