ah yes ... Gun season ....
General Topic
Always sad to hear of these things every year. My son turned 12 last year and he took his required hunter's safety course here in PA. I took it with him as I hadn't taken it in 34 years since I was 12. I can't for the life of me understand how someone can accidentally shoot someone else.
I had dinner at a rancher friend's house last night with some other older rifle hunters, and they all had stories of accidental discharges that thankfully didn't hit anyone. In the house, in the truck, outside, ones they had done or friends/acquaintances. We decided that these things happen a lot more than you hear about, unless somebody gets hurt.
I elk hunted with an old NM rancher and he had someone walking behind him have an accidental discharge. 300 win mag to the shoulder. Had to be airlifted out.
Lou,
Two happened in my presence...the first was a guy that road around with a loaded rifle. Jumped out to shoot a coyote in his pasture, the .30-.30 went off right next to my foot shooting through the floorboard. He had a drinking problem, never saw him again.
Second episode, we were goose hunting and the action was slow. 5 of us were standing around in a circle with our shotguns pointed down, tucked under our arms. Every one had unloaded except for one guy. He shrugged in the cold, his shotgun went off shooting the ground right in the middle of us. Never went with him again either, but we were all at fault for not insisting and checking that everyone unloaded.
Firearms season started in MO this past Saturday. I bow hunted dressed as a pumpkin and was anxious the entire time.
If you fail rule 1 and have an AD, rule 2 should keep anyone from being injured.
I worked in the firearms industry around folks who handled guns almost every day for a living. Most have an AD story.
I’ve only witnessed one accidental discharge. When I was 8 about 28 years ago we would always clean our Hawkins muzzleloaders by soaking the barrel in the bath top and scrubbing the barrel then firing a cap through to help it dry out. My dad hadn’t unloaded his and even after soaking for hours it shot. Killing only the big box tv. Thankfully he knew that even an “unloaded” gun doesn’t get pointed at people as me and my brothers were in the living room with him. That old box soaked up that 50 cal, TVs sure have came a long ways, lol.
a few years ago a duck hunter killed another there were several friends hunting from the bank & one that was sitting down stood up just as the other shot. when I was a teenager deer hunting in wva I had a 3006 with a 4× scope & way down the hollow something kept moving. back then I didn't carry binos & I kept looking at it with my scope I never took off the safety or even thought about shooting it I was just trying to figure out what it was & after some time a man stood up & walked down the mountain he was sitting & had his back against a rock or log & I was seeing his grey stocking cap moving as he turned his head. I never forgot that lesson & started useing binos after that & he damn sure should have had orange on during gun season ... another incident I know of & many beleived it was murder but a guy was found dead shot in the chest there was a dead buck by him & the butstock of his muzzleloader was broken as if he was beating the deer with the butstock of the gun & it accidentally discharged & killed him ??? this happened near Culpeper va around the early 90s
The incidents with firearm hunters get all the press, but it’s not reality. I work in an emergency department and we have exponentially more archery related injuries than firearms. Hard to argue that the firearm hunter who has an accident is any dumber than the bow hunter who refuses to wear a fall restraint. Lack of common sense is good for business.
When I was 16 years old a friend and I were out pheasant hunting in his sister's little Datsun car. Road hunting for pheasants is a sacred pastime here in SD and as youth we loved to partake. Well a pheasant ran across the road and my buddy stopped the car and went to exit the car with his old single shot Stevens 12 gauge which was resting in the backseat. Unfortunately the hammer caught on something in the backseat and the gun went off about 10" or so from my head and blew a hole out the windshield. Stuff happens sometimes, should not have had the action closed on that single shot but he did. We hunted together many years before and after that and never an issue. What we do is inherently dangerous, we just can't make it more so by being stupid!
NEWPORT, N.Y. -- A 20-year-old hunter was shot accidentally and killed by another hunter in his group Sunday morning in Herkimer County, state police said.
Joshua R. Morgan, 20, of Newport, was hunting with a group of people in a wooded area north of state Route 5 South in the town of Frankfort at 8:43 a.m. when someone in his group accidentally shot him, state police spokesman Trooper Jack Keller said.
Some states don't require blaze orange to be worn while hunting, NY is one of them. It's always a good idea, you never know who is out there with a firearm.
Every unintentional discharge that results in an injury, involves the violation of more than 1 of the rules of Safe Gun Handling.
