Stoopid mistakes you made as a newbie gun person?

[Brutus57]

Recent experience, at the range with buddy and his BIL, they both have those spendy rod operating Sig Sauer 5.56 AR types.... Buddy's BIL former Microsoft worker so not hurting for $$. He's on the lane at the end of the indoor range. I hear him carping about trying to zero his new ACOG.... I go down, look at his target, and what he's trying to do to move POI. He says "I am twisting the turrets but nothing is improving." I hid my smile while I showed him how to unscrew the caps and note the little arrows. Bad news, I want me an ACOG!!!!

Brutus Out

 

[nwslopoke]

I ordered a Smith and Wesson 5906 when I wanted a 5903 off gunbroker. This thing weights a ton.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

So there I was , a young know it all Private E-2 ( very proud of my mosquito wing ) in Basic Training.
We were being shown Warsaw Pact firearms by Drill Sergeant D....
Drill Sergeant D. really hated me 'cause he loved Drill and ceremony and I couldn't keep in step to save my life ...

Anyways he was going on about the Romanian Ak , how identify it , who uses it etc ...
Then he asked if there were any questions.

Like a idiot I raised my hand and responded:
"Actually Drill Sergeant that is a Chinese type 56 Ak."
"How does the Private know that?"
"The Chinese characters on the receiver are a good clue."
"Plus the Romanian AK has a forward handgrip."
"Would the Private like to give the rest of the class? Drill Sergeant D. asks ever soooooo nicely ...

So again being the idiot I am ,I do.
Giving out bits of info on rates of fire , ranges , break down and cleaning etc ...
I knew all this wonderful information from reading and the fact that a neighbor had brought back a AK from VietNam. (deactivated)
By now Drill Sergeant D. is really steamed.
I do think one of the medals awarded to Drill Sergeants should be one for not killing the smart bubblegum know it all Privates.

He showed remarkable self-restraint in not harming or killing me that day.
Lesson learned however was to it is often better to keep silent and be thought an idiot , than to open my mouth and prove it.
Andy

 

[Joe13]

Went out to shoot clays with an 870 express 12 with some friends, but what I learned that day is never shoot a pistol grip shotgun while aiming down the sights. The hit broke a tooth and split my lip something fierce but I was able to keep a hold of the gun, $700 mistake for the dental work. Now anytime I see a pistol grip 12 I'm reminded how NOT to fire one...

Did that a couple years ago with the first pistol grip only shotgun, a buddy insisted I try it after shooting my guns all day.

I lucked out comparatively, on the recoil my thumb knuckle ran across my lip down at a 45 degree angle across my chin... No wounds but just having a brush with the possibilities has me never ever wanting a shotgun without a stock, pistol grip are ok along with it but I won't touch a pistol grip only shoty anymore.

Not been in the game as many years a most here, but I'd have to say the biggest mistake made as a noob gun owner was buying Wifey a Kel-tec PF9 for her very first gun. A persons very first gun should NEVER be a mouse gun!

Did that for my mom but it was a Taurus pt-22. That thing was too hard for me to cock it with a slide rack so it had to be loaded from the tip up barrel and the DAO trigger was hard to hit target 10 feet out accurately without great concentration.

I forgot one....When I was 18 or so Dad allowed me to take his 2nd model Colt Woodsman with me rabbit hunting with buddies. Having no training, other that a decent dose of common sense, I used a "Grip" that put the webbing between thumb and index finger in direct conflict with the slide when firing. A lot of blood can come from that webbing I tell ya.

Never happened to me but the first time I saw it happen was the same day and guy as the shotgun story at top. He has a sub compact glock he got used and has never been cleaned.

First shot he tried from it, it bit him just like you described. Good thing I carry a first aid kit cuz it was a gusher.

Picture an overly curious 14 yr old boy all alone in a neighbors house trying to figure out how a safety works on a loaded semi auto hand gun.
When the little red dot is showing and the green dot is covered by the switch, that's got to be how it works.
How I missed both my legs is still a mystery to me. Good thing that pistol only had 7 rds, as my arm windmilled in a full circle and came around for a second chance before it ran out of ammo.

I have always had an issue with those colors.

We are trained to drive with green meaning good to go and red meaning stop - same should go for guns IMO.




Great stories for a Monday!

 

[Joe13]

So there I was , a young know it all Private E-2 ( very proud of my mosquito wing ) in Basic Training.
We were being shown Warsaw Pact firearms by Drill Sergeant D....
Drill Sergeant D. really hated me 'cause he loved Drill and ceremony and I couldn't keep in step to save my life ...

Anyways he was going on about the Romanian Ak , how identify it , who uses it etc ...
Then he asked if there were any questions.

Like a idiot I raised my hand and responded:
"Actually Drill Sergeant that is a Chinese type 56 Ak."
"How does the Private know that?"
"The Chinese characters on the receiver are a good clue."
"Plus the Romanian AK has a forward handgrip."
"Would the Private like to give the rest of the class? Drill Sergeant D. asks ever soooooo nicely ...

So again being the idiot I am ,I do.
Giving out bits of info on rates of fire , ranges , break down and cleaning etc ...
I knew all this wonderful information from reading and the fact that a neighbor had brought back a AK from VietNam. (deactivated)
By now Drill Sergeant D. is really steamed.
I do think one of the medals awarded to Drill Sergeants should be one for not killing the smart bubblegum know it all Privates.

He showed remarkable self-restraint in not harming or killing me that day.
Lesson learned however was to it is often better to keep silent and be thought an idiot , than to open my mouth and prove it.
Andy

I was 19 when I joined the Army so I was the same age as the people "above" me. Hard to intimidate a guy that is a few inches taller and 40 lbs heavier in muscle. I think that's why a real hard bubblegum veteran DS was assigned to our group and took a special interest in my conforming.

BTW - never take a DS up on a physical fitness competition (friendly or not), I couldn't hardly lift my arms for 3 days and they cramped so bad the first 2 nights and I got zero sleep.

I honestly think he felt sorry for me towards the end. Shaking and quaking on every push-up was pretty embarrassing on top of not being able to finish with only 2 rounds of 10 left to go...

Strength was my strong point and not stamina - I guess he figured that out at the start and made the next rounds all stamina based lol.

 

[wired]

I was 19 when I joined the Army so I was the same age as the people "above" me. Hard to intimidate a guy that is a few inches taller and 40 lbs heavier in muscle. I think that's why a real hard bubblegum veteran DS was assigned to our group and took a special interest in my conforming.

BTW - never take a DS up on a physical fitness competition (friendly or not), I couldn't hardly lift my arms for 3 days and they cramped so bad the first 2 nights and I got zero sleep.

I honestly think he felt sorry for me towards the end. Shaking and quaking on every push-up was pretty embarrassing on top of not being able to finish with only 2 rounds of 10 left to go...

Strength was my strong point and not stamina - I guess he figured that out at the start and made the next rounds all stamina based lol.

I had the opposite problem. I had been a semi pro water skier before I went into the Army at age 19 and had seriously ripped back and abdominal muscles when I got to basic and not an ounce of misplaced fat. 140 sit ups in 2 minutes is usually where the drill sergeant would throw the stop watch and start cursing and you never could wear me out doing push ups although they tried. I think I made the mistake of saying " Is this all you got ? " out loud one time. Basic training was the best time of my life.

 

[cigars]

OK, who doesn't love remember this one from basic training? Right after the universal corrective command of "drop, drop, drop", this was the second most commonly heard phrase. Lol, good times!

"This is my rifle, this is my gun, this one's for fighting, this one's for fun."

 

[Brutus57]

I was 19 when I joined the Army so I was the same age as the people "above" me. Hard to intimidate a guy that is a few inches taller and 40 lbs heavier in muscle. I think that's why a real hard bubblegum veteran DS was assigned to our group and took a special interest in my conforming.

BTW - never take a DS up on a physical fitness competition (friendly or not), I couldn't hardly lift my arms for 3 days and they cramped so bad the first 2 nights and I got zero sleep.

I honestly think he felt sorry for me towards the end. Shaking and quaking on every push-up was pretty embarrassing on top of not being able to finish with only 2 rounds of 10 left to go...

Strength was my strong point and not stamina - I guess he figured that out at the start and made the next rounds all stamina based lol.

At Pensacola our Marine DIs made sure we did push-ups etc. till even the best of our class were unable to continue. Part of their little game to get folks to DOR. Smartest thing the Navy did for decades was have Marine DIs train their naval aviation types. Some guys would have definitely taken out their revenge when they got to the fleet and had it been Petty officers as drill instructors. But it was Uncle Sam's Misguided Children as it were, so we just leaned in to getting through and getting our commissions. They were tough, but they weren't fair because they honed in on weaknesses since that was their job. Once we were in the last 3-4 weeks and had passed the major PT tests, rifle run, O course, etc. they almost became human...in a knuckle-dragging, demented Neanderthal-like way.

I recall asking ONE TIME only, not long after we'd been issued our very well used (forget bluing being left on the barrels) "where was the firing pin for my Garand?" Thought the DI was going to burst a blood vessel.... "You don't get firing pins, college boys, you can't be trusted but by Gawd you will learn to clean and drill with your M1s to my satisfaction. Drop and give me 20.....

Brutus Out

 

[Jim Colvill]

My typical newbie mistake was in BCT. Nearing the end of the cycle and graduation looming near my company was tested on the Fire & Movement course. Each of us is issued one full mag of live ammo and two dummy grenades to "assault" a "machine gun" emplacement in teams of two. This was the first time any of us had fired without hearing protection so I was already disoriented since I couldn't hear my partner; I could, however, plainly hear the DI as he dogged me screaming every step of the way. Totally confused I swing the M16 around as I turned and apparently muzzle swept the DI with my boogerhook on the bang switch. My arms were nearly jerked out of their sockets as the M16 is ripped from my grasp and I'm sent trotting back to the rear.

I eventually did complete the course and made my grenade toss into the bunker without further incident.

 

[ThemGunsThough]

This might not be too funny but in hindsight I think it was. Reading all these stories got me thinking of another one. Probably almost 10 years ago when my nephew was only 3 years old, he really liked guns because of the Call of Duty game. Yes, a 3 year old played Call of Duty and he was amazing at it for his age. Anyhow, my brother inlaws and I did a little show and tell (or showing off) with our guns to each other. One of my inlaws had a Ruger LCP that he laid down inside the circle. My nephew's Grandpa had let him pickup the LCP. Keep in mind, in their culture, it is very disrespectful for someone who is younger to point at or touch an older persons' head. After picking up the gun, my nephew had pointed it at his grandpa's head saying "pew pew pew". My Father inlaw immediately covered his face and we all grabbed for the gun. Fortunately, we were all smart enough to make sure our guns were cleared/unloaded before laying them down in the circle.

 

[P7M13]

I have 4 that I can remember, starting when I was 6.

1. At 6, went into Dad's top drawer, pulled out a box of 22's, went out to the driveway and proceeded to pull out one, hit it with a hammer, pull out another, repeat, repeat, repeat. I don't remember how many I hammered before my oldest brother stopped me. Dad's belt left marks all over my backside that night.
2. Thought I'd emptied my magazine on my 45. Pulled the gun back and looked at it, finger on the trigger, with the muzzle awfully close to my face when it went off.
   
3. Pulled my AR out of its case on the bench, loaded a mag, pulled the charging handle and it jammed. Opening it, there's one round jackstrawed and one stuck 80% into the chamber, evidently from the last range session and I never cleared it.
4. Resizing brass for some 7mm LRM a few weeks ago, started moving the ram up with my finger still in the way. The neck makes a nice hole punch on your finger.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Posting on public forums that I own firearms.

I am often haunted by this thought.

The Hildebeast is coming for my soul.....

 

[2A2Dend]

First Elk hunting trip using mountain bikes and carts.

Years back our hunting party planned an elk hunt in a non-motorized vehicle area. We hauled the travel trailers out near the area we were going to hunt, got camp set-up for potentially a week. We brought our mountain bikes. The plan was to load them up with essentials, and each of us head out a different direction. We had radios to round everyone up if need be, for a downed elk.
In the morning, before I left camp, I rechecked my check-list just to be sure I had everything.

Lunch, check
Coffee, check
Rifle, check
Binocs, check
Packboard of deboning tools, check
Radio (with fresh batteries), check

Off I went.

The morning went by slowly. Nothing fresh for poop, but the are in the area, somewhere.
I finally reached the big clearcut, way.....way, away from camp. I stopped and glassed everything. I saw no hair, so decided to have a cup of coffee and a sammich. I was there for about 15 minutes, when a cow popped out on top of a salal covered ridge. I watched for a bit, then a few more cows, and a couple calves showed. I decided I better get my rifle off the bike. I found a nice stump where I could see the elk and have a shooting platform. The elk meandered around the top of the ridge, and slow but sure more of them crested over the top. All cow and calf. Then, out steps nut boy. We were in a spike or better unit. My adrenaline took over. Yeah buddy. We gonna have some camp meat, as I readied for the kill shot. He was a smart one for a spike. He stayed mixed inside his herd. I was down wind. No hurry. The shot was a little over 400yds. Easy peasy with my Ruger 06.

I grabbed the bolt to load a round. No shells. I forgot to load the shells!!
I forgot to load my shell holder on my belt.
I forgot my belt!!
ARGHHHH!!!

From that day on, I carried spare shells in every pocket.
I forgot to mention, I was the only one in the party who saw horns on that hunting fiasco. OOPS!!

 

[Jim Colvill]

Posting on public forums that I own firearms.

I am often haunted by this thought.

The Hildebeast is coming for my soul.....

You're on a gun board so it's assumed you own guns. If you have an FFL or a CHL your fingerprints are already on file. As long as you don't post something like "It's time to rise up and shoot (brown people,police,politicians,etc.)" I think you'll be safe.

 

[RVTECH]

I don't know if this qualifies as 'stoopid' as it didn't happen as a 'newbee' - but more an oversight due to lack experience with the gun. I had just picked up my gen 1 Desert Eagle .357 mag. So I run home load about 25 rounds real quick to go try it out. Ok so I head out in the woods outside of town, insert the mag, rack a round take aim and fire - and nothing happens after the shot - no cycle or brass eject. Ok so I rack the slide and repeat with the same results. Ok so I am wondering what is wrong and I grab the owners manual and sit down in the pickup seat and read to see if I could find anything I missed - well I did - the part that said 'your new Desert Eagle has a double spring system and will only cycle properly with high velocity ammo and with bullets of no lighter than 158 grain' or something to that effect. Seems the 7 grains of Unique with 125 grain bullets were nothing more than a mouse fart for it!! Some modified load data and 158 gr bullets fixed that problem.

 

[wired]

Went shooting up by mount hood. Had some 300 BO rounds I had loaded into freshly cut armscor brass that I had been saving for years. Turns out the neck thickness was a bit too thick and once loaded they would barely chamber. Ran a few through but they kept getting stuck in the chamber. dropped the mag and put the gun in a case and went home later. When I got home I pulled the gun out of the case and pulled the charging handle back to make sure the chamber was clear. I did not look in the chamber. There was a stuck round that the extractor had just slipped off because the bolt hadnt cleared the case head. I pointed the gun at the concrete floor and pulled the trigger to drop the hammer. It dropped all right. The good news is the case cleared the chamber. The bad news is I drilled a 2" deep hole in my garage floor and all the debris blew up in my face giving me two solid black eyes , cuts on my face and a couple of ringing ears and a huge bump on my forehead where I can only assume the bullet bounced off my skull. Then about 10 minutes later I got called into work to fire a guy who had been drinking on the job. No one else saw me when i got there. I fired the guy , who did threaten me but he left and then a couple of my other worker bee types came in and saw me looking like the guy just beat the crap out of me. Then the rumors started.

 

[tanzuki]

Buying a used Jenning J22 pistol. At least it was cheap.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Back in the '30's & '40's my dad had a gunsmith and custom rifle maker as his best friend. He showed how much he thought of dad by turning up for a visit with a custom '98 Mauser! It would be very hard to overstate the quality of this rifle! It was, indeed, beautiful and became dads most prized possession instantly!
Fast forward to 1953, I'm four years old and going along with the folks, deer hunting.
We're driving down a back country "road" and mom spots a big Nevada Mule deer, so dad stops, grabs his rifle, braces on the hood and fires! Impressive shot, aiming for the heart/lungs ol Danel Boone blows the bucks rear hoof off! Mom and I are all big eyed in the car, while he try's again! Boom! Clean miss! Lands by the other rear hoof! Now, my dad was a gifted cusser and while he reached in the window for moms .25-35 Winchester he's cussin' a blue streak!
He whips up moms rifle, jacks a round in and kills the muley instantly!
After the gutting and other necessities, they examine his rifle and find dirt on the receiver sight! Humm, seems the culpert was four years of age, and sharing the back seat with the rifles!
My little, bitty, dirty shoes narced me out! Now the old man was turning a peculiar shade of purple, and I was gettin' worried when mom says we really should find a way to carry me and the rifles better, reminding my dad who the adults were!
Saved my little bacon, but I'm sure dad carried a grudge for a while!

 

[P7M13]

Back in the '30's & '40's my dad had a gunsmith and custom rifle maker as his best friend. He showed how much he thought of dad by turning up for a visit with a custom '98 Mauser! It would be very hard to overstate the quality of this rifle! It was, indeed, beautiful and became dads most prized possession instantly!
Fast forward to 1953, I'm four years old and going along with the folks, deer hunting.
We're driving down a back country "road" and mom spots a big Nevada Mule deer, so dad stops, grabs his rifle, braces on the hood and fires! Impressive shot, aiming for the heart/lungs ol Danel Boone blows the bucks rear hoof off! Mom and I are all big eyed in the car, while he try's again! Boom! Clean miss! Lands by the other rear hoof! Now, my dad was a gifted cusser and while he reached in the window for moms .25-35 Winchester he's cussin' a blue streak!
He whips up moms rifle, jacks a round in and kills the muley instantly!
After the gutting and other necessities, they examine his rifle and find dirt on the receiver sight! Humm, seems the culpert was four years of age, and sharing the back seat with the rifles!
My little, bitty, dirty shoes narced me out! Now the old man was turning a peculiar shade of purple, and I was gettin' worried when mom says we really should find a way to carry me and the rifles better, reminding my dad who the adults were!
Saved my little bacon, but I'm sure dad carried a grudge for a while!

Do you still have that rifle?

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Do you still have that rifle?

I wish! No, bad times came along and a lot of medical expenses so he had to sell it! I'm just glad I have a photo of it though! I did inherit his Mossberg M-146B .22 short, long and long rifle, and my moms .25-35Win.