riggins_83
New member
I went to visit a relative who had just returned from a hunting trip. Asked to see his rifle (Browning 300 Win mag). I cleared it, round in the chamber! That'd have been nice and loud indoors...
Any scares when looking at someone's gun?
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Rainbow Demon
New member
Sounds like he was used to relying on a magazine disconnect of some other type of auto loader. This is one reason why I'd never disable a magazine disconnect safety feature, as so many have in searching for a better trigger pull, or on the off chance of having to fire a pistol without a magazine.
Some WW2 manufacture Browning High Powers don't have the magazine disconnect feature, the Germans deleted it to speed production. One should always make sure this feature has not be disabled when buying a used HiPower.
A magazine disconnect for the 1911 was developed and patented post WW1, but never adopted by Colt or the Army.
I can't count the number of times I've been handed an old house pistol for examination and found it loaded. Sometimes cartridges were stuck in the chamber by corrosion or solidified grease.
I've restored pistols found hidden away in tool boxes and tackle boxes, or found under car seats, still loaded and the finder having no idea how to check the chamber.
A gunsmith in a nearby city put a rusted tight 1911 in a vice , soaked it with oil and lightly tapped the slide with a mallet. Apparently there was so much lint and rust in the bore he couldn't get a rod into the muzzle or he'd have realized it had a round in the chamber.
The pistol went off and the bullet traveled through two walls and hit a man in the head around four hundred yards away killing him instantly.
I've cleaned up a .25 Colt pocket pistol that had been carried in a protective leather sheath in a coat pocket for many years. The stitching had come loose near the muzzle and over the years pocket lint and fibers from a torn lining had infiltrated till it formed a solid plug at least half the length of the bore, it was loaded of course.
therealdeal
New member
true story
I saw a friend hand another friend(all of us were drunk and either teenagers or in our early twenties) a shotgun which was pointed at him. idiot. friend now holding shotgun said the first thing my father ever taught me about guns was to never point it at someone. he changed the direction of the firearm as he said this and other friend walked backwards after delivering the lethal weapon. he then was looking at the trigger and thinking for whatever reason it wasn't cocked(it was) and touched the trigger & blew a hole thru a sliding glass door, thru the porch and railing, and into a tree(it was a slug).
I will note that the shooter had very little experience about guns(if any...he later has always said that was the first time he shot any weapon except a BB gun once in middle school)), and the one who handed over his grandpa's shotgun at the summer house is now an LEO in FL and always had an obsession w/firearms. He owned some grenades too. Lastly, we had no knowledge that this individual was going to walk into the living room w/his grandfather's grenades and shotgun or that he had access to any weapons.
oh well I am glad my buddy's father taught him some firearm rules and that sometimes stupid kids get lucky(or protected by angels).
I saw a friend hand another friend(all of us were drunk and either teenagers or in our early twenties) a shotgun which was pointed at him. idiot. friend now holding shotgun said the first thing my father ever taught me about guns was to never point it at someone. he changed the direction of the firearm as he said this and other friend walked backwards after delivering the lethal weapon. he then was looking at the trigger and thinking for whatever reason it wasn't cocked(it was) and touched the trigger & blew a hole thru a sliding glass door, thru the porch and railing, and into a tree(it was a slug).
I will note that the shooter had very little experience about guns(if any...he later has always said that was the first time he shot any weapon except a BB gun once in middle school)), and the one who handed over his grandpa's shotgun at the summer house is now an LEO in FL and always had an obsession w/firearms. He owned some grenades too. Lastly, we had no knowledge that this individual was going to walk into the living room w/his grandfather's grenades and shotgun or that he had access to any weapons.
oh well I am glad my buddy's father taught him some firearm rules and that sometimes stupid kids get lucky(or protected by angels).
I spend a lot of time teaching Boy Scouts and Venturing Scouts. I usually start with a gun familiarization exercise, letting the Scouts handle various types of actions to learn the different ways to clear, enable safeties, etc. I usually have about 8-12 kids, several gun types, and LOTS of adult supervision.
As part of this, I always drum into their heads that you ALWAYS check the chamber when handed a gun, even if you just witnessed someone else clear the chamber. We then do a "handoff" exercise, where they practice how to safely hand a gun to someone else: finger off trigger, muzzle in safe direction, check if unloaded, and handoff, then the recieving person immediately repeats the same steps.