-Always point the muzzle in a safe direction. -Treat every gun as if it's loaded. -Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. -Keep every firearm unloaded until ready to use it. -Be aware of your target and what is in line with it.
There are a few others like know how to operate any firearm you intend to use, and make sure the gun is safe to operate, and have the correct ammunition for it, etc. They are ALL common sense, which is sometimes in short supply in a lot of places.
Brotsky, I'm surprised that you mentioned the problem was the action being closed. Seems to me that the issue was having a loaded firearm in a vehicle.
Let's all commit to being that Safety Nazi who demonstrates safe gun handling AND reminds those around us to be safe.
I am always amazed at how some guys who have been hunting for years act with firearms in their hands. I'm that asshole in Camp who yells at people for pointing their gun at me (or someone else). The answer "it's not loaded" almost invariably follows.
Do us both a favor, don't invite me to a Hunting Camp where guys show ignorance about safe gun handling.
Oh, and I can sometimes be a real asshole at the Cabela's Gun counter!
When I was 14 a buddy took his dads pistol we went out to the can pile to shoot it. He slipped on the cans hands went up in the air and he shot himself thur the other hand between thumb and index finger every time his heart beat blood would shoot up about 10 inches. Looked like Old Faithful. He was fixed up and good to go. Never went with him again.
It amazed me... and made me mad when I was outfitting how many grown men would point their rifle directly at me multiple times throughout each day. I’d start out making light humored comments. I’d look straight down the barrel and say “What grain bullet is that?” But after about the third time I’d say if you point that gun at me one more time the rest of this hunt will be nothing but a camping trip because I have no plans of being packed out of here on my own Fn mule!
Most men will go through a phase of accidental discharges and usually at night.
My wife was on a plane a few days ago I think is was Friday. The lady sitting next to her was flying to Denver from Dallas because they had airlifted her husband from Craig after he had shot himself in the leg elk hunting. I guess he had to crawl about a hour to a road after shattering the bone in his lower leg.
Every dipshit and their brother come out of the woodwork once gun season opens, crossbow is a close second! These guys should have 2 week season the last 2 weeks of the year. Just encourages laziness with these long gun seasons. You limit it to 2 weeks you’ll see a vast improvement
Supernaut. . agree 100%...just doesn't seem possible to me either.
Thanks LTV
LMAO?? I don't think of bigwoods as a troll. Rather just an annoying jackass.
Troll may work though
I and my family do not gun hunt but own many. My sons and grandchildren have taken the hunter safety course. At least three AD's come to mind just in my family. My brother came close to shooting me in the head with a .22 while small game hunting when we were teenagers. One of my best friends that I grew up with had his uncle accidentally shot and killed by his father. An acquaintance that sold me bow access for elk in Colorado in the 1980's accidentally shot and killed himself. He was unloading a gun from he back of his Bronco and shot himself in the stomach. He seemed to have a fastination with guns so he was not a novice. l believe stuff happens more than most think. As others like Link and Mule Power have stated that the pointing of unloaded and loaded guns at people should never happen or be allowed to happen. JTV good thread......Bob
Many reasons for accidental discharges. Some people are safe but just break their normal routine and an accident happens. Others are just plain careless on a regular basis and sooner or later it catches up with them.
Talked with the ortho surgeon after he cleaned out my sons knee. He told me that he does surgery regularly on 20 yr olds who have had a firearms accident while messing around with their friends at the gun range. He said that it really wakes some people up and others he sees back within the year for another gunshot wound. His quote to my son was “remember that death comes out the end of that barrel and never forget it, never.” Was a year ago last weekend. Terrible memory. I now have no problem being the firearms Nazi when it comes to being around people who are unaware of their unsafe behavior in pointing their firearm carelessly at me or anyone else.
-Mitch
When I was about 10, I had this single shot, bolt action 22 rifle. I wasnt my only 22, just one that I had.
One day while out partridge hunting, I put a bullet into the chamber and slid the bolt forward. BANG! Man, that scared me. But I was only 10 and didnt think much about it. It never happened again... Until...
Later that year, I was plinking with that 22 out in the yard. I remember I turned away from where I was shooting, had the barrel pointed downward, put a shell in the chamber, slid the bolt ahead and BANG!
The next thing I heard was 'PSSSSSSSSSSSS' and my mom's car tire was going flat.
When my dad got home that night, I told him about what happened - and that it happened once before - man I was scared! But he just took the gun, looked it over and put it in bench vise and promptly bent the barrel into a U shape.
But I still did have to change my mom's car tire. But I knew how lucky I was.
