Anybody ever dropped a firearm?

1

10CFR

New member
Up until the day before yesterday, I could honestly say that I had never dropped ANY firearm in my entire life. I am very careful when handling any firearm in any condition, period.

The background of this story includes that, a couple of weeks ago, I pulled a muscle in my right arm installing a tool box on my truck. Ever since then, my arm has been stiff, and it gives me pain in the forearm when I pick up anything.

The day before yesterday, I had decided to take all my guns out, run patches through the bores, and wipe them down with a silicone cloth to prevent rust. As I was taking MY FAVORITE .223 groundhog rifle out of the locker, and holding it vertically, my arm was hurting, and it was like my hand just suddenly let it slip. Before I even realized that it had left my hand, the rifle fell butt first into the carpet hard, and then fell over on its side like a tree felled by a lumberjack, making a sickening THUMP as it hit. I let out one subdued expletive, then just stood there looking at it. I just felt sick to my stomach. I went ahead and cleaned it, wiped it, and put it back in the locker.

The up-side to this story is that I took it out to the range yesterday, expecting the worst, and to my amazement, it wasn't even off-zero. I guess sometimes God steps in and takes care of idiots and clumsy people. It is also a testimonial to Burris mounts and the Simmons ATV scope.

I told this story to a friend at work, and he fessed up to the time he went to turn the lights on in the room where his gun rack is, and knocked his model seven completely off the rack (which was near the light switch) into the floor. It too survived, but needed re-zeroing.

Anybody else ever have stupid stuff like this happen? Misery [and embarrassment] loves company.

-10CFR

[This message has been edited by 10CFR (edited September 28, 2000).]
 
No.......but my Platoon Leader dropped my rifle once.
The platoon was standing at "open ranks" for rifle inspection, when the LT stopped in front of me I came to "inspection arms" and when I saw his right arm start to move I released the rifle and assumed the position of "attention" for some reason the LT hesitated after starting his movement and the rifle went "ka-thunk" at our feet.
BTW...the LT cleaned my rifle......voluntarily. :)

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"Lead, follow or get the HELL out of the way."
 
I was installing a front globe sight on my Sharps and stood it against the garage door frame to run and grab the ringing phone. My foot caught the stock and knocked the rifle over on to the concrete floor, but not before it hit a water pipe and the hot water heater. Ugh!
 
I had my LOADED *&* 642 pop out of an el cheapo in-pants holster at my house one day. The 642 has an enclosed hammer which makes securing it problematic...but this holster had no strap or tensioning mechanism or anything (like I said, el cheapo). I basically had bought that holster to tide me over until I could afford something better. Anyway, I was reaching up to grab something off a high shelf and PLOOP! out popped the 642 and *THUNK* it went as it dropped onto the linoleum. Of course this happened right in front of a non-gun friend, too.

Yes, I have since switched to a different holster (I had intended to do so long before this incident, but I must say this switch was hastened along nicely) and I 'debriefed' my friend about what happened. He still laughs about it to this day (*sigh*).

IMPORTANT LESSON: buy a good holster

Mike


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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
I dropped a S&W model 19 once. It bent the pin or doo-dad that the cylinder revolves on. Turns out that the gun didn't function at all, and I had to take it to a gunsmith. It wasn't loaded, but it hit a chunk of concrete. That was an expensive mistake, and the only time I've ever dropped a firearm.
 
"Accidental discharges" and gun dropping are two of the private truths that a lot of shooters won't 'fess-up to because it should not happen. I was in the study, in front of a mirror, doing drawing drills and went to reholster my .45 loaded with snap-caps. I had a new IWB holster. I completely missed placing the gun in the holster and let go thinking it was in. I had maybe gone through this drill a hundred times that evening and apparently became complacent. Then I heard the thunk of the magwell hitting the carpet. No damage done, but I never release a gun until I am certain it is properly holstered.
 
Twice. Once I was at the range and accidentally knocked an unloaded Taurus 22 revolver off the end of the bench. Luckily it landed in the sand instead of on the cement. After feeling like an idiot, I brushed the sand off and continued shooting. The other time was when walking across a log over a creek. The log broke and I fell up to my knees in the creek. The shotgun fell out of my hands and after the muddy water cleared up, I pulled it out, dried and cleaned it and tried the three shells that had been in it. On fired normally and the other two sounded like a little popgun going off.
 
Yes, I've dropped my Glocks.

Several times by accident. A few times as a demonstration. When demonstrated, no ammo was used. When by accident, it was loaded, with one in the pipe.

Golden rule of Glocks, when you start to drop it, let it go. Falling on the ground might scratch it, might knock your sights, but WON'T cause a discharge.

Grabbing for it can result in your finger getting into the trigger guard. If the trigger is depressed, the firearm will function as designed.

Eric
Not proud, but honest.
 
Heh heh heh.....

Yup. Just once, a few weeks ago. A friend let me try out his Thompson/Center .45-70 pistol. I tried to fire it one-handed, on the assumption that it would hurt less if I didn't try and fight the recoil.

:o

I ended up buying him a new set of grips.

