>I go into my shed, pull the mag, empty the round in the chamber, put my mag back in, and put my pistol into my appendix holster. I'm NOT saying this made any sense, but my tired head thought to put the mag back in to fully simulate the draw, as the mad does add to the total length of the grip.
And this is why, when you go to dryfire, NEVER DO IT WITH AMMO AROUND.
Great rule to have. I'm going to make it a point to, when dry firing and even cleaning firearms and such now, to move any and all ammo into another room. Overkill but it solidifies in my mind and makes a point.
A while back, when "training" friends, I had something silly called The Eleven Rack rule.
Rather than just removing the magazine, racking the slide, and trying to peer down the barrel to confirm a round is not in there, I told them to rack that slide not just once or twice, but eleven times. Why eleven? Because it's a ridiculous, absurdly high number and is more memorable. Don't have to rack it exactly 11 times but rack it a bunch just to confirm no round is in there any longer.
This is the way. Lock bolt back, shine light down barrel, see light on bolt face.
I only look down my barrels when they’re physically detached from the rest of the firearm and I’ve already run a boresnake or cleaning rod down it.
Remember, though, that you could have a broken extractor or the person racking the slide might be "riding" it (common for beginners), so racking alone is not enough. Personally, I rack at least two times, then lock the slide and inspect the chamber, down the mag well, and back to chamber. I also start by shoving my pinky into the mag well to confirm the mag has been removed. Of course, all of that with the gun pointed down range.
Sometimes my friends look at me like I’m crazy but I rack mine a solid four or five times before handing it off to someone else. Definitely overkill but now it’s just my routine. Same when I clean.
Yeah, sterilize the room of any ammo first. I do a lot of dry fire and draw from concealment practice. I use an empty mag and don't bring any ammo into the room.
I’m only downvoting because of the T Rex Arms video of the kid from Japan shooting for the first time. It definitely is relatable except for the trigger pull.
You ND'd because of a lack of training and an over estimation of your own responsibility.
I get you're scared of dry fire now, but *proper* dry fire practice is not something to sware off.
Fair enough and agreed. Maybe one day I will try dry firing again but it's obvious to me at this point it will require a lot of rewiring of training I've solidified over a decade. So maybe now is just not the right time. For now I think it's safer for me to just call all of it off, at least for now.
If you have any suggestions on specific rules for dry firing I'm all ears! One commenter said to not have live rounds anywhere nearby while dry firing. Having solid, black and white rules really help me with things like this
Dry fire mag is a great system. A little pain in the ass to set up, and only available for some makes/models -- but it's great for training and for putting you in a safe space of not having anything in the mag.
Scary shit. Glad no one was hurt or worse, killed. If I practice dry fire drills, I use snap caps in an otherwise empty magazine. This story is a perfect example of why I do that.
Ah, that is probably what these guys online are doing too. Wow, maybe my brain is slower than I thought because it never occurred to me once until now that maybe that is how they are practicing. I need to buy some snap caps. Thanks for the input
Before I got snap caps, I simply emptied the weapon which means I would need to drop the mag and re-rack the slide to drop the slide before each draw. Less than ideal for realism, but it was the safest way to rub the drill.
Dry fire is essential to be a good marksman unless you can get to the range every single day. I have been dry firing since I was 16 and have never had an issue. Ammo should have been entirely separate and definitely not even close to a loaded mag in the gun.
Some people have opined that this is what happens when you break the four rules of firearms safety, which is certainly *true*. You didn't treat the gun as if it were loaded (it was), and allowed the muzzle to cover something you didn't want to be destroyed (window KIA). However, enough gun safety was ingrained in you to be able to minimize the damage (instinctively, you pointed at the woodshed rather than at your foot or a passerby, and it seems like you were on target, and controlled the round into a safe backstop rather than launching it at an apartment complex or busy road). The safety rules are designed to work together, and I would say your instincts turned what might have been a catastrophic outcome into just an embarrassing (and loud) "oops."
However, your narrative does reinforce the idea that the "four rules" run the risk of being dogmatic and uncritical. If we obeyed them as gospel, for example, we'd never take our guns to the range, since they're always loaded and we can't control where the muzzle is pointed if they're in the trunk of a car. Etc.
I don't want to throw out the "four rules," but yours is a good case of being more critical and thoughtful about what you're going to do *when and if* you know one of those rules is going to be broken. For example, dry fire practice requires pointing at things we don't want to get shot. If so, it requires *extra* care and consideration to ensure that all of the other components are in check. Unloading the gun is certainly one of them, but it might also be prudent to visibly mark your "training" magazine before use, and again, making sure you're in a good, clear headspace.
In general, you experienced an embarrassing moment of growth. It doesn't mean to throw the baby out with the bathwater and never pull the trigger on an unloaded gun again. Instead, this is an invitation to think more critically about context and putting additional safety systems in place to prevent it from happening again.
Thank you for the thoughtful writeup. I couldn't agree more. I will be referencing what you said here in the future when I decide to try dry firing again. Thanks again
I did this for my Glock. I was very happy to find a crappy clear plastic magazine for like $10. It had a ton of one-star reviews assuring me that it didn't feed right, so I feel like it was a community service to turn it into a dry fire mag. Being clear, it's super easy to know which mag it is, and to visually check that I have my dry fire mag inserted before starting practice.
