If you all just have to know, the first time was with a 22-250; sent it back & got it fixed up (very good customer service BTW) and then hit it a second time (the second time may have been with a .223). This was back when I was young and foolish; now I'm just foolish.
Bad luck stories of shooting/reloading/gunsmithing
- Thread starter hillbillydruggist
- Start date
Sometimes God protects fools, unfortunately sometimes those fools are too stupid to see it.
I was at the range when a guy setup his brand new chronograph literally 3”, yes inches, from the muzzle of his 30-06 M1 Garand. He said he just started reloading and was testing his reloads. A few people as well as myself warned him to move the chronograph back but he gave us “the look” like we were the ones who were idiots. He chambered a round, took a moment to get settled in and then he pulled the trigger and God stepped in to save this fool. There was no bang so he immediately ejected the round and that round sizzled and fizzled for a few seconds. He thought nothing of it and pulled the trigger again and again God warned him again with another hang fire that also sizzled at his feet after he ejected it. At this point I was frantically packing up before he pulled the trigger again and sent shrapnel down the line. Too late, the third time is a charm and it went bang with a huge fireball. And engulfed in the fireball was his brand new chronograph. And when his brand new chronograph had disappeared into hundreds of pieces he realized he had just learned a very expensive lesson. And as I was leaving the range I looked back and seen him picking up the pieces with the same look as someone who lives at the intersection of sadness and despair.
I was at the range when a guy setup his brand new chronograph literally 3”, yes inches, from the muzzle of his 30-06 M1 Garand. He said he just started reloading and was testing his reloads. A few people as well as myself warned him to move the chronograph back but he gave us “the look” like we were the ones who were idiots. He chambered a round, took a moment to get settled in and then he pulled the trigger and God stepped in to save this fool. There was no bang so he immediately ejected the round and that round sizzled and fizzled for a few seconds. He thought nothing of it and pulled the trigger again and again God warned him again with another hang fire that also sizzled at his feet after he ejected it. At this point I was frantically packing up before he pulled the trigger again and sent shrapnel down the line. Too late, the third time is a charm and it went bang with a huge fireball. And engulfed in the fireball was his brand new chronograph. And when his brand new chronograph had disappeared into hundreds of pieces he realized he had just learned a very expensive lesson. And as I was leaving the range I looked back and seen him picking up the pieces with the same look as someone who lives at the intersection of sadness and despair.
This happened last year.
I am an AR guy, all my shooting friends know this. I don’t just assemble them but do triggers, build my own barrel, make odd versions and just do a lot of AR stuff in general.
An older gentleman was having issues with his AR. He would pull the trigger but it would not fire. My friends asked me to take a look. I told him it was probably a primer under the trigger. He said that it wasn’t that and something was wrong with the gun. I cleared the gun and it was indeed a primer under the trigger.
I noticed that at least 50% of his empties were missing their primers. I asked him if he reloads and he said he did. I then asked what load data he was using. He said “full”. Not understanding I asked what he meant and he said he would fill the case to the top then seat the bullet. I asked what powder he was using and he replied all of the ones he had tried. I asked how many loadings he had on the brass and he had no clue. I guess up until that day God had protected him with powders that were not blowing his gun up but his lesson was fast approaching.
I tried to explain some basic stuff but because he was senior to me he had no interest in listening. I packed up and left.
I am an AR guy, all my shooting friends know this. I don’t just assemble them but do triggers, build my own barrel, make odd versions and just do a lot of AR stuff in general.
An older gentleman was having issues with his AR. He would pull the trigger but it would not fire. My friends asked me to take a look. I told him it was probably a primer under the trigger. He said that it wasn’t that and something was wrong with the gun. I cleared the gun and it was indeed a primer under the trigger.
I noticed that at least 50% of his empties were missing their primers. I asked him if he reloads and he said he did. I then asked what load data he was using. He said “full”. Not understanding I asked what he meant and he said he would fill the case to the top then seat the bullet. I asked what powder he was using and he replied all of the ones he had tried. I asked how many loadings he had on the brass and he had no clue. I guess up until that day God had protected him with powders that were not blowing his gun up but his lesson was fast approaching.
I tried to explain some basic stuff but because he was senior to me he had no interest in listening. I packed up and left.
Old Navy
Gold $$ Contributor
I did that twice before I discovered Sharpies. lol
MikeMcCasland
Team Texas F-T/R
I once shot blood/bone fragment/hair of a raccoon into a guys mouth on accident. He probably considers that evening bad luck.
I shot an SS pin down a tube before.
I've seen a guy blow up a rifle by loading his 22-250 full of pistol powder. He swore up and down it was a "defective rifle" but this was a catastrophic failure after several hundred rounds down the tube. He was also a prolific handgun shooter, and only recently got into bottle neck rifle rounds. After months of fighting with them, Winchester actually replaced the rifle for him; go figure.
I've also seen a guy shoot his suppressor off it's QD mount and launch it 50ft down range.
I shot an SS pin down a tube before.
I've seen a guy blow up a rifle by loading his 22-250 full of pistol powder. He swore up and down it was a "defective rifle" but this was a catastrophic failure after several hundred rounds down the tube. He was also a prolific handgun shooter, and only recently got into bottle neck rifle rounds. After months of fighting with them, Winchester actually replaced the rifle for him; go figure.
I've also seen a guy shoot his suppressor off it's QD mount and launch it 50ft down range.
Old Navy
Gold $$ Contributor
Yep! Did that the first day out with my new Pact.
Yes! Ever tried to get them to change an inside tire on the rear of a motorhome. 'Bout lost most of the little religion I do have. I use State Farm now. Used them twice, darn good customer service both times.
Took my youngest a few years back to shoot airguns with some guys at a paintball venue. We drove from Oklahoma City to Dallas. I asked son to look at the internet post and make sure i had everything correct.
