Close calls while shooting?

StickShaker · Jan 31, 2017

Let's see, I was somewhere around 10 years old and over at a friends house. He got a pistol (maybe Luger?) out of his fathers gun cabinet to show me and he accidentally discharged it at our feet into the concrete floor. He put a pretty good divot in the floor and I believe it also ricocheted into the ceiling as well.

Around 20 years old I went into work one Sunday and someone forgot to set the alarm so I armed it instead. I went to the office and found the phone number for the alarm company an told them what happened not knowing about a code I was supposed to give them. A short time later I heard a noise in the building and opened up a door to find 2 PG officers with their guns drawn on me. Somehow I was able to survive and tell the story. :sarcasm:

Czechnologist · Jan 31, 2017

A long time ago, I watched a guy shoot a hole into the hood of his car while clearing a Mauser HSC he thought was unloaded. Scared the crap out of me because it happened just as I was getting out of my car and going into the range. He immediately dropped the gun and started yelling, "Am I shot? Am I shot?" He was absolutely in shock. While crouching down next to my car, I yelled at him, "If you were, you'd know it, buddy!" He got in his car, leaving the gun on the ground where he dropped it, and drove off. I couldn't believe my eyes. I went over, picked the gun up, properly cleared it, removed the magazine and turned it in to the range office.

VTHokies · Jan 31, 2017

Art3 said:
Uhhhh....isn't this the same guy who lives near me and just got a .50 bmg? Should I be worried?

I said I've never had any close calls!

Dreago · Jan 31, 2017

I've had 2:

One was when I was 10 and wasn't really instructed well on how to shoot. I was shooting a .22 rifle and when I picked the gun up, I had my finger on the trigger and almost shot myself in the foot. It was at that point that they decided to tell me that I should keep my finger off the trigger until I was read to shoot.

The second one was when I was in high school. I was on a ridge deer hunting with a friend of my fathers. He was on the other side of a small rise to my left. I heard some rustling through the leaves when I was sitting under a tree looking down the mountain. A few seconds later I hear a loud bang and see the dirt kick up beside me about 3 inches away to my left. I hear another bang a few seconds later. By this time, I had dove behind the tree opposite where the bang came from. I waited about 5-10 minutes before I moved, and walked over to my dad's friend. He tells me that he got one, and I ask him to show me where the deer was standing when he shot. It was on the rise between him and me. I proceeded to tell him how he almost got two for the price of one and explained to him what I just went through. He went on to tell me that was impossible because there was a small rise between us, and I followed by telling him to look at any kind of trajectory/distance graph for bullets and he would see that they actually arc when shot and don't travel in a straight line. What was even more stupid on his part was he told my dad about it when we got off the mountain.

I still hunted with the guy afterwards, but I always made sure there was something between the two of us when we did.

Half-cocked · Jan 31, 2017

I once had some genius start to unload his lever-action 30-30 by cycling the action to eject all the cartridges - with the muzzle pointed directly at me.

VTHokies · Jan 31, 2017

Half-cocked said:
I once had some genius start to unload his lever-action 30-30 by cycling the action to eject all the cartridges

I was sitting here thinking "Whats wrong with cycling a gun to unload it? (Thinking about a pump action 12g)"

Half-cocked said:
With the muzzle pointed directly at me

Then I read the 2nd half :sad20:

I GET IT NOW

TAstro · Jan 31, 2017

One time I was dating a new girl, I had a couple rifles laid out after the range. She came over, and before she sat down on the couch next to me, I turned my head to grab something a little farther away. When I looked back, she had a vz58 picked up, pointed right at my torso. I froze (I 'knew' the gun was unloaded, I just cleared it, but still...). Within a second of me freezing, she said 'boom' and pulled the trigger, *click*....

I blame myself for this. I learned that day that some people truly don't know ANYTHING about gun safety. It's not just kids you need to watch, anyone of any age can do something stupid. I never in a million years would have expected someone to do something like that. She had never held a firearm before and was truely totally ignorant (and stupid/careless), but not scared to pick one up, which I think is rare. I gave her a HUGE and LONG talking to about safety. I took her to the range 2 or 3 times and she was very safe after that.

