Can never be too careful!

P

Prof Young

New member
Shooters:

At the range today I slide a full mag in to my "empty" Beretta PX4, racked the slide and . . . a bullet ejected. Yikes. Thing still had a live round in it from the last trip. Obviously I did not clear the chamber or check it at the end of the last trip. Double yikes.

Then to ad to my blunders, I went to load the 45 acp magazine and grabbed a 9mm bullet to get started. Actually put the bullet in the mag before I realized the mistake. Geez, I need to go back to "handgun safety 101."

Life is good
Prof Young
 
A family member was on the firing line next to me on a day of dusting some clay birds. Got to yapping like he usually does, and not paying attention, he dropped a 20 gauge shell into his 12 bore blaster.

Luckily the thrower noticed what he was doing and called a cease fire before catastrophe struck. Talk about Yikes…. I get it. Things happen. Just causes you to really double down on your efforts to be better about clearing chambers and loading proper ammo into mags.

Chalk this one up to a lesson learned, no?
 
Prof Young. That is a double yikes [emoji15] … do not let it happen again, please. I keep a few guns loaded in my safe in case I may need one. Always clear every gun coming out of the safe before packing it up or servicing.

Be safe

Tim
 
Last summer I started to carry a sig p365 in my front pocket. That's where I always kept my wallet. Was in self check-out at grocery store. Instinctively reached for my wallet which was now my p365. Pulled it out, and then back as quick as I could. No one noticed. Humans make mistakes.
 
I onetime found a full zip tie folded in half in the barrel of my daily carry pistol.

It had been I don’t know how long it had been in there. At the time I was a technician that used zip ties on a daily basis, I can only surmise that it may have somehow gotten in the holster when I had the gun out and it got shoved in there upon re-holstering. It wasn’t a little zip tie either. About 8-10 inches long. My barrel is 5 inches.

I doubt it would have caused some catastrophe, I don’t know what the result would have been. It did cause me to check my bore daily now, or before use on stored guns.
 
Lots of lessons in this thread. Thanks for sharing.

Mine:

several months ago I altered how I carried in the car. I decided that on-body carry strapped in a car really restricted my ability to access my gun, so I set up our only car with velcro pads to secure a holster (aliengear). My wife usually drives so I had the holster on the right hand side of the passenger seat.

As we pulled into the driveway I was reading something on my phone and absent-mindedly reached for my pistol to transfer it to my CC holster when I suddenly realized I was just about to pull the pistol out of the holster with my finger firmly on the trigger.

This is something I have trained over and over NOT to do, but somehow, distracted and doing something I haven't done routinely before I found myself just a few ft/lbs away from disaster.

Routine habits and guns can lead to horrible consequences!
 
TJB . . . me too.

I too have loaded handguns in two safes in my house. I consider them my home defense guns. Now mind you, I live in a rural town right across the street from the police station. The only time I'm gonna need an HD gun is if someone on drugs goes crazy and comes in my house. Even then it would be an easy run across the street.

In one of those safes are my cc guns. Means I can grab one, choose the appropriate holster and go. I figure it's okay for them to stay loaded.

Almost all of my other guns, all in safes, have a trigger lock on them. The only gun one could walk into my house and readily access is my muzzle loader. It lives in a gun rack in my tool room. Not too much worry there.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
Life is good.
Prof Young
Click to expand...

Let's hope it continues that way. Sometimes a shake up is just what we need to be reminded to stay safe. Hope this worked for you. Most, if not all of us, enjoy your posts and your attitude. (Especially your attitude, especially these days.)

But for goodness sakes even Massad Ayoob has had problems and many times I think if he has problems what chance do I have of NOT having a problem. Like I've said a couple times coin collecting would probably be safer but not as much fun.

https://safetysolutionsacademy.com/lessons-from-a-negligent-discharge-at-mag-40/
 
Perhaps it comes down to forming a routine/habit?

My rifles all have empty chamber indicators, they are required for matches when you're not on the line so I just got in the habit of using one in all of them. None are loaded at home.

The hand guns are all loaded and chambered with JHP around the house, but as ranges require them unloaded unless at a station, and we practice with FMJ, preparing for a visit to the range involves clearing anyway. Similar for USPSA, and they are pretty rigorous about ensuring they are clear before and after a round, or you'll be politely asked to leave.

Just my routine, offering up as a suggestion.
 
Empty Chamber indicators . . .

DaleA:
Thanks man. I appreciate the kind thoughts and concern.

ElfGuy:
Empty chamber indicators are a good thing. I have a few, but should get one for every gun in the safe. Making it a practice to have one of those in anytime the gun is not in use is a great idea and I think I'll adopt it. An empty chamber indicator will be in the gun anytime it's not in my hand being used.

Life is good
Prof Young
 
Speaking of zip ties and chamber flags...

Large zip ties make excellent, cheap, easily disposable and replaceable, empty chamber flags. Just slip one end into the chamber and close the action on it with the other end hanging out. Brightly colored orange or yellow ones are ideal.
 
Sweet idea . . .

jhmyer:

Excellent idea. Love it. Much less expensive than store bought indicators. Will use it.

Life is good
Prof Young
 
If you shoot anywhere that requires them, they likely have bucket loads of them. When I forgot ours one time, the match organizer grabbed a handful from a grocery sack.
 
A friend and I were shooting at the range. He has not shot very much at all. After we were finished we came back to my house and we were in the garage as I was going to show him how to clean his Glock. Since we were done at the range I guess I assumed (not a good assumption) his gun was clear and unloaded. To prepare the gun for cleaning I pressed the trigger and the gun went bang - totally surprised me plus totally embarrassed me. He didn't comment at all as maybe he didn't really know what happened. I was very lucky as the round hit a metal carpenter's square that was sitting on my workbench as I could see the dent. I never did find find the bullet.

I am considered to be a very knowledgeable gun owner and shooter in my circle of friends and I always hope my friend never remembers my negligent discharge and tells anyone!

I think threads like this are very good as it let's others see what experiences are had and the lessons learned.

Bill
 
I assumed (not a good assumption) his gun was clear and unloaded.
Click to expand...

Yeah, not a good thing to do but before you take too much heat remember as I said in #9 that Massad Ayoob actually checked a revolver and failed to notice a round in the cylinder and fired it. I should mention Massad Ayoob published the story as a cautionary tale for us all. Pretty responsible thing to do in my opinion.

If someone as proficient and experienced as Massad Ayoob can make a mistake I sometimes despair. Guess 'ever vigilant' can't be emphasized enough. Thanks for sharing your story.
 
If someone as proficient and experienced as Massad Ayoob can make a mistake I sometimes despair.
Click to expand...
Even if we were to accept that having an unintentional discharge is an inevitability with enough gun handling, we don't have to despair.

It takes breaking multiple basic firearm safety rules at the same time before a true catastrophe will result.
 
Sorry to sound ugly, but you Sir, are the reason I visit the range on a Tuesday morning, when no one is there.

Or... I go shoot BLM where nobody is within 10 miles.


Shooters:

At the range today I slide a full mag in to my "empty" Beretta PX4, racked the slide and . . . a bullet ejected. Yikes. Thing still had a live round in it from the last trip. Obviously I did not clear the chamber or check it at the end of the last trip. Double yikes.

Then to ad to my blunders, I went to load the 45 acp magazine and grabbed a 9mm bullet to get started. Actually put the bullet in the mag before I realized the mistake. Geez, I need to go back to "handgun safety 101."

Life is good
Prof Young
Click to expand...
 
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