Humble Pie

[Woodsmoke]

I was always told that there were two kinds of shooters. . . . .those who have had an ND, and those who will have an ND!

I'd always pooh-poohed this assertion as I consider myself a very safe and pretty competent gun. Backstops are non-negotiable, muzzle awareness the same, rifle is unloaded getting into/out of a high seat, etc, I take pains to let my companions know the rifle/shotgun is empty after unloading, etc. Basically, I'd considered the chances of an ND happening to me as very-slim to zero.

Until it happened!

I was recently unloading the chamber of my .22 after removing the mag', and my gloved knuckle caught the trigger (which takes a measured 3lb pull) as I turned the rifle onto its side to access the bolt, sending the round into the grass bank I had the muzzle pointing towards!

It was nothing overly-dramatic. I was alone, nobody saw it, nobody was hurt, the sky didn't fall in and if I wasn't making this post to this day nobody would even know about it. Muzzle awareness saved the day, so the only casualty was my pride and ego.

But! The very fact that it happened brought me out in a cold sweat, and it's been on my mind since it happened. The lesson here is beware of complacency. I was in two minds as to whether to post this, to be honest, but for me not to would be hypocritical, and if this tale makes anyone think about their own practices it can only be a good thing. From now on, gloves are off when unloading, and I'll be making certain I know exactly where my knuckles are in relation to the trigger.

I'm now wiser and a good deal humbler

 

[finnbear270]

You can sit next to me now then. L2 stalk ND

 

[Long drag]

I was always told that there were two kinds of shooters. . . . .those who have had an ND, and those who will have an ND!

I'd always pooh-poohed this assertion as I consider myself a very safe and pretty competent gun. Backstops are non-negotiable, muzzle awareness the same, rifle is unloaded getting into/out of a high seat, etc, I take pains to let my companions know the rifle/shotgun is empty after unloading, etc. Basically, I'd considered the chances of an ND happening to me as very-slim to


Until it happened!

I was recently unloading the chamber of my .22 after removing the mag', and my gloved knuckle caught the trigger (which takes a measured 3lb pull) as I turned the rifle onto its side to access the bolt, sending the round into the grass bank I had the muzzle pointing towards!

It was nothing overly-dramatic. I was alone, nobody saw it, nobody was hurt, the sky didn't fall in and if I wasn't making this post to this day nobody would even know about it. Muzzle awareness saved the day, so the only casualty was my pride and ego.

But! The very fact that it happened brought me out in a cold sweat, and it's been on my mind since it happened. The lesson here is beware of complacency. I was in two minds as to whether to post this, to be honest, but for me not to would be hypocritical, and if it this tale makes anyone think about their own practices it can only be a good thing. From now on, gloves are off when unloading, and I'll be making certain I know exactly where my knuckles are in relation to the trigger.

I'm now wiser and a good deal humbler

The Day we stop learning, is the Day we stop living.

 

[finnbear270]

I feel I should add, A glove with the split finger option was involved, but still an ND. Mr Farrington was not best pleased!

 

[Ranger22]

You won't be the first or last to have an ND. I had one a few years ago. I flicked the safety off and bang, finger nowhere near the trigger. Faulty trigger unit. Was pointed in a safe direction as I was about to shoot a buck

 

[Patrick A]

I wouldn't beat yourself up too much. I remember plenty of people getting 28 days Restriction of Privileges for an ND.. As you will see from the below it even happens to the professionals......

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/lond...re-than-120-times-in-five-years-a3269836.html

 

[Woodsmoke]

Cheers fellas. It goes to serve that complacency can creep up on even the most conscientious, that's for sure. Thank God for muzzle awareness. I still shudder to think of how differently it could've ended up

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I had one with a new rifle "to me" in New Mexico in 93 muzzle awareness kept all things safe but when two cowboys rode over the horizon to see what I had shot then I felt the **** factor awaken in me.
Martin

 

[nun_hunter]

Good post and just shows that good drills should prevent injury or accidents when an ND does occur. The more time spent with firearms both the actual carrying of them and the process of operating/unloading increases the chance of an ND. The link about the police above highlights this perfectly. 2100 firearms officers had 125 NDs (half were TASER) over a 5 year period, bearing in mind each officer loads/unloads three weapons each twice a shift and work on average 200 days/1600 hours a year thats not too bad and shows how less likely as recreational stalkers we are to have an ND, BUT it still happens. As long as no one gets hurt and we learn from it then its not the end of the world.

 

[bewsher500]

Shoot for long enough and in enough situations and it will happen

the only thing that matters is muzzle awareness so if and when it does happen it is not into someone's leg or the sky!

 

[slider]

Had a ND many years ago with a .22 rim fire. This was a Browning underleaver with a tube magazine. Counted the bullets out and, as the mag was not removable, did as I always did. Cock the rifle and pull the trigger while aiming into soft ground a few times. click click click - rifle empty for sure.

