Is Bump Firing Dangerous?

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adn258

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So I'm not someone that has done a lot of bump firing (though I have in the past) but after thinking about it, it seems dangerous.

The reason I state this for example if you look at this guy's video where he describes how to do it, in one sense you're losing partial control of the rifle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1QlHtOWCQ

Using his video for example you don't fully have a grip on the handle anymore and somehow I could the gun getting too hot or someone losing control with their left hand at that point the force from the gun is still rocking back and fourth from the recoil but the gun is likely to turn a 180 (continuing to fire) and shoot the person firing in the face. Maybe I'm wrong on the physics end of this?

In other words looking you're using your right hand basically as just a finger (you're barely if at all holding the gun) if you somehow lost control while firing with your left hand over the barrel pulling the gun into your finger on your right hand the gun would likely spin around while continuing to fire.

I'm not saying this is likely, but it has been a fear of mine regarding bump firing for some time. What do you guys thinks?
 
I think that if you are seriously concerned, you shouldn't do it.

Personally I think it has no useful purpose, but it is a dandy
way to have some fun turning money into noise.
 
AKs can do that pretty easily.
The biggest problem is to maintain physical control of the weapon.
If you can do that, it's likely not much of an issue.
 
Too dangerous for my taste. At least bump firing in the traditional sense of holding it with a floating grip and hooking your thumb around something. Some people may do it all the time and never have an issue. Fine with me on private property with willing participants pointed in a safe direction. I won't do it though. But I am interested in learning a controlled rebound some guys can do off the shoulder with light triggers, firing 2 to 3 round bursts without breaking much of a traditional firing grip.

People who do it with AR/AK "pistols" seem the scariest to me because of the physics of the shorter gun. I don't know if it's ever caused a real issue though.
 
You need a big berm and you need to be pretty close to it. Bump-firing on a conventional rifle range would be dangerous because you'd have a good chance of putting one over the berm.

My experience with bump-firing is pretty limited, but I never felt like the gun was going to get away from me. You actually have to control it pretty well to get things to work properly.
 
First I heard of it. How stupid can you get? Just what are you trying to accomplish by doing this? Looks like somebody needs to grow up.
 
Bump-firing using one of the bump-fire stock permits much more control than this method. FWIW, this kind of bump-firing has been know for a long time. I remember first seeing it in the mid '80's with AK's.
 
I mean, maybe it is good for some fun? But target acquisition seems near impossible while doing it. But this dudes outfit... who would mess with him anyway?

Anywho, it seems similar to slamfiring a shotgun? I know some guys that do it just to knock an extra bird out of the sky quicker but beyond that, and even then, it doesn't make much sense and could be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
 
I practice without using sights, and bump fire w/o sights, also.

No problems hitting targets. Dangerous? To some, maybe.

If you really want dangerous, operate a chain saw.
 
Is Bump Firing Dangerous?
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As a generalized statement, no, it is not dangerous. Unsafe bumpfire is dangerous, however. Controlled bumpfire is not. Some people get very proficient with it.

The reason I state this for example if you look at this guy's video where he describes how to do it, in one sense you're losing partial control of the rifle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1QlHtOWCQ
Click to expand...

I was more concerned about the high pressure petroleum line. :p

Using his video for example you don't fully have a grip on the handle anymore and somehow I could the gun getting too hot or someone losing control with their left hand at that point the force from the gun is still rocking back and fourth from the recoil but the gun is likely to turn a 180 (continuing to fire) and shoot the person firing in the face. Maybe I'm wrong on the physics end of this?
Click to expand...

If you lose control with your left hand, the forward pull necessary to cause the depression of the trigger will go away. There is a balance between the trigger pull weight and the forward pull on the rifle to depress the trigger just so. Too much and you fire only one shot. Too little and you fire no shots. So that is your error on the physics.

I'm not saying this is likely, but it has been a fear of mine regarding bump firing for some time. What do you guys thinks?
Click to expand...