VTHokies · Jan 31, 2017

TAstro said:
One time I was dating a new girl, I had a couple rifles laid out after the range. She came over, and before she sat down on the couch next to me, I turned my head to grab something a little farther away. When I looked back, she had a vz58 picked up, pointed right at my torso. I froze (I 'knew' the gun was unloaded, I just cleared it, but still...). Within a second of me freezing, she said 'boom' and pulled the trigger, *click*....

Good lord I never would have even seen her again after that. There is a line between "uneducated" and just plain stupid.

Hopefully this woman I am insulting isn't your wife now :innocent0

Decoy · Jan 31, 2017

I had a drunk fudd walk in front of the barrel of my 308 while the range was hot to ask which target I was shooting. I was down on the gun looking through the scope, trigger was about to break and I saw my scope go dark. I let off, looked up and the barrel of my rifle was in his gut. :sad20:

DraKhen99 · Jan 31, 2017

Oh man, this is why anyone I take shooting has to read through my "new shooter's handbook" paperwork that I typed up. My wife had never shot a handgun before, and it had been years since she'd shot a rifle, so I took her to the range, and there were tears. She was uncomfortable. So, I sat down at my desk and wrote this sucker up. She read it, handled all of my handguns safely, and then we went back to the range. No tears! Comfortable, shoots decently, has her own guns, all good, safe fun now.

Her mom, on the other hand, saw that her daughter bought a handgun, so she bought one (compact 1911 9mm).

We went up to their house in PA to shoot, and it's my wife and I, and her parents, all with our own firearms. I acted as RSO, making sure everything was as safe as I could. Before long, I realize my MIL is muzzle-sweeping my truck (while I was standing behind it to load mags), and then while I'm standing next to her, I notice something shiny in the breach... she had a loaded mag in the gun with the slide locked back. I asked if I could see her weapon, and she handed it over. I dropped the mag and put it in my back pocket and handed her gun back to her.

She told me I couldn't do that, so I replied, calmly, that all she needed was for the slide release to let go and a slam fire, and no more foot. She started getting mad, so my FIL starts in on her, chewing her out. He says that DraKhen99 is right, and to listen to what he has to say. Then he turned around and packed up his stuff and went back to the house - and to this day, won't shoot with his wife. Heck, I don't think she shoots, either.

I heard one a few years back about a guy I know who went to the range, and somehow got the webbing between his thumb and index finger pinched, in the middle of a magazine, and started flailing about trying to get the gun off of his hand!

-John

44man · Jan 31, 2017

well, I was hit with a ricochet while driving deer many years ago, the slug got slowed down enough by the deer's antler and the brush that when it hit me in the knee it flipped me over but luckily I only had a giant knot and bruise on my knee. another time driving deer and older man with failing eyesight took three shots at me from 50 yards way. he never missed by more than a foot but a miss is as good as a mile in that situation. scared me shitless.

and when young and foolish and playing with my guns and drinking that "who hit john" I managed to catch a few ricochets. young and dumb.

hell we used to play a game down home where you would square off in a corn field and turn your back and let your "buddy" would pepper you with 7 1/2 shot and then you would pepper him and then you would walk closer and do it again and again until someone wussed out.

damn we were stupid kids!

JBinDC · Jan 31, 2017

protegeV said:
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 picker moment. He learned a lot after that and no more incidents.

Father to Father, can I ask at what age did you start yer kids shootin? I was 12 when my Brother took me shooting the first time, as my Father was never all that into guns. I myself have a 6 and 9 year old's now, and am debating when I should take them out for the first time. For now, until they stop sweeping people and the dogs with their Nerf Guns, they're tentatively on hold till they're at least 10, but that is all dependent upon how their maturity evolves. For now, I don't believe either is ready just yet.

Just curious when another Father on here started their kids off.

TIA, --JB

campns · Jan 31, 2017

DaemonAssassin said:
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.

Damn DA are you part feline somewhere as brother you gots more than 9 lives.

JBinDC · Jan 31, 2017

VTHokies said:
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.