Brad - I had a similar incident only with a .240 Weatherby Mark V. Went to unload it before getting in my truck. Took the safety off to work the bolt, as soon as I touched the bolt, the gun went off. Put a scare into me for sure.
-Mitch
"I can't for the life of me understand how someone can accidentally shoot someone else. " The one and only time I hunted WY for mule deer I was having some trouble hitting a nice mulie at close range with a borrowed 30 06. My hunting buddy described the scene later as he was watching through his scope. On a Ruger 270, that had a trigger safety recall...
Really? You pointed your gun, at me to watch the action through your 10 power scope. Where the hell were the cross hairs??????? On my back????
I have heard of a few bowhunters shooting bowhunters, would bet the farm it was not a mistake but a fight over money, a woman, property dispute or all three. Everyone one knows you just don't drop an arrow into the pump house or other vital area, just by accident. Self-inflicted yeah I'll buy that but if I am ever shot by an arrow, somebody out to be brought up on charges...
Our local firearms safety instructor was shot by a trespassing turkey hunter on his own property a few years back. State rule says it has to be a bird with a beard.. The guy shaves, so no excuse there. Plus wasn't wearing red, white , blue or black at the time.
A close friends father that I bowhunted a lot with growing up, went turkey hunting one evening. Upon returning home got out of his truck to go inside and forgot to retrieve his shotgun from behind his truck seat.
He went to the closest truck door which was the passenger side and reached in to pull out the shotgun. Before pulling on the gun barrel, he told us he thought do not stand in front of the barrell even though it was unloaded.
When he pulled on the barrel the trigger hung on something behind the seat. The gun fired and blew a chunk out of his hand below his pinky finger.
He required more than one surgery and was off work for sometime. He apparently only ejected two of the three shells in the gun. He was very lucky that day and used it as an important teaching lesson to others, to always triple check firearms.
I was just talking to my father about these scenarios last week... Mistaking a hunter for a deer or turkey is absurd. The shooter should be held accountable with criminal charges. To me, it is gross recklessness akin to impaired driving or driving excessively fast and getting in a wreck... -If you kill someone in this instance you’re in for man slaughter. Same should hold true here.
I feel the most dangerous people with guns are the ones that didn't grow up hunting & shooting yet older in life decide to start hunting. for over 20 years every Saturday & on holidays we drove deer with bow muzzleloader & rifle in the North western part of VA anywhere from 4-5 to 15 plus of us & never an incedint. in over 20 years. when this topic comes up ya have to realize that there are millions of gun hunters in the woods every day during firearms season& in all realality the percentage of accidents if very low. when a topic like this comes up I always think about driving down a 2 lane 55 mph road with nothing seperating me from that car coming at me at 55 mph than the other drivers judgment & some paint on the road. ill take the woods during gun season every time
In my opinion there is no such thing as an accidental discharge, only negligent discharges and malfunctions. When I was younger we were standing in a group after doing a drive, while unloading rifles I hear one go off. We all looked at each other and one guy in our group said his rifle just went off. He claims when he took it off safe to open the bolt the firing pin jumped forward causing the rifle to go off.
Thankfully he was facing away from the group with the muzzle pointed down. No one witnessed the incident but I believe he truly did have a malfunction. He put that rifle away for the season.
"I feel the most dangerous people with guns are the ones that didn't grow up hunting & shooting yet older in life decide to start hunting" I believe the complete oppposite
"The one and only time I hunted WY for mule deer I was having some trouble hitting a nice mulie at close range with a borrowed 30 06. My hunting buddy described the scene later as he was watching through his scope. On a Ruger 270, that had a trigger safety recall... Really? You pointed your gun, at me to watch the action through your 10 power scope. Where the hell were the cross hairs??????? On my back????" My buddy was a firearms instructor and one year we were moose hunting. Another hunter in the group related how he was watching my buddy from another ridge. My buddy knew he didn't have binos and asked him how he could see that far. He said I was looking through my scope at you. He is lucky he is a fast runner as my buddy grabbed his gun and probably would have beat him to death with it if he had not run !
I had one happen to me once. Dont know if you call it accidental or not. But I seen a skunk just outside by back door. Ran back a grabbed a .22 Savage semi. Stuffed a clip in, racked a round in as I was leaving my room and "bang". I had my left hand on the fore stock and ran the action with my right. So finger was no where near the trigger. Had the gun pionted down so nothing got hurt or tore up to bad. But was eye opening
Gun accidents happen more often among people that are supposed to be gun savy. I forget where I read that 10 or so years ago but, that was what I read. And, I believe it. Here is why. People begin to get lazy with gun safety once they get used to guns. A couple examples.
