ND thread

[NSP]

I've had only one ND and it was because I trusted that someone else cleared the gun properly. Luckily it was a .22, and luckily I was standing at the tailgate of my truck when it happened. The bullet embedded into the very end of my tailgate. 2 inches farther away and I'd be walking kinda funny these days.

But it was a necessary evil, I check EVERY gun religiously every time now.

Anybody else here ever had a ND?

Please do tell us how you did it so we can learn from your story.

[Mtn. Medic]

It was far easier than I'd ever imagined.

Cleaned the revolver then pointed it the couch and dry fired it a couple of times. Loaded it up and set it down only to get distracted. Picked it back up and pointed it at a button on the back of the couch (Thinking I'd dry fire it one more time...) and pulled the trigger.

Man, those .357 magnums are damn LOUD when they go off in the living room!

Well... I got the button. Actually a through and through shot of the couch, the exterior wall and the leg of my aluminum step ladder that just happened to be sitting there outside The bullet finally stopped-putting a nice little dent in the garage door.

I felt like such an idiot and still do.

[BonoVox]

Originally Posted by Mtn. Medic

It was far easier than I'd ever imagined.

Cleaned the revolver then pointed it the couch and dry fired it a couple of times. Loaded it up and set it down only to get distracted. Picked it back up and pointed it at a button on the back of the couch (Thinking I'd dry fire it one more time...) and pulled the trigger.

Man, those .357 magnums are damn LOUD when they go off in the living room!

Well... I got the button. Actually a through and through shot of the couch, the exterior wall and the leg of my aluminum step ladder that just happened to be sitting there outside The bullet finally stopped-putting a nice little dent in the garage door.

I felt like such an idiot and still do.

On mam scary!

[AMS MIKE]

That is some scary ish right there!


Never and I sure hope I stick to my normal procedure.

Check chamber
Re-Check chamber
Check chamber again!
check chamber again!

[swdr]

It's handy to get yourself an empty coffee can and fill it halfway with sand. Put the plastic lid back on and label it in big letters. Clear your pistol with it pointed into the can. It's easy to carry around. You'll avoid that through-the-wall feeling if things go wrong.

It's so cheap, you could even have a can in the bedroom and another in the garage. Heh.

[Apeman88]

After 25yrs around guns... it happened to me. A bit ashamed to admit it... I carried the ND brass in my pocket for a couple of months to remind myself never be a careless dumbasz again.

I was preparing for a group lesson with a guy the next day and a few friends came over as they wanted to borrow a gun for the class. I showed them a few of my handguns and when I came across my Warthog (mag full but not chambered), while talking to 3 of them behind me (I was facing the safe), I pulled out my warthog from the safe.... started to pull the slide back while looking at the ramp of the barrel and I can see it was empty... BUT then realized I have a mag in it and need to drop the mag first (since not all guns in my safe have a mag in it). I pulled the slide less than 1"... was enough to visually see no round was in it... released the slide... dropped the mag... with my head turned talking to my friends... cycled the slide.... thinking even if I accidentially loaded a round during the 1" slide pull... I'll clear it by cycling the slide. Next thing I did (at least I got this part right)... pointed the gun 45 degrees up into the closet (only available safe place since the safe was in front of me and 3 people were behind me)... pulled the trigger and it went BOOMMM. The safe was in the closet... got a nice hole on the closet wall... followed by a hole in the next room followed be another hole on the ceiling of that room. The floor board stopped it from going upstairs.

When the gun went off... I was talking to the friends and I kepted on talking... I could not realize what had just happened becuase it could not of happened... I did a visual... even cycled the slide so no way in hell it can go boom. I didn't even hear the boom. What I heard was the brass dropping on the floor and the first thing that ran into my head was... what the f... my gun broke... something came off of it and dropped to the floor. When I bent down and picked up the brass... I was thinking... humm... where did this come from. It was not a few seconds later that I felt the heat of the brass did I realize that is FRESHLY FIRED BRASS and I had a ND.


What happened was when I pulled the slide back 1"... I saw the empty ramp but when I released the slide... it LOADED a round from the mag (I did not think a 1" pull was enough to load one from the mag)... then... the slide did not fully seat so the ejector did not grab the brass. So after I dropped the mag... when I cycled the slide, the round did not get ejected and instead, when I let go of the slide... it fully seated with the ejector working.

I seeked counseling from a guy... he gave me the safety tips again. It is now burned into my brain. I made a promise to myself... if I have another ND... it proves I cannot handle the responsibilty of a firearm and I'll get rid of all of them. I hope this day will never come.

[Bosco]

Stories like these are why I get skitish and scared while being surrounded by others at shooting ranges. I always have it in the back of my mind that somebody will let one rip down the line one day.

As a matter of fact a guy grabbed his rifle during line break while people were setting targets and the idiot put his thumb in the trigger guard and had a ND. Everyone hit the dirt out in the field and if that wasnt enough he had to start opening his mouth talking senseless babel out of embarrassment saying, " can you believe that is the 2nd time this happened."

Well, he left pretty fast after the incident likely with his tail between his legs.

That being said I had what I consider a ND but the gun was pointed at the ground and I was alone at a outdoor range. Was too lazy to chamber check so I checked with the trigger, lol. I guess it wasnt so much a ND as it was screwing around when I shouldnt be. By the way that was my first gun I ever owned and was when I just turned 21 so I was still learning how to respect a firearm.