Into the back kitchen to clean, cock rifle to open chamber to give a squirt of oil. Pull the trigger to release the spring and Bang! - bullet through the stainless steel sink, through the casing of the washing machine and stopped by the concreate block in the bottom!

 

[Bilbo]

I am convinced the most dangerous "shooters" are the probably the people who think they are "experienced". There is nothing like famliariity to breed complacency.

As a raw recruit doing my Annual Personal Weapons Test with the SLR i went through the unload procedure - remove magazine, work the aciton and take and AIMED SHOT down the range - IT WENT BANG. Please bear in mind that military training is repetitive so that you can operate in high stress situations, so I am fairly sure that I carried out those drills I was somewhat surprised the the weapon went bang". What ever the cause, it was safe because I took an aimed shot.

Since then I have in a stalking situation have had an ND because I have failed to appy the safety catch following a shot a at deer. Fortunately it was safe, but it was neglgient (lucky for me).

My point is the longer we as individuals possess and use firearms we believe we are " experts" and therefoe become complacent. So all the training we impose on "beginners" should be practiced day in day out by us as "experts"

 

[Eddie P]

The basis of the 4 rules are that if you mess up one, then nothing of consequence happens.

So long as you have muzzle awareness and backstop awareness then an ND is "safe".

If you start to get sloppy with the 4 rules, that's when the sky falls in.

 

[AckAck]

I always remember reading that no one was ever injured by a firearm that was pointed in a safe direction. Muzzle awareness!

 

[Mungo]

Recently had my first experience of someone I was guiding have an ND. Let off a .308 about 2 feet from my head.

Utterly, utterly terrifying. I'd taken my eye off him for a second and he started unloading. Somehow kept his finger on the trigger as he released the safety catch. I heard (and felt) the blast, and spun round to see the muzzle waving around in the air. Pointing in the general direction of where I knew my 18 month old son to be going for a walk with some friends.

I swore for 2 minutes straight, ripped the gun off him and set off running. Didn't stop trembling with anger and fear til i'd managed to get signal and confirm everyone was ok.

ND itself, as many have said, is more or less inevitable. But one with serious consequences really isn't.

 

[Heym SR20]

First rule of guns - never point a gun at anything you don't want to destroy

2nd rule - all guns are always loaded.

Keep those in mind and even a ND if / when it happens is an embarrasement, mess your pants etc but not a tragedy.

I have had one ND due to a set trigger not setting properly. Rifle pointing into a ploughed field. And one when rifle slung on shoulder and trigger slipped off. I increasingly do not like carrying a rifle with one up the spout on a sling on your shoulder as you have little control of the muzzle. If I do use the sling and one is up the spout then it is barrel forward and down, with hand on the barrel controlling where it is pointing.

Most et accidents happen with "unloaded" guns.

 

[teabag_46]

I too, have unfortunately, and embarrassingly had an ND. I can only put it down to complacency, or, as the abbreviation says Negligence.
As an ex soldier, I should have known better - carrying out unloading at the end of the day, rifle pointed into an embankment about 10 feet away,
mag off, and for some reason, squeezed the trigger BEFORE I worked the action.
Although I was alone, no one was hurt, etc. I did pap myself.
I have recently acquired a new (to me) semi auto .22 (Gevarm E1) which shoots from an open bolt same as the old SMG for those that remember that weapon), and has a VERY basic safety.
Being left handed, I am very aware of how easy it would be to have an ND with this particular rifle, should I stumble, or drop it.
Something that I have seen happen with an SMG at the beginning of my military training, and so I have taken to carrying the maga and rifle seperately until I am ready to shoot.
That may be going a bit far, but, at least I know that it is safe.

 

[Woodsmoke]

open bolt same as the old SMG for those that remember that weapon

I lost a friend through an ND back in the 80's. Someone jumped out of a wagon behind him with an SMG. Bolt to the rear and magazine in. One round discharged, but one round was all it took. He'd been in less than a year.

Being ex-forces myself, muzzle awareness and safe direction is second nature thankfully. You can't stop them once they've gone, but you can at the very least ensure you know where they're going!

 

[jimbo1984]

Be a good thing when DSC becomes compulsory then nothing bad will ever happen and nobody will ever have any accidents ..... Happy days

 

[LuckyEddie]

Been there!

Got an offer to go out foxing may be a roe as well.
I didn't want to miss an oppertunity like this so took it up.

This after having returned from America less than 48hrs earlier and just finished a day's work.

Went out with the guy and had a good evening with nothing to show.
I thought I had reset the safety after the last occasion when a fox had presented itself but just not long enough to take the shot.
Any way getting on into the night and my concentration lapsed and I pulled the trigger!
Fortunately the muzzle was pointing down and the bullet hit the ground some 50yds in front.

I abandoned the outting at that point with profuse apologies to the guy.
Lesson learnt and now take the round out if I have not taken a shot after chambering.