.45 Caliber Incident

[zaheer.bakshi]

These pictures were sent to me by a friend. The guy incidentally shot himself with a .45 on his foot. The pictures tells the story.

Warning: Graphic photographs.Viewer discretion.

[Vassili Zaitsev]

man...please put a caution on the post. that is a aweful accident..People need to be really careful and with their safety on all the time if you are not shooting.

Please put a caution on the post

[farook]

Disturbing content Viewer Discretion Advised

[xl_target]

man...please put a caution on the post. that is a aweful accident..People need to be really careful and with their safety on all the time if you are not shooting.

Please put a caution on the post

Disturbing content Viewer Discretion Advised

I know you guys are probably too young but you've never hunted (when it was legal), have you?
Maybe if you had, you wouldn't be so squeamish.

Now would be a good time to bring up the four rules of firearms safety:

1. All guns are always loaded (especially when they tell you..."Oh, It's not loaded")
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. (the mark of a guy who's watched too many movies or of a pure rookie is that the first thing he does when he picks up any firearm is put his finger on the trigger. That's when you grab the gun out of their hands and don't give it back till you have taught them better. Of course, this only works if it is your gun. If it is his gun, run away! Run Away!)
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

If you break any of these rules, someone is going to get hurt, or worse.

[timmy]

Bullets and words both can be lots of fun and both can be dangerous if used in an incautious, unthinking way.

Also, once they are launched, you cannot take a word or a bullet back…

Something to think about, especially if you value your friends and your toes.

[Oggie]

This just reiterates why one must absolutely and uncompromisingly adhere to safety rules with firearms (Thanks XL for pointing it out ). I'm going to add the NZ Firearms safety list here too.

The Firearms Safety Code:
1. Treat every firearm as loaded

Check every firearm yourself.
Pass or accept only an open or unloaded firearm.
2. Always point firearms in a safe direction

Loaded or unloaded, always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
3. Load a firearm only when ready to fire

Load the magazine only when you reach your shooting area.
Load the chamber only when ready to shoot.
Completely unload before leaving the shooting area.
4. Identify your target beyond all doubt

Movement, colour, sound and shape can all deceive you.
Assume colour, shape, sound, and shape to be human until proven otherwise.
5. Check your firing zone

THINK: What may happen if you miss your target?
What might you hit between you and the target or beyond?
Do not fire when you know others are in your firing zone.
6. Store firearms and ammunition safely

When not in use, lock away the bolt, firearm and ammunition separately.
Never leave firearms in a vehicle that is unattended.
7. Avoid alcohol or drugs when handling firearms

Good judgement is the key to safe use of firearms.


Even today when we go hunting in pairs or more we follow the following protocol over and above the basic rules.
If you are walking into the bush and ready to hunt only the one in front has a loaded(magazine loaded but not chambered) firearm the rest will have bolts off. This ensures that you will not be tempted to shoot anything in front of you. There is a concept we face in NZ called BUCK FEVER where a hunter is so engrossed in the hunt, so eager to score that stage that they are eager beavers on the trigger. Last year there were too many accidents for anybody's liking.

Secondly check your damn rifles after use ! We use range officer protocol of clearing firearms. So we check each other's firearms to ensure they are cleared of any bullets.
Hunting is a passion, its a fanstastic way to spend time with friends and family and I have no intention to going into the bush with mates and leaving anyone behind. Try explaining their absence to a loved one....I don't want to. Period !

[TwoRivers]

Oggie: Sound advice. But #3 is off the table when hunting where there are beasties that have no qualms about eating or stomping you.

[Oggie]

LOL... Yes absolutely Two Rivers...I neglected to state that there's no real dangerous animals in NZ !! And I'd sure have one down the snout if I was chasing bear or Moose...

[farook]

It may never be a good idea to have a gun without a mag in it, be it for daily carry or home defense. The odds that you would be able to load the mag in the tense situation are as per my judgement pretty low. Carrying a loaded chamber may not be a good idea at all, I would guess that this may be an example of one such incident

[farook]

4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Just to add something to this. When shooting in a open field on something like a target sheet paper always make sure the bullet has a concrete stopping point. A bullet fired out of a standard 9 mm hand gun if shot at optimal elevation would travel up-to 2 kms and even then continue to travel at 100 meters per second, which is why we should never fire them into the air.

[brihacharan]

4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Just to add something to this. When shooting in a open field on something like a target sheet paper always make sure the bullet has a concrete stopping point. A bullet fired out of a standard 9 mm hand gun if shot at optimal elevation would travel up-to 2 kms and even then continue to travel at 100 meters per second, which is why we should never fire them into the air.

Briha

[mundaire]

You are right about the necessity of a self-defence gun needing to be carried loaded. But I disagree with the below:

Carrying a loaded chamber may not be a good idea at all, I would guess that this may be an example of one such incident

If you are carrying a gun for self defence, you would be silly to carry an empty chamber!

Unless (maybe) you are perforce carrying something like a TT, which cannot be safely carried with one in the chamber.

If the 45 in the above post was a 1911 in good repair, I'm willing to bet that the accident was caused by mishandling/ operator error and not because the gun was carried with one in the chamber. The 1911 is designed to be safely carried cocked & locked.

Cheers!

Sent from my ST27i using Tapatalk

[farook]

Abhijeet I conceal carry my pistol almost every day, though it has a 1911 style safety I have accidentally pulled the trigger many times in the process of taking my gun out of the holster. Its just natural to hold down the palm safety when we handle the gun. Had there been a round in the chamber this exact incident would have happened. We need to understand that almost every one of us may have strong presence of mind when we carry a gun. Its just human to error.

When I got my pistol new I use to practice the process of loading the chamber, after a few days I could do it pretty fast.

Other members please put in your view here. How would you carry if the law permits it....

[Grumpy]

Absolutely right Mundaire. The 1911 was designed to be carried cocked and locked - which is why it has the grip safety as well as the `normal` safety. The huge majority of all firearms accidents are due to `mishandling/operator error` as you say.

[TC]

Just to add something to this. When shooting in a open field on something like a target sheet paper always make sure the bullet has a concrete stopping point.

Farook,

A concrete backstop is the worst no matter what the weapon is - a BB pistol or a 9mm. You seem to have discounted the possibility of ricochet completely. A ricocheting projecting can be as deadly as one leaving the barrel.
A thick mud wall is the best option.

TC