[Lee F. Smith]

I was conducting a safe handling demo (1st mistake) with deprimed rounds from the clearly marked "safe handling demo cartridges"(2nd mistake) box. I glanced at the round and absent mindedly saw a cratered primer(3rd mistake). I placed the round in the gun and proceeded to go through the demonstration as shown by the certified instructor dropping the hammer on the dead round.

Nothing...nada...

I unload the weapon and replace the California certified lock and explain to the customer that he must repeat this demo with out pointing it at me, him or anyone else. He is doing quite satisfactorily and pauses just before dropping the hammer stating "are you sure you want me to pull the trigger". I responded "of course, you just saw me do it and nothing happened"

Nearly my last mistake, Fortunately he had observed pointing it in a safe direction...sort of. ..BOOM.. .the round impacted the glass counter between us and sprayed glass shards into my forearms and stomach as it passed between my hands. The jacket peeled off and struck my right hand...hadn't noticed at the time...the rest, god forbid, traveled into a display case full of Kimbers.

After the glass stopped breaking and my hearing began to return I noticed a fellow employee saying something..."are you hit?" Good question. As I looked down I didn't notice any large chunks missing, but I did notice I had developed a leak in my tightly clinched fist. Not wanting to deal with it at the moment I kept checking all of the stinging parts to see what damage there might have been. Nothing major.

Inventory:
Stinging belly and forearms.
Bullet jacket, sans the slug in right hand.
All customers and employees not injured.
Dazed confused, angry at self for listening to instructor.
one slightly scuffed low end kimber.

All things considered, a good lesson. ND...hmmm... of sorts I guess, but I am quite through in the safe handling of my weapons and those around me these days.

...and by the way all "dummy rounds replaced with bright orange test rounds at my request"

[maldos]

Originally Posted by swdr

It's handy to get yourself an empty coffee can and fill it halfway with sand. Put the plastic lid back on and label it in big letters. Clear your pistol with it pointed into the can. It's easy to carry around. You'll avoid that through-the-wall feeling if things go wrong.

It's so cheap, you could even have a can in the bedroom and another in the garage. Heh.

I use all those old phone books

[X-ffdo]

I have been close!
1) I was at this airport. Someone was working a lathe in one of our hangars. This guy had a GI 1911 sitting on top of the machine, he hands it to me..."It's OK, it is not loaded", I took it in my hands and "new" it was "hot", by the weight, (those days, we packed full time! .45 ACP 1911 was the "Thing", I packed one like that on me for a while, same stock gun all the time. Living on the edge and doing the good fight) and knew what this thing felt like. I checked it out, I dropped the mag with the bullets into one of my hands, I racked the slide and the round went flying out of the chamber!. The guy turned red and his jaw dropped! I said nothing and walked away.
2) We were at this gun parts warehouse, it was like a candy store! One of the guys is handling this German gun the Gestapo used to carry, same thing, somebody handed it to me, it had no magazine, but I racket it, bullet flew out of chamber!
3) Same venue, they had some guns ready to fire, they had a red tag attached to the trigger guard, "Hot". One of the kids came in picked up the shotgun. He was standing in front of me, my hair in back of my head went on alert. The shotgun was picked up aiming to my right and front as he faced me, "BOOMMM", it happened soooo fast!!!! now the shotgun is aiming at my left and the shot pellets went into a box and part of the false ceiling.
Holly s..... somebody, help me!!!
4) A guy got hit right next to me with a .45 ACP from a Thompson machine gun burst. I have already related that one here, died due to rapid blood loss, his carotid was ruptured. GI ball. Rough because I was very young.
So I have been close, but no cigar.....Lucky!!!!!.

[NSP]

I'm glad to see that there have not been many NDs

[Panhead Bill]

Originally Posted by swdr

It's handy to get yourself an empty coffee can and fill it halfway with sand. Put the plastic lid back on and label it in big letters. Clear your pistol with it pointed into the can. It's easy to carry around. You'll avoid that through-the-wall feeling if things go wrong.

It's so cheap, you could even have a can in the bedroom and another in the garage. Heh.

Just to confirm . . . is a 1/2 can of sand enough to stop a round?

Always learning -

PH Bill

[swdr]

Originally Posted by Panhead Bill

Just to confirm . . . is a 1/2 can of sand enough to stop a round?

Always learning -

PH Bill

Try it with a cardboard box of the equivalent thickness of sand at an outdoor range. Put a piece of wood up for a backstop to the back cardboard wall. Then you will be able to check that the back cardboard wall doesn't get holed.

[libertarian]

Originally Posted by Panhead Bill

Just to confirm . . . is a 1/2 can of sand enough to stop a round?

Always learning -

PH Bill

Maybe. It'd definitely slow it way down, but you'd want a positive (and safe!) backstop behind the can. The last test I saw was that a 230-grain 45ACP FMJ went about 8 inches into dry sand at 25-yards. JHP will probably not go near as far. Smaller calibers at higher velocity might go deeper.

A coffee can full of sand is probably a better idea than pointing it at an interior wall, in any case. if you want to be a lot more sure it'll stop, You could get a planter or small barrel, fill that with dry sand and use that as a clearing barrel.

[RickD6023]

My thanks go to all who owned up to an ND. While I have been fortunate not to have that experience (been close but not there) I am learning from every post.