These sessions quickly become a cacophony of clicks and clacks as the kids practice handing the guns off to each other. Invariably, someone will giggle at the absurd sound of several guns being cycled over and over, and the mood lightens and they have a good time with it. And that is how Scouts learn best - by learning in a fun environment and through repeated practice!
As part of this, I always drum into their heads that you ALWAYS check the chamber when handed a gun, even if you just witnessed someone else clear the chamber. We then do a "handoff" exercise, where they practice how to safely hand a gun to someone else: finger off trigger, muzzle in safe direction, check if unloaded, and handoff, then the recieving person immediately repeats the same steps.
These sessions quickly become a cacophony of clicks and clacks as the kids practice handing the guns off to each other. Invariably, someone will giggle at the absurd sound of several guns being cycled over and over, and the mood lightens and they have a good time with it. And that is how Scouts learn best - by learning in a fun environment and through repeated practice!
2ndsojourn
New member
From Major Dave:
"Treat EVERY gun as though it IS loaded...until you check it, YOURSELF".
That's rule #1.
Rule #2 is there are no exceptions to rule #1.
"Treat EVERY gun as though it IS loaded...until you check it, YOURSELF".
That's rule #1.
Rule #2 is there are no exceptions to rule #1.
If you are handing someone your gun, your slide show be racked back to show proper respect it is unloaded. This is how they do it at gun stores and so should you.
When I look at a gun at my LGS, I remove the magazine and inspect the gun, then reinsert the magazine and put my finger in the chamber to insure somehow no round got in "magicially".
When I look at a gun at my LGS, I remove the magazine and inspect the gun, then reinsert the magazine and put my finger in the chamber to insure somehow no round got in "magicially".
scrubcedar
New member
Had a local gun shop, handed me two different shotguns without checking the chamber. The second was different enough that I couldn't figure out how to open the action. I just shook my head, gently put the weapon down, thanked the salesperson, and left. Never to darken their door again. It went out of business a couple of months ago.
Just today I stopped in the LPS to pick up something i got off gunbroker. Woman comes in with some sort of small semi auto wanting to pawn it. The clerk asked her before he even touched it if it was loaded and she told him no, her husband emptied it last week. Clerk picked it up and promptly racked a live round out of the chamber. 
johnwilliamson062
Moderator
Not long after i started shooting I had a buddy hand me his EDC and tell me it was empty. I felt kind of awkward double checking him., so I didn't immediately check. After I handled it for a sec he said he thought there might be one in the chamber. There was. I haven't worried about being awkward since.
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
Major Dave (retired) said:
There is no "until".
All guns are always loaded.
There are plenty of stories (one being a Navy SEAL just recently) that "checked for themselves", decided it wasn't loaded and blew their brains out.
No qualifiers. No exceptions.
ALL guns are always loaded. <-Period
Willie Sutton
Moderator
"When I saw the man across the counter clear the gun, it gave me confidence that he knew how to handle it safely. When he saw me do it, it gave him confidence that I could also be trusted. It's kind-of like a secret handshake."
Excellent, and so true. Well said.
Willie
'.
Excellent, and so true. Well said.
Willie
'.
One of the times that sticks in my head;
My son's friend was over at the house. He loves Call of Duty and had wanted to see a real M1 Garand and M1 Carbine.
So I open up the safe pull out a Garand and checked to make sure it was clear.
I hand the rifle to my son's friend and first thing he does is put his finger on the trigger and start pointing that rifle at every living thing in the house. So i tell him be careful where you point that and always keep your finger off the trigger.
So Sam hands the Garand to my son, he checks to make sure it is clear and points the rifle in a safe direction with his finger off the trigger.
I pull out an M1 Carbine, check it and hand it to Sam. Same thing happens, finger on the trigger and pointing the rifle at every living thing in the house.
The kids were about 14 years old at the time. My sons have been shooting since they were 9 years old.
Sam's mother is very anti-gun so poor Sam never has learned to properly handle a firearm. If she wasn't so against it I would have taken him out to the range and trained him properly.
My son's friend was over at the house. He loves Call of Duty and had wanted to see a real M1 Garand and M1 Carbine.
So I open up the safe pull out a Garand and checked to make sure it was clear.
I hand the rifle to my son's friend and first thing he does is put his finger on the trigger and start pointing that rifle at every living thing in the house. So i tell him be careful where you point that and always keep your finger off the trigger.
So Sam hands the Garand to my son, he checks to make sure it is clear and points the rifle in a safe direction with his finger off the trigger.