Later,
Chris


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"TV what do I see, tell me who to believe, what's the use of autonomy when a button does it all??" - Incubus, Idiot Box
 
I dropped my 1911 several years ago when I was wearing a cheap IWB that had no strap. I was at my wife's hair dresser's. I expected all sorts of problems to add to my feeling like a complete idiot, but the owner surprised me by first asking if everything was okay then telling me she felt safer having someone with a pistol in the shop (even an idiot who drops his weapon!)

Perhaps that she was an escapee from Iran and she knew what having all of the power in the hands of the government (and its chosen few) meant to freedom colored her response to my being armed. She asked me a few other times if I was armed and always said "good, you should come here more often" when I told her that I was.

That was the only time I've ever dropped a loaded weapon. I hope it remains so.
 
I dropped my SIG 232 on my concrete driveway about 8 months ago. It was in a holster I use for the car. Suddenly I go the Jimmy Fingers and down it went. No damage done.

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Shop Smart! Shop S-Mart**** That's right I'm a gear whore and proud of it***
 
I dropped a Ruger .357 Blackhawk once. I had shown it to a friend, and when he handed it back to me we bobbled the exchange. It was not loaded (I don't hand anyone but my wife a loaded weapon). The gun fell on the carpeting, no harm, no foul.

In the military I saw a few soldiers drop weapons, the reaction from the nearest sergeant was always swift and severe. :) Worst case was a guy on guard duty who was whiling away the lonely hours fiddling with the Rem 870 pump gun. He was trying to eject a round from the chamber and catch it in the air, dropped the weapon, caught it at his knees and put his finger through the trigger guard. Boom! Took out a vicious assault windowpane, and did 14 days of extra duty washing tracked vehicles as the came in from field exercises in the red West Texas clay.
 
Just the other day, and it wasn't even my gun. My friend was purchasing a SAR 1, and had just finished filling out the paper work. He also bought a soft case. The rifle was in the soft case. As he went to pay for the gun, he asked me to grab it for him. I picked up the case, it wasn't zipped.

The AK hit the concrete floor with this horrible Kathunk noise. Fortunatly it was an AK, so it wasn't really hurt. I let out a pathetic little yelping noise as it hit.

Just seems sad that I dropped and he hadn't even paid for it yet. :)

Must run in the family though. When my Dad was a teenager, he lost his 870 off the back of his motorcycle, filled half the barrel with gravel, and removed a bunch of finish. He still has that 870 and it still works.

My Grandpa once left his old single shot 12 gauge leaning against his pickup. He forgot the gun and drove away, knocking over the gun, and driving over the barrel in the process. He just took a hacksaw to it and sawed it off behind the bend. :)
 
Once my briefcase swung open the wrong way and dropped the contents including my loaded Glock-19 onto the floor of the T (local public transportation in eastern Mass.)

I assume that I smoothly and quickly recovered it with little fanfare since I there was no screaming and I wasn't arrested. :rolleyes:

Since then I no longer carry in my briefcase.

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"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seeknot your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

[This message has been edited by Dark Avenger (edited September 28, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Dark Avenger (edited September 28, 2000).]
 
Reminds of one time at the range about 10 years ago. Four or five benches down from me on the 100 yard line, an adult and a young boy of maybe 12 or 14 years old were shooting what appeared to me as a very nice centerfire rifle with scope. During ceasefire the kid set the rifle on the bench and a few seconds later it teetered and fell hitting the asphalt hard. I cringed at the sound of it smacking the ground.

Anyway, the adult let out a couple foul expletives at the kid for the mistake. I really felt bad for the kid. I bet that memory still haunts him to this day. I was glad to leave the range that day.

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Just one of the Good Guys
 
Yep! I was only about 12 or 13. Once while squirrel hunting I was too busy lookin' up instead of where I was walking.
Started down a pretty steep hill when I tripped on an exposed tree root.
I had to climb halfway back up the hill to retrieve my rifle. :o

Haven't done THAT anymore. ;)
 
I found out one day that BDU pants pockets (not the lower button ones) don't make very good Beretta holsters. The gun pivoted out and fell on the back of the hammer. Good thing it has a firing pin block because there was a round chambered at the time.
 
I have dropped half a gun one time. I was at the range and had a squib round. After I extracted the bullet I put the pistol (Sig) back together and locked the slide in the rearward position. I was getting ready to engage the slide pin when a friend had a problem with his gun. I placed my pistol on the bench and went to help him with his problem. Retard me forgot that I didn't quite complete my last step of the pistol assembly and I let the slide ride forward. Woops, there the slide went right out onto the concrete floor of the "hot" area like an arrow. It was like something slow motion out of a movie. Luckily, the only thing damaged was my sense of responsibility.
 
Just this past weekend by buddy was practicing close quarter shooting, drawing, firing and reholstering in a fast manner.

I am sitting there watching him and the next thing I see when he goes to draw his pistol was a Glock 23 flying about 15 yards down the range,,kaplunk.

He looked back at me, I grinned he turned red, he got his balls busted on the way home :) :)end of story

**** happens,
~Jason
 
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