Close calls while shooting?

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  • VTHokies

    Active Member
    Aug 26, 2016
    144
    Bel Air
    Figured with all of the shooters here there might be some stories about close calls revolving around firearms. Whether it be a gun you forgot was loaded, or a simple muzzle sweep that made your heart stop. I don't have any personally but I am interested to hear what others had to say. This can also serve as an education for things you may not have known or identified as a danger.

    Apologies if this has been posted before, I have not been around too long.
     

    protegeV

    Ready to go
    Apr 3, 2011
    46,880
    TX
    First time I let my oldest son shoot a centerfire pistol. He did fine on the first mag. Then the second mag he got a little sloppy. Limp wristed it and inadvertently double tapped a round nearly straight up. That was a butt pucker moment. He learned a lot after that and no more incidents.
     
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    AACo

    Tiny Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 11, 2015
    868
    Westminster
    'Twas a glorious morning at AGC. A day which also happened to be a hunter sight in day. The gentleman next to me went to clear his muzzleloader, but didn't realize it was loaded. Luckily, it was pointed down. A blast of dirt, dust and smoke is all I have to share about it. Had to step away to collect myself for a bit while the RSOs chewed him out.
     

    Blkhawk870

    Active Member
    Nov 15, 2014
    370
    Baltimore County
    I watched a guy almost shoot his toes off at a backyard trap shooting event. He was a friend of a friend so I didn't know him. I caught another guy shooting 00 buck a few minutes before that. They kept having the parties but I had to stop attending.
     

    Kiwiknoll

    Active Member
    Jan 16, 2015
    102
    Clarksville md
    RSO told me this one.... a new shooter at hap baker was sold a snub nose sw500 as his first handgun. Shot exactly two rounds before going home. One at the target and the second through the roof of the building.
     

    bkuether

    Judge not this race .....
    Jan 18, 2012
    6,212
    Marriottsville, MD
    I was getting ready for a day at the range, and wanted to help my son understand the process of loading mags. So I sat him down with box of 5.45 and had him load up my AK mags. I also had some loose rounds, and gave him those as well to fill out the mags. (I always seem to have a few rounds left over after cease fires, etc)

    At the range, I had the AK out, and was punching holes in paper, and doing a pretty decent job at it.

    And then, the rifle jammed. It had never jammed before, so I was a bit concerned. I looked at it, and there was a round 4/5ths in the chamber. I said, that's odd, it has never done that before. I tried to clear it, no go. I got the RSO, and he got his tools out and we worked the round out from the muzzle end.

    I thanked him, and we took one last look at the case, wondering why it jammed.... We both looked at each other, and realized it was .5.56

    It had a light primer strike on it, but didn't go off. (Thank GOD!!!) It likely would have blown up my receiver and put a round down the barrel that would have made it a club.

    Then I realized what had happened. I never showed my son the two different bullet types. I didn't think I had to because I only thought I had one caliber.....

    Lesson learned, and it will never happen again. Scared the crap out of me afterwards.
     

    CombatAK

    Hooligan #12
    Sep 1, 2015
    1,156
    Cresaptown
    Not a close call per se, but enough to make me nervous. I was deer hunting with my cousin (from Los Angeles) who had never hunted before.
    He had a license and a really nice Model 70 30-06. So I put him in a spot not far from me and I went to my spot. I couldn't see him but I could hear the "pop" of the top of a can. A couple hours later (and about 4 more "pops") I went to get him. He was passed out with 5 empty beer cans laying next to him with his finger in the trigger guard and his safety was "OFF". I gently moved his finger and safed the rifle. Once I had the rifle slung over my shoulder, I woke his drunk butt up and told him how stupid I thought he really was. Needless to say, I never hunted with him again. I like beer and I like guns but, never, ever at the same time.
     

    dad4

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 11, 2013
    1,629
    Cecil County
    Last week my wife and I went to the range. She usually only shoots her Sig P229 and I take a couple different handguns for myself. I went to clean them and when I openeed the receiver on her gun a live round ejected. This certainly got my attention and was scary. Needless to say she got talked to about leaving a round in the chamber. If nothing else it heightened my awareness for making sure guns are safely inspected. At all times!
     

