stopped in at the local country store/gun shop this am

one of his drink coolers had a door that was boarded up

when asked he said some dummy had busted the door,

after other customers left he confessed that he had shot the door glass out with a 45 colt commander, he was putting the guns in the safe after closing and dropped the mag from the colt and then dropped the series 70 combat commander with a round in the chamber and shot the villainess Pepsi cooler

price of new cooler glass a couple of hundred bucks, leaking drinks $10, lesson learned the hard way priceless.

got lucky and did not hit any cooling tubes in the cooler, door glass, six 20 oz drinks, and the back cooler wall stopped the round

but he did offer me the satin stainless combat commander at a discount, and put his 649 back into the protection rotation

That reminds me of a doctor I used to work with in the ER. He bought car loads of guns from victims of gunshot accidents for pennies on the dollar - heck, he often got them for free by just saying "Now, you don't really want that nasty old gun laying around the house waiting for another accident to happen...do you?" He kept what he wanted and sold or traded the rest. In tragedy, some see opportunity.

Regards,

Dave

The number one rule that I preach and teach is NEVER POINT A GUN
AT ANYONE EVER. When they say "oh it is empty", I explain
that it is always the empty gun that shoot's someone. It is only a
matter of time until you have a ad and if you obey the rule, you may
be embarrassed but no one will get hurt.

I knew a president of a bank in a small town in south Texas. He was a member of the Sheriff's Posse as were most of the big wigs in town. One morning, in the bank's break room,he was lecturing his employees on how they should handle a robbery. In the course of the lecture, he pulled out his J-frame, which he carried concealed, and began waving it around at the crowd. A vice- president commented that it looked like the gun was loaded and that he should be more careful. The president looked at the gun and said," nah, it ain't loaded yet", and with that remark, he opened the cylinder and spilled live rounds all over the floor.

Needless to say, he and his BS was the talk of the town for the day.

His series 70 1911 discharged on its own upon being dropped from waist height?

I know that the series 70 doesn't have an active fp block. However, when I researched the likelihood of having an AD from an inertial fire in a 1911, it seems like the gun needs to be dropped from a significant height, land on it's muzzle hard enough for the fp spring to be overcome with enough inertia to detonate the primer.

I'm not calling your friend or acquaintance a liar---but which is more PROBABLE: one or more of the 4 rules of gun safety was broken, OR all of the above happened?

STay safe.

As much as I hate to admit this. I've had two different N.D.'s in the last 45 years. Both happened with autoloaders, and both were MY FAULT!! Since that time I've stuck with revolvers, and felt much better with my decision. Again both were MY FAULT.

OP probably meant to type "dropped the hammer." Nobody believes that gun went off from being dropped, although under certain circumstances it may be possible.

Sir, as much as I hate to double dip. That kind of behavior IMO is far from ethical.

They should not be called Accidental Discharges. They are all Negligent
Discharges. It's always a violation of some safety rule. If anyone knows
of a true "accidental" discharge, tell me about it.

__________________
In Omnia Paratus

I had a Ruger SBH discharge upon being dropped... round under the hammer DUH!. darn bullet went through a lampshade broke the bulband into the wall. Fixed the wall replaced the bulb and put two pieces of tape on the inside of the shade..wife didn't notice for more than 5 years...but she did eventually find out... accused me of ruining her lampshade. Didn't know what to say when I told her it happened at least 5 YEARS previously... and I asked if she had ever dusted the shade. Did not make her ANY happier

Well, my Volquartsen grips allowed the hammer pin on my Ruger Mark ll to back out slightly, during the course of a bullseye match, enough to just clear the frame on the other side. I dropped the slide, finger off the trigger, and it fired twice. VQ gave me new grips for free after I reported it to them.

Fred-

That reminds me of a movie called, "Doctors' Wives". Starred Richard Crenna and Dyan Cannon, I think. Haven't seen it since it was in theaters back in 1971. (Had to check the date.)

A lawyer (district atty., I think) is realizing that a doctor may have been guilty of really bad behavior. He said something about how he thought that doctors were more ethical, above that sort of thing.

The doc looked at him cooly and said, "No, we're like lawyers."

In my experience, every dropped gun that fired "accidentally" did so when the dropper tried to grab it before it hit the floor, thus engaging the trigger. If it's headed to the deck, let it hit . . .

__________________
Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

1964 in a small Florida City.
1. Monday night court
2. new hire officer fresh from a tour in the U.S. Army
3. new hire carried a newly purchased Colt Government Model 1911A1 .45acp. Nickeled with pearl grips.
4. Model 1911A1 carried with loaded magazine, one in the chamber, hammer at half cock. ("causes that the way the Army show me")
5. Everyone wanted to examined the weapon (in the dispatch room)
6. new hire removed the magazine and the chambered round.
7. when the weapon was returned, new hire replaced the chambered round and then the loaded magazine, returned the hammer to half cock.
8. weapon was placed on a desk top while new hire adjusted his gun belt. muzzle was pointed at the brick wall.
9. another officer leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the desk top with some force.
10. weapon fired, with 230 grain FMJ bullet striking the brick wall and the bullet and weapon flying across the dispatch room coming to rest on a shelf.
11. within seconds the dispatch room was empty of all bodies with the exception of new hire with a bewildered look on his face.
12. Going off duty after court new hire borrowed my revolver and gun belt.
13. examined by a gunsmith and his report was a burr on the sear.

