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shotgun went off when closed


treetree
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Yes I definitely do that. Went for a brouse in a gunsmiths and came back with a very nice 410 s/s plus ammo. :)

SWMBO reckons she was highly tempted by a beautiful .410 S/S hammer gun up in Bamford's last year. Unfortunately, she didn't tell me until a few weeks later, or I'd have got it her as a Xmas present.

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Was out this morning, had a shot, went to reload putting a new cartridge in the barrel that was just used. Closed the gun and bang! Left me a little bit shocked. Luckily I was being safe and it discharged into the ground (still have all 10 toes).

 

What could have caused this. To my knowledge my finger was not near the trigger. Is it likely to happen again? Do I need to go to a gunsmith?

 

Gun is a 1970s double trigger sbs.

 

Grateful for any help

Hi Treetree , I had a similar experience but it was a fault in the design of the gun. I brought my gun to a gunsmith, he tried everything to replicate the fault , after many different approaches it turns out that I wasn't pushing the barrel release leaver over fully , the barrels would release when the leaver was over 3/4 but the trigger sear was not fully catching the striker or firing pin . When slapped the gun closed after reloading the bottom barrel Bang!

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As a gun is opened, the hammers are set back and the main firing pins are tensioned. A safety is only a trigger lock or dis-engaging mechanism, and despite being set to "safe" does not prevent a cocked gun from firing - it only stops the user from pulling the trigger. So, shock of closing a gun hard can cause the gun to discharge, and component wear can compound with this to allow this to happen more often than is appreciated by users.

Truth is, ANY gun can discharge on closing, safety set or not, so all guns should be closed with care, finger off trigger, well supported and into the ground a couple of meters away in front.

Although I've owned the same gun for 25 years, and its properly serviced, I have had two "no explanation" un-expected discharges from that gun. No operator or mechanical fault can be found, yet it happens.

Every gun owner should be aware this can and does happen. Certainly if its rather too often it indicates gun or user faults that may need sorting - and noting the way many users slam their guns shut, often with the finger resting on the trigger - user error is another major factor in these unexpected discharges as well.

 

Bottom line is:

 

Never believe the gun will not go off THIS TIME as its closed. I can't give any researched figure, but lets say one in 100,000 closures of a gun do go off for no apparent reason, and every shooter needs to be prepared that the next gun closure is going to be that one.

 

Be prepared, to be safe

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Well the need to always have a mind towards safety was certainly reinforced. Really made me think about how an enjoyable morning could have turned very nasty very quickly.

 

As someone new to shooting, if I am out with more experienced shooters and I see something unsafe (like closing as per conversations above) what's the best way of mentioning this to person involved?

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Lateral thinking ( De Bono) is the way - many people have plenty of concern about their gun, its their pride and joy - and if you gently point out the longevity of the gun remaining in good mechanical order is enhanced by "placing the barrels into the action" rather than snapping it open on a short fulcrum, and closing it the same way - you automatically introduce a much higher level of safety.

 

Most shooters who have not been shown how to open and close a gun sympathetically to its mechanical preservation, hold the gun away from the body and grip the pistol with one hand, often moving the forehand to the tip to move the barrels down sharply. This is noted when the cartridges eject over their shoulder , or are "snapped" into a bin. This puts a lot of strain wear as the action hits the end of its travel. That same shooter then typically loads and throws the barrels up, with a notable jarring noise as the gun slams shut.

 

Not only is this action of cycling the gun poor etiquette as cartridges are all over the place needing cleaning up, or in the face of the squad behind, but the heavy handed snapping open and slamming closed is putting unnecessary wear into the gun. That shooters gun will need its action tightened and other components replaced much sooner than the gentle gun user.

 

Taking instead the elbow and hip to grip the end of the stock as the back fulcrum, and angling the gun flatter away as its gripped, it is easy to open and close the gun gently, - the top lever just goes "click" into place as the face closes with no jarring. And as the gun opens the trigger hand comes free to move to catch the cartridges as well.

 

Its a lovely smooth action. Trap shooters tend to do this well as part of their controlled sequence of taking a shot.

 

So, by encouraging a shooter to use this technique, in order to preserve their gun mechanically, you also lower the chances of accidental discharge, and get control on their cartridge litter.

 

QED

Edited by clayman
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Good job you have taken the gun for repair or you may have still been looking for your feet !

 

With regards to mentioning 'unsafe' gun handling to more experienced shooters, I do not believe that there is an 'easy' way. I would be just telling them, point blank. Better that, than to have a near miss. You could always suggest that if their gun handling does not improve, they had better consider donations to the Air Ambulance service !

Edited by Westley
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It happened once on my wee shoot before i joined, the boy it happened to always had decent guns.

 

All the more reason to always make sure when u close the barrels they're pointing in a safe direction all the time

not just when you close it. point safe always.

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A Good Way to Teach a Noice or anyone else for that matter, is to>>>>

Bring the stock up to the Barrels, NOT The Barrels to the Stock..

Besides Which, it is easier to Close the Gun for Junior..

More Leverage, Simple and Safer. Try it..

Same here. I was taught "wood to metal" with the barrels pointing down.
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I know of a guy who closed his gun on the first drive of the new season and it went off and shot his spaniel's muzzle off. The neighbouring gun had to shoot the dog dead to put it out of its misery.

 

Be aware that once the shot has left the barrel...... You can't call it back.