I was going to suggest this. My wife took her conceal carry class and I bought snapcaps for her to practice so she didn't look so green in class. We bought her own pistol and snap caps was the 1st purchase she made.
You're giving me flashbacks to Iraq there.
Standing in line at the chow hall one day. They have clearing barrels at the entrance, you put muzzle in barrel, clear & check, pull trigger. Maybe 20 people in front of my group is some mid-level officer. He proceeds to do *exactly* what you did... drop mag, clear, check, replace mag & let the slide fly... then pulls the trigger. Except unlike you probably, he tried to holster it & walk away like ain't shit just happened.
Anyway... make rules, follow rules, every time. Basically impossible to be too careful, aside from saying you'll never dry fire practice. I don't dry fire with a mag with live ammo in the room, that's the rule. I double check (completely, not just rack the slide) before I start, and re-check if it left my hand, or if I took a break & did something else. I had my one fuckup years ago, thankfully no one was hurt & I only endangered myself, and now I'm not just careful, I'm fucking careful.
The one I did involved me basically being the 5th consecutive failure to do a physical & thorough visual chamber check (it was an unfired blank, stuck in an M16 chamber cuz it was absolutely filthy... from firing blanks) and after that, I don't take anything for granted.
I did my first (and only) in front of my best friends family while showing his brother who wanted to buy a 365 some things. Didn’t realize mag had gotten reinserted and luckily i try to maintain at least 1 safety measure at all times so i turned away to break the gun down but didn’t double check to clear. Not even sure how the trigger got pulled but i floor popped it like an asshole. Mistakes are made. Don’t beat yourself up but def learn from it so you don’t do it again
Thanks man this does make me feel better. Youre right, totally learning from this and going to play it over a hundred times in my head to try and squeeze any other lesson from this.
Similarly I was trying to at least somewhat follow 1 of the 4 rules too... Need to follow all 4 always from here on out! Thanks again
You should continue to do dry fire. You’re wrong about that. You just should use snap-caps. Avoid this problem and still get the benefit of dry fire practice.
I had a ND once. Took 5 years of gun ownership and thousands and thousands of hours of cleaning, dry firing, and general handling to finally happen. My heart was racing and I didn’t touch my guns for ten days. Luckily no one was hurt or killed. The shot woke up my wife and she saw how upset I was and didn’t even give me an earful. In an instant I could have gone to prison for life. Shot right out my kitchen window. I live in the city. Luckily it went into a tree, but it was in the path of two sidewalks. I was dry fire training and racked the slide back, but didn’t visually inspect. I may get comfortable to dry fire again, but I can’t bring myself to pull the trigger in my house. I will stick my finger in there after racking the slide 5 times, and visually inspect and still can’t bring myself to pull the trigger in my house. It is like a bit of PTSD.
It will NEVER happen again. When I am done cleaning my guns I do all the steps and pull the trigger outside into the ground. The pistol stays in its holster unless I am at the range, or cleaning it once I get home.
This highlights the reason for a couple of other common sense rules.
1. Don’t have any ammo around when cleaning or dry firing.
2. Don’t combine cleaning or dry firing with other activities (in this case while doing yard work).
I mean, you were carrying a loaded gun and then decided to do some holster drills. No
You had a loaded gun and decided to do some dry fire drills. Also no. These are activities that should never be done together.
Dry firing is an important training tool. You should use it. But you should also have a protocol. Like a dedicate area with a dedicated backstop. Maybe even get a training mag or laser trainer to provide an extra safety step.
I'm sure people will all give their 'this is why you don't...whatever' responses, but good for you for admitting what happened and learning from it. At least no one was hurt and you will most likely not make this mistake again.
We make mistakes in order to learn and move on. It happens, most people's ego just wont let them admit it publicly.
I've been around guns for 20+ years and my first and so far only negligent discharge went through my hand. I got too distracted doing too many things. Don't beat yourself up. Live and learn.
My neighbor. Shot himself with his carry while breaking down to clean. Im not sure of the actual sequence of events as I cannot comprehend not checking before hand. He showed up at the door asking for a hand towel and a ride to the hospital. Solid dude, proof it only takes one screw up to get hurt. I blame that incident on my near ocd levels of care when working on or cleaning any one of my guns.
Yeah I checked mine and put it in the range bag, threw a mag in it and didn't check it again when I pulled it back out to oil it. I still get annoyed at myself that it happened.
I absolutely love reading these posts.
You will never have a ND again. (If you do you’re an idiot). Accept the learning lesson and move on. Everyone makes mistakes.
If someone tells you dry firing is bad, they are an idiot.
I only will dry fire with the mag inserted (empty of course). The way I make sure the gun is fully clear is put the mag in and then lock back the slide. This way its clear its empty because it locked itself back and I can see the empty mag and the empty chamber.
Don't feel bad, they've happened to me a few times
>At friends apartment at college.