Bumpfiring from the waist is easier, but it is firing from the waist and so aiming is more of a problem. When I used to bumpfire, it was from the shoulder. It was harder to do, but aiming was a lot easier for the first rounds.

With full auto or bumpfire, muzzle climb can be an issue. There is the danger over anything else, but maintaining the stream during muzzle climb with bump firing can be difficult.
 
I have seen bump fire shooters miss the 50 yard berm!. I am not impressed with their control and think they are dangerous.
 
On guns without good precautions against out of battery detonation (blowback pistol caliber carbines, I'm looking at you) the hammer-follow commonly induced by ill-timed bumping can be dangerous (well, 'scary' to be more commonly accurate) and damage the gun.

TCB
 
A firing range is not defined by a 50 foot berm. Most I've used had thousands of feet available downrange to allow gravity to affect trajectory.

The firing range run locally by the MDC is pointing into the area for hunting and there seem to be more shooters there during deer season than out in the woods. Since the State did set up the range that way I can only conclude their risk assessment of shooters on the range hitting hunters in the field was acceptable.

It's all placed into a narrow hollow but the 100 yard range is pointing directly east over the ground I've hunted for 40 years. I've had rounds go over my head from other hunters on higher ground within 50m, but I've never heard or seen any stray rounds from the range.

The target holders do have metal supports and richochets are obviously happening.

My experience is that I'm more likely to be shot by another hunter within eyesight than a stray round that got over the berm. Once in woodland the typical maximum range of a bullet is hampered considerably by the spacing of tree trunks. It takes open terrain to let a bullet fly - which is why ranges are generally someplace flat enough to do it.

If that all sounds a bit careless, comparing Basic with MG's firing just over your head while low crawling thru wire and mud, bump firing comes off contrived and pointless. No man is really an army, if you are experiencing that rich a target environment then the other view is that you are horribly outnumbered and there is no parity in ammo. It's going to be a failure situation and wasting it on "pray and spray" means disarming your self while you neglect the benefits of a hasty withdrawal to fight another day.

We used to call it going "John Wayne," today it's called terrorism. Always interesting to look at the other side of the coin.

For the most part it's just shooters firing off a lot of ammo and making noise. Fireworks are cheaper but strangely enough more restricted than steel cased ammo. Go figure.

Better to be on the range and get over it than spend the money on drugs.
 
Even if you have been in the military firing an m60 machine gun or a 50 cal or the .45 cal grease gun you realize that you are spraying and hoping that you hit something. In my opinion I would consider bump firing dangerous as you really do not have control of your firearm.

Try rapid firing 3 or 5 rounds as fast as you can and see how well you do with your shot groups, I would not be surprised if you missed the target at any distance. If you are not hitting the target than the bullet is going somewhere it should not.
 
Get the bump fire stock for your AR. Fun to do. I see no need to ban bump firing now or getting the ATF involved. Let the ones who can afford it do it. Big deal.
 
Pipeline???


Observation leads me to wonder how useful this is. Volleyball me fire be damned. This guy would be dead if he went up against a man shooting phone at reasonable distance.

I wonder if he was even aiming at a target, or just making noise and wasting ammo? It is obvious that even for a hip fired burst, there was very little control, and that don't mean squat when you are a single person with thirty rounds at ammo, and you must hit the target.. seriously, if a person isn't preparing for combat, what is the point? Noise?

If my dad caught me doing that, he'd take away my toy. If he caught me touching off a round near a restricted area, he'd take my toy and put his boot between my buns. If he saw me dressed like that, do something really horrible.

I think that he's a dork and what he did was pointless and vaguely stupid, like texting while skiing.
 
Shooting from the hip is banned at our firing range. All shooting must be done with aimed fire. Anybody who does bump fire from the shoulder at our range, will be subject to a proficiency test, by one of our RSO's {range safety officers}. Higher calibers...such as the 308 round, will be harder to control recoil while bump firing --- then say --- a 7.62x39 or 5.56x45.
 
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