The gun "just went off"

[American123]

SKS or most shotguns can go off if tipped over because of the free floating firing pin.

I know there are a couple places that make SKS firing pins with springs to prevent that but I've never heard of one for a shotgun

I don't think enough people are aware of this inherent danger.

 

[Flopsweat]

I get it, but I'm the latter. Negligent shootings happen when someone is being negligent. An unloaded gun (factually) has never shot anyone. It's always been a loaded gun that was perceived to be unloaded. That being said, following the rules with even an unloaded gun is a good way to go through life to avoid negligent outcomes, and works when followed because they were designed and written to be idiot proof.

Some gun related recommendations/rules are just silly. "Keep ammo and guns in locked in separate areas." - yeah, no. Mighty inconvenient for actually using them.

"Keep guns unloaded unless in use" - yeah, no. Loaded firearms fill the role of needed firearms far better than unloaded firearms.

There's a reason the NRA 3 Rules all start with "Always".

By the way, I consider a loaded gun beside the bed, in a safe or in a holster to be in use, so we can probably find some common ground there.

 

[American123]

There's a reason the NRA 3 Rules all start with "Always".

By the way, I consider a loaded gun beside the bed, in a safe or in a holster to be in use, so we can probably find some common ground there.

Yep. I was teaching a couple, relatively ignorant to guns, and I was explaining a lot of the "why" behind the rules because as people capable of thinking. knowing the why was helpful for them in understanding the importance of it rather than being some arbitrary restriction.

We then used a laser cartridge to simulate aiming at a target and pulling the trigger, while I explained what would happen if we were using live ammunition so they had an idea of how it would have functioned, with the slide moving, the loudness, etc.

They soaked it up really well and are thinking of getting a Tavor and a Glock the last I heard. If basic firearm safety were taught as compulsory education in schools there would be a significant reduction in negligent shootings across the U.S. but a group of people would hate that because it would work against their anti-gun agenda.

 

[MatthewDB]

I have witnessed one firearm going off by itself. It was in the late 1960's and I was a child tagging along on a pheasant hunt. Midday, the group stopped for lunch. The men set down their guns pointing in safe directions, but all insisted that Earl put his Model 1897 Winchester leaning on a fence with the muzzle pointing in the air facing away from where the group was gathered. Earl grumbled mightily, but the group was insistent, claiming that Earl's gun was notoriously unsafe and had to be handled with extra caution.

About ten minutes after he leaned up the gun, our lunch was interrupted by it going off! No one had been near it since it was placed there, there was no breeze, and, of course, no earthquake to shake it up. The general tone of the discussion was "I told you so," although Earl defended his firearm to the bitter end. At least he was always careful to never allow the muzzle to "sweep" anyone. There were six people in the party, so this was well witnessed.

Edit to add: If Alec Baldwin or his legal team ask, this was a complete work of fiction!

I inherited a Winchester Model 1897. I don't use it, the thing scares me.

 

[Koda]

It's always been a loaded gun that was perceived to be unloaded. That being said, following the rules with even an unloaded gun is a good way to go through life to avoid negligent outcomes, and works when followed because they were designed and written to be idiot proof.

Yup, thats what I mean.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

In one of the videos shown it appears that a in line muzzle loader "blows up".
Never use smokeless powder in a muzzle loading firearm....
Always be sure the load is fully seated at the breech...
If you inherit , or buy a muzzle loader....and find that it is loaded...always pull the load....
Never assume the owner loaded it correctly.

And if you store your muzzle loader loaded....
It is a good idea to place a strip of red cloth between the hammer and nipple...
Or in the pan under the frizzen if its a flintlock...
Or...near the muzzle , between the ran rod and the barrel.
However ...it is unwise to store your muzzle loader loaded as well as being primed or capped....
Andy

 

[Bon Sauvage]

"Anyone here familiar with an injury shooting where that excuse was given?"

When I was about five I "fetched" my brother with a rubber band gun. That excuse didn't work then either.

 

[Paolung]

Well...not exactly...
He was surprised that I could shoot and handle his AR as well as I did...
Seeing as how I was shooting , in his words....a "Hillbilly Mountain Man gun ".

Not sure what angered me more...
His lack of firearm safety...or his disparaging words about my Hawken Rifle...
Aw...who am I trying kind...it was his unkind words about my Hawken...
Andy

In some places, "them's fightin' words"

Then again, maybe "Hillbilly Mountain Man gun" is a label to wear with pride?

 

[Alexx1401]

Found the video. Skip to 2:51 mark

Looks like bolt moves every time he presses trigger.

Love that look on his face when he gets up from the ground

 

[raftman]

SKS or most shotguns can go off if tipped over because of the free floating firing pin.

I know there are a couple places that make SKS firing pins with springs to prevent that but I've never heard of one for a shotgun

Free-floating firing pins are not inherently dangerous, per se. AR's, AK's, M1 Garands, to name just a few examples, also have free-floating firing pins. It's no difficult feat for engineers to calculate inertia and keep firing pins light enough to not set off primers unless acted upon by a fire control group.

