Author Topic: Unintentional rifle discharges............... (Read 1156 times)

Steve E · « **on:** December 31, 2004, 06:03:56 PM »

With all these Sako rifles going kaboom and a problem with Remingtons(which I never heard about till now) got me to thinking and I remembered an incident that happened to me.
It was quite a few years ago when I managed a Sporting Goods store down South, back in the late 80's. I had ordered a few replacement rifles for the shelf from a wholesaler, can't remember the name but they were in Sparks, Nevada. One of the rifles was a Winchester Mdl. 70 with exceptional wood for a factory rifle so I procured it for myself. My girlfriend(later my Wife) and I went down to the local shooting spot. I loaded the magazine and realized I forgot to put some targets out. I put the safety on and laid the gun in the bed of my truck and put out some targets and picked up the gun and released the safety, it went boom. I thought you idiot keep your finger away from the trigger. I cycled another round in and decided to try the safety again and it went boom upon releasing the safety without ever touching the trigger. Tried it a couple more times and the same thing happened. I called Winchester and they said to send it to Walter Craig repair center in Alabama. I put a letter in explaining exactly what happened. They sent it back about a week later with a letter saying they were sorry for the trouble I had but they fixed the front sight and it wouldn't be coming loose again and giving me problems. Well world of wonders my rifle came from the factory without any front sight, not even screw holes for one. Tried the safety thing again, this time without ammo in it and it would go click when the safety was released. Called Walter Craig and when I explained it to the person on the phone you could hear them gasp, they said don't shoot it or put any ammo in it. They had Big Brown pick it up the next day. Got it back and it worked fine this time. I never felt safe with that rifle and sold it, but I told the new owner about the problem and the fix and included the repair order from WC with the final fix. Didn't seem to bother him as long as it was fixed. Shouldn't have bothered me but it was just one of those things. Take care and keep'em pointed down range. Hope everyone has a great New Year. Thanks for the Forum, Graybeard. Hope it keeps going for another year.

Steve E........

Tc300mag1 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 31, 2004, 06:15:46 PM »

Never had a rifle do that and never want to ... I dont know if i could keep one either after going though that.

Omaha-BeenGlockin · « **Reply #2 on:** December 31, 2004, 11:18:57 PM »

Had a slamfire with an SKS----let the bolt slam home over a fresh magazine and the first round went off---good thing safety practices have been so ingrained in me that it is just second nature----it was pointed in a safe direction without me actually concentrating on it-------sort of like shifting gears in the truck---I'll go through all the gears and not really remember doing it. Nobody or any property was in any danger.

I never gave any thought to getting rid of the rifle though----with an SKS its just the nature of the beast-----I unloaded it --put it in the case----and didn't touch it again until I stripped her down and gave it a VERY thorough cleaning. No problems since.

jvs · « **Reply #3 on:** January 01, 2005, 12:04:29 AM »

For Game Law purposes in Pennsylvania, a loaded firearm is one with a live round in either the chamber or the magazine. Whether the action is open or closed or whether your finger is on or off the trigger has nothing to do with it.

Most all Ranges have Safety Rules and protocols for firearms when using them. All ranges that I know of require all firearms to be "Empty", not just "Open", before anyone goes to the target area.

While you seem to know the proper practices regarding shooting at the range, you may be better off to 'assume' that any firearm may fire any time it is picked up and there is ammo in it, especially a new one. Being safe isn't being Paranoid, but there is always that one time when it pays off to do things a little more strict.

You did enough things right that day to prevent a tragedy, but when you think about it, you could have done other things a little different.

I have had 2 instances of unintentional discharges in my life. One because of stupidity on my part and one because of a worn trigger in cold weather. Neither had any consequences other than the big surprise.

It can happen anywhere at anytime for almost any reason.

