Have you ever accidentally discharged a rifle or pistol?

[progressive hunter]

I have been shooting for more than 50 years. Never had an accidental discharge.

Thankfully, me neither. But I've had a couple of misfires due to equipment malfunction that scared the shit out of me.

thats a common excuse for those that refuse to accept they made a mistake,,,

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've been having sex for more than 50 years and I haven't had an accidental discharge either.

Suurrreee.... Sounds like a Nancy excuse to me...

 

[petro]

My story ...

I grew up shooting rifles and shotguns while hunting small game starting at age 10
So when I was in the Army I was a crack shot with my M-16. But I never carried a pistol nor did I receive training with one, and only shot a military issue .45 a few times.

When I completed my 2 year Army conscription, my wife and I rented a small house out in the country. I bought a Colt 1911 .45 pistol to keep around the house since we lived a ways off the main road. Being Mr firearm safety, I kept the pistol unload, safety on, with the clip out, in a holster between the mattress and box springs of my bed.

One night about 2am I heard something, or someone prowling around outside. Still half asleep, I got the pistol, put the clip in, chambered a round, and walked around the outside of the house. I figured it was just an animal and went back inside. Priding myself as being very safety conscious. I took the clip out of the pistol and placed them both back under the mattress.

(did you catch my mistake?)

A few weeks later a friend come over to the house. I was a cool crisp fall day, so we started a fire in the brick fireplace and pushed the couch up close to take advantage of the heat. I mentioned the new pistol I'd purchased and wanted to show him. Being Mr safety, I only brought out the pistol, and left the clip full of bullets still under the mattress.

I set down in the middle of the couch with my wife on one side and my friend on the other. I took the pistol, pointed it at the fireplace, to show my friend how smooth the trigger action was, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!!! The wife and my friend jumped straight up into the air, and my wife was hysterically screaming her brains out. Between the loud discharge and her screaming, my ears were ringing. I went completely limp and couldn't move a muscle. I just knew I'd been hit by a ricochet bullet. I just set there and slowly moved my eyes scanning myself for a bloody bullet hole.

I had forgotten about chambering the bullet that night looking for a prowler and put the pistol away loaded!!

When everything calmed down, and thankfully no one was hurt. I looked at the fire place to see where the bullet struck it.
By pure luck, the bullet had embedded itself in the soft mortar between two bricks and didn't ricochet.

It should be second nature for you to clear the chamber if you were in the military.

an empty chamber is damn near a useless gun,,,

If you have children, that's the damn point.

not if you teach em proper,,,

You teach them to make sure to clear the chamber before storage. That's like, responsible firearms ownership 101, dude.

what good is a stored gun???

every guns loaded unless it isnt,,,

Because I don't walk around with a 30-6, a shotgun or an SKS. I only have two hands. Gun safes are sold for a reason. I don't live in the hulk of a war torn warlord's villa.

Take your pick.

When my ex used to do home daycare we were required to have a gun safe and ammo had to be locked separately, along with a bunch of Fire safety protocols also. No big deal. Not really worried about crime where I live.

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

My story ...

I grew up shooting rifles and shotguns while hunting small game starting at age 10
So when I was in the Army I was a crack shot with my M-16. But I never carried a pistol nor did I receive training with one, and only shot a military issue .45 a few times.

When I completed my 2 year Army conscription, my wife and I rented a small house out in the country. I bought a Colt 1911 .45 pistol to keep around the house since we lived a ways off the main road. Being Mr firearm safety, I kept the pistol unload, safety on, with the clip out, in a holster between the mattress and box springs of my bed.

One night about 2am I heard something, or someone prowling around outside. Still half asleep, I got the pistol, put the clip in, chambered a round, and walked around the outside of the house. I figured it was just an animal and went back inside. Priding myself as being very safety conscious. I took the clip out of the pistol and placed them both back under the mattress.

(did you catch my mistake?)

A few weeks later a friend come over to the house. I was a cool crisp fall day, so we started a fire in the brick fireplace and pushed the couch up close to take advantage of the heat. I mentioned the new pistol I'd purchased and wanted to show him. Being Mr safety, I only brought out the pistol, and left the clip full of bullets still under the mattress.

I set down in the middle of the couch with my wife on one side and my friend on the other. I took the pistol, pointed it at the fireplace, to show my friend how smooth the trigger action was, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!!! The wife and my friend jumped straight up into the air, and my wife was hysterically screaming her brains out. Between the loud discharge and her screaming, my ears were ringing. I went completely limp and couldn't move a muscle. I just knew I'd been hit by a ricochet bullet. I just set there and slowly moved my eyes scanning myself for a bloody bullet hole.

I had forgotten about chambering the bullet that night looking for a prowler and put the pistol away loaded!!