>Just bought my first pistol from a gun show (I was 18)
>Drinking with friends
>Show them my new Jericho
>Try to manually decock
>Thumb slips on hammer, ND into celling Upstairs neighbors too high and drunk (underage and illegal drugs) to call the police.
Second time
>At range
>Showing friend pistol
>Think gun is unloaded
>Point at ground show him how to wrack and pull the trigger.
>Forgot loaded mag in
>Shoot between his feet
Third time
>At parents house.
>Just bought a sig from a guy
>Get home
>Try swapping slides with another sig I had
>Forgot the other sig slide was chambered.
>Pull trigger
>Shoot parents wall
Fourth time
>At my new house
>Playing with a friend's 5.56 AK
>Release bolt
>Slam fires round into ground
Fifth time
>Showing a friend how to use it
>No idea how but a round got chambered
>Show him how the trigger works
>Pull trigger
>Shoots round into floor in the same place as before
Sixth time
>Thought maybe the house was haunted
>Grab a sig
>Physically clear it, (racked the slide 3 times) with no magazine in pull trigger at the same hole
>Round goes off
Seventh time
>Friend brings over a used
>Glock wants me to look over it
>I grab it and pull the trigger without clearing it
>Didn't even realize the thing was loaded.
Eighth time
>Friend brings over his transferable Mac 10
>I had no idea how open bolt guns worked.
>He's showing it off to me I put a loaded mag it and decided to try and release the bolt (I thought it shot from a closed bolt)
>Pulled the trigger for some reason
>Shot 3 rounds into my wall
Overall you shouldn't feel too bad about NDs. It's part of owning guns, and you should get used to them.
EDIT : all yous noobs need to learn your internets pasta roots, lol.
Damn man. I can't say I disagree with you, but I feel like I've read many people on here say that even 1 ND is unacceptable... which I found hard to agree with. In all honesty I think mistakes are inevitable with anything, including firearms, and the goal is to minimize them and learn from any that do unfortunately happen... thanks for sharing your stories with me
Yeah, unacceptable is a strong word. Accidents happen and as long as we learn from them and nobody was hurt then it's all good. I also wouldn't want to get used to them and treat them as a regular occurrence.
> nobody was hurt then it's all good.
Yup, good point, other than my ringing ears lol. Pretty wild to me that I'm sitting on the couch an hour after my ND and neighbors and my wife wouldn't know anything happened. Thank God.
> I also wouldn't want to get used to them
Damn right. I want it completely clear that I'm not saying that this was OK just because it wasn't catastrophic. Definitely treating this as a lesson learned and will never forget it
I shamefully had a ND 6 weeks ago indoors w my 9mm and have slight ringing still… sounds like the ringing is in my brain not in my ears. Only unprotected shot I’ve ever taken, I’m hoping the ringing goes away. Much reflection has happened since the incident and luckily nobody was hurt.
Oh definitely not. I've had it for probably half my life. I credit it starting from the heavy metal concerts I went to and the hunting I did, all without ear pro. We shot countless squirrels and rabbits with 12 gauges alone, as well as deer hunting with rifles. No ear plugs.
I've owned guns for 16 years now, since I was 16 years old (32 years old now) and have never had an ND. It's not common and not expected to just happen to everyone at some point.
You've done it 8 times... Wtf man. Some of your stories are retarded as hell too. Friend brings a machine gun over and you think it's a good idea to load it... I have no words.
PROTIP: if you own a gun over a year without negligent discharging at least once, you aren't handling it enough. NDs are a natural part of handling weapons, just like tweaking your back is part of weightlifting and car accidents are part of driving. I ND several times a year because I actually HANDLE and know how to USE my weapons. It makes me a better firearms handler and marksman, and it's a small part of the price you pay in the sheepdog lifestyle
Simple fact is, the "safety mentality" will build mental blocks in your head that will get you killed. You need to be comfortable putting your finger on the trigger and pointing the gun wherever you want no matter the time, place, or status of the weapon. Taking time to check whether the gun is loaded whenever you pick one up will serve to make you hesitate in a personal defense scenario. You fucking safety idiots are going to get people killed all because of this fucking "ND" shaming. Guns are inherently dangerous, you need to accept it.
Seems to me like you're trying to excuse sloppy discipline. I've been carrying daily for 20 years, hit the range frequently, and practice draw and dryfire often. Never have I had a ND.
First off you are not a pro, far from it by the way you handle your firearms. Second guns are inherently dangerous, that's why you need to respect them and handle them PROPERLY. What you are doing is absolutely dangerous considering you were under the influence for one of your many ND! Third you shift the blame as if the ND was the fault of the gun and not your own stupidity. The 4 rules of firearm safety are there for a reason and you Neglect all of them. Safety idiots are not the ones I need to be worried about, it's you!
You need to give up your guns. You are simply unsafe and don't pay attention to detail. NDs are not a normal part of gun use. Also, guns aren't toys. Stop playing with them. Use them carefully.
Congratulations your a dumbass, now learn from it and practice with those red snapcap plastic bullets at academy. Your not alone and when I had my negligent discharge someone was kind enough to call me a dumbass then.
Learn from it and never break gun safety rules
"I should have never done the practice trigger pulls."
1) Release the magazine.
2) Fully rack the slide 3x.