Dave in WV · « **Reply #4 on:** January 01, 2005, 03:20:10 AM »

I had the trigger on my M70 adjusted below 3lbs and if I closed the bolt fast it would go "click". I found a 3lb weight and adjusted the trigger up to 3lbs. When I had a gunsmith bed a laminated stock for it he worked the bolt quickly to check for a misadjusted trigger.

myronman3 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 01, 2005, 03:35:28 AM »

i have never had my gun go off by accident.

however...my granddad was a hard woodsman who made his living cutting wood. this man had to drop out of school in the sixth grade to help feed his family. he slept in the culverts under the road at night to stay warm. he was one of the hardest men i have ever met.
we were going squirrel hunting, and i was in front. evidently his sleeve got caught in the trigger of the gun and it went off, striking a twig right next to me. i never saw anything make him shake, but shake he did and he went totally white. we went home and never said a word about it. we both knew how it could have gone; and were thankful that it went the other way.

Steve E · « **Reply #6 on:** January 01, 2005, 08:47:57 AM »

Yes halfinchgroup I did follow safety procedures that's why nobody or nothing was shot by accident. Gun was never pointed at anything that couldn't stand to be shot. Range was down in the middle of our beanfields along the backside of an old creek bank. Nearest house is probably 3 or 4 miles. Only time I ever pointed a firearm at a human was in the line of duty back home, and that is something I sincerely hope none of you ever have to do.

Steve E............

jvs · « **Reply #7 on:** January 01, 2005, 11:01:07 PM »

I rode Perimeter with a 12 Gauge full of Rifled Slugs and 00. I never had to fill my sights with any human, for which I am grateful.

As far as unintentional discharges go, it is the simple rules that will keep you out of trouble with your conscience. You just have to add a few when you are testing a new firearm. My two were not Remingtons or Sakos, one was a Marlin and the other was a Mossberg. It has been years since I have heard anything negative about new Remingtons.

In todays world of foreign manufacturing, the quest is still to make them cheaper and cheaper. Making them overseas did not stop that quest. Every now and then, Remington still insists on putting substandard parts in some of their models. And from what I read, Sako decided to use a sulfer based lubricant, a very expensive move in the long run since it may be responsible for microscopic cracks in their barrels.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #8 on:** January 02, 2005, 12:03:59 PM »

I adjustd the trigger on my Savage 110-E down to about 2-1/4 pounds. Wince this was a bench/prairie dog rifle I wasn't too concerned about the light trigger. Closed the bolt on a round one day and the thing went BOOM. Never happened again, and I never figured out exactly why it had htat one time.

Another time I was at the range with my Marlin 375Win. Cycled a round into the chamber and was dropping the hammer to the half-cock position. Thumb slipped off the hammer and the gun went BOOM. Must have had my finger on the trigger on that one, not sure.

Squeeze · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2005, 03:03:05 AM »

I wanted to chime in here, and add to the SKS slam fire adventure. I was checking the
cycling, on a new magazine, in a SKS rifle, by cycling the action, with live ammo, over
my workbench. I had the rifle pointed at a concrete block wall, when I cycled it,
and it went KABOOM. It left a nice divet out of the concrete wall. After this event,
I started asking around, and there were a number of similar accounts of SKS slam
fires. I just wanted to pass this along to others, that may also own SKS rifles, and
to beware of releasing the bolt, on a fresh round. Just observe firearms safety rules,
and this will be nothing more than a waste of a good round, and a source for a bit
of a rush of adrenaline.

Squeeze

deerhunter10 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 03, 2005, 09:12:02 PM »

I thought I would throw my 2 cents in. I had a brand new Browning A-bolt took it to the range to do some final sighting in, shot about 15 rounds, laid the gun on the bench pointed down range, loaded a shell closed the bolt and KABOOM. I took it to a gun smith, they couldn't find the problem, so I called Browning and they said they had a few complaints about that problem, but nothing major, so I went back to Wally-World where I special ordered it, and after a big discussion about there not being a problem, they reluctantly took it back. A week later I saw it on the shelf for 10% off, a few days after that it was gone. About a month later I found it back on the shelf, this time for 20% off with a sign that read "SENSITIVE TRIGGER".This is why Wally-World can no longer sell guns in California, and as far as not feeling comfortable with a gun, trust your gut!