When everything calmed down, and thankfully no one was hurt. I looked at the fire place to see where the bullet struck it.
By pure luck, the bullet had embedded itself in the soft mortar between two bricks and didn't ricochet.

It should be second nature for you to clear the chamber if you were in the military.

an empty chamber is damn near a useless gun,,,

If you have children, that's the damn point.

not if you teach em proper,,,

You teach them to make sure to clear the chamber before storage. That's like, responsible firearms ownership 101, dude.

what good is a stored gun???

every guns loaded unless it isnt,,,

Because I don't walk around with a 30-6, a shotgun or an SKS. I only have two hands. Gun safes are sold for a reason. I don't live in the hulk of a war torn warlord's villa.

Take your pick.

When my ex used to do home daycare we were required to have a gun safe and ammo had to be locked separately, along with a bunch of Fire safety protocols also. No big deal. Not really worried about crime where I live.

Sweet! I follow similar protocols. I live out in the middle of nowhere. The only 'crime' I get is wild animals eating my plants, or the occasional critter devouring the housing around the wires in the engine compartment of my Jeeps. But I bought an electronic gadget from eBay that seems to have fixed that.

 

[petro]

My story ...

I grew up shooting rifles and shotguns while hunting small game starting at age 10
So when I was in the Army I was a crack shot with my M-16. But I never carried a pistol nor did I receive training with one, and only shot a military issue .45 a few times.

When I completed my 2 year Army conscription, my wife and I rented a small house out in the country. I bought a Colt 1911 .45 pistol to keep around the house since we lived a ways off the main road. Being Mr firearm safety, I kept the pistol unload, safety on, with the clip out, in a holster between the mattress and box springs of my bed.

One night about 2am I heard something, or someone prowling around outside. Still half asleep, I got the pistol, put the clip in, chambered a round, and walked around the outside of the house. I figured it was just an animal and went back inside. Priding myself as being very safety conscious. I took the clip out of the pistol and placed them both back under the mattress.

(did you catch my mistake?)

A few weeks later a friend come over to the house. I was a cool crisp fall day, so we started a fire in the brick fireplace and pushed the couch up close to take advantage of the heat. I mentioned the new pistol I'd purchased and wanted to show him. Being Mr safety, I only brought out the pistol, and left the clip full of bullets still under the mattress.

I set down in the middle of the couch with my wife on one side and my friend on the other. I took the pistol, pointed it at the fireplace, to show my friend how smooth the trigger action was, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!!! The wife and my friend jumped straight up into the air, and my wife was hysterically screaming her brains out. Between the loud discharge and her screaming, my ears were ringing. I went completely limp and couldn't move a muscle. I just knew I'd been hit by a ricochet bullet. I just set there and slowly moved my eyes scanning myself for a bloody bullet hole.

I had forgotten about chambering the bullet that night looking for a prowler and put the pistol away loaded!!

When everything calmed down, and thankfully no one was hurt. I looked at the fire place to see where the bullet struck it.
By pure luck, the bullet had embedded itself in the soft mortar between two bricks and didn't ricochet.

It should be second nature for you to clear the chamber if you were in the military.

an empty chamber is damn near a useless gun,,,

If you have children, that's the damn point.

not if you teach em proper,,,

You teach them to make sure to clear the chamber before storage. That's like, responsible firearms ownership 101, dude.

what good is a stored gun???

every guns loaded unless it isnt,,,

Because I don't walk around with a 30-6, a shotgun or an SKS. I only have two hands. Gun safes are sold for a reason. I don't live in the hulk of a war torn warlord's villa.

Take your pick.

When my ex used to do home daycare we were required to have a gun safe and ammo had to be locked separately, along with a bunch of Fire safety protocols also. No big deal. Not really worried about crime where I live.

Sweet! I follow similar protocols. I live out in the middle of nowhere. The only 'crime' I get is wild animals eating my plants, or the occasional critter devouring the housing around the wires in the engine compartment of my Jeeps. But I bought an electronic gadget from eBay that seems to have fixed that.

Rural living is the best. We don't even have a Police department, just the County Sheriff.

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

My story ...

I grew up shooting rifles and shotguns while hunting small game starting at age 10
So when I was in the Army I was a crack shot with my M-16. But I never carried a pistol nor did I receive training with one, and only shot a military issue .45 a few times.

When I completed my 2 year Army conscription, my wife and I rented a small house out in the country. I bought a Colt 1911 .45 pistol to keep around the house since we lived a ways off the main road. Being Mr firearm safety, I kept the pistol unload, safety on, with the clip out, in a holster between the mattress and box springs of my bed.

One night about 2am I heard something, or someone prowling around outside. Still half asleep, I got the pistol, put the clip in, chambered a round, and walked around the outside of the house. I figured it was just an animal and went back inside. Priding myself as being very safety conscious. I took the clip out of the pistol and placed them both back under the mattress.