I bought my first AR 15 8 years ago and made a target gun out of it. Had a good trigger put in it and such. My brother was interested in how the trigger felt so, the first time he came up after I had it installed, he asked to see the gun. I went to the safe and got it out. Where it set with a loaded magazine and an empty bore. I was cooking supper when I came out and handed it to him and, went back to the kitchen and attended my duties at the stove. I told him the magazine was loaded when I handed it to him but, he swears he didn't hear it. Anyways, I hear the bolt slide back as he unknowingly loaded the gun. It takes about a second for me to realize what I heard and, after doing so I turned to see what he was up to with a now loaded AR. He was pointing the gun at he ceiling and looking through the scope. My little pea brain was going over time as I saw him taking aim I realized he was about to squeeze and "test" that new trigger. I screamed at him, "What are you doing!". He stopped and lowered the gun about the time I got to it and, watched dumb founded as I put the safety on it, dropped the magazine and worked the bolt to eject the live round. Man I scolded him good and he took it because he knew better then that. I trust him with my life and still do. We both know firearms safety and firearms as well as any one. But, the problem arouse due to him taking for granted the magazine was empty and me taking for granted he had heard me and would check to be sure he was handling a loaded gun in an unsafe way.
I used to rifle hunt an area where 35-40 of us would take campers and hunt. Everyone would gather in campers and discuss the days hunt after dark. I was in a buddies camper with about 8 other guys, crowded in having a good time talking. When a guy came in the camper that deals in firearms. A friend to us all as well. The guy who owned the camper had stored his rifle on the fold down top bunk when he got in. The gun guy wiggles back to the couch we were on and starts talking when he noticed the gun on the bed above him. He picks it up and starts looking at it, while covering everyone in the camper with the muzzle as he marveled at the gun.
I instantly reached for the gun upon seeing him do it but, he kinda jerked it away in a joking fashion. I kept reaching for it telling him to give it to me, which inadvertently fed his game of keep away. All the while, he kept sweeping that muzzle back and forth covering everyone at the table. All the while smiling and brushing my hand away from the gun like we were playing a game. I was setting down and trying to get up but with all the people and clutter, add in my main focus was getting the gun in my hands, plus him acting like a idiot, I just couldn't make it happen. After a couple seconds I lost it and, finally yelled, "Give me the damn gun!". That got everyone's attention. He looked shocked and, was getting defensive as I was finally able to get stood up and take the gun from him. I grabbed that gun and worked the bolt and, a great big 7MM Mag shell shucked right out of it onto the floor. Silence ensued as I bent down, picked it up, thrust the gun back in his hands and told him to check the friggin' thing before he started pointing it at everyone. He replied with the same sheepish answer everyone does when they do something the know better to do. " i didn't know.....".
Last one. Two years ago the day after thanksgiving, we are setting in deer camp with a huge fire after dark. We were camped on the fringe of a wilderness area that allows no motorized vehicles for 18 miles through. It was a couple hours after dark when a man and his boy stumble into camp coming from within the wilderness boundary. Seems they had left their truck on top of the mountain and had decided to drop in and hunt several miles back out that day. They become lost earlier that day, had no water, food, was soaking wet, and frankly delighted to see us. They started telling us where they were parked and two of my buds said they'd give them a ride back out. So they left camp and walked to the parking lot and was preparing to get into the truck bed. My one bud asked if their guns were loaded and the dad said yes. So, he unloaded his and instructed his son to do the same. Well, the boy had AD while dong so. Standing there in a circle with 4 men around him. He was new to hunting, this was his first year, first gun, etc... But, he wasn't cocky enough to dismiss gun safety because he had that muzzle pointed into the ground away from the people around him while unloading the lever action. It could have been so bad if he had acted like so many experienced gun owners and got to comfortable around people with firearms.
I don't have an issue with knowing my target but I'm lax on knowing what's beyond. Thanks for the reminder.
I have been teaching hunter safety for a lot of years . I put out the challenge every year. I tell the kids They should never point their firearms in an unsafe direction. I go on to say that we older folks need a reminder once in a while. There is always a dad or two at the class. I ask the kids what would happen if they corrected dad. There is some squirming in the seats. A few years ago I had a dad speak up. He said That he would be proud of his kid. He then moved forward in the room and announced that he would pay attention so he would not get corrected. It was a great moment.
