Accidental Discharge

jimbo123p

Well-Known Member
After over fifty years of rifle shooting I have had an accidental discharge. From the start of shooting I have never put my finger inside a trigger guard unless I was about to fire. I just dont do it. No damage but to a bit of pride I suppose but what happened. Was it the rifle? should not be. It is a reletively new prohunter. Took me a bit to work it out. But it could happen to anyone. My jacket has fairly stiff velcro cuff tags. These sit pointing directly at the rifle. I surmise the most likely scenario is that it caught under the trigger and pulled as my hand returned to the stock. The discharge was not at the completion of the bolt cycle but was before my hand reached the palm swell on the stock. Rifle was in a safe angle as the recycle took place.
It emphisises the need to be safety concious at all times. I will be applying the safety before recycling the bolt. The tags on the jacket will not be sticking out on the next trip. Small things you do not realise are a hazzard can catch us out.
Jim
 
They are not nice. I had one last year when setting the trigger, but again safe gun handling meant just injured pride. Keeping that barrel pointing in a safe direction is what counts.

Worst offenders are clay shooters with shotguns - so often I see guns held by the pistol grip, finger near the trigger and barrels brought up to the action - loaded gun is now pointing horizontally!
 
two things come to ind:-

1) that trigger is damned too light for a cloth tag to trip it.................... way too light.

2) Not at completion of bolt cycle??? surely if the bolt is not fully locked then the rifle should not be able to fire at all.???

Just glad that due to muzzle awareness not damage done except to pride.
 
At least you had the guts to openly admit it jim, how many would have kept it quite, I wonder. :-|

The main thing is no one was injured, and your right your subconscious mind will be on saftey now.

Rgds. Buck.
 
Brithunter it is a pity you cannot read english. If you did you might understand what I have written.
For your limited understanding let me explain. The bullet did not fire at the completion means the cycle had ended and the bullet was now fully chambered. It did not at this point go bang. Now do you understand.
As for cloth tag it is a fairy thick velcro tag, quite stiff. I said it caught under the trigger. It did not pull the trigger. it wedged between the trigger guard and trigger. In such a position any trigger no matter how heavy set is likely to fire.
Hope that helps out your limited understanding,
Jim
 
Scares the **** out of you mate. I wa next to a mate when we were doing a few long distance targets and bang as he slapped up a round the gun went off bolt flew back and broke off the back locking lug .Reason after we got back was the primers were way proud and all ammo had to be pulled and primer press reset. Also had a few others but they were the shooters own faults and i dont like to disscuss them ones .;)
 
I've done it once about 5 years ago when setting the trigger, down in a safe prone position while zeroing in. Still scares the crap out of you.

I have also witnessed a friends .270 go off when he closed the bolt face over the bullet!!!

It drives home how muzzle awareness is so important.

Mark.
 
that's a good point if re-loading, if your primers sticking out a bit, don't force the bolt shut on it! ha ha ha.

I know a guy who crawling down the ladder from a highseat, put the rifle on the rung just below hip-height as he crawled down, accidentally touched the trigger, and BANG! hole in the front of his hat!!!!! he felt the bullet skim by his face and take his hat off....he retired from shooting at that point....
 
Had one myself first time out with my brand new at the time sauer .243 whilst setting the trigger just sighting in pushed it forward let go and away it went straight into the ground,needless to say i set it a lot heavier after that but just goes to show that safe gun handling is paramount and one should never become complacent with it,keep that muzzle down no matter what and only a harmless lesson is learnt even if it scares the crap out of you,sounds like you need a bit of dress alterations there Jimbo don't go and blunt the misses best scissors now.
Neil.
 
Brithunter it is a pity you cannot read english. If you did you might understand what I have written.
For your limited understanding let me explain. The bullet did not fire at the completion means the cycle had ended and the bullet was now fully chambered. It did not at this point go bang. Now do you understand.
As for cloth tag it is a fairy thick velcro tag, quite stiff. I said it caught under the trigger. It did not pull the trigger. it wedged between the trigger guard and trigger. In such a position any trigger no matter how heavy set is likely to fire.
Hope that helps out your limited understanding,
Jim

"I surmise the most likely scenario is that it caught under the trigger and pulled as my hand returned to the stock. The discharge was not at the completion of the bolt cycle but was before my hand reached the palm swell on the stock"

OK I surmise that the trigger is way too light, I also surmise that applying the safety will lock the bolt. I am not familiar with the newer Steyr safeties so do not know if they can be opened on safe. However a safety can fail and should never be relied upon. Further more I surmise that having anything sticking out towards the trigger is a daft thing to have there and asking for trouble. The "tag" would have to be in front of the trigger to "Pull it". Under the trigger would likely block it's movement.