    Texas

    Villiage Idiot
    Nov 16, 2016
    1,326
    Accokeek
    I was trying to drop the hammer on a 1911 once and it slipped under a sweaty thumb and missed my foot by about 2.5 inches.
     

    Kiwiknoll

    Active Member
    Jan 16, 2015
    102
    Clarksville md
    I am almost too embarrassed to relate this one, but will swallow my pride for your edification.

    Several decades ago, as a kid of 11, we were self taught using bb guns(it was a different era). My twin and i found oppotrunity at the grandparents farm and went rabbit hunting. He had the .22 and i had a .410. Long story short, i had my finger on the trigger as I stirred a pile of brush to flush a rabbit... A well camouflaged rabbit is really hard to see. As a result, I nearly stepped on the little guy. He jumped. I jumped. The .410 discharged, missing foot and bunny by ~12". The hare, stunned by the blast, then bounded slowly down the trail away from me. I was shocked and empty, but My brother about 5 yds up the trail wanted a rabbit, and so levelled his .22 in the our direction and yelled, "Duck!" I dropped my then empty .410 and put up my hands in stunned, terrified, surrender. Thankfully we survived to learn gun safety... And sense.My boy is 8 now and well versed in gun etiquette and control, but a bit less enthusiasm than I had in my youth.
     

    VTHokies

    Active Member
    Aug 26, 2016
    144
    Bel Air
    I thanked him, and we took one last look at the case, wondering why it jammed.... We both looked at each other, and realized it was .5.56

    WOW. That is very lucky. I think I could tell the difference but I can easily see how this would happen to someone with less experience with the 2 calibers. That surely would have turned it into a wall hanger.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    Let's see here.

    I was shot at by road hunters in WV, back when I was a kid, while I was head to toe in blaze orange. I was wearing a set of blaze orange safety coveralls, with a blaze orange beanie. - Before my time on MDS

    I was shot at by the guest of the guy next door, in WV, while I was walking down the county road. You don't know pucker factor till a bullet hisses past your head, then you dive into the ditch next to the road as 4 more sing a few inches over your body. Yes I was wearing a blaze orange hat and a blaze orange jacket. It took everything I had not to sit up in the ditch, glass the a$$hole, and park one at his feet as I screamed a warning at him. I took care of business after I cooled off a little bit. Dickhead was informed by the community that he is never to return. He was also the same jackass that would shoot at a deer and wound it, because he couldn't shoot worth a damn. - Before my time on MDS

    People have swept me with the muzzle of a firearm, while it was loaded, and I usually gave them an new orifice as I told them off. - Before and during my time on MDS

    A fellow member handed me a Glock that he dropped the mag on, so I racked the slide back and a live round fell out. "Hey ____ you didn't clear the chamber..." and he promptly apologized and laid a live chicken. - During my time on MDS

    Went over to a friend's house and his dad pulled a gun on me. He forgot who I was, since I hadn't been over in a long time due to work. My friend explained that they had been having issues with vandalism as of late. - Before my time on MDS

    Was at a friend's house (not the one listed above) and he wants to show me his new handgun. He didn't check it, nor clear it. I dive behind the counter and a fraction of a second later it went off. If I hadn't have hit the deck when I did, I wouldn't be here right now. - Before my time on MDS

    There are more, but I'm going to leave these ones here.
     