I remember when my son was carrying his first gun and went shooting with me. He was 9, and I was intent on teaching him the rules of safe gun handling. We'd gone over them when he had his first BB gun a couple years earlier, and he seemed to absorb them OK, but I wanted to renew the lessons now that he was packing a firearm.
One of the lessons rules (for us, anyway) was to never enter the vehicle or the house with a loaded weapon. And to reinforce the importance of that rule, I made it a point to always re-check both our weapons as we got to the door to ensure that they were indeed empty.
Worked just fine for a year or so, and then one day when we got home from squirrel hunting and stepped onto the front porch and went through the "useless, belt-and-suspenders" routine of double-checking our guns by opening the actions, a live round flew out and hit the porch floor....and not from his gun, from mine!
Only time I ever had a round hang up in the tube of the trusty Marlin lever gun and fail to feed. I was kinda red-faced, but it gave me the opportunity to talk with him about the value of redundancy in safety checks. And it changed my safety check to make sure the gun was pointed vertically and to lever that action open twice and visually check that it didn't load another round instead of just the one time and "knowing" that it did because it "always" did. Sometimes when we teach safety, we teach ourselves as well.
I’ve been a Police Officer for 26 years in a department of about 120 Officers.........
During my career there have been about 5 accidental discharges by Officers inside of our building. Luckily no one was injured ......
Complacency. Don’t let it happen to you.
Accidental discharge is one thing. Mistaking a human for a deer or turkey in the field is quite different!
Once Gun season is IN, I am ORANGE from head to toe! I don’t want anyone to see any of my parts moving in the woods and thinking it is an animal!
I remember when my son was carrying his first gun and went shooting with me. He was 9, and I was intent on teaching him the rules of safe gun handling. We'd gone over them when he had his first BB gun a couple years earlier, and he seemed to absorb them OK, but I wanted to renew the lessons now that he was packing a firearm.
One of the lessons rules (for us, anyway) was to never enter the vehicle or the house with a loaded weapon. And to reinforce the importance of that rule, I made it a point to always re-check both our weapons as we got to the door to ensure that they were indeed empty.
Worked just fine for a year or so, and then one day when we got home from squirrel hunting and stepped onto the front porch and went through the "useless, belt-and-suspenders" routine of double-checking our guns by opening the actions, a live round flew out and hit the porch floor....and not from his gun, from mine!
Only time I ever had a round hang up in the tube of the trusty Marlin lever gun and fail to feed. I was kinda red-faced, but it gave me the opportunity to talk with him about the value of redundancy in safety checks. And it changed my safety check to make sure the gun was pointed vertically and to lever that action open twice and visually check that it didn't load another round instead of just the one time and "knowing" that it did because it "always" did. Sometimes when we teach safety, we teach ourselves as well.
Big bear x 2, great advice! be safe guys and gals and don't be afraid to correct someone. Some people just don't know any better
I was a hunting accident victim in 1972. Three months in the hospital and a lifetime of once a year colonoscopies. During rifle season, I park my butt at dusk and do not move until dark with a headlamp. The guys that shot at me put one bullet through my jacket and one about an inch below my testicles. What got me was when I tried to duck, my feet went out from underneath me and I had a cut sapling stump go up my butt 18 inches and and slice through my colon in two places and my bladder. They ran up, saw I was not a deer and left me there with my 7 year old daughter screaming. We never saw those two guys again. You talk about pain. I had to lift off that sapling and my daughter drove me and her to a nearby house where they called for an ambulance. Thank God I let her drive our tractors and my pickup on the farm and dirt roads. She got a heroes award from the state. I came very close to bleeding to death and after, an infection almost got me. I am not a big fan of prostate exams and if I ever get stuck in a cell with Bubba who has romance on his mind, it will be a fight to the death.
Damn, Lawdy - you dodged a whole BUNCH o’ bullets on that one!
I take it those clowns weren’t local. Can’t believe they didn’t try to help....
13 years working ER all across the state of KS and I've never seen an injured rifle hunter. I've seen plenty of bowhunters though. Arrow fell out of quiver and deeply lacerated a thigh after the guy walked into it and , multiple falls from tree stands.
Wow lawdy. I can’t imagine that scene with your 7 year old and the 2 guys leaving you for dead with your daughter crying. They truly might take the cake for biggest scum of the earth.
