Nic Barca
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- May 19, 2006
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Those are some pretty sketchy situations. I think I would have went off lecturing them.
A firearms safety course or Hunter's safety course might make a world of difference for them. I know it did for me. ...Not that I had any experience with guns before I took one but a safety course really opens your eyes to how dangerous guns can be and educates you on improper handling that you might otherwise be oblivious to the dangers of. I just took a handgun safety course the other day (my work sent me there for free) and all I can say is WOW, I'm sure glad I took that. Otherwise I might have placed my fingers too far forward of the revolver cylinder and flat out blew my fingertips to smitherines.
Me and EvBouret hunt in thick bush where a chambered round is the difference between success or failure. But we remove the bullet from the chamber almost all the time when walking together on trails or going down steep slopes or while going through thick bush. I always considered myself very safety concious and Evan is even more safety concious than me.
The only incident ...or incidents I can recal are with a friend of ours. The first one we were at this particular friend's house standing around the backyard. Our friend was checking a take-down 22 rifle that he must have left in his pack and mind you, he doesn't take too good of care of this rusty old gun. But I think he was checking to see if it was loaded and I don't know exactly what happened. He might have pumped the gun too far and was forced to load the next bullet into the chamber (the magazine was in fact loaded) and as soon as he finished the cycling or pump or whatever the term for that is, the gun went off sending a 22 bullet through the wall near a large propane tank, missing a litter of puppies by inches, also in the direction of at least three of us, and into the dirt 8 feet away. We all shake our heads in disgust when we think about that one. Spooky.
The next incident happenned with the same friend. I know Evan was there this time and I think he was at the previous incident too. So we are just starting the hunt with dog and knife and rifles. Our friend is walking up the trailhead ahead of us and then we see him pointing his winchester 30-30 at something almost perpendicular to us. "What's he doing?" We watch. I'm not sure how this happenned but it looked like he was pulling the triggger so hard that the hammer actually went back a little and then BOOM! "Whoah! What the F***!!" was me and evans reaction as we jumped and ducked for safety. "You shoot at a pig?"
Turned out he said he was aiming at a stump pulling the trigger (mind you, the hammer was not cocked) and the gun still went off. So perhaps the winchester 94 was on half cock and if you pull the trigger hard enough, it will still go off. Two hairy situations with the same friend. ...or at least, that's how I remember them happening.
I myself have never had any sort of misfire but in looking at the action on my 870 express, in theory, if it was dirty enought and upon pumping the gun, if the little latch that catches the hammer was obstructed, or even if it somehow was damaged, there is a chance it could slip and misfire without any involvement from the trigger. It is a mechanical device and all mechanical devices have the potential to fail.
PS. This same friend has swung his gun loaded with hammer cocked in my direction without even realizing it on at least two occasions that I noticed. This was some years back. I think he's getting better. Sounds like your freinds are on the path to an accident if they haven't had some already.
A firearms safety course or Hunter's safety course might make a world of difference for them. I know it did for me. ...Not that I had any experience with guns before I took one but a safety course really opens your eyes to how dangerous guns can be and educates you on improper handling that you might otherwise be oblivious to the dangers of. I just took a handgun safety course the other day (my work sent me there for free) and all I can say is WOW, I'm sure glad I took that. Otherwise I might have placed my fingers too far forward of the revolver cylinder and flat out blew my fingertips to smitherines.
Me and EvBouret hunt in thick bush where a chambered round is the difference between success or failure. But we remove the bullet from the chamber almost all the time when walking together on trails or going down steep slopes or while going through thick bush. I always considered myself very safety concious and Evan is even more safety concious than me.
The only incident ...or incidents I can recal are with a friend of ours. The first one we were at this particular friend's house standing around the backyard. Our friend was checking a take-down 22 rifle that he must have left in his pack and mind you, he doesn't take too good of care of this rusty old gun. But I think he was checking to see if it was loaded and I don't know exactly what happened. He might have pumped the gun too far and was forced to load the next bullet into the chamber (the magazine was in fact loaded) and as soon as he finished the cycling or pump or whatever the term for that is, the gun went off sending a 22 bullet through the wall near a large propane tank, missing a litter of puppies by inches, also in the direction of at least three of us, and into the dirt 8 feet away. We all shake our heads in disgust when we think about that one. Spooky.
The next incident happenned with the same friend. I know Evan was there this time and I think he was at the previous incident too. So we are just starting the hunt with dog and knife and rifles. Our friend is walking up the trailhead ahead of us and then we see him pointing his winchester 30-30 at something almost perpendicular to us. "What's he doing?" We watch. I'm not sure how this happenned but it looked like he was pulling the triggger so hard that the hammer actually went back a little and then BOOM! "Whoah! What the F***!!" was me and evans reaction as we jumped and ducked for safety. "You shoot at a pig?"
Turned out he said he was aiming at a stump pulling the trigger (mind you, the hammer was not cocked) and the gun still went off. So perhaps the winchester 94 was on half cock and if you pull the trigger hard enough, it will still go off. Two hairy situations with the same friend. ...or at least, that's how I remember them happening.
I myself have never had any sort of misfire but in looking at the action on my 870 express, in theory, if it was dirty enought and upon pumping the gun, if the little latch that catches the hammer was obstructed, or even if it somehow was damaged, there is a chance it could slip and misfire without any involvement from the trigger. It is a mechanical device and all mechanical devices have the potential to fail.
PS. This same friend has swung his gun loaded with hammer cocked in my direction without even realizing it on at least two occasions that I noticed. This was some years back. I think he's getting better. Sounds like your freinds are on the path to an accident if they haven't had some already.
