Some carryover advice from a former knife sharpener

[Jaymo]

I dropped my 4" Ruger Speed Six .357 that way, back about 1992.
Just cleaned, oiled, and loaded it. Putting it up for the day.
Trouble is, the previous owner (don't know who. I bought it at LGS) had an action job done on it. The trigger was excessively light and smooth.
Yup, I instinctively/reflexively grabbed for it.
Yup, it went "BANG!!!"
Blew a hold through my mattress, box spring, and baseboard.

The trigger on that one was so light, that you could twirl the gun like a sixgun (unloaded, of course) and it would go "click, click, click,click,click,click.
I was deaf for a while, and my ears rang for a good while after.
It was loaded with the Remington 125 grain SJHP. The good old scalloped jacket load.

Strange thing, is that it NEVER misfired. No light strikes, EVER.
Primers must have been softer then. All I hear now, is how lighter springs will make a gun misfire.
It sure was a good shooter. Shame I had to sell it to pay for car repairs when I was in tech school. (car parts, actually. Being a mechanic, I did the repairs myself)
Sure wish I knew who did the action job. I'd love tohave my current Speed Six, GP100, and Redhawk slicked up.

 

[kaaskop49]

attn snubbyfan

Thanks for sharing! We really needed to hear that. I thought Klingons ignored pain. Best wishes,

Kaaskop49
J-hound extraordinaire

 

[snubbyfan]

Thanks for sharing! We really needed to hear that. I thought Klingons ignored pain. Best wishes,

Kaaskop49
J-hound extraordinaire

I tried to but it got to the point where I said, "Golly but that's uncomfortable." Then decided it was time to use my medical insurance.

 

[DonD]

Scary !
I once was standing by a guy that dropped a cocked & locked 1911. About a 3 1/4 lb trigger, muzzle straight up, soft ground, gun didn't go bang, and no damage done. I thanked God and went and cleaned my shorts.

But Still Scary.

Yes indeedie, that was quite an event. Glad I haven't experienced that and pleased nothing happened to you. Don

 

[DonD]

It is indeed a privilege to meet the only folks in the world who have ever dropped something, or made a mistake. Everyone I meet on a daily basis has never made any misstep whatsoever.

I've dropped a number of things I wish I hadn't over the years. So far, I've only dropped a firearm once in nearly 60 yrs of shooting and that was on soft ground. Let it go, not that I made a bright, conscious decision to do so.

Hopefully, I won't repeat the mistake but Murphy's Law being what it is, I won't bet on it. Don

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

I once worked at an automotive parts warehouse and one day I was unloading a delivery truck. I took a crankshaft off the back of the truck and the box it was in gave out. The crankshaft fell and the balancer end landed right on the big toe of my right foot. I heard the thump when it hit and thought, "that's an interesting sound." Then the pain hit. My toe wasn't broken but there was a lot of pressure and blood built up under the toenail. When the doctor burnt a hole through the nail, a little fountain of blood squirted out, relieved the pressure and felt so much better.
Since that time, when I drop something, I get out of the way.

Or wear steel toed boots when working with heavy objects in a Warehouse.Any place that I have worked with anything remotely heavy that could be dropped required that I wear steel toes.

 

[steelslaver]

I have never dropped a loaded revolver, but, our battalion dropped a 105 Howitzer off the hook from a Chinook. It didn't fire, EVER AGAIN. lol

 

[arjay]

There has to be a good story there.

 

[Irelander]

I attended a well known firearms training facility a few years ago and they really stressed letting the gun drop if its fumbled. They told a story about a class years previous of FBI trainees. One of the students dropped his gun and grabbed at it. It went BANG! and the bullet struck an instructor in the head. They thought he was done for and rushed him to the hospital. Turns out that the bullet stuck at such an extreme angle to his head that the bullet went under his skin but did not penetrate the skull. The bullet traveled around his skull and exited out the other side. They said it looked just like it went in one side and exited the other. He ended up with a concussion and several stitches.

 

[Smilodon]

It is indeed a privilege to meet the only folks in the world who have ever dropped something, or made a mistake. Everyone I meet on a daily basis has never made any misstep whatsoever.

I've met some of those same liars. I have not dropped a gun, so far, but have had a knife mishap involving a heavy, sharp knife and a bare foot. No tendons were cut, no infection ensued, so it was all good.

 

[Squarebutt]

My son and I were unloading a big pump from a pickup when he lost his grip and I instinctively grabbed it. The good news is it didn't hit the ground. The bad news is I heard a "pop" in my shoulder and my rotator cuff has never been the same. I looked up the specs and the pump weighed 350 lbs.
I've dropped a few knives and tools, but thankfully no guns.

 

[arjay]

My dumbest happened years ago,mowing the lawn in flip flops,no glasses (fairly nearsighted) when I found a wire croquet wicket.Impaled both feet.Knew most of the guys on the vfd.Took awhile to live that one down...

 

[Murphy's Law]

Glad you're still around to tell us the story albeit sometimes it's human nature to try and grab from hitting the floor. How do I know, try holding up a 900lb Harley motor cycle when it starts to lean over (ugh, my poor back/ribs) from trying to hold it vertical!

 

[arjay]

Thanks for reminding me .I actually dumped my bike turning into my own gravel drive..my knee never was the same..thank god the wife was out of town :-D

 

[sac-gunslinger]

try holding up a 900lb Harley motor cycle when it starts to lean over (ugh, my poor back/ribs) from trying to hold it vertical!

Had a Gull Wing 1000 full dress way back in 1980. Oh, and I have short legs. That thing spent more time on its crash bars than on its wheels. I feel your pain.

 

[sac-gunslinger]

A friend of mine decided to demonstrate to some employees how you could deactivate a 1911 by pushing back on the barrel. 1/4" maybe. He only pushed about 1/8". Then pulled the trigger. To make the demonstration effective, he did it on a loaded gun. Whoops. Shot through the side of his hand, you could look through the hole for about six months. Finally healed. That was 35+ years ago, no adverse effects, no loss of feeling.

 

[Buford57]

I attended a well known firearms training facility a few years ago and they really stressed letting the gun drop if its fumbled. They told a story about a class years previous of FBI trainees. One of the students dropped his gun and grabbed at it. It went BANG! and the bullet struck an instructor in the head. They thought he was done for and rushed him to the hospital. Turns out that the bullet stuck at such an extreme angle to his head that the bullet went under his skin but did not penetrate the skull. The bullet traveled around his skull and exited out the other side. They said it looked just like it went in one side and exited the other. He ended up with a concussion and several stitches.

Completely off-topic, but that wound almost exactly mirrors one in a case I worked 30 years ago. A man we had always been able to identify through scars, marks and tattoos anyway gave himself a new distinguishing mark when he played Russian Roulette with a .380. Laid his scalp open from ear to ear. Scar never grew hair again. Permanent lateral part.

 

[snubbyfan]

Every time I see this thread pop up, I think of that guy that went by The Tourist. He used to rant about cheap knives and how to sharpen knives correctly. Anyone know what happened to him?

 

[arjay]

I think he got the boot.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I have never dropped a loaded revolver, but, our battalion dropped a 105 Howitzer off the hook from a Chinook. It didn't fire, EVER AGAIN. lol

Sure would hate to be the guy who had to 'splain that one to Sarge