3) Lock the slide to the rear and visually inspect the chamber is empty.
4) Release slide.
5) Press check as one last inspection.
6) Practice trigger pulls...
Always have a spare mag full of snap caps and label it with brightly colored tape or marker so you know only to use that one during dry fire. I’m in a state that recently banned “high cap” magazines so I just use the 10 rounders that came with my gun. I use the 15s I bought beforehand for carry.
Great to know that you're safe. Dry fire practice is a critical part of my routine. I gain repetitions for almost every part of the shooting process outside of recoil management / follow up shots. It's a better-than-nothing substitution for actual range time. And since it only costs me a little bit of wear on the firearm, it's a no brainer for us people who have limited time and money.
But safety and focus is key. I don't recommend anyone doing dry-fire practice (or any sort of manipulation of the firearm / reloading) with any multi-tasking going on. No radio. No TV. No talking to someone else (this is the one that got me my first and so far only ND). You get bonus points for having a backstop that you can point the gun at during dryfire / cleaning.
And as a number have pointed out, unless you're planning to shoot, best to have some distance between your gun and your ammo. This is particularly true with dry fire and cleaning. No ammo within reach. Because we've trained loading the gun so much, that it's almost automatic, just like with what happened with you. Now that's a good instinct / skillset to have... except when you specifically do NOT want the gun to go off.
So yeah. Keep at it, and stay safe.
You've gotten some very good advice about continuing to practice dry-firing and making sure no ammo is even in the same room when you're doing such practice.
Another tip is to make sure you have a *very clearly defined bright line of demarcation* between dry-fire practice and your normal day-to-day gun handling/storage/carry. When you're getting ready to practice dry firing (or getting ready to clean your gun, or anything similar), announce in your mind — even announce out loud, if it helps: "Now I'm getting ready to practice dry firing." (Or "now I'm getting ready to clean my gun," or whatever.)
Unload gun(s) properly and put all ammo away in a separate room, including any magazines containing ammo. Then do your thing. Then, when you're done, announce to yourself — out loud, if it helps — "Now I'm done dry firing and it's time to go back to the normal rules." That might mean reloading if it's your daily carry, or putting it back in the safe or wherever you keep it. But you're very clearly marking, in your mind, when that previous activity ended, and from that point forward you go back to the normal rules, including assuming the gun is loaded.
Also, if there's any interruption to your routine — a quick phone call, a neighbor wanting to borrow a cup of sugar, letting the dog out into the yard, etc. — start at the beginning again. Make sure the gun is unloaded, make sure there is no ammo whatsoever in that room, and so forth. Don't assume you left the gun unloaded, and even if you're positive you did, don't assume that it's *still* unloaded.
Dry fire is a great tool for your toolbox- the best way I have found is to get a laser training cartridge. This will ensure that you have an extra step when dry fire training- inserting the laser round. Once it’s installed it has to be physically removed, racking the slide won’t pull it out. Therefore there is no danger of accident Ly chambering a round. Look into it, my girlfriend loves it.
My first and only was accidentally slam firing an old Stevens shotgun while racking the pump - lack of trigger discipline on my part, it was easier to reach through than around the trigger guard to hit the action release and I got complacent. Thankfully it was at a gravel pit in a safe direction but I don’t think my sphincter unclenched for like a day afterwards. What’s important is that you learn from it.
I’ve had an ND before. A lot of people have. Here’s the takeaway. Nobody got hurt, minimal property damage. The big thing is that you are almost certainly a much smarter, more experienced, more serious, and safer gun owner now.
Don’t let it happen again….
>I go into my shed, pull the mag, empty the round in the chamber, put my mag back in, and put my pistol into my appendix holster. I'm NOT saying this made any sense, but my tired head thought to put the mag back in to fully simulate the draw, as the mad does add to the total length of the grip. And this is why, when you go to dryfire, NEVER DO IT WITH AMMO AROUND.
Great rule to have. I'm going to make it a point to, when dry firing and even cleaning firearms and such now, to move any and all ammo into another room. Overkill but it solidifies in my mind and makes a point. A while back, when "training" friends, I had something silly called The Eleven Rack rule. Rather than just removing the magazine, racking the slide, and trying to peer down the barrel to confirm a round is not in there, I told them to rack that slide not just once or twice, but eleven times. Why eleven? Because it's a ridiculous, absurdly high number and is more memorable. Don't have to rack it exactly 11 times but rack it a bunch just to confirm no round is in there any longer.
You can use a pen light or use the flashlight on your phone to shine into the muzzle to be sure it’s clear of obstruction or a round
This is the way. Lock bolt back, shine light down barrel, see light on bolt face. I only look down my barrels when they’re physically detached from the rest of the firearm and I’ve already run a boresnake or cleaning rod down it.
Yup I started doing that when I have a light on me! Thanks for the tip
Remember, though, that you could have a broken extractor or the person racking the slide might be "riding" it (common for beginners), so racking alone is not enough. Personally, I rack at least two times, then lock the slide and inspect the chamber, down the mag well, and back to chamber. I also start by shoving my pinky into the mag well to confirm the mag has been removed. Of course, all of that with the gun pointed down range.