    HordesOfKailas

    Still learning
    Feb 7, 2016
    2,205
    Utah
    Before a range day, my brother and I were prepping our ARs. Mine a 300BLK and his a 5.56. We were unloading some mags too and just checking everything was in order. After a little while, I noticed his pile of 5.56 had something weird. Looked closer and somehow one of my 300BLK made it's way to his side. Don't know if his mag had had one loaded in it or the round found it's way their after unloading but it freaked us both out. Ever since, he keeps all of the loose 5.56 with him and I keep the 300BLK with me. The rifles don't even get to be in the same round and they're never out at the range simultaneously.

    Not a close call per se, but good enough to freak me out.
     

    rickinboots

    TEAM GET' UM
    Jun 12, 2011
    839
    Pasadena
    Not me but I was there. My dad was shooting his beretta 92 at select fire. We saw the round go thru our target but it hit the back stop and came back and hit a guy 4 lanes down in his chest. He walked over and asked us if we wanted to keep it?
     

    Kimber45

    Active Member
    Jan 14, 2011
    875
    Whiteford
    Years ago I was at an Indoor range, there was a couple in the lane next to me. I notice the guy was having trouble with his pistol so I asked if they needed help. He said yes, so as I was walking over to their lane he turned towards me swinging the muzzle in my direction. Before I could say anything he shot a round off into the table in his lane, missed me by about a foot. Scared the crap out of me, I collected my thing and left.
     

    WeaponsCollector

    EXTREME GUN OWNER
    Mar 30, 2009
    12,120
    Southern MD
    One time a guy at Myrtle Grove walked down range while people were shooting.
    Another guy at Myrtle Grove shooting a .50 caliber revolver has what he thinks is a dud so he points it down and it's a hang fire.
    BOOM! The bullet hits about 6" in front of his foot throwing dirt and pebbles all over the firing line.
    It's important that if you pull the trigger and there's no bang, keep the gun pointed in a safe direction for a few seconds just in case.
     

    Art3

    Eqinsu Ocha
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 30, 2015
    13,267
    Harford County
    Figured with all of the shooters here there might be some stories about close calls revolving around firearms. Whether it be a gun you forgot was loaded, or a simple muzzle sweep that made your heart stop. I don't have any personally but I am interested to hear what others had to say. This can also serve as an education for things you may not have known or identified as a danger.

    Apologies if this has been posted before, I have not been around too long.

    Uhhhh....isn't this the same guy who lives near me and just got a .50 bmg? Should I be worried?:eek:


    :D
     

    balttigger

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 15, 2008
    3,051
    Middle River, MD
    Learn from my mistake...
    I was going thru a particularly distressful day in my life and I let a friend of mine talk me into going to the range. So I did what I always do when I take pistols out of the safe. P229: Drop magazine and cycle slide twice. USP: Drop magazine and cycle slide twice. Makarov: Drop magazine and cycle slide twice. Get interrupted by phone. 1911: Cycle slide once, drop magazine, shoot hole in mattress.

    In the fraction of a second it took me to look at my phone and toss it aside, I lost my rhythm and headspace and made a drastic mistake. Thankfully I still had the muscle memory wherewithall to always keep the muzzle in a safe direction.

    That ND has stuck with me to this day and I guarantee there will never be a repeat. I have a chunk out of my floor as a constant reminder.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,880
    How about when the gun Wasn't loaded when it was assumed to be ? ( BUG was loaded at least, so I wasn't totally unarmed.)
     

    GunnerGunz

    Sunken Treasure
    Mar 2, 2010
    1,836
    Reisterstown
    When I lived in NJ I took a coworker to shoot (1st time) at this really cool range in the pine barons I belonged to. So at my house I gave him the lesson on how the gun works, safety and the likes. He demonstrated very good skills and off to the range we went. I made him use one bullet at a time using a S&W 5906. First three shots were good to go. Hit the target all three times. Then he pulls the gun up with finger on trigger (I tried to stop him at that point) BOOM he shot the outdoor roof then in panic points the gun at me. I run for cover and yell put the gun on the bench. Thank god I made him use one bullet at a time or I could have been a ghost.
     

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