FrankenMauser
New member
I had never really thought about it much, but I seem to usually make sure I have a safe backstop, anyway.
Even when just taking a "known-empty" firearm out of the safe, or picking one up off the work bench, I'll point it in a safe direction (including taking into account the potential whereabouts of persons upstairs, persons in other rooms, neighbors' homes, etc.), while verifying that it's unloaded. Occasionally, that means pointing it back into the safe. Better to splinter a bunch of rifle stocks and dent my safe, than to kill someone...
For actual dry fire, I don't remove ammunition from the room, as some would suggest. I do often use a target half way across the basement, or the "TV" (computer monitor) as my visual reference / target. But the "TV" has a safe backstop, as does the target; and dry firing doesn't happen when other people are in the basement.
A few weeks ago, I needed to run some dummy rounds through a project rifle. I know they're dummies. I put them together as dummies. They're marked as dummies. And the rifle didn't even have a hammer installed at that time, because I had previously upped the ante from dummies to live rounds (pulling the hammer is easier than removing the firing pin).
But I still walked to the other end of the house for that function testing, because the only safe backstop near the workbench at that time was a concrete wall. ...And I didn't feel like getting blasted by shrapnel if, somehow, for whatever reason, the rifle discharged.
Some call it prudence.
Some call it safety.
Some call it paranoia.
Either way... I hope to never have an ND, myself.
I've been on the other side of the wall or floor for three NDs by other people; and right behind a person that fired three rounds down their pant leg, through their shoe, and through the floor into the basement (somehow not drawing blood). It may be more paranoia for me...
Even when just taking a "known-empty" firearm out of the safe, or picking one up off the work bench, I'll point it in a safe direction (including taking into account the potential whereabouts of persons upstairs, persons in other rooms, neighbors' homes, etc.), while verifying that it's unloaded. Occasionally, that means pointing it back into the safe. Better to splinter a bunch of rifle stocks and dent my safe, than to kill someone...
For actual dry fire, I don't remove ammunition from the room, as some would suggest. I do often use a target half way across the basement, or the "TV" (computer monitor) as my visual reference / target. But the "TV" has a safe backstop, as does the target; and dry firing doesn't happen when other people are in the basement.
A few weeks ago, I needed to run some dummy rounds through a project rifle. I know they're dummies. I put them together as dummies. They're marked as dummies. And the rifle didn't even have a hammer installed at that time, because I had previously upped the ante from dummies to live rounds (pulling the hammer is easier than removing the firing pin).
But I still walked to the other end of the house for that function testing, because the only safe backstop near the workbench at that time was a concrete wall. ...And I didn't feel like getting blasted by shrapnel if, somehow, for whatever reason, the rifle discharged.
Some call it prudence.
Some call it safety.
Some call it paranoia.
Either way... I hope to never have an ND, myself.
I've been on the other side of the wall or floor for three NDs by other people; and right behind a person that fired three rounds down their pant leg, through their shoe, and through the floor into the basement (somehow not drawing blood). It may be more paranoia for me...