My only AD/ND was 45 years ago, and I'm still embarrassed by it!

Several years ago, the daughter of a WWII Army vet--who had been a combat medic) made a deal with some militaria seller, who bought her dads Iron Cross collection. The medic got them all from dead G.Is or G.Is he was trying to save. He had about 250 various Iron Crosses. The daughter made some decent money, the mil dealer had a windfall selling them.

Same thing with my story of a WWII combat medic. The guy was nothing but a filthy thief.

Seems like those saying it probably couldn't happen the way the OP described it are really saying the firing pin lock is stupid.

Absolutely not. American1776 described the situation quite well. I don't think that the OP has yet even answered my claim that he may have mistyped. Regardless, as A1776 says, it almost surely couldn't have happened as described. Nevertheless, under certain circumstances, a 1911 can fire if dropped. While I don't believe the initial post in every detail, I not only don't think that the firing pin lock is stupid, I don't own a 1911 or BHP without one. My Gov't Model, my LW Cdr, and my P/O all have fully functioning Series 80 parts. My BHP is a MkII.

Again, I think it's great for people to be honest. We are 'scared careful', that is, we know that things happen and people can die as a result. Therefore we try to follow every rule, but someone's life DOES depend on it.


I posted this a ways back. My son wanted to see my guns. He's primarily interested in semi autos and that's what I thought he wanted to see. (mistake to assume anything) So I took them out of the safe and carefully dropped the mags and cleared each one and laid them out, muzzle pointing away. Instead, he gets the .357 revolver out of the safe and pulls the trigger. No one was hurt and we got a very cheap lesson that could have been too expensive to bear.

My doctor friend is a collector and very well versed in many firearms. He's a member of a club that is extra observant on safety. One warning and you're out. He was in his office showing his friend a semi and manipulated the slide. (I really need to get more detail on this) and the thing went off.

Now the SAME club had a fatality one time. It was determined that toward evening someone was there by himself and was cleaning up to go. They THINK that he was carrying a gun and tripped when it discharged.

All of these people (including me) are stringent about safety rules. Yet sometimes **** happens.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Two good friends, both experienced gunsmiths, have dropped 1911's and had them discharge a chambered round. One of them dropped just an assembled slide with a round in the chamber (he was fitting some parts, I forget what) and it went off.

1911's depend on the firing pin spring being strong enough to keep the firing pin away from the primer. If the gun is dropped and momentum generates enough force to overcome the strength of the spring, discharge can happen.

Sometimes the firing pin spring is not in spec and weaker than it should be. Not normal but not unknown, either.

That said, the vast majority of unintended discharges are user error. Muzzle control is always first and foremost.

Some auto pistols can accumulate debris and old oil in the firing pin tunnel that can cause the firing pin to become stuck in the forward position. That can result in a discharge.

Guns without inertial firing pins, like many Spanish autos, can fire if dropped.

I do think the OP needs to clarify if the gun was dropped or the man just "dropped" the hammer, thinking that he had an empty chamber. A LOT of ND's happen that way.

I've read about a couple of discharges when Glocks (?) were carried in pockets and the trigger got caught in clothing and the gun fired. I refuse to own a Glock or similar design. This is just one reason why.

...I've had two nd/ad moments...old Ithaca model 37 that everyone thinks they want because it has no disconnector...so you can pump it dry while holding the trigger back...I was unloading it...and BANG...other was a Walker Colt replica...put it on half cock to try and clear a busted cap that was jamming the cylinder...BANG...she went off...as they say...half cocked...

__________________
A Country Boy Can Survive

Most modern arms are well designed, but years of wear, dirt, dropping etc. can make those safety features not so safe.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Oh, about a year and a half ago, I was returning a Winchester model 12 to my FIL's safe, after using it to dispatch a critically wounded animal. I always wipe down my long guns before,storing them unloaded in the safe. Anyway I spy a 16 gauge model 12 that had obviously not been wiped down after its last use, and was just starting to rust. so I picked it up and gave it a gentle rubbing down. When I got to the receiver, I brushed the trigger with my finger, and blew a hole slam through the roof! The worst part for me, was that my MIL was in the other room with my infant son. I learned/re-learned some valuable lessons.
1. All firearms are loaded.
2.if it ain't yours, don't touch it!
3. never do anything that could be dangerous, when you haven properly rested.
4. Let your mother in law, kill her own damn cat!

