Never too safe.....

dogdinger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2007
Messages
702
Location
Sagauache County, Co...3170 sq miles, not a single
i did a very dumb/dangerous thing today and thought i would share with you guys just to reinforce to everyone that you just cant be to safe when handling firearms. my son drew a coveted high country buck tag for the early sept season and we are planning the hunt and getting ready. he recently had a muzzle brake installed on his factory rem 700 , 300 rum & i have been working on load development for the gun since he doesn't handload. i had several different batches of shells loaded with different powder/bullet combinations, trying to find the one that shot the best. we had shot several groups and were getting good results. best results were with the 180 gr AB. shot a couple groups at my 300 yd target and were pretty well satisfied.(3 inch groups) we had been shooting three-shot strings 5 mins or so apart and then letting the gun cool for 15 mins or so....decided to stretch it out to 500yds....shot several shots with good results, hitting the gong well.......then he started missing. missed 3 or so in a row, so i told him to come back to the 100 yd target and check his zero. zero was off by about 4 inches high. scope is an el-cheapo 10X that i had lying around....i adjusted for the 4 inches and let him shoot again......4 inches low now....hmmmm, re-adjusted for 4 inches and he shot again....6 inches high now....2 inches right....figured we better let her cool down for a bit. grabbed the scope and checked to see that it wasn't loose......didn't seem to be.....let it cool while we shot some other stuff. he says "you try it....maybe im jerking".....i sit down....single feed a bullet up the pipe and start to get on target and realize the crosshairs are canted about 20degrees.....reach up and now the scope is loose in the rings.....:mad:AAARRRGGGG:mad:. we scramble around getting the right allen wrench, straightening the crosshairs, re-tightening the rings.....as we are doing this we are discussing which scope he is gonna buy.....we stop and go get online and order his scope.....figure since we are already out of whack theres no sense in going further until we get the new scope....left the gun on the bench and didnt touch it again till this morning.....he wanted me to do a bedding job on it while we waited for the scope so i started tinkering with it early this morning.....took the action screws out and removed the barrel from the stock ....started to degrease the action......just happened to open the bolt to pull it out......yup you guessed it....180 gr accubond right up the spout.....:eek:..DUH....felt like the worst kind of **** fool......i have helped teach gun safety to hundreds of kids and adults....i have always told them that if you are around guns long enough, there is going to be an accidental discharge, sometime, somehow. it can either be mechanical or just accidental, but it is going to happen. the difference between a tragedy and an 'oh ****!' moment is where the muzzle is pointed. thankfully this didnt end in a discharge but it very well could have....NEVER take safety for granted!!!!!! i feel i should be made to do some pennance for this inexcusable breach of safety protocall....guess i will go shoot some PD's in the hot sun and ruminate on my near catastrophe....AJ
 
Your penance is in sharing your story. I've shared a story similar to that, interrupted while shooting and leaving a firearm loaded. Mine ended in an AD with nobody hurt. But I know what you mean about the 'oh **** moment'.

I've been told several stories like yours and mine in the past. The one common thread among them all is they are told by very experienced shooters. Three of the ones I've been told by shooters that have probably shot more than 1/2 million rounds each.

Thank god these stories all ended with no injuries. One of the stories ended with a 12ga round through a television!

AJ
 
Dogdinger,

THose feelings and thoughts will linger for quite awhile. At least mine did.

I doubt that I have ever unloaded that particular rifle or any like it with gloves on or inside since.

THe only casualty was a basement window, but the initial ah ****! is unforgettable.
 
Since we are being honest here.... Mine also resulted in an AD.. The result was a major hole in a waterbed.. A freind of mine in college called me into his bedroom and asked me what the little red tang on the back of his bolt was? I told him it showed when the bolt was in the firing position. He looked at me like HUH??? So he handed me his .308 and I lifted the bolt and then held the trigger while I closed the bolt and BANG!! I just stood there totally scared and totally and completely ****ed at myself for not checking the breech as soon as he handed me his rifle. The 1 good thing was I kept the muzzle pointed toward the ground and away from the 3 other guys in the room. Come to find out he was screwing around showing his buddies his rifle and loaded it. Thats when he noticed the red tang.
It took me quite a few sleepless nights and then even longer before I felt comfortable again. I can tell you that it has made me even safer though because now the rule "Treat every firearm as if it is loaded at all times" Is something I make dang sure I follow. EVERY time!!
 
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