(did you catch my mistake?)

A few weeks later a friend come over to the house. I was a cool crisp fall day, so we started a fire in the brick fireplace and pushed the couch up close to take advantage of the heat. I mentioned the new pistol I'd purchased and wanted to show him. Being Mr safety, I only brought out the pistol, and left the clip full of bullets still under the mattress.

I set down in the middle of the couch with my wife on one side and my friend on the other. I took the pistol, pointed it at the fireplace, to show my friend how smooth the trigger action was, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!!! The wife and my friend jumped straight up into the air, and my wife was hysterically screaming her brains out. Between the loud discharge and her screaming, my ears were ringing. I went completely limp and couldn't move a muscle. I just knew I'd been hit by a ricochet bullet. I just set there and slowly moved my eyes scanning myself for a bloody bullet hole.

I had forgotten about chambering the bullet that night looking for a prowler and put the pistol away loaded!!

When everything calmed down, and thankfully no one was hurt. I looked at the fire place to see where the bullet struck it.
By pure luck, the bullet had embedded itself in the soft mortar between two bricks and didn't ricochet.

It should be second nature for you to clear the chamber if you were in the military.

an empty chamber is damn near a useless gun,,,

If you have children, that's the damn point.

not if you teach em proper,,,

You teach them to make sure to clear the chamber before storage. That's like, responsible firearms ownership 101, dude.

what good is a stored gun???

every guns loaded unless it isnt,,,

Because I don't walk around with a 30-6, a shotgun or an SKS. I only have two hands. Gun safes are sold for a reason. I don't live in the hulk of a war torn warlord's villa.

Take your pick.

When my ex used to do home daycare we were required to have a gun safe and ammo had to be locked separately, along with a bunch of Fire safety protocols also. No big deal. Not really worried about crime where I live.

Sweet! I follow similar protocols. I live out in the middle of nowhere. The only 'crime' I get is wild animals eating my plants, or the occasional critter devouring the housing around the wires in the engine compartment of my Jeeps. But I bought an electronic gadget from eBay that seems to have fixed that.

Rural living is the best. We don't even have a Police department, just the County Sheriff.

Same! *High five* Even our FD is volunteer.

 

[Canon Shooter]

Never.

There's nothing inherently unsafe about keeping a loaded weapon properly stored. When I carry, I always have a round in the chamber. Honestly, the time it takes to rack the slide may be the extra time you'll need to successfully defend yourself. Plus, if you always have a round chambered, you'll never forget that there's a round ready to go...

 

[Sunni Man]

I get is wild animals eating my plants, or the occasional critter devouring the housing around the wires in the engine compartment of my Jeeps. But I bought an electronic gadget from eBay that seems to have fixed that.

What brand of pest control device did you buy?

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

What brand of pest control device did you buy?

Google 'Loraffe under hood animal repeller'

 

[petro]

The Springfield Armory XD series has a lever at the back of grip that must be depressed in order to fire. The gun needs to basically be palmed in firing position to push the lever.
Preventing accidental firing of a loaded concealed weapon.

 

[Moonglow]

One the during a B/E I found a loaded gun and shot by accident into the floor

 

[WinterBorn]

The Springfield Armory XD series has a lever at the back of grip that must be depressed in order to fire. The gun needs to basically be palmed in firing position to push the lever.
Preventing accidental firing of a loaded concealed weapon.View attachment 708615

That is what I like about my Springfield M1911. There is a manual safety and a grip safety.

I carry it locked, cocked and loaded.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

No but I stopped someone from likely getting killed by my shotgun.
For many years I have had a shotgun in the bedroom with rounds in the magazine, but not chambered. With the safety off.
My brother over once made a STUPID move that astounded me since he was a marksman in the Army.
He picked the gun up, pumped it and brought it up... at that point I yelled "it's fucking loaded!!" - he turned white.
He said he wasn't going to fire it, but his face said otherwise. To this day it is hard to believe a trained soldier didn't assume it was loaded from get go. If he would have fired it in the direction he had it pointed, it would have shot through the wall into the living room that was full of people since it was Thanksgiving Day.
This was about 30 years ago.

 

[westwall]

That is what I like about my Springfield M1911. There is a manual safety and a grip safety.

I carry it locked, cocked and loaded.

The proper terminology is "cocked, and locked"

 

[Foxfyre]

My story ...

I grew up shooting rifles and shotguns while hunting small game starting at age 10
So when I was in the Army I was a crack shot with my M-16. But I never carried a pistol nor did I receive training with one, and only shot a military issue .45 a few times.