Pump Action Shotguns:
In my career I have observed a number of patrol vehicle "after factory roof vents" from Ithaca Model 37s, Winchester Model 97s, and Winchester Model 12s due to Slam Fires. Back in the day shotguns were assigned to the patrol vehicles as inventory. The shotguns mostly were not given routine maintenance , and dirt /debris collected inside the action and would jam the trigger backwards, thus when the action was worked, BAM !

The op told us like he was told and thinking about it I think the clerk told it like it was. To take out a door on a drink cooler the muzzle would not have been what hit the floor. Sounds like to me that the clerk had the hammer all the way down or the half cock position on the hammer was defective and that it hit the hammer when it hit the floor. Hammer down on a 1911 equates to the same reason folks carry SSAs with an empty chamber under the hammer.
I had an AD a few years back but it was a combination of two factors. Cold and too light of a sear engagement. I had bought a nice Winchester mod 70 with a heavy barrel and heavy stock and a Timney trigger. Working down the muzzle crown that looked like it had been cut with a dull drill bit, I had made several trips to the range and had it polished out correctly and on this trip it was cold (in the 30s). Had shot the first round and when I chambered the second round it went boom. Luckily I was still on the bag with it. Said hummm and put it up for the day. When I got it home, worked perfect. Out of wondering, I set it on the porch for several minutes and worked the bolt. When the bolt closed the hammer would fall. Replaced the sear and readjusted the trigger, no more problems.
Larry

I saw a vid of a S&W X-frame where shooter accidentally fired two rounds due to recoil.

__________________
- Post No Bills -

I'm by-and-large with you, but I'd call any discharge that's the result of mechanical failure that couldn't be anticipated by normal inspection or maintenance accidental; for instance, an improperly heat treated sear hook breaking and resulting in a discharge I view as accidental on the user's part.

Keep in mind that when someone does something stupid that results in an embarrassing consequence, they sometimes lie about their stupid contribution to the embarrassing consequence in order to minimize the appearance of being .......... well, stupid!

My new/ad happened over forty years ago and I'm still not telling ya what happened. No one hurt!

We had an OIC in 'Nam that carried a Thompson, and, oh yeah, he was a jerk. Anyway-he came into the area behind the bunkers where there was a concrete slab with his finger on the trigger-jerked one off straight down on to the concrete-lead went everywhere in an area crowded with troopers, and somehow no one was hit. PTL.

At 71 I have two in my resume. Haven't had a third in 30 years. Be careful out there.

__________________
Foster Positivity.

the gun in question was a gun from the early 70's with a heavy round count and several modifications, quite a bit of wear on the pacmar wrap arounds. as far as if it fired when dropped or he discharged the gun I will never know he was alone in the store at the time of discharge

I did not buy the gun because I have no need, or desire for it

I learned at the age of 10 years old about auto loaders, my dad had gone to a local country bank and had left me in the car, as he was leaving he told me there was a gun in the glove compartment and not to bother it,

so as a 10 year old boy guess what I did,

I opened the compartment and saw a shiny small semi auto pistol, ( my first bottom feeder experience)

I had saw enough TV shows ,to know I should check it to see if it was loaded, so I pulled the slide back and saw bullets in the magazine so then I let the slide go and removed the magazine, thinking I had unloaded the weapon.

wrong!

we were parked by and empty lot that turned into a field so I was lucky when I pulled the trigger on that empty gun and shot a .25 hole in daddy's windshield of his 1958 Chevy belair.

when daddy got back to the car, he saw what I had done, and that was in the 1950's when such things were corrected with a belt.

so as he was applying correctional discipline some old lady asked what I done to deserve the whipping,

after he told her,

she said

"poor it to him"

Lucky that I did not shoot some one "YES"

learned a valuable lesson from said discipline "ABSOLUTELY"

Shooters love the Series '70 type pistols and just don't want to believe one can go off if dropped. Just prior to WWII Colt adopted a firing pin safety. Do you suppose they just did that just for the heck of it? WWII intervened and a FPS was not again incorporated into the design until the 1983 Series '80 was introduced. I bought a new Series '80 Government as soon as they became available and was prepared to hate it. Never a problem of any kind. I've owned quite a few Series '80 Colt pistols since, carried one full time for years, was an LE Colt armorer, etc. Still never a problem. People gripe about Series '80 guns having a heavy or somehow bad trigger pull. Really? Trigger pull specs did not change when Colt began producing Series '80 guns. Can't be given a good trigger job? I know for a fact that a clean,safe 3 1/2# trigger is achievable with all stock Series '80 parts intact.

While I obviously have no way of knowing what happened in the ND in the OP's post, I definitely do believe it is possible that a 1911 type pistol without a FPS could go off when dropped.....ymmv

BTW, I had a '58 Belair with balanced 348, 3-2bbls, 4:56 posi,etc. No bullet holes in the windshield though

__________________
NRA Life, COTEP 640

It happens from time to time. I've blown a hole in my wall with a .357 magnum one time. It's just something to be aware of and to make sure it doesn't happen again.