Lawdy, that's flat out crazy. Thornton, here is my brothers mishap during archery this year.
A few years ago during Iowa shotgun season I was standing and a big doe was trotting along this side hill 20 yards away. Safe, easy shot. I started to squeeze the trigger before she abruptly changed direction and I backed off. I put the safety back on and had the gun butt on my thigh as I stood there watching. A few seconds later the hammer must have dropped and the gun went off in a safe direction. I yelled, danced around and thought for sure I was shot but I couldn't find a hole or blood. Scared the crap out of me but that's why you never point guns at anyone.
Ksrancher-Identical to the one I sewed up in urgent care a few years back.
iv always been Leary of old logging roads imagine a hunter looking down a logging road sees a deer a few hundred yards down takes aim pulls the trigger just as you step into the road. in this situation the person pulling the trigger would have done nothing wrong. just something to keep in mind... earlier in this thread someone said they were having trouble hitting a deer at close range with a borrowed rifle. I'm fortunate to be able to shoot rifles at my house to 600yds & the other day before hunting with an old 6mm rem I have I decided to check it & It completely missed a 55 gallon drum at 100yds I moved to 50 yards & did not hit the drum. I pulled the scope checked the bases & rings everything was tite ??? sometimes things get rough on the 4 wheeler that rifle was off 16"s at 50 yards so how much at 300 3-4' or more check your guns before you hunt especially a borrowed one
Ace, don't get me started. I 've had every situation and then some happen to me, with near tragic results. Yeah, NY of all states doesn't require hunter orange. But that being said, NO ONE should ever be in danger of being shot with ANY color on, if people abide by common sense and the 'rules' taught in hunter ed. NO one... You should be able to go out in a full Carhart suit with white packs on and not get shot at (although that would be totally foolish), if everyone would MAKE CERTAIN of their target and beyond. Period. I say this because I myself encountered such a (I'll say 'fool') 'hunter' back when I was in college. I was still hunting in the southern tier of NY, and I spotted a deer bedded, flipping its tail like it was keeping flies off. I raised up, kept my finger on the safety, but kept it on, and slowly approached. I kept getting closer, and the tail kept twitching, body lay with its 'back' to me. I got to within 20 yds, because I did not see its head that was behind a tree, and I realized this was not a deer, but some total idiot in full Carhart suit with white rubber packs on, tapping his foot. I about came unglued on him! Told him how stupid that was, he's gonna get shot, even someone with the safety discipline I have (I was taught to go way above and beyond 'safe' by Dad), actually pulled up on him at the ready. He sat there bewildered, like he had no clue. (musta been from Joisey... ;) kidding... anyway, I am so glad I was taught discipline and safety first, or I would have had a much different 'career' in my 20s and 30s.
He was sitting on the ground, legs outstretched, leaning against a tree, with most of his body behind the tree. His leg and thigh looked just like a deer laying there with its white tail flipping. Crazy stupid, knowing who's 'out there' hunting.
I've been around a few accidental discharges with kids but they've always been sitting at a bench with the gun facing the target and no one was down range, so there was no danger.
The only slightly scary AD I've been around is a buddy of mine was teaching is step daughter to shoot a pistol, it was a Sig 226, and he had the hammer down the first shot so he was telling her that the pull will be longer the first shot, but he didn't warn her how light of a trigger pull that second shot would be with the hammer being back already and she shot about 3 feet in front of everyone into the ground.
I know my dad has told me about AD's he's had when he's been hunting or with buddies he's been hunting with, but I've been shooting since I was about 3, I'm 40 now, and I've never had an accidental discharge. I guess I've been extremely lucky and paranoid with keeping the safety on and finger off the trigger.
iv probably heard of & know of more ad's from people messing with rifle triggers especially rem 700 triggers they have 3 adjustments sear engagement trigger travel & spring tension. unqualified folks trying to lighten trigger pull is a problem. I adjust my triggers & always do the 3' drop test to confirm it's safe
The Rem 700 trigger is a known hazard. I owe myself a replacement.
lots of ad's mentioned but there's definitely at least in my mind a difference between mechanical malfunction & accidental discharge if a human finger pulled the trigger is that an accident ?
If you end up dead, will your wife and kids actually care?
Many moons ago one of the guys who took us hunting drilled this little mental note into us. He said to always imagine your rifle is a garden hose gushing water. You'd never want it pointing at anyone else they'd get soaked. Pretty silly but I never forgot it. Funny the things you remember...