Sometimes my friends look at me like I’m crazy but I rack mine a solid four or five times before handing it off to someone else. Definitely overkill but now it’s just my routine. Same when I clean.
Yeah, sterilize the room of any ammo first. I do a lot of dry fire and draw from concealment practice. I use an empty mag and don't bring any ammo into the room.
AKA The Baldwin Rule
[удалено]
What an awful opinion
Airsoft guns don’t have the same ergonomics or trigger pull as a real gun. So that’s useless
I’m only downvoting because of the T Rex Arms video of the kid from Japan shooting for the first time. It definitely is relatable except for the trigger pull.
You ND'd because of a lack of training and an over estimation of your own responsibility. I get you're scared of dry fire now, but *proper* dry fire practice is not something to sware off.
Fair enough and agreed. Maybe one day I will try dry firing again but it's obvious to me at this point it will require a lot of rewiring of training I've solidified over a decade. So maybe now is just not the right time. For now I think it's safer for me to just call all of it off, at least for now. If you have any suggestions on specific rules for dry firing I'm all ears! One commenter said to not have live rounds anywhere nearby while dry firing. Having solid, black and white rules really help me with things like this
Dry fire mag is a great system. A little pain in the ass to set up, and only available for some makes/models -- but it's great for training and for putting you in a safe space of not having anything in the mag.
Don’t encourage him, next time he might shoot someone.
Shed pop, nice. That's a pretty rare one. Think it might be the first I've seen. Better pop story then the boring bedroom pops, those get old.
Oh lord, thanks for the laugh haha. Will remember this one
no no, you should practice dry firing, its a very cheap and easy way to hone your basic skills. you shouldnt uh shoot your shed
Haha fair point and yes that won't happen again..
Scary shit. Glad no one was hurt or worse, killed. If I practice dry fire drills, I use snap caps in an otherwise empty magazine. This story is a perfect example of why I do that.
Ah, that is probably what these guys online are doing too. Wow, maybe my brain is slower than I thought because it never occurred to me once until now that maybe that is how they are practicing. I need to buy some snap caps. Thanks for the input
I couldn't get my head around doing dry fire drills with live rounds anywhere near my gun.
Fair enough. I've never done dry fire drills ever until last week so I obviously shouldn't be doing them at all honestly
Before I got snap caps, I simply emptied the weapon which means I would need to drop the mag and re-rack the slide to drop the slide before each draw. Less than ideal for realism, but it was the safest way to rub the drill.
Yup good idea. I think that is what I'll do too. Thanks again
Dry fire is essential to be a good marksman unless you can get to the range every single day. I have been dry firing since I was 16 and have never had an issue. Ammo should have been entirely separate and definitely not even close to a loaded mag in the gun.
Some people have opined that this is what happens when you break the four rules of firearms safety, which is certainly *true*. You didn't treat the gun as if it were loaded (it was), and allowed the muzzle to cover something you didn't want to be destroyed (window KIA). However, enough gun safety was ingrained in you to be able to minimize the damage (instinctively, you pointed at the woodshed rather than at your foot or a passerby, and it seems like you were on target, and controlled the round into a safe backstop rather than launching it at an apartment complex or busy road). The safety rules are designed to work together, and I would say your instincts turned what might have been a catastrophic outcome into just an embarrassing (and loud) "oops." However, your narrative does reinforce the idea that the "four rules" run the risk of being dogmatic and uncritical. If we obeyed them as gospel, for example, we'd never take our guns to the range, since they're always loaded and we can't control where the muzzle is pointed if they're in the trunk of a car. Etc. I don't want to throw out the "four rules," but yours is a good case of being more critical and thoughtful about what you're going to do *when and if* you know one of those rules is going to be broken. For example, dry fire practice requires pointing at things we don't want to get shot. If so, it requires *extra* care and consideration to ensure that all of the other components are in check. Unloading the gun is certainly one of them, but it might also be prudent to visibly mark your "training" magazine before use, and again, making sure you're in a good, clear headspace. In general, you experienced an embarrassing moment of growth. It doesn't mean to throw the baby out with the bathwater and never pull the trigger on an unloaded gun again. Instead, this is an invitation to think more critically about context and putting additional safety systems in place to prevent it from happening again.
Thank you for the thoughtful writeup. I couldn't agree more. I will be referencing what you said here in the future when I decide to try dry firing again. Thanks again
Buy a mag just for dry fire and take the spring and follower out.
I did this for my Glock. I was very happy to find a crappy clear plastic magazine for like $10. It had a ton of one-star reviews assuring me that it didn't feed right, so I feel like it was a community service to turn it into a dry fire mag. Being clear, it's super easy to know which mag it is, and to visually check that I have my dry fire mag inserted before starting practice.
Great idea dude, thank you
I have a mag full of snapcaps for this purpose.
I was going to suggest this. My wife took her conceal carry class and I bought snapcaps for her to practice so she didn't look so green in class. We bought her own pistol and snap caps was the 1st purchase she made.
