Some carryover advice from a former knife sharpener

[jimmyrabbit]

I once upon a time sharpened knives for a living––worked for caterers and restaurants, mostly. I had a rule back then that if I fumbled a knife and it was falling I just let it go and tried to get my feet out of the way…never try to catch a falling knife. Okay. The other day I was getting my 442 snubby out of it's drawer before putting it into my pants pocket to leave the house, and I fumbled the damn gun. And then I reflexively made a grab to catch it. I caught it, but my index finger was inside the trigger guard and pressing on the trigger. I stood there and stared at my hand for a few seconds and contemplated how close I'd just come to blowing off part of my body…or that of my wife on the other side of the wall. I think it's probably good advice, albeit very hard to swallow, that if a gun gets loose and falls, let it fall…or maybe at most put a foot into its path to cushion the impact. The 442 is double-action only, no external hammer of any kind. My shoe is never going to pull the trigger, and, after all, the gun's not going to go off from a fall from three feet onto a carpeted floor. So…what to say? It's something to think about. I know it takes a bit of pull to get that gun to fire, but I don't know how close I came to that pressure on the trigger. Anybody have any observations or thoughts?

 

[arjay]

Thats spooky,though resisting the impulse not to let it hit the ground would be very hard! The last knife I dropped ( Ive learned to let them go) actually stuck me just above the knee..and I was wearing shorts :-/

 

[Hapworth]

It defies instinct but you're right -- let it drop. It's extremely unlikely to discharge if in proper working order.

 

[sophie]

I agree it is best to let it drop whether it be a hand tool, knife, gun, or whatever you have fumbled at the time. It is very difficult to get into the mindset to let it hit the floor because the first instinct that I have is to catch it regardless. I guess I will have to practice in my mind to let it go. It will be hard. As we get older we would like to think that our reflexes are good as ever but that is not the case. To me it is a matter of accepting this mentally and I don't like it. I still try to catch the things that I fumble and drop. I got to work on this.

 

[arjay]

That loss of reflexes is extremely frustrating.

 

[Comrad]

The first thing I did with my perfect, in like new condition 6906 was open the padded case and watch as it fell directly to the cement floor of my basement. No chance at all of a reflex reaction to save it, one of the benefits of old age I guess. To my great surprise, not a mark on it.

 

[old&slow]

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.

I think I would feel a little safer with a S&W double action only revolver hitting the ground. But Still Scary.

 

[Hapworth]

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.

Under those circumstances it's unlikely a 1911 would discharge; it's when the muzzle is pointed straight down, perfectly aligned with a hard floor, and dropped from above waist height that a discharge is most possible, and then only if the firing pin spring is weak.

 

[old&slow]

Under those circumstances it's unlikely a 1911 would discharge; it's when the muzzle is pointed straight down, perfectly aligned with a hard floor, and dropped from above waist height that a discharge is most possible, and then only if the firing pin spring is weak.

Yep, that's what they say. And I think a 1911 an extremely safe firearm. And a 1911 is one of my favorites. But, my heart still stopped for a couple seconds..

I shoot in a lot of shooting matches and have only seen a dropped firearm a very few times. And never has there been a AD resulting from the drop. But just about everybody sucks air when they see it happen.

 

[25elk]

I don't remember his name but I'm sure one of the resident experts will fill in the blank, but there was a well known LEO and gun guru who accidentally dropped his BUG, a 1903 Colt .380 which he carried in his waistband, onto a concrete floor and it discharged and killed him. So, it can happen.

 

[Doug M.]

^ I can't recall his name, but he wrote for SWAT magazine. Tragic. Remember that the 1903 was a much older design and as I recall did not have any drop protection in its design.^

Every serious shooting class I've attended, and every serious instructor I know, the same thing is said, with ruthless vigor: If you drop it, let it go. The reason is exactly what jimmyrabbit described.

 

[BJoe]

This also applies to Midway screwdrivers with the 120-1 bit. Let it FALL but make sure stay clear. It WILL stab the top of the foot and leaves a REAL nasty hole.

 

[Ranger514]

Several years ago, I worked with a guy who discharged a baby Glock he dropped. He said he was installing some kind of plug next to the magazine well and talking on the phone when the Glock slipped out of his hands. He instinctively grabbed for it, and it discharged when his finger came in contact with the trigger during the grab. The bullet passed through his floor into a downstairs apartment, and came to rest without injuring anyone. He knew better than to work on a loaded firearm, but was lazy, and didn't want to take a moment to clear his gun. Dumb!

 

[fyimo]

I never try to grab a Knife if it falls but it would be hard to let a handgun fall but it would be the right thing to do.

 

[kaaskop49]

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.

 

[10mmauto]

Some advice from a former knife sharpener

Come on! No sharpening insights!

 

[Fishinfool]

Let it drop....

True story. A friend of mine who was a trooper in my class got home from a shift. Had an argument with his wife. Went downstairs to clean his model 66 revolver. Loaded it when done, and decided to wipe it down with an oily rag prior to re-holstering. Dropped the gun, and made a grab for it. Ended up firing a round into the floor. His lovely wife thought he had committed suicide, and called the police (his home troop, of course) stating her husband was a trooper, and had just killed himself. Took a long time for Gus to live that one down....

Larry

 

[Hapworth]

Yep, that's what they say. And I think a 1911 an extremely safe firearm. And a 1911 is one of my favorites. But, my heart still stopped for a couple seconds..

I once dropped a J-frame...hammerless...in the holster...and my heart stopped. I get it.

 

[Firearmsrookie]

I once dropped a knife,grabbed for it and got 6 stitches for it. That should teach me not to reflexively do anything!!!

 

[snubbyfan]

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.