shooting accidents

[al4x]

I witnessed someone shooting from a pickup who had a second shot just as the rabbit went under the front bumper resulting in a hole in the bonnet one less headlight and minor radiator damage, he still gets the urine extracted about it now

[Salop Matt]

I remember that about 8-10 years ago my dad came home one day from shooting at Hilton or worgs (which ever it was that weekend) and told me about an accident that had happened to another shooter that he witnessed.

 

A chap went onto a stand and on his second or third pair he called the bird and CLICK the cartridge failed to fire, the silly B**er proceeded to dis-mount the gun and rest the gun still closed on his foot waited 15 seconds and proceeded to pull the trigger again still rested on his foot Bang . . . . .. . he had shot a whole clean through his foot and the pallet he was stood on !

Needless to say as the first barrel had been fired when he pulled the trigger second time round it fired the second which was very much working !

[alexm]

I'm pleased to say that I have never been involved in or witnessed any injuries involving firearms (other than the odd newbie with a cut eyebrow from 'scope rash'!) thank god. I have however seen a fair few negligent discharges over the years, fortunately in each case they were harmless as in most cases the person responsible was at least keeping their muzzles pointing somewhere safe. The most recent (and probably the most dangerous) was at a practical shotgun competition where someone fell on their backside and fired up in the air narrowly missing the referee standing just behind!

 

I suppose it can be classed as an indirect shooting accident but I have seen a few people injured by clay pigeon traps, especially manual ones. One guy was hit in the family jewels by a broken spring . Another leant over to get a clay from the box and knocked the release... the arm swung round and hit him at the top of the forehead partially scalping him... not nice!

 

I think in the main part, thanks to the majority of shooters being aware of gun safety, it is the ancillary things that go with shooting that are often more dangerous than the guns themselves. It is the unsheathed knives carried in pockets, the clay pigeon traps, the climbing over barbed wire, falling off the high seat etc that often get overlooked.

[Oly]

This thread is scary! And to be honest I can't comprehend how some of the 'accidents' (a very loosely used term here I think!!) happened. B)

 

I was very fortunate that I learnt how to handle guns safely through the Air Training Corps and the TA from an early age, and I never assume any gun to be truely safe. Even on the range when a range officer handles a range less formally than I like, I go through my own process in my head that I know is safe. The other week I wouldn't even point an unloaded shotgun at the Easyhit target people at the CLA show (requested to do so as one of the tests of eye dominance) as I simply can't bring myself to do it.

 

I know of these 'accidents' happened 'years ago' and 'when I was really young and stupid' but come on - these are lethal weapons, if you have ever treated them with less than the upmost respect that they (and the others around you) deserve then you should seriously question your state of mind and either give them up or enrole on a gun handling safety course. Even as a 13 year old starting to shoot I was never as daft as some of these stories, it's simply mind boggling and doesn't do anyone outside of the shooting scene reading these posts a good impression of what the rest of us uphold.

[Townie]

I heard a clay pigeon shooting story about someone who loaded a semi-auto with 3 rounds. Fired 2 in the stand and gave it back to his mate. Mate rested the muzzle on his foot and BANG. Most of the damage was done by the pellets bouncing back up after hitting the concrete path.

 

When I was in the TA I witnessed on a live firing excercise someone with a Sterling SMG who turned round with the weapon pointed at the rest of us saying 'Corporal, it's jammed...' Thank God nothing happened. Most of us didn't know we could move so fast.

[Cushat]

Couple to add, neither of which involved me I'm pleased to say.

 

Couple of chaps I used to shoot with, very experienced, out for a wander aroudn with shotguns one evening. One had a shot at a rabbit, "safe", out the front, clear area, nothing hidden - except the single strange of high tensile wire. A pellet came back and hit his mate in the groin - several days in hospital resulted as it went through a deep vein in his leg. They later paced it out - 50+ yards to the wire (and 50+ yards back).

 

Second one was my father, many years ago when we used to have real winters. Was incredibly frosty, he took a shot at a pheasant through the treetops (upwards through the trees - i.e. the bird was way over the hieght of the top branches), the tree was apparently frozen solid and a single pellet richoched - they later flicked it out from under the skin of a lady guest - it was about an inch below her eye.

[Devilishdave]

A friend of mine was helping out at a clay shoot; a trap jammed so he went to give the instructor a hand sorting it. The instructor was in front and asked said mate to lift up the back. As he did this the trap released and put the clay in to the guys head at point blank. My mate said there was blood every where and the guy was air lifted out of there. I heard that he later made a full recovery.

 

Dave

[Evil Elvis]

The army one reminded me of the poor squadie at purfleet ranges. his gun jammed and he did what everyone does(think it was a .3080 pointed it at the floor to unjam it, it went of and penetrated the ground, unfortunately for him it richochet back u, hit his ankle bone and deflected upwards, through most of his vital orans and out his shoulder blade....he didnt suffer and was very dead when they brought him into Orsett a/e where i was doing work experience

[MC]

The army one reminded me of the poor squadie at purfleet ranges. his gun jammed and he did what everyone does(think it was a .3080 pointed it at the floor to unjam it, it went of and penetrated the ground, unfortunately for him it richochet back u, hit his ankle bone and deflected upwards, through most of his vital orans and out his shoulder blade....he didnt suffer and was very dead when they brought him into Orsett a/e where i was doing work experience

 

 

I reckon with you doing work experience he got the best way out.

[deejay]

This thread is scary! And to be honest I can't comprehend how some of the 'accidents' (a very loosely used term here I think!!) happened.

 

I was very fortunate that I learnt how to handle guns safely through the Air Training Corps and the TA from an early age, and I never assume any gun to be truely safe. Even on the range when a range officer handles a range less formally than I like, I go through my own process in my head that I know is safe. The other week I wouldn't even point an unloaded shotgun at the Easyhit target people at the CLA show (requested to do so as one of the tests of eye dominance) as I simply can't bring myself to do it.

 

I know of these 'accidents' happened 'years ago' and 'when I was really young and stupid' but come on - these are lethal weapons, if you have ever treated them with less than the upmost respect that they (and the others around you) deserve then you should seriously question your state of mind and either give them up or enrole on a gun handling safety course. B) Even as a 13 year old starting to shoot I was never as daft as some of these stories, it's simply mind boggling and doesn't do anyone outside of the shooting scene reading these posts a good impression of what the rest of us uphold.

i understand your point Oly but the thing is,we dont all have TA under our belt. And yes you are probably right in saying that the majority of these "accidents" are just plain stupidity,but i firmly believe that they are also lessons to the newby shooter, as in dont put a loaded gun to rest on your foot, or always check your empty shells ARE EMPTY.

you see the new shooter may not be stupid ,but these stories may just save another foot,or hand .

Some are funny ,some are more serious but i think they all are very helpfull .

thanks guys keep it up

[Salop Matt]

I heard a clay pigeon shooting story about someone who loaded a semi-auto with 3 rounds. Fired 2 in the stand and gave it back to his mate. Mate rested the muzzle on his foot and BANG. Most of the damage was done by the pellets bouncing back up after hitting the concrete path.

 

 

I know am very safety consious with a gun but i allways go out of my way to exadurate being safe with the semi auto when i use it but untill this i have not herd of anyone having an accident with a semi-auto ! Am guessing its becuase its not a gun design thats been round so much or that populraly used untill recent.

 

Ive herd of several with hammer guns and sbs /ou mainly from people crossing obsticals with a loaded gun or triping when walking with a loaded gun !

[dusk2dawn]

Some years ago I managed to fire a muzzle loading punt gun in my living room. The bang was very loud and the burning wadding set fire to the curtains. The charge of shot ruined the carpet before punching a hole through the skirting board and the wall behind it.

 

The recoil sent the gun back about ten feet and smashed through the closed french windows. By the grace of god, no one was injured.

 

I pulled off a cap on a muzzle loader that I`d have sworn was empty. Evidently it was`nt. The bloke I was showing it to was impressed by its penetrative qualities and bought it there and then. When he had stopped shaking. Still makes my blood run cold when I think about what might have happened.

 

Nick.

 

ROFLMAO

 

That means - rolling on floor laughing my ar se off....... What did the insurance company have to say - or were you too embarrassed to tell them?

 

That one puts my rifle primer iidiiocy into the 'very minor' category for maniacal danerousness. I won't say I couldn't imagine doing such a thing

myself though, because I can. Anyone who thinks he couldn't make a mistake of ludicrous proportions, is setting himself up to do exactly that.

 

I have seen some terrible mistakes, some of which ended up with serious bodily injury, though only to those who caused them:

 

 

1976 I set off a .303 rifle primer in a duff cartridge with a punch and received a nasty reminder in my thumb about my stupidity.

 

1978. My mate let off a twelve bore right behind me and blew a great crater in the mud about twelve inches from my foot.

 

1979 I was standing about a yard away from a man who ran a gun club known to other more pucker rifle shooters in the Northumberland Rifle Club as, 'The Bad Reputation Gun Club.' They were right. He was firing solid slugs in rapid succession from a mosberg pump action repeater. he had about five loaded which in those days you were allowed and one failed to fire properly having no powder. it just went click. He fired again and the gun blew up right beside me. It had strips of metal barrel splayed out all over in a most dramatic way. The click was a primer pushing the .729 slug up the barrel about 18 inches, and the boom that followed was caused by the following round coming up into the obstructed barrel. no one was hurt - amazingly.

 

1980. I saw a man shoot himself in the hand at the same 'Bad Reputation Gun Club, when he was loading a muzzle loading flintlock pistol. he had it on full cock and the trigger caught in his clothing. He had a large ragged hole in his hand where the ramrod and ball went right through. He was also burned somewhat, but that was the least of his troubles. He was severely injured in a car crash about a year later while trying to retrieve a dropped packet of cigarettes from the floor of his van while driving at seventy miles an hour.

 

1981 At the same ragamuffin gun club, a man clearing up and burning the rubbish, was stuck in the ar se by a pistol round (9mm) which had inadvertently been put in the fire with rubbish such as smashed up targets.

 

1981 While shooting black powder pistol at the same shockingly bad club, the man next to me had his colt 1860 blow itself in half as the chambers flashed over and several rounds went off at once. He was severely shocked by this and never came back.

 

Since those days, I have mostly shot on my own and have probably increased my life expectancy more than a little.

 

The 1979 story reminded me of the only time, thanks be, that I came close to an accident, I was night shooting on my own with a semi auto .22 and using Remmington hyper velocity yellow jackets, I took a shot and it just sounded odd, a muted crack and looked as though I had missed an easy shot.

 

I had half an idea about what had happened, so I returned to the landy, dismantled the rifle and checked the bore, sure enough the bullet was lodged a third of the way up the barrel.... being a semi it would have been so easy to have just squeezed off another round at the rabbit I had "missed" resulting possibly with my good looks rearranged and not found for sometime.

 

Remember to be even more careful when you are out on your own, tell someone where you are going and always carry your mobile.

 

D2D

[Evilv]

The 1979 story reminded me of the only time, thanks be, that I came close to an accident, I was night shooting on my own with a semi auto .22 and using Remmington hyper velocity yellow jackets, I took a shot and it just sounded odd, a muted crack and looked as though I had missed an easy shot.

 

I had half an idea about what had happened, so I returned to the landy, dismantled the rifle and checked the bore, sure enough the bullet was lodged a third of the way up the barrel.... being a semi it would have been so easy to have just squeezed off another round at the rabbit I had "missed" resulting possibly with my good looks rearranged and not found for sometime.

 

Remember to be even more careful when you are out on your own, tell someone where you are going and always carry your mobile.

 

D2D

 

Completely right. ALWAYS INVESTIGATE the bore after an 'odd' sounding shot. To be honest, the moderated eley subs are so quiet, you'd hardly know whether they fired properly or not.

 

I notice that the bolt and the receiver of my CZ 425 have bleed holes for dispersing escaping gas from the chamber in a reasonably safe direction but I think they wouldn't cope with the whole charge. I suppose they are there to deal with the result of a split or perforated case.

 

The safest way to think about gun has something in common with using a chain saw. ALWAYS recognise that when tired or distracted you can do something uncharacteristically stupid. Being cocky about how safe you are is the wrong way to be. Recognise that fatigue and other things can cause problems and if necessary, unload the thing, case it and go home.

 

There are some pest control methods that I wouldn't touch with a barge pole - lamping with a rifle being one of them. Remember that horrible story a year or two back when a man shot his stepson between the eyes. Makes my blood run cold to think of it. One of my farmers suggested to me that I try lamping one particular field that has a footpath in it. I told him and his wife that story and he then said, 'Actually a few years ago Dave and his mate were lamping there and they had a small and a large lamps. Dave spotted a what he thought was a fox in the small light and aimed at it, but asked for the other one to be brought on the target just to be sure. When it was, there was a woman on the foot path carrying a cat.'

 

I can't vouch for that story, except to say it was told to me in the last ten days.

 

 

From The Times

July 27, 2005

Man shot stepson while hunting

By A Correspondent

 

* A man killed his stepson during a fox-hunting expedition at night, a court was told.

 

Byron Evans, 13, was killed when his stepfather Philip Rowe, 51, fired his rifle believing that he was aiming at a fox. Rowe admitted manslaughter by gross negligence at Exeter Crown Court and will be sentenced next month. Rowe and his stepson were out shooting near Totnes, South Devon, last September.

 

They located their targets by shining a lamp into the darkness, which would light up the foxes’ eyes. Rowe and a gamekeeper left Byron and two other teenagers, but the two men became lost and failed to realise that they had almost returned to the spot where they had told the boys to wait.

 

The gamekeeper shone the torch and when Rowe spotted a “glintâ€, he fired and killed his stepson. The charge stated that Rowe “failed to identify a target properly or at all before shooting and fired at a glint. He failed to appreciate that he was shooting in the direction of Byron Evans.†Detective Sergeant Paul Bean, who headed the investigation, said afterwards: “It was totally unnecessary and avoidable.â€

 

LINK TO STORY IN THE TIMES

[Evilv]

Northern Ireland Farmer shoots boy in head with .22 rifle.

 

 

 

13 November 2007

Fine For Farmer Who Shot Boy

The 73-year-old farmer who admitted that he shot a five-year-old boy in the head by mistake at a school playground near Enniskillen has been fined £5,000 - and escaped a jail sentence.

 

Fergus Cleary of Ballydoolagh Road, Garvary admitted maliciously wounding Darragh Somers more than two years ago. Darragh was critically injured and spent two months in hospital after he was shot in the back of the head as he played at St Patrick's Primary School, Mullanaskea.

 

Surgeons carried out two major operations to remove the .22 rifle bullet from his head.

 

Cleary was arrested two months after the shooting and initially denied maliciously wounding the boy, but in a fresh move last month, his defence team requested the case come before a judge in Dungannon.

 

The accused insisted the shooting was a mistake when it happened in April 2005 as Darragh was playing with friends in the schoolyard.

 

Cleary, who attended the school at Mullanaskea himself and had been a past vice-chairman of the board of governors, said nothing during the hour-long hearing.

 

He pleaded guilty to maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.

 

Judge McFarland said the incident was quite unique because it involved the discharge of one round during a common rural activity (shooting crows), "albeit in a grossly negligent manner".

 

He said Cleary should have known how far the bullet would have travelled and taken into account that the school playground was in his line of fire.

 

"This incident is clearly a lesson to you, and others, that the discharge of these weapons, even in the context of sport or vermin control, can have serious consequences," he said.

 

The judge said in imposing a fine he was taking account of a number of matters including the age and good character of the defendant and his remorse.

 

He also considered the guilty plea although he commented that it took Cleary more than two years to come to terms with the fact that the bullet came from his rifle and to admit responsibility.

 

The judge also ordered that the gun and the ammunition be destroyed.

 

Darragh has been left with eyesight difficulties and a facial blemish which may need further surgery.

 

The defendant submitted a letter of apology to the family on the day of the court hearing and said his thoughts had been with them.

 

 

Crow shooting goes wrong

Edited August 14, 2008 by Evilv

[Taff Mason]

a few years back whilst i was working over in northern ireland, i knew a girl called sabrina who thought she knew it all, and would allways jump at the chance to put someone else down. one day on the ranges she was having a go at one of the quieter lads about his pistol drills.

 

a few hours later, at the armoury she checked the pistol was clear before handing it in, at this point you are supposed to-let the working parts go forward, then put a magazine on,fire off the action, then romove the magazine. there's even an empty magazine there for added safety, but she put her mag on, then released the working parts and fired a 9mm round straight into the floor about 3 inches from her foot.

 

another time, some lads were practicing extracting from a vehicle and then withdrawing into cover. the car pulled up at some pretend traffic lights on the range and got attacked and disabled. the passenger stepped out and started firing to cover the driver, who got out and ran back 20 yards or so. then started firing to cover the passengers withdrawal, but a stray round hit the open drivers door and the round or at least a piece of it traveled across the two front seats and landed in the hip of the other shooter.

[chrispti]

Some years ago I managed to fire a muzzle loading punt gun in my living room. The bang was very loud and the burning wadding set fire to the curtains. The charge of shot ruined the carpet before punching a hole through the skirting board and the wall behind it.

 

The recoil sent the gun back about ten feet and smashed through the closed french windows. By the grace of god, no one was injured.

 

I pulled off a cap on a muzzle loader that I`d have sworn was empty. Evidently it was`nt. The bloke I was showing it to was impressed by its penetrative qualities and bought it there and then. When he had stopped shaking. Still makes my blood run cold when I think about what might have happened.

 

Nick.

 

[chrispti]

a few years back whilst i was working over in northern ireland, i knew a girl called sabrina who thought she knew it all, and would allways jump at the chance to put someone else down. one day on the ranges she was having a go at one of the quieter lads about his pistol drills.

 

a few hours later, at the armoury she checked the pistol was clear before handing it in, at this point you are supposed to-let the working parts go forward, then put a magazine on,fire off the action, then romove the magazine. there's even an empty magazine there for added safety, but she put her mag on, then released the working parts and fired a 9mm round straight into the floor about 3 inches from her foot.

 

Seen the same thing happen mate, luckily it happened whilst unloading in an un-loading bay!!!!!

 

I take it she never gave a decleration ''I have no live rounds or empty cases in my possesion SIR!!'' when she left the ranges then?

Edited August 14, 2008 by chrispti

[wingnut]

 

 

 

 

This is what happened to me working on a clay ground a few years ago when 2 shooters decided they were going to get some free practise.

 

I was about 80yds away from them at the other end of a small lake filling up a clay trap at a shooting ground where i used to work at weekends in order to fund my clay pigeon shooting.

 

I suddenly felt a red hot, burning, and stinging sensation on the back of my neck near my ear, and i could hear angry bees buzzing around me? ( turned out to be falling shot), then almost immediately heard the gunshot, I put my hand on my neck and found a trickle of blood.

 

I shouted to the 2 guys to stop, , i walked over to them absolutely livid, these 2 guys did not even say sorry.

 

They walked past the trap on their way back from the skeet range, ignored the red flags, and decided to have a few freebies on this trap which was not being used that day for the sporting layout.

 

I was lucky, it may have been a lot worse

 

 

I had the greatest of pleasure in ESCORTING them both from the ground, as far as i know they are still banned today !!

[deejay]

 

 

 

 

This is what happened to me working on a clay ground a few years ago when 2 shooters decided they were going to get some free practise.

 

I was about 80yds away from them at the other end of a small lake filling up a clay trap at a shooting ground where i used to work at weekends in order to fund my clay pigeon shooting.

 

I suddenly felt a red hot, burning, and stinging sensation on the back of my neck near my ear, and i could hear angry bees buzzing around me? ( turned out to be falling shot), then almost immediately heard the gunshot, I put my hand on my neck and found a trickle of blood.

 

I shouted to the 2 guys to stop, , i walked over to them absolutely livid, these 2 guys did not even say sorry.

 

They walked past the trap on their way back from the skeet range, ignored the red flags, and decided to have a few freebies on this trap which was not being used that day for the sporting layout.

 

I was lucky, it may have been a lot worse

 

 

I had the greatest of pleasure in ESCORTING them both from the ground, as far as i know they are still banned today !!

i do believe they should of had guns taken away

and is that why they call you wingnut

[alexm]

Jesus

 

If they had been shooting skeet then that would probably have been small shot, 8's or 9's? To penetrate right through like that at 80 yds, just goes to show!!!

[wingnut]

I was initiall christened wing nut by the RSM in my old TA regiment (3 worcestershire and sherwood forester regiment) but now it is because i rebuild / restore Honda Goldwings

[harpoonlouis]

Back in the 80's I had the pleasure of running a pub in the fishing village of Leigh On Sea.

 

On afternoon three lads de-camped from a shiny new Range Rover in our car park and hopped over the sea wall, complete with a couple of "shooters" as I believe the local lingo called them. Now, we used to get a few dodgy characters down from the smoke so we kept an eye on these guys but didn't get too close.

 

As evening fell the massed dark breasted brent geese started their nighty display out of the mud flats and soon our wide boys opened up. A couple of well stocked semis by the amount of firing then silence...followed by an almighty crash!

 

Seems our villans had managed to hit a bloody great goose which had managed to land on the only car in the car park. Hit the front screen/door pillar taking out the door glass, shattering the windscreen and bending the pillar of the RR.

 

These lads promptly set about a slanging match with each other and waved their guns around until the rozzers arrived to have a little chat.

 

Nice one.

[deejay]

Back in the 80's I had the pleasure of running a pub in the fishing village of Leigh On Sea.

 

On afternoon three lads de-camped from a shiny new Range Rover in our car park and hopped over the sea wall, complete with a couple of "shooters" as I believe the local lingo called them. Now, we used to get a few dodgy characters down from the smoke so we kept an eye on these guys but didn't get too close.

 

As evening fell the massed dark breasted brent geese started their nighty display out of the mud flats and soon our wide boys opened up. A couple of well stocked semis by the amount of firing then silence...followed by an almighty crash!

 

Seems our villans had managed to hit a bloody great goose which had managed to land on the only car in the car park. Hit the front screen/door pillar taking out the door glass, shattering the windscreen and bending the pillar of the RR.

 

These lads promptly set about a slanging match with each other and waved their guns around until the rozzers arrived to have a little chat.

 

Nice one.

brings a whole new meaning to the word goose guzzler for the good old 4x4

[Graham M]

Some years ago I managed to fire a muzzle loading punt gun in my living room. The bang was very loud and the burning wadding set fire to the curtains. The charge of shot ruined the carpet before punching a hole through the skirting board and the wall behind it.

 

The recoil sent the gun back about ten feet and smashed through the closed french windows. By the grace of god, no one was injured.

 

I pulled off a cap on a muzzle loader that I`d have sworn was empty. Evidently it was`nt. The bloke I was showing it to was impressed by its penetrative qualities and bought it there and then. When he had stopped shaking. Still makes my blood run cold when I think about what might have happened.

 

Nick.

I read something about this in a shooting magazine a few (quite a few) years ago.

Wasn’t you was it?

G.M.

[Graham M]

Talking about accidents and stupidity; it isn’t always that way.

Only last week we were shooting at the club and the club Sec had a bullet rebound back from the butts. No-way should this happen due to the steel backing plate being at 45°. It came back and hit him on the arm with considerable force and when the backing plate was checked we found a build-up of lead just being the target. All the targets were starting to get this build-up and it was decided to have a day removing it.

As for stupidity; a few years ago, when I shot for the City of Birmingham, we had a team member not turn up to shoot his cards. One of the ladies offered to shoot it for him (as she wasn’t shooting in that competition) and went down to shoot. Just as she was about to get the first shot off, the lad opened the door and walked in, so she was told to leave it. She had already chambered the round and therefore opened the bolt to eject it……..but it didn’t.

 

She went back to the club house with the live round still in the chamber and made a cup of tea before putting the gun away. As with all the many other times she had done this, she took the rifle, placed the muzzle on her foot, closed the bolt……………and pulled the trigger.

The result was absolutely horrendous and it was months before she was able to get back to normal.

We also found ourselves under close scrutiny from the police about range safety and had to really tighten up on things. The lady in question also had to undergo a safety course (someone made up a routine for her to go through when she had finished shooting) before she could shoot on the range again.

The thing was, she could just as easily killed someone in the club.

G.M.

Edited August 16, 2008 by Graham M