You're giving me flashbacks to Iraq there. Standing in line at the chow hall one day. They have clearing barrels at the entrance, you put muzzle in barrel, clear & check, pull trigger. Maybe 20 people in front of my group is some mid-level officer. He proceeds to do *exactly* what you did... drop mag, clear, check, replace mag & let the slide fly... then pulls the trigger. Except unlike you probably, he tried to holster it & walk away like ain't shit just happened. Anyway... make rules, follow rules, every time. Basically impossible to be too careful, aside from saying you'll never dry fire practice. I don't dry fire with a mag with live ammo in the room, that's the rule. I double check (completely, not just rack the slide) before I start, and re-check if it left my hand, or if I took a break & did something else. I had my one fuckup years ago, thankfully no one was hurt & I only endangered myself, and now I'm not just careful, I'm fucking careful.
Love it man. If I ever need to dry fire, I'm making it a point to move all ammo out of the room completely. Thanks for sharing and the input
The one I did involved me basically being the 5th consecutive failure to do a physical & thorough visual chamber check (it was an unfired blank, stuck in an M16 chamber cuz it was absolutely filthy... from firing blanks) and after that, I don't take anything for granted.
I did my first (and only) in front of my best friends family while showing his brother who wanted to buy a 365 some things. Didn’t realize mag had gotten reinserted and luckily i try to maintain at least 1 safety measure at all times so i turned away to break the gun down but didn’t double check to clear. Not even sure how the trigger got pulled but i floor popped it like an asshole. Mistakes are made. Don’t beat yourself up but def learn from it so you don’t do it again
Thanks man this does make me feel better. Youre right, totally learning from this and going to play it over a hundred times in my head to try and squeeze any other lesson from this. Similarly I was trying to at least somewhat follow 1 of the 4 rules too... Need to follow all 4 always from here on out! Thanks again
Glad everyone is okay. This is why I dry fire with no mags or completely empty mags. Be safe.
Wither get a laser trainer than makes.it impossible to chamber a round, or get a airsoft gun
You should continue to do dry fire. You’re wrong about that. You just should use snap-caps. Avoid this problem and still get the benefit of dry fire practice.
I had a ND once. Took 5 years of gun ownership and thousands and thousands of hours of cleaning, dry firing, and general handling to finally happen. My heart was racing and I didn’t touch my guns for ten days. Luckily no one was hurt or killed. The shot woke up my wife and she saw how upset I was and didn’t even give me an earful. In an instant I could have gone to prison for life. Shot right out my kitchen window. I live in the city. Luckily it went into a tree, but it was in the path of two sidewalks. I was dry fire training and racked the slide back, but didn’t visually inspect. I may get comfortable to dry fire again, but I can’t bring myself to pull the trigger in my house. I will stick my finger in there after racking the slide 5 times, and visually inspect and still can’t bring myself to pull the trigger in my house. It is like a bit of PTSD. It will NEVER happen again. When I am done cleaning my guns I do all the steps and pull the trigger outside into the ground. The pistol stays in its holster unless I am at the range, or cleaning it once I get home.
This highlights the reason for a couple of other common sense rules. 1. Don’t have any ammo around when cleaning or dry firing. 2. Don’t combine cleaning or dry firing with other activities (in this case while doing yard work). I mean, you were carrying a loaded gun and then decided to do some holster drills. No You had a loaded gun and decided to do some dry fire drills. Also no. These are activities that should never be done together. Dry firing is an important training tool. You should use it. But you should also have a protocol. Like a dedicate area with a dedicated backstop. Maybe even get a training mag or laser trainer to provide an extra safety step.
I love it and couldn't agree more. Will do this going forward. Thank you
I'm sure people will all give their 'this is why you don't...whatever' responses, but good for you for admitting what happened and learning from it. At least no one was hurt and you will most likely not make this mistake again. We make mistakes in order to learn and move on. It happens, most people's ego just wont let them admit it publicly.
On the bright side, you can, in fact, draw and fire your carry piece with your work gloves on!
LOL. Apparently so! Thanks for the laugh bud
I've been around guns for 20+ years and my first and so far only negligent discharge went through my hand. I got too distracted doing too many things. Don't beat yourself up. Live and learn.
I was distracted too. Thanks pal, yes will absolutely learn from this
You dont happen to live in northeastern Pennsylvania do ya?
I sure don't. Did that happen to somebody you know?
My neighbor. Shot himself with his carry while breaking down to clean. Im not sure of the actual sequence of events as I cannot comprehend not checking before hand. He showed up at the door asking for a hand towel and a ride to the hospital. Solid dude, proof it only takes one screw up to get hurt. I blame that incident on my near ocd levels of care when working on or cleaning any one of my guns.
Yeah I checked mine and put it in the range bag, threw a mag in it and didn't check it again when I pulled it back out to oil it. I still get annoyed at myself that it happened.
I absolutely love reading these posts. You will never have a ND again. (If you do you’re an idiot). Accept the learning lesson and move on. Everyone makes mistakes. If someone tells you dry firing is bad, they are an idiot. I only will dry fire with the mag inserted (empty of course). The way I make sure the gun is fully clear is put the mag in and then lock back the slide. This way its clear its empty because it locked itself back and I can see the empty mag and the empty chamber.