When I completed my 2 year Army conscription, my wife and I rented a small house out in the country. I bought a Colt 1911 .45 pistol to keep around the house since we lived a ways off the main road. Being Mr firearm safety, I kept the pistol unload, safety on, with the clip out, in a holster between the mattress and box springs of my bed.

One night about 2am I heard something, or someone prowling around outside. Still half asleep, I got the pistol, put the clip in, chambered a round, and walked around the outside of the house. Finding nothing, I figured it was just an animal and went back inside. Priding myself as being very safety conscious. I took the clip out of the pistol and placed them both back under the mattress.

(did you catch my mistake?)

A few weeks later a friend come over to the house. I was a cool crisp fall day, so we started a fire in the brick fireplace and pushed the couch up close to take advantage of the heat. I mentioned the new pistol I'd purchased and wanted to show him. Being Mr safety, I only brought out the pistol, and left the clip full of bullets still under the mattress.

I set down in the middle of the couch with my wife on one side and my friend on the other. I took the pistol, pointed it at the fireplace, to show my friend how smooth the trigger action was, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!!! The wife and my friend jumped straight up into the air, and my wife was hysterically screaming her brains out. Between the loud discharge and her screaming, my ears were ringing. I went completely limp and couldn't move a muscle. I just knew I'd been hit by a ricochet bullet. I just set there and slowly moved my eyes scanning myself for a bloody bullet hole.

I had forgotten about chambering the bullet that night looking for a prowler and put the pistol away loaded!!

When everything calmed down, and thankfully no one was hurt. I looked at the fire place to see where the bullet struck it.
By pure luck, the bullet had embedded itself in the soft mortar between two bricks and didn't ricochet.

No, I have never discharged a weapon accidentally and don't know anybody who has. But I'm sure it happens. I was trained to always treat weapons as if they were loaded, but believing it was unloaded, I certainly have aimed (not at any person or living thing) weapons and pulled the trigger. If inadvertently there had been a bullet in those weapons I would have discharged it just as you did. And would have been just as horrified as you were.

 

[westwall]

No, I have never discharged a weapon accidentally and don't know anybody who has. But I'm sure it happens. I was trained to always treat weapons as if they were loaded, but believing it was unloaded, I certainly have aimed (not at any person or living thing) weapons and pulled the trigger. If inadvertently there had been a bullet in those weapons I would have discharged it just as you did. And would have been just as horrified as you were.

In my case the safety on the rifle failed, so when I set it down it discharged. But, because I followed the rules, no harm was done.

 

[Foxfyre]

In my case the safety on the rifle failed, so when I set it down it discharged. But, because I followed the rules, no harm was done.

No harm no foul. But I bet your heart was in your mouth just the same. Something nobody wants to have happen.

 

[westwall]

No harm no foul. But I bet your heart was in your mouth just the same. Something nobody wants to have happen.

To be honest I was more concerned that the rifle was going to need repair before I could use it again! I have fired well over a million rounds so the law of averages just caught up with me. I was surprised, of course, but I knew it could do no harm so I really was more annoyed than anything else.

 

[WinterBorn]

No but I stopped someone from likely getting killed by my shotgun.
For many years I have had a shotgun in the bedroom with rounds in the magazine, but not chambered. With the safety off.
My brother over once made a STUPID move that astounded me since he was a marksman in the Army.
He picked the gun up, pumped it and brought it up... at that point I yelled "it's fucking loaded!!" - he turned white.
He said he wasn't going to fire it, but his face said otherwise. To this day it is hard to believe a trained soldier didn't assume it was loaded from get go. If he would have fired it in the direction he had it pointed, it would have shot through the wall into the living room that was full of people since it was Thanksgiving Day.
This was about 30 years ago.

It always amazes me when, supposedly trained people, ignore the most basic rule of firearm safety.

About 15 years ago my 2nd wife and our daughter were at an open air shooting range having a great time. My daughter was 11 years old. She was shooting my Ruger MkII .22. I was sighting in my hunting rifle and was only vaguely paying attention. She came over and put the pistol on the shooting bench I was using. She said, "Those guys over there are stupid". I watched them for a minute and realized they were absolutely not paying attention to where their gun was pointing. When I went over and politely said something, one of the guys said "It isn't loaded". and stared at me. Before I could say anything, another man yelled across the range "A gun is ALWAYS loaded". The 4 or 5 other people at the range were all staring at them like they were scum. The idiots packed up and left.

Funny that an 11 year old girl knew the rules, but these jackasses didn't.

 

[WinterBorn]

To be honest I was more concerned that the rifle was going to need repair before I could use it again! I have fired well over a million rounds so the law of averages just caught up with me. I was surprised, of course, but I knew it could do no harm so I really was more annoyed than anything else.

I had a Remington 700 that had the famous malfunctioning safety.