Check your barrels

[bakerboy]

I was with a client this morning, who informed me that when he cleaned his gun after the previous lesson the "wire thing" got stuck in the barrel and he had to take it to a gunsmith to have it removed.

I asked how much they charged to remove it, "I could not believe it" I said should it ever happen again me give me a call and I will sort it.

 

At the end of the lesson I offered to clean his gun for him, thank goodness I did.

 

Throughout the lesson the gun was carried in the slip at all times.

 

When I got home I removed the gun from the slip and noticed something obstructing one of the barrels (BASC APSI CPSA training and of course common sense).

It was the offending "Wire thing".

 

The gun is a 20g O/U.

The "Wire thing" was a 12g.

 

I contacted my customer and asked what the "Gun Smith" had done with the offending article; did they give it back to you? "no", I do not know what happened to it I assumed it was no longer any good.

 

I know! they dropped it in the bottom of the gun slip.

In placing the gun back into the slip at the end of the lesson the "wire thing" became well and truly stuck in the barrel.

 

Knowing what my customer is like, he seldom cleans his gun and obviously not to careful when he does; had he gone out shooting on his own would he have noticed the obstruction in the barrel? "Frightening"

The "wire thing" could have got stuck in the barrel at any of the times the gun was replaced in the slip during the lesson, at least 8 occasions.

 

Moral of the story, you cannot be too careful, always check your barrels before loading the gun, and always when replacing it in the slip and again when removing it from the slip.

Edited November 22, 2015 by bakerboy

[Prime18]

Lucky he didn't learn the hard way!!

[Scully]

I find myself checking for obstructions in my ou barrels to the point of annoyance, but funnily enough never when out with my auto or pump. I think it's possibly because the muzzles of my ou are constantly pointing down when out rough shooting, and whenever I have removed cartridges to climb over whatever, I always look down through each barrel before reloading.

I always without fail check both barrels after removing the gun from its slip, and sometimes even though I know they're ok, removing both shells to check when stood at a peg.

I think it's a bit of a OCD thing with me possibly after having a wad stick down a barrel many moons ago and once when slipping in snow and clogging up both barrels. I had no rod with me so had to shove a wet stick down the muzzle end of each barrel as I couldn't find anything long enough to poke through from the breech end.

Have never heard of anything similar to your experience though.

[Guest cookoff013]

I had a stick shoved in my muzzle once. I couldn't for the life of me work out how it got there. I was shooting over the seed.

[bakerboy]

I find myself checking for obstructions in my ou barrels to the point of annoyance, but funnily enough never when out with my auto or pump. I think it's possibly because the muzzles of my ou are constantly pointing down when out rough shooting, and whenever I have removed cartridges to climb over whatever, I always look down through each barrel before reloading.

I always without fail check both barrels after removing the gun from its slip, and sometimes even though I know they're ok, removing both shells to check when stood at a peg.

I think it's a bit of a OCD thing with me possibly after having a wad stick down a barrel many moons ago and once when slipping in snow and clogging up both barrels. I had no rod with me so had to shove a wet stick down the muzzle end of each barrel as I couldn't find anything long enough to poke through from the breech end.

Have never heard of anything similar to your experience though.

Carelessness in the first place using the wrong size brush.

 

And stupidity on whoevers part it was, by putting the brush in the bottom of the slip.

[Guest Wilksy]

Caught my bottom barrel in the soil last week in a panic to re-load luckily I noticed, missed the opertunity but made me think about what I was doing, and slow it down, trouble with shooting sitting low down I suppose

[kenholland]

there are a lot of intelligent people out there with no common sense .

[bakerboy]

there are a lot of intelligent people out there with no common sense .

common sense is a very rare commodity

[Scully]

Carelessness in the first place using the wrong size brush.

 

And stupidity on whoevers part it was, by putting the brush in the bottom of the slip.

Lesson learned, hopefully.

[Guest Wilksy]

there are a lot of intelligent people out there with no common sense .

Bah! Never a truer word spoken!

[sishyplops]

Sorry I'm lost the 12g wire thing is what exactly

[WelshAndy]

I'm forever asking Ryan (my lad) to check his barrels, I'm very much like you Scully - checking to the point of OCD!

 

 

Bronze wire cleaning brush I think.

Edited November 22, 2015 by WelshAndy

[robbiep]

I'm also a bit OCD regarding barrel checking. But that's how my dad taught me, 30+ years ago.

[welshwarrior]

Well done Terry and people wonder why we teach them and reinforce checking the barrels before loading!!!!

[bakerboy]

I'm forever asking Ryan (my lad) to check his barrels, I'm very much like you Scully - checking to the point of OCD!

 

 

Bronze wire cleaning brush I think.

That is correct.

 

I used my clients terminology to reinforce his lack of knowledge

[bruno22rf]

I find it hard to believe that the wire brush would fall in exactly the right orientation and that the barrel would align perfectly enough to permit re-insertion by simply putting the gun back in the slip-the odds are very slim-I would suggest that the brush was never removed by the Gunsmith, for whatever reason, in the first place.

[bakerboy]

I find it hard to believe that the wire brush would fall in exactly the right orientation and that the barrel would align perfectly enough to permit re-insertion by simply putting the gun back in the slip-the odds are very slim-I would suggest that the brush was never removed by the Gunsmith, for whatever reason, in the first place.

If the wire brush had not been removed by the gunsmith I would have noticed it before the first cartridge was inserted in the gun as per my regime on gun safety and standard procedure by all safety minded shooters.

Also after firing both barrels throughout the morning I think I would have noticed something strange , perhaps the barrel bulging or blowing up, or maybe even the target not breaking because the shot could not exit the barrel.

 

I can assure you this did happen and I take offence that you doubt my honesty.

I have nothing to gain by mentioning this event.

[Marksman1997]

So did you get the wire thing out ok?

First thing you would do after being charged a big price to remove the wire you would check to see if he done a good job and didn't score it?

[bakerboy]

The wire brush was easily removed by me at home when I discovered it.

I connected the push rod to the brush and pulled it out, fortunately the screw fixing was a showing clearly, failing that it would not have taken much to push it through.

In hindsight I should have taken a picture for the doubting Thomas's, I could easily re enact the scene but for what purpose.

[rjimmer]

That is correct.

 

I used my clients terminology to reinforce his lack of knowledge

Until you posted that, I thought it must be a turkshead wire brush.

[bruno22rf]

Did not read the whole post so my bad-as for you taking offence at my mistake-(comment removed)

Edited November 23, 2015 by bruno22rf