RC

Lawdog · « **Reply #11 on:** January 04, 2005, 08:34:53 AM »

Quote

This is why Wally-World can no longer sell guns in California

Actually Wal-Mart lost their license due to poor to non-existent record keeping of firearms and ammunition sales in a number of stores. They were also letting certain firearms out of the stores before the waiting period was up. Not doing the identification checking properly. They should be getting their license back within two or three years if they so desire. Lawdog

superhornet · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2005, 09:05:33 AM »

:lol: Get a Savage--they only go Bang when YOU pull the trigger...

Siskiyou · « **Reply #13 on:** January 04, 2005, 11:32:54 AM »

The Winchester M670 which was made in the post 64 era had the same problem with accidental discharges. My hunting buddy and his dad each bought one at the local hardware store. My buddy's rifle did it two or three times on him. Scared him bad! He had it fixed and it has been reliable since. His dad had to have his rifle repair after an accidental discharged. If I recall correctly the problem did not surface right of way. But after being in use a few hunting seasons.

jvs · « **Reply #14 on:** January 04, 2005, 12:10:28 PM »

I had two episodes of 'suprise' fire since I began this hobby.

The first one was my own stupidity. I borrowed a Mossburg 410 bolt action to do some squirrel hunting. I loaded it up with three shells and closed the bolt. I didn't notice right away that my hunting vest had gotten jammed at the tail end of the bolt when I closed it. Instead of acting like a normal human being and opening the bolt to release my vest, I just yanked it out. BOOM !

The second time I had my Marlin .22 out for the after Christmas squirrel season. At the time the Marlin had way over 1200 rounds thru it between target shooting and hunting. I was walking with it slung over my shoulder. I pulled it down and right when I touched the forearm...BOOM.

At first I thought I may have had my finger on the trigger when I pulled it down, but then I cycled another round in the chamber and smacked the buttstock with the palm of my hand........BOOM.

The gunsmith told me the trigger wore out enough that cold weather affected the tolerances in the trigger.... that it could go off with a little bump.

A new trigger was installed with no more problems.

I dont think the Marlin had a bad design. It just wore out.

As far as the rest go, at least Remington recalls defects. I have never heard of any other make being recalled for possible safety defects. Which, to me, seems impossible that Remington would be the ONLY one to have problems. Im not saying that others never recalled any, Im saying I never heard of it.

AZ223 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 08, 2005, 04:30:42 PM »

Only have had one incident of accidental discharge. Happened years ago when I was 14 and shooting clay targets with my dad and a neighbor. The neighbor had his 12 ga. cradled in his arm, muzzle down. I was walking past him, and as I looked down and realized the muzzle position, it went off -- digging a hole in the dirt about ten inches from my foot. We just stood there in shock for a moment, and I had to make sure my foot was still there.

Never found out what had caused it, but he was a lot better with muzzle position and proper carry after that. :shock: Glad my old man had been a stickler with me about gun safety...

Bart Solo · « **Reply #16 on:** January 08, 2005, 06:22:42 PM »

I have never had a rifle or shotgun just go off on me, but after all the stories, I am going to be doubly careful. Hope everybody else is too. As my dad used to say, never point a gun at anything you don't want to shoot.

lilabner · « **Reply #17 on:** January 11, 2005, 08:45:08 AM »

There are checks you can perform on an EMPTY bolt gun to see if it is safe. First, drop the cocked gun on a carpeted or padded floor, letting it hit butt first, catching the barrel before the gun falls flat. Do it with the safety on and off. It shouldn't go off. Then, cycle the bolt vigorously, slamming it closed. It shouldn't go off. Check the safety by pulling the trigger with the safety on. It shouldn't go off. I had an accidental discharge years ago with an old military rifle. Tripped over a tree root in the woods and the gun fell to the ground, discharging. Scared me enough that I check my rifle every year before hunting season. If I have a trigger job done on a gun, I check it as soon as possible and before I try to shoot it.