The surmise about trigger weight is based upon trying out several stalking rifles AND reading the posts that appear regularly on SD about replacement triggers and adjusting them down to damned silly weights. The .243 Midland I recently acquired has had the trigger messed with to get the weight of pull to a stupid weight of just over 1lb and I have had one heck of a job getting it up to around 2 1/2lbs. Once finances permit I will obtain a replacement trigger unit and set it up properly and safely.

That is my limited understanding.
 
I understand even the US Marine Scout Snipers have a 3 lb pull...and they seem to be able to hit reasonably ok:lol:
 
Maybe there is a strong case here of a loaded magazine covered by an empty chamber with closed bolt from a safety aspect then.

(Achieved by depressing the top round in the magazine and overiding it with the bolt)
That way when walking with it even if something did trip the trigger it would only activate on an empty chamber no harm done either way.
 
Am surprised you have not had the 'there is no such thing as an accidental discharge, they are neglegent discharges' types on yet. I have had both and they scared me to death.
Its good that you know what it was and are able to do something about it.
 
Maybe there is a strong case here of a loaded magazine covered by an empty chamber with closed bolt from a safety aspect then.

(Achieved by depressing the top round in the magazine and overiding it with the bolt)
That way when walking with it even if something did trip the trigger it would only activate on an empty chamber no harm done either way.


Mmmmmmmm, but if you come across a deer/fox/etc. and have to start cycling a round into the chamber, it makes a helluva noise....
 
Mmmmmmmm, but if you come across a deer/fox/etc. and have to start cycling a round into the chamber, it makes a helluva noise....

Does it:eek:
Not if you practice with a dummy round and keep the pressure on the top round in the mag as you cycle the bolt back it dosent
 
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When a gun is loaded with one up the spout and if the trigger is in good order it won't go off unless the trigger is depressed. So as a rule of thumb when there's a round up the spout it's wise to give the trigger a wide berth until your lined up on target and ready to squeeze it and just after releasing the saftey catch.

Jimbo you might not need to change dress and there probably isn't anything wrong with your rifle but maybe just apply the saftey catch before you move around the rifle. Seen and heard of worse.
 
When a gun is loaded with one up the spout and if the trigger is in good order it won't go off unless the trigger is depressed. So as a rule of thumb when there's a round up the spout it's wise to give the trigger a wide berth until your lined up on target and ready to squeeze it and just after releasing the saftey catch.

Jimbo you might not need to change dress and there probably isn't anything wrong with your rifle but maybe just apply the saftey catch before you move around the rifle. Seen and heard of worse.


Well thats a new one on me. who told you that??????
Any device in controlling the discharge of any firearm can fail and under no circumstances should ever be relied on as fool proof if you do someone is going to get either killed or seriously injured at best,
 
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Mmmmmmmm, but if you come across a deer/fox/etc. and have to start cycling a round into the chamber, it makes a helluva noise....



Stayed in a caravan overlooking a field of ewe's lambing at the weekend. Having scanned the fields many times during the night with a lamp and seen nothing, I was not particularly hopeful when in the morning I got up stumbled about, put some wood on the fire and threw the door open. It was a surprise therfore to see a fox sitting wathcing my flock rather more carefully than I had been doing. Can only assume his hunger had overcome his ability to see and hear.
 
Brithunter as usual you are spouting off. Point you raise about trigger pressure Take it up with styer they set it. I don't play about with it. The pad on the jacket is thick enough to collect the trigger and slide along the trigger guard taking the trigger with it. Bang. You as usual misconstue posts to be your usual sanctimonious self. Nobody else misread it. I did not need to write it up. It is probably a once in a lifetime occurrance like the hang glider expert killed when the lacehook in his boot caught up the bracing wire. However if a strange occurance happens with potential dangerous results it is better to tell than keep stume. It can happen, it did happen, Now people can realise clothing can and does cause accidents. Down to risk assessment.
Jim
 
Brithunter as usual you are spouting off. Point you raise about trigger pressure Take it up with styer they set it. I don't play about with it. The pad on the jacket is thick enough to collect the trigger and slide along the trigger guard taking the trigger with it. Bang. You as usual misconstue posts to be your usual sanctimonious self. Nobody else misread it. I did not need to write it up. It is probably a once in a lifetime occurrance like the hang glider expert killed when the lacehook in his boot caught up the bracing wire. However if a strange occurance happens with potential dangerous results it is better to tell than keep stume. It can happen, it did happen, Now people can realise clothing can and does cause accidents. Down to risk assessment.
Jim

Ahhh so now your blaming the maker... nothing to with me Guv.............. honest :rolleyes: Funny how some take the hump. This brings memories of previous exchanges on SD... OH well get on with it but perhaps I am a bit more careful with even my clothing. have fun anyway.
 
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