I pull out an M1 Carbine, check it and hand it to Sam. Same thing happens, finger on the trigger and pointing the rifle at every living thing in the house.
The kids were about 14 years old at the time. My sons have been shooting since they were 9 years old.
Sam's mother is very anti-gun so poor Sam never has learned to properly handle a firearm. If she wasn't so against it I would have taken him out to the range and trained him properly.
Double Naught Spy
New member
Gun show.
zincwarrior
New member
Yes, alternatively if I am handing a weapon to someone (other than the firing line) I will clear it in front of them and show them the empty chamber before handing over, even if I know its empty. Better safe than sorry.
Alabama Shooter
New member
I think I should share an absolutely terrifying experience that took place about seven years ago with my much older next door neighbor (we moved years ago BTW).
We were standing out in his driveway with my then seven year old son discussing various things and he decides he wants to show me the new gun he had bought. It is a S&W revolver with some Crimson Trace grips. Before handing it to me he is showing me the various things he likes about it and then says; "look at your sons chest".
I look and there is a red dot on there. He moves it around a little and tells me it is well zeroed. I remain calm but move in front of my son slowly.
He then hands it to me, I roll it open and all the chambers are all full.
I actually broke out into a cold sweat. For me that is actually pretty significant as I am not startled easily.
One of the reasons it was so terrifying is that I knew another man (an NRA certified instructor, range safety officer, collegiate level rifle team coach) who had accidentally shot and killed a 10 year old boy at a range in the building I used to work in. He had done this while showing a teacher a handgun.
I knew my neighbor was not nearly as careful.
I never talked with my neighbor much after that.
If you follow the rules 99.9999% of the time everything will be ok. The odds drop hard and fast when you don't.
We were standing out in his driveway with my then seven year old son discussing various things and he decides he wants to show me the new gun he had bought. It is a S&W revolver with some Crimson Trace grips. Before handing it to me he is showing me the various things he likes about it and then says; "look at your sons chest".
I look and there is a red dot on there. He moves it around a little and tells me it is well zeroed. I remain calm but move in front of my son slowly.
He then hands it to me, I roll it open and all the chambers are all full.
I actually broke out into a cold sweat. For me that is actually pretty significant as I am not startled easily.
One of the reasons it was so terrifying is that I knew another man (an NRA certified instructor, range safety officer, collegiate level rifle team coach) who had accidentally shot and killed a 10 year old boy at a range in the building I used to work in. He had done this while showing a teacher a handgun.
I knew my neighbor was not nearly as careful.
I never talked with my neighbor much after that.
If you follow the rules 99.9999% of the time everything will be ok. The odds drop hard and fast when you don't.
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Tactical Jackalope
New member
You my boy blue!
I'm from the school of "every gun is loaded..no, every gun is loaded and that's how it should be treated"
Imagine graduating from that school? That'd be a winding class ring.
North East Redneck
New member
I think I told this before in a different thread. I wasn't handed the weapon. But anyway, shooting squirrels in friends back yard with .22 springer air rifles. Buddy goes to set his rifle down, says its 'safe'. Well it wasn't. It was loaded and somehow he pushed the safety off (the safety is inside the trigger guard, why his hand was near it I don't know) and discharged it. Pellet struck wooden siding of the house, changed direction and passed between me and another guy at about head level. We were probably no more than two feet apart. You could feel the air move as it passed by.
Another example of carelessness and ignorance. Thankfully he only owns that one pellet rifle and no firearms.
BB, pellet or .50 BMG, I don't want to get hit with any of em.
Another example of carelessness and ignorance. Thankfully he only owns that one pellet rifle and no firearms.
BB, pellet or .50 BMG, I don't want to get hit with any of em.
My son-in-law pulled a knock off Galil out of his safe to show me. I did what I always do.
Point the thing away from everyone.
Attempt to put it on safe.
Remove the magazine (it wasn't in).
Open the bolt and check the chamber.
And out popped a live round. That's why I always do those things.
I admired it for a while, handed it back to him and politely suggested that he should clear his weapons before he puts them away and when he takes them out.
Point the thing away from everyone.
Attempt to put it on safe.
Remove the magazine (it wasn't in).
Open the bolt and check the chamber.
And out popped a live round. That's why I always do those things.
I admired it for a while, handed it back to him and politely suggested that he should clear his weapons before he puts them away and when he takes them out.
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