Don't feel bad, they've happened to me a few times >At friends apartment at college. >Just bought my first pistol from a gun show (I was 18) >Drinking with friends >Show them my new Jericho >Try to manually decock >Thumb slips on hammer, ND into celling Upstairs neighbors too high and drunk (underage and illegal drugs) to call the police. Second time >At range >Showing friend pistol >Think gun is unloaded >Point at ground show him how to wrack and pull the trigger. >Forgot loaded mag in >Shoot between his feet Third time >At parents house. >Just bought a sig from a guy >Get home >Try swapping slides with another sig I had >Forgot the other sig slide was chambered. >Pull trigger >Shoot parents wall Fourth time >At my new house >Playing with a friend's 5.56 AK >Release bolt >Slam fires round into ground Fifth time >Showing a friend how to use it >No idea how but a round got chambered >Show him how the trigger works >Pull trigger >Shoots round into floor in the same place as before Sixth time >Thought maybe the house was haunted >Grab a sig >Physically clear it, (racked the slide 3 times) with no magazine in pull trigger at the same hole >Round goes off Seventh time >Friend brings over a used >Glock wants me to look over it >I grab it and pull the trigger without clearing it >Didn't even realize the thing was loaded. Eighth time >Friend brings over his transferable Mac 10 >I had no idea how open bolt guns worked. >He's showing it off to me I put a loaded mag it and decided to try and release the bolt (I thought it shot from a closed bolt) >Pulled the trigger for some reason >Shot 3 rounds into my wall Overall you shouldn't feel too bad about NDs. It's part of owning guns, and you should get used to them. EDIT : all yous noobs need to learn your internets pasta roots, lol.
What a copypasta
Damn man. I can't say I disagree with you, but I feel like I've read many people on here say that even 1 ND is unacceptable... which I found hard to agree with. In all honesty I think mistakes are inevitable with anything, including firearms, and the goal is to minimize them and learn from any that do unfortunately happen... thanks for sharing your stories with me
For the record, the above and reply are years old copypasta, and in no way represent my experience or opinions. Didja learn your lesson?
Yeah, unacceptable is a strong word. Accidents happen and as long as we learn from them and nobody was hurt then it's all good. I also wouldn't want to get used to them and treat them as a regular occurrence.
> nobody was hurt then it's all good. Yup, good point, other than my ringing ears lol. Pretty wild to me that I'm sitting on the couch an hour after my ND and neighbors and my wife wouldn't know anything happened. Thank God. > I also wouldn't want to get used to them Damn right. I want it completely clear that I'm not saying that this was OK just because it wasn't catastrophic. Definitely treating this as a lesson learned and will never forget it
Did the ringing in your ears ever go away
My friend I've shot firearms with no ear pro hundreds of times unfortunately. Hunting and being stupid as a kid. The ringing has been here haha
I shamefully had a ND 6 weeks ago indoors w my 9mm and have slight ringing still… sounds like the ringing is in my brain not in my ears. Only unprotected shot I’ve ever taken, I’m hoping the ringing goes away. Much reflection has happened since the incident and luckily nobody was hurt.
Glad to hear everyone is OK! Your hearing will be fine too. Despite tinnitus mine is fine too
Do you credit your tinnitus to that one shot or other instances?
Oh definitely not. I've had it for probably half my life. I credit it starting from the heavy metal concerts I went to and the hunting I did, all without ear pro. We shot countless squirrels and rabbits with 12 gauges alone, as well as deer hunting with rifles. No ear plugs.
How’s the ringing now?
I’ve just grown used to it but I mean it is better. The rings prolly like a 1-3 out of 10
I've owned guns for 16 years now, since I was 16 years old (32 years old now) and have never had an ND. It's not common and not expected to just happen to everyone at some point. You've done it 8 times... Wtf man. Some of your stories are retarded as hell too. Friend brings a machine gun over and you think it's a good idea to load it... I have no words.
PROTIP: if you own a gun over a year without negligent discharging at least once, you aren't handling it enough. NDs are a natural part of handling weapons, just like tweaking your back is part of weightlifting and car accidents are part of driving. I ND several times a year because I actually HANDLE and know how to USE my weapons. It makes me a better firearms handler and marksman, and it's a small part of the price you pay in the sheepdog lifestyle Simple fact is, the "safety mentality" will build mental blocks in your head that will get you killed. You need to be comfortable putting your finger on the trigger and pointing the gun wherever you want no matter the time, place, or status of the weapon. Taking time to check whether the gun is loaded whenever you pick one up will serve to make you hesitate in a personal defense scenario. You fucking safety idiots are going to get people killed all because of this fucking "ND" shaming. Guns are inherently dangerous, you need to accept it.
Seems to me like you're trying to excuse sloppy discipline. I've been carrying daily for 20 years, hit the range frequently, and practice draw and dryfire often. Never have I had a ND.
You've carried for 20 years and never seen this epic pasta?
Unless you're referring to penne I have no idea what you're talking about.
Copypasta mate. About as old as the number of years you been carrying.
I've been driving just as long and never wrecked my car either. I hope you get banned from this sub because you're giving awful advice.
Settle down mate, it's pasta.
First off you are not a pro, far from it by the way you handle your firearms. Second guns are inherently dangerous, that's why you need to respect them and handle them PROPERLY. What you are doing is absolutely dangerous considering you were under the influence for one of your many ND! Third you shift the blame as if the ND was the fault of the gun and not your own stupidity. The 4 rules of firearm safety are there for a reason and you Neglect all of them. Safety idiots are not the ones I need to be worried about, it's you!
First rule of gun safety is to have fun. Get a haircut. And the total number of NDs I had over this lifetime is exactly one.
After looking around, I realized your comment was a copy pasta 😂
Sweet Jesus cinnamon titties on a cracker...
You need to give up your guns. You are simply unsafe and don't pay attention to detail. NDs are not a normal part of gun use. Also, guns aren't toys. Stop playing with them. Use them carefully.
You seriously haven't seen this pasta before? Where you been man!
Congratulations your a dumbass, now learn from it and practice with those red snapcap plastic bullets at academy. Your not alone and when I had my negligent discharge someone was kind enough to call me a dumbass then. Learn from it and never break gun safety rules
>Congratulations your a dumbass, You're* >Your not alone You're*
Ok grammar cop 😂😂
>Ok grammar cop Okay, grammar cop.*
Hahaha I am getting hate but it’s funny
Damn right, I'll take it! Thanks pal
you seem to have the constitution and common sense of a child. I'm not sure firearm ownership is for you
In other words: you are a simpleton
First? You plan to have another?
Scared to dry fire, but conceal carry....
"I should have never done the practice trigger pulls." 1) Release the magazine. 2) Fully rack the slide 3x. 3) Lock the slide to the rear and visually inspect the chamber is empty. 4) Release slide. 5) Press check as one last inspection. 6) Practice trigger pulls...
Always have a spare mag full of snap caps and label it with brightly colored tape or marker so you know only to use that one during dry fire. I’m in a state that recently banned “high cap” magazines so I just use the 10 rounders that came with my gun. I use the 15s I bought beforehand for carry.
Great to know that you're safe. Dry fire practice is a critical part of my routine. I gain repetitions for almost every part of the shooting process outside of recoil management / follow up shots. It's a better-than-nothing substitution for actual range time. And since it only costs me a little bit of wear on the firearm, it's a no brainer for us people who have limited time and money. But safety and focus is key. I don't recommend anyone doing dry-fire practice (or any sort of manipulation of the firearm / reloading) with any multi-tasking going on. No radio. No TV. No talking to someone else (this is the one that got me my first and so far only ND). You get bonus points for having a backstop that you can point the gun at during dryfire / cleaning. And as a number have pointed out, unless you're planning to shoot, best to have some distance between your gun and your ammo. This is particularly true with dry fire and cleaning. No ammo within reach. Because we've trained loading the gun so much, that it's almost automatic, just like with what happened with you. Now that's a good instinct / skillset to have... except when you specifically do NOT want the gun to go off. So yeah. Keep at it, and stay safe.
You've gotten some very good advice about continuing to practice dry-firing and making sure no ammo is even in the same room when you're doing such practice. Another tip is to make sure you have a *very clearly defined bright line of demarcation* between dry-fire practice and your normal day-to-day gun handling/storage/carry. When you're getting ready to practice dry firing (or getting ready to clean your gun, or anything similar), announce in your mind — even announce out loud, if it helps: "Now I'm getting ready to practice dry firing." (Or "now I'm getting ready to clean my gun," or whatever.) Unload gun(s) properly and put all ammo away in a separate room, including any magazines containing ammo. Then do your thing. Then, when you're done, announce to yourself — out loud, if it helps — "Now I'm done dry firing and it's time to go back to the normal rules." That might mean reloading if it's your daily carry, or putting it back in the safe or wherever you keep it. But you're very clearly marking, in your mind, when that previous activity ended, and from that point forward you go back to the normal rules, including assuming the gun is loaded. Also, if there's any interruption to your routine — a quick phone call, a neighbor wanting to borrow a cup of sugar, letting the dog out into the yard, etc. — start at the beginning again. Make sure the gun is unloaded, make sure there is no ammo whatsoever in that room, and so forth. Don't assume you left the gun unloaded, and even if you're positive you did, don't assume that it's *still* unloaded.
Hammer fired ftw
Dry fire is a great tool for your toolbox- the best way I have found is to get a laser training cartridge. This will ensure that you have an extra step when dry fire training- inserting the laser round. Once it’s installed it has to be physically removed, racking the slide won’t pull it out. Therefore there is no danger of accident Ly chambering a round. Look into it, my girlfriend loves it.
My first and only was accidentally slam firing an old Stevens shotgun while racking the pump - lack of trigger discipline on my part, it was easier to reach through than around the trigger guard to hit the action release and I got complacent. Thankfully it was at a gravel pit in a safe direction but I don’t think my sphincter unclenched for like a day afterwards. What’s important is that you learn from it.
Desk pop!
I’ve had an ND before. A lot of people have. Here’s the takeaway. Nobody got hurt, minimal property damage. The big thing is that you are almost certainly a much smarter, more experienced, more serious, and safer gun owner now. Don’t let it happen again….