I've been swept more times to county by newbies not being well enough overseen by their chaperones at MD Small Arms Range(routinely), On Target(when busy), and AGC on occasion(also when busy).

Most memorable closest call would be when ALL the un-burnt powder in the crease along the rifle range at MD Small Arms kicked off along the firing line. It burned along every lane and maybe 10 yards up the range on one side, burning some of the shoooter's range bags/cases sitting in the booths. It looked just like one of those ole time cowboy movies with the black powder line being lit to a powder keg. Almost lit one dudes cardboard box of UMC bulk ammo!

davsco · Jan 31, 2017

deer hunting some 20 years ago with BIL. de-cocked my lever action (i did consciously point it at the ground away from us) and with extreme cold and gloves i didn't catch the hammer and it fired.

TAstro · Jan 31, 2017

VTHokies said:
Good lord I never would have even seen her again after that. There is a line between "uneducated" and just plain stupid.

Hopefully this woman I am insulting isn't your wife now

Haillllllll nah!

Pinecone · Jan 31, 2017

At On Target many years ago I watched a woman shoot a revolver. First shot went downrange. Second was about 30 degrees up, third was about 50 - 60 degrees up. Fourth was about straight up. Fifth was back behind her head. Sixth was about 2 - 3 inches above the glass window to the shop area.

Range officer was not watching, as he was keeping a close eye on a friend and I, as we broke in his Para P15-45. We were shooting fast double taps into a pair of IPSC targets. ALL shots were center A zone, but we were suspect.

Pinecone · Jan 31, 2017

JBinDC said:
Father to Father, can I ask at what age did you start yer kids shootin? I was 12 when my Brother took me shooting the first time, as my Father was never all that into guns. I myself have a 6 and 9 year old's now, and am debating when I should take them out for the first time. For now, until they stop sweeping people and the dogs with their Nerf Guns, they're tentatively on hold till they're at least 10, but that is all dependent upon how their maturity evolves. For now, I don't believe either is ready just yet.

Just curious when another Father on here started their kids off.

TIA, --JB

Not a father. But MY father started me at around 5. .22 rifle and handgun. And a .410 single shot that knocked me on to my butt.

I really got started with NRA small bore at about 11 years old.

Bisleyfan44 · Jan 31, 2017

DaemonAssassin said:
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.

campns said:
Damn DA are you part feline somewhere as brother you gots more than 9 lives.

My thoughts exactly! Hope your survival record continues....

Bisleyfan44 · Jan 31, 2017

44man said:
well, I was hit with a ricochet while driving deer many years ago, the slug got slowed down enough by the deer's antler and the brush that when it hit me in the knee it flipped me over but luckily I only had a giant knot and bruise on my knee. another time driving deer and older man with failing eyesight took three shots at me from 50 yards way. he never missed by more than a foot but a miss is as good as a mile in that situation. scared me shitless.

and when young and foolish and playing with my guns and drinking that "who hit john" I managed to catch a few ricochets. young and dumb.

hell we used to play a game down home where you would square off in a corn field and turn your back and let your "buddy" would pepper you with 7 1/2 shot and then you would pepper him and then you would walk closer and do it again and again until someone wussed out.

damn we were stupid kids!

Holy cow! We used to have BB wars, stalking and shooting each other with BB guns which looking back was idiotic, but shotguns? :shocked4:

Belonged to a hunt club that had an ever rotating member list every year. We always held deer drives after the first couple of days of the season. One season, we had a high number of peeps that I guess were unfamiliar with how all that works and had several of them shot through the line on a bunch of deer that got pushed. Having several .72 caliber 437 grain projectiles flying in your vicinity is a sound you NEVER forget. Never again.

Another time was shot by a friend I wholeheartedly trust without question regarding safe gun handling while rabbit hunting. Shot came through brush and my legs were peppered. Thankfully, he was 40 yds away, I was wearing brush chaps, and there was a lot of vegetation between us to slow them down some. Situational awareness--neither of us knew the other was there.

Close calls while shooting?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Active Member

Concerned Citizen

Active Member

Ultimate Member

Senior Meatbag

Active Member

Active Member

Active Member

Ultimate Member

Professional Heckler

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Active Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics