Had a negligent discharge tonight. Learn from me.

[Sccritterkiller]

Glad you ok!

You going full shoulder mount on that airbag or just gonna keep it simple with Euro?

 

[woods89]

I try really hard, but like all of us probably I get lazy too sometimes. It's good to hear about these as it keeps me sharp.

Glad you are ok.

 

[EastHumboldt]

Humor doesn’t trivialize danger or a brush with death. I was an EMT for six years and got very very familiar with death. When death rears his head you can quake in your boots while it’s happening. But later if you live, it’s best for your sanity if you can laugh.

 

[Lou Sid]

It is a nice short range option with open sights. Shot my first deer with one.

I carry a lever action as a backup but in certain conditions it becomes my primary. When hunting all week in a cloud with < 100 ft if visibility or a coastal jungle it’s simply the right tool and is much better than my scoped .270 Weatherby.

I just cycle until empty and dig around in the dark until I’ve retrieved all the cartridges. A headlamp helps!

 

[TheGDog]

.

Humor doesn’t trivialize danger or a brush with death. I was an EMT for six years and got very very familiar with death. When death rears his head you can quake in your boots while it’s happening. But later if you live, it’s best for your sanity if you can laugh.

Coming from a dirtbike background... the bad ones are three "OH SHIT!" 's. Like if you launch off something wrong and those watching you have time to say "Oh shit, Oh Shit, OH SHIT!!!" three times?... yepp... it's gonna be a bad one.

 

[Colby76]

Thanks for sharing your story, glad you are ok!

 

[WRO]

Yikes dude! Glad only your pride, and truck, are injured.

I'm sure pride isn't an issue, he's driving a Ridgeline..



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[Rob5589]

I'm sure pride isn't an issue, he's driving a Ridgeline..



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Sure, but to his credit, I didn't see any White claw in the cup holders.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

My dad uses an old 30-30. I think he just likes to keep it old school and use his original gun. I think one of the main takeaways here too is that folks should upgrade to a different gun like any bolt action style. It's more safe, more powerful, more accurate, literally all around better.

I think this is the wrong way to think about things. All firearms are dangerous. As the owner/user, it is up to you to learn how to properly handle whatever firearm you have. Relying on the mechanical safety devices is asking for trouble.

It's not the gun's fault for this discharge.... not one bit.

 

[Rich M]

My BIL shot his car with a .22 once. LOL!

I also know a guy who was dropping the hammer on a .25 pocket gun and it went off - hole thru hand and into his GFs abdomen. She almost died.

When I've used a Winchester lever I had and felt the need to unload, point em at ground usually and start running the lever - don't need to drop hammer for it to function.

Glad no-one got hurt. Keep looking forward.

 

[mercerbear]

OP, thanks for sharing. I am really glad that no one was injured.

I appreciate you sharing your story. Something like this can happen to any of us that handle firearms frequently if we don't stay focused on gun safety principles.

 

[Drenalin]

When I was about 10, my dad and were at the range to sight in my Marlin 30-30. I don't remember all the details exactly, but dad was walking downrange to hang a target and I had (for some idiotic reason) just loaded the tube. I closed the bolt, and knew that hammer shouldn't be cocked with dad downrange, so I tried to let it down. Well, I did let it down but not in a controlled way. Fortunately, I knew enough to have the rifle pointed at the ground so I didn't accidentally shoot my dad that day. It scared the heck out of me - I was a wreck. Dad just turned around and walked back up to me, loaded everything in the truck, and we went home. He never said a word to me about it, then or since. I've never had another accidental discharge, knock on wood. Almost a really hard way to learn a really simple lesson.

 

[Bear_Hunter]

Thanks for sharing and like others have said, glad you weren't hurt. It helps when we can all learn from others mistakes.

Now for a question or two. I see you were nervous about just cycling the action over and over until all rounds were ejected because of clothing or something else snagging the light trigger. Maybe your lever is somehow different from mine, but when you close the action with a chambered round, the hammer is back and it's ready to rock. You pull the trigger and it goes boom. So...rather than immediately operating the lever to open the action (which your hand is already on), which would immediately prevent it from firing, you take your hand off the lever, put your thumb on hammer, finger on trigger, and lower trigger on a hot round? Once hammer is down, you put your hand back on the lever to open the action, eject the shell, etc... Is that correct? If so, I suppose I just don't see the benefit to the extra steps of fiddling with the hammer/trigger, particularly in the dark? Your hand is already on the lever you just closed, just open it back up right?

Also, on my Marlin 1895 45-70, I can push in on the loading gate and pop rounds out. I don't have to cycle the action for each round to unload. I know you said that didn't work for you, but for anyone else out there with a lever thinking you have to chamber each round to unload on a lever, maybe give that a try. I'll see if I can figure out how to post a video.

 

[Yard Candy]

Thanks for sharing and like others have said, glad you weren't hurt. It helps when we can all learn from others mistakes.

Now for a question or two. I see you were nervous about just cycling the action over and over until all rounds were ejected because of clothing or something else snagging the light trigger. Maybe your lever is somehow different from mine, but when you close the action with a chambered round, the hammer is back and it's ready to rock. You pull the trigger and it goes boom. So...rather than immediately operating the lever to open the action (which your hand is already on), which would immediately prevent it from firing, you take your hand off the lever, put your thumb on hammer, finger on trigger, and lower trigger on a hot round? Once hammer is down, you put your hand back on the lever to open the action, eject the shell, etc... Is that correct? If so, I suppose I just don't see the benefit to the extra steps of fiddling with the hammer/trigger, particularly in the dark? Your hand is already on the lever you just closed, just open it back up right?

Also, on my Marlin 1895 45-70, I can push in on the loading gate and pop rounds out. I don't have to cycle the action for each round to unload. I know you said that didn't work for you, but for anyone else out there with a lever thinking you have to chamber each round to unload on a lever, maybe give that a try. I'll see if I can figure out how to post a video.

You're absolutely right - what I did wasn't the best way to do it. Sure in hindsight I know now I should just work the lever instead, but in the moment, for whatever reason I didn't see it that way. Don't really know why.

Now that we're talking about it I should try to depress the loading gate to pop rounds out again. When I tried it before to no success, it was with the original loading gate. I since have gotten a 1.5# loading gate from Ranger Point Precision. Might have better luck now.

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[SouthernShooter]

I had a very similar incident with a marlin 30-30 when I was 13 or so. I made it back to the truck( Subaru Brat) before papaw did. I was freezing and couldn’t take it anymore. I got in the passenger seat with the rifle on my left side. I took a few minutes trying to get warm before it occurred to me that I didn’t unload the rifle. Papaw had shown me to unload it exactly as you described, right or wrong I was a 13 year old following instructions. I got the first two out without issue on the third time letting the hammer down preparing to eject my last round the hammer slipped from my still frozen thumb. The bullet penetrated the floorboard ricocheted off the bell housing and punctured the right front tire. I was absolutely terrified. After this happened papaw revised his unloading instructions to NOT touch the hammer until all round were out of the rifle. I still catch hell from the cousins from time to time for trying to kill the Brat.

 

[BCD]

I have a Marlin 30-30 that I killed my first buck with 38 years ago so it has sentimental value. I also have 2 teenage sons that I won't even let shoot that rifle. It is actually locked in my attic and I will probably sell/trade it at some point as it is just a terrible design from a safety standpoint.

 

[WCB]

glad you are ok...probably should rethink that light trigger if it causes you to alter the most common way to unload the firearm.