 

That same gun the previous season took offence after a fox ran towards us and I turned to him and simply said' take it behind'. I was just letting him know my intentions and requesting that he didn't swing through the line. He retorted that he'd been shooting longer than I had been breathing. After that drive he confronted me and made it clear he didn't appreciate me questioning his safety, I simply put my gun away and left the shoot straight after the end of the second drive and never returned to the syndicate.

 

No one has been shooting long enough to take the safely of others or their four legged companions for granted.

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Wise words indeed.

What ever ones intentions may or may not be never point a gun at anything you are not prepared to destroy, unloaded or other!

I cringe sometimes the way some handle guns, like the fool with the unruly dog who never shoots except for beaters day and swings his muzzles around as he attempts to grab his dogs lead he dropped as the dog has to be on a lead!

Like the fool expert stalker we helped to look for a stag shot the night before that insisted chambering a round and swung his muzzle at everyone, kind hints did not work him being an expert so I took to running behind him on his every turn until he got totally annoyed lol.

Oh and my non expert dog found the stag lol.

Then there was the fool observed from a distance crossing a wire fenc with a companion. His gun discharged narrowly missing his companion, then he starts crying and throws the gun at an oak tree and the second barrel discharges!

Some people are really just not there for the right reasons are they!!

 

U.

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Wise words indeed.

What ever ones intentions may or may not be never point a gun at anything you are not prepared to destroy, unloaded or other!

I cringe sometimes the way some handle guns, like the fool with the unruly dog who never shoots except for beaters day and swings his muzzles around as he attempts to grab his dogs lead he dropped as the dog has to be on a lead!

Like the fool expert stalker we helped to look for a stag shot the night before that insisted chambering a round and swung his muzzle at everyone, kind hints did not work him being an expert so I took to running behind him on his every turn until he got totally annoyed lol.

Oh and my non expert dog found the stag lol.

Then there was the fool observed from a distance crossing a wire fenc with a companion. His gun discharged narrowly missing his companion, then he starts crying and throws the gun at an oak tree and the second barrel discharges!

Some people are really just not there for the right reasons are they!!

 

U.

Bloomin eck!

 

When i was interviewed for my FAC application, the chap that came round said his next call was to remove the shotgun from a chap who had climbed over a gate, not bothered to break or unload his gun and it had gone off, hitting his pal in the chest. Luckily there was some distance so he was only peppered.

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I know of a guy who closed his gun on the first drive of the new season and it went off and shot his spaniel's muzzle off. The neighbouring gun had to shoot the dog dead to put it out of its misery.

 

Be aware that once the shot has left the barrel...... You can't call it back.

 

That same gun the previous season took offence after a fox ran towards us and I turned to him and simply said' take it behind'. I was just letting him know my intentions and requesting that he didn't swing through the line. He retorted that he'd been shooting longer than I had been breathing. After that drive he confronted me and made it clear he didn't appreciate me questioning his safety, I simply put my gun away and left the shoot straight after the end of the second drive and never returned to the syndicate.

 

No one has been shooting long enough to take the safely of others or their four legged companions for granted.

 

Amen to that!

 

Wise words indeed.

What ever ones intentions may or may not be never point a gun at anything you are not prepared to destroy, unloaded or other!

I cringe sometimes the way some handle guns, like the fool with the unruly dog who never shoots except for beaters day and swings his muzzles around as he attempts to grab his dogs lead he dropped as the dog has to be on a lead!

Like the fool expert stalker we helped to look for a stag shot the night before that insisted chambering a round and swung his muzzle at everyone, kind hints did not work him being an expert so I took to running behind him on his every turn until he got totally annoyed lol.

Oh and my non expert dog found the stag lol.

Then there was the fool observed from a distance crossing a wire fenc with a companion. His gun discharged narrowly missing his companion, then he starts crying and throws the gun at an oak tree and the second barrel discharges!

Some people are really just not there for the right reasons are they!!

 

U.

 

Perhaps you a magnet for this poor gun behaviour!

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One of my neighbours, a guy who I used to shoot with, apparently lost it on a small syndicate shoot, when the beaters took the wrong route and threw his gun (closed!) up in the air. Nobody dare ask if it was loaded. He was asked to leave the shoot soon after although the main reason was ignoring the landowners instructions as to what could or could not be shot. This guy has a very unpleasant manner and has fallen out with all our near neighbours and I do question if he should have a licence. My wife had to break up a fight between him and his son. Were we all to put our observations to the FEO I'm sure he would lose his licence but should we?

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Graphic content be warned ,this is what happened to a chap who was in the habit of resting his gun on the "toe pad protector " as is the way of many down the line shooters .Incidentally the toe pad protector thing was never recovered .

 

post-10089-0-76799600-1420329185_thumb.jpg

 

 

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One of my neighbours, a guy who I used to shoot with, apparently lost it on a small syndicate shoot, when the beaters took the wrong route and threw his gun (closed!) up in the air. Nobody dare ask if it was loaded. He was asked to leave the shoot soon after although the main reason was ignoring the landowners instructions as to what could or could not be shot. This guy has a very unpleasant manner and has fallen out with all our near neighbours and I do question if he should have a licence. My wife had to break up a fight between him and his son. Were we all to put our observations to the FEO I'm sure he would lose his licence but should we?

Yes

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Graphic content be warned ,this is what happened to a chap who was in the habit of resting his gun on the "toe pad protector " as is the way of many down the line shooters .Incidentally the toe pad protector thing was never recovered .

 

attachicon.gifpampfig1a.jpg

That brings the safety factor home to you I am going out as I am reading this it has reminded me to be careful as I am on my own
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