What sets the SKS apart from the other rifles mentioned is that a significant portion of them came into the country packed in cosmoline, and were sold that way. A plugged firing pin channel results in the mass of the bolt/bolt carrier group added to firing pin, which can lead to issues like slam fires when cycling. An SKS with a clean firing pin channel is no more dangerous in this regard than an AR, AK, or Garand. That manufactures offer "solutions" is hardly proof of the problem, manufacturers also sell recoil buffers for AK's even though no properly made AK really needs one.

For what it's worth, there was even a Mythbusters episode in which they tried to induce unintended discharges from SKS's through increasingly extreme circumstances and found it surprisingly difficult to get them to go off.

I can't speak for all shotguns, though, since there are countless models and manufacturers so conceivably there could be some for which the designers/engineers didn't do their math.

 

[RVTECH]

My only 'just went off' was a triple with my one and only SKS I once had - however it was pointed downrange at the target and there was no danger. I certainly pulled the trigger but the other two were not expected.

It went away real fast after that with no further desire to own an SKS.

 

[gmerkt]

"...and then the gun went off, as guns have a way of doing." Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon?" Or maybe one of Bogie's other works. He might've added, "...when people are around."

I don't know if it counts as a "just went off." But after I got peripheral neuropathy in my hands, I could no longer hold onto a .45 pistol properly. So a few times, I had this thing where I'd fire a shot, the pistol would recoil in my hand, my grip wasn't tight enough, the pistol would go forward, then the forward inside of the trigger guard would bounce off my finger, and force my finger back onto the trigger for a second, rapid shot. I can still shoot 9mm and .38 Special okay but I let the .45's and 10mm's go.

 

[Mike_M57]

"Dude had a set of Baldwins to think he'd get away with it." Noun.
"Dude be trippin' and went full Baldwin." Adjective.
"Byotch done Baldwined me." Verb.

"Shove it up your Rusty Baldwin and rotate counter-clockwise" has a nice ring to it.


I heard about someone here in WA that I'd met a number of times, but didn't really know, who got into an argument with his GF and claiming that she got shot when his gun fell out of its holster and "just went off" when it hit the ground.

 

[Catfishmoon]

I know there are people with beliefs on both sides of has a Sig P320 ever self-discharged. For me personally, I would not buy one, too many other options and I do not think every law enforcement officer who claims this happened to them is lying.
Below is a video where a person claims this happened to him and there were multiple witnesses. That individual should have tried to get signed statements from any person who actually witnessed the discharge.

 

[DCF]

I'm sure SIG P320's came up in that search, there's competitive shooter on YouTube who actually had it happen with his P320. So it is a thing, otherwise, I would say it's shooter error. Ha..., just saw the post above mine.

 

[titsonritz]

I inherited a Winchester Model 1897. I don't use it, the thing scares me.

Because of the lack of disconnector/slam-fire feature? That's what makes them so cool.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I inherited a Winchester Model 1897. I don't use it, the thing scares me.

If you don't want that Winchester...I'll take it...

Seriously ....what about it scares you...?
They are a neat shotgun and are fun to shoot.
Andy

 

[Tony617]

Love that look on his face when he gets up from the ground

That what a "hang fire" looks like. I had one bad primer in my pistol at one time and so the primer sizzled but the round did not fire. I waited more than 20 seconds before I ejected the round and then kept firing after that. I was at the gun range so shooting 50 rounds of JHP at the range that day and did not look at the primer at all. Now I look at the primer first before loading the round in my magazine. You could see that the primer was not seated properly and produced a sizzler instead.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I know there are people with beliefs on both sides of has a Sig P320 ever self-discharged. For me personally, I would not buy one, too many other options and I do not think every law enforcement officer who claims this happened to them is lying.
Below is a video where a person claims this happened to him and there were multiple witnesses. That individual should have tried to get signed statements from any person who actually witnessed the discharge.

l don't think there is any debate that sig had a drop safe issue with the early p320s. Why would sig recall and fix them if it was fake?

Like I said in another thread sig releases products early, then fixes bugs via recalls. That's how they do business. It's also why I would never buy a sig that just came out. Having said that, the two guns that are my edc 99% of the time are sigs (both purchased long after they first came out).

 

[Alexx1401]

That what a "hang fire" looks like. I had one bad primer in my pistol at one time and so the primer sizzled but the round did not fire. I waited more than 20 seconds before I ejected the round and then kept firing after that. I was at the gun range so shooting 50 rounds of JHP at the range that day and did not look at the primer at all. Now I look at the primer first before loading the round in my magazine. You could see that the primer was not seated properly and produced a sizzler instead.

Had "hang fire" with some Win USA steel case stuff that made me quit buying it. First the rounds sounded "off", then one felt like shooting a flint lock. Very noticeable delay between click and fire. This happened a coupe times and I stopped. Ended up tossing several hundred rounds of the stuff as I was afraid to keep using it. I had never seen this with USA made factory ammo before.