We get there an hour late. No airgun guys, do you see anyone? As i signed the waivers i thought to look at the forum schedule post again. Hour late, but we were a week early.
Hey boy! We have 6 days and 23 hours to set up!
I like the way you can drive up under bridges in texas some places still. Throwing rocks in the water is one of lifes finest gifts.
We get there an hour late. No airgun guys, do you see anyone? As i signed the waivers i thought to look at the forum schedule post again. Hour late, but we were a week early.
Hey boy! We have 6 days and 23 hours to set up!
I like the way you can drive up under bridges in texas some places still. Throwing rocks in the water is one of lifes finest gifts.
didn't take long for this post to get to 4 pages! what does that tell ya' ?
Well, here's mine...after being thoroughly disappointed with a Python I decided to see what all the hype over a Browning Hi-Power was about. I really liked the one I got and shot it a lot. So much that a "progressive" press was in order. Well, it didn't take too long to have a charge stick in the powder measure and I got a squib. This resulted in what seemed to be a misfire. With hearing protection I couldn't hear the primer send the bullet halfway down the barrel. I cleared the "dud" and promptly blew the gun up when the next round went off. It ruined the barrel and slide and my hand didn't do too well either.
Got on one of the auction sites and found the parts I needed to get the pistol going again and damned if the very next trip to the range I didn't blow the gun up again with the double charged load!! She blew good this time and so did my hand. About a week later I did the same thing with a 700 in 223. Squib load that was just heard as a "click" sent a bullet about 10 inches down the bore only to be blown by the next round. This one didn't come apart, it only swelled the heavy barrel, but it did ruin a very good shooting rifle.
I like to call all this bad luck, but the fact is I failed to follow proper procedure and completely investigate the misfires and tried to just keep on shooting. Dr. Phil would ask, "how's that working out for ya??"
Got on one of the auction sites and found the parts I needed to get the pistol going again and damned if the very next trip to the range I didn't blow the gun up again with the double charged load!! She blew good this time and so did my hand. About a week later I did the same thing with a 700 in 223. Squib load that was just heard as a "click" sent a bullet about 10 inches down the bore only to be blown by the next round. This one didn't come apart, it only swelled the heavy barrel, but it did ruin a very good shooting rifle.
I like to call all this bad luck, but the fact is I failed to follow proper procedure and completely investigate the misfires and tried to just keep on shooting. Dr. Phil would ask, "how's that working out for ya??"
Coloring bullets is also good for hole identification when shooting more than one load.
I belong to a private range and anyone who does something unsafe is kicked out.
We used to have a swat team rent one of the ranges at least 1 day a month. They were doing ridiculous unsafe acts with their firearms. So we kicked them out. Shortly after, we get a "surprise" visit from the Chief Firearms Officer and he gave us shit for the very things the swat team was doing.
Now we have cameras everywhere and I feel cameras in this scenario are a good thing.
Poured a bottle of Varget in the Chargemaster and it all came out the side.
Did same thing a few months later with w-748. Haven't done it a third time...yet.
Filled case with powder before priming.
Squished my thumb between the shell holder and the die.
Couldn't zero the scope on my 10-22. Maxed out the elevation and was still 2 feet low at 100m. Objective was on top of the rear sight.
Left all my targets at the range.
Did same thing a few months later with w-748. Haven't done it a third time...yet.
Filled case with powder before priming.
Squished my thumb between the shell holder and the die.
Couldn't zero the scope on my 10-22. Maxed out the elevation and was still 2 feet low at 100m. Objective was on top of the rear sight.
Left all my targets at the range.
JEFFPPC
Gold $$ Contributor
If it's a private range he should have been told to leave when he arrived. Sounds like abuse of police powers. I think it's mentioned somewhere in the Constitution or Articles.
It was a whole SWAT TEAM and when they were renting one of the ranges they didn't allow anyone else to even watch (which I can understand).
But a member didn't know, and walked in on them and saw what they were doing. This is not in the USA and the Chief Firearms Officer has the power to shut down any range. When I say "Private range" I mean you have to be a member and have to go through a orientation. No weekend warriors.
Nick Caprinolo
Gold $$ Contributor
I spent many months gathering up the needed parts for a new rifle. Remington 700 single trued action, Bartlein 26" barrel, Jewel trigger and a custom bench rest stock. I put a ton of money in this rifle and I was proud as hell of it.
Range day comes and the crowd I shoot with is there, waiting to see the results of the time, effort and money I had spent.
I had cleaned the barrel and ran an oil patch through at home. So I get everything set up and run a dry patch through it and then load my first bullet. with everyone standing around, this had become a pretty big production and the expectation was very high. As I take careful aim, and squeeze the first shot of of course it is not on my point of aim but remember I was also zeroing the scope. I then shot the second round and it is close to the first./ One more round and I am ready to clean it. After cleaning it I then fire my fourth shot. Something felt wrong, and I examined the rifle and found a bulge two inches from the muzzle of the barrel.
Bottom line is that I must have left a part of a patch in there after cleaning it. Target had the proper round count so that eliminated a squib. Now after cleaning, I look down the barrel prior to reinserting the bolt. Took the rifle to my smith and he cut four inches of the barrel and it is one of the most accurate guns I own.
Range day comes and the crowd I shoot with is there, waiting to see the results of the time, effort and money I had spent.
I had cleaned the barrel and ran an oil patch through at home. So I get everything set up and run a dry patch through it and then load my first bullet. with everyone standing around, this had become a pretty big production and the expectation was very high. As I take careful aim, and squeeze the first shot of of course it is not on my point of aim but remember I was also zeroing the scope. I then shot the second round and it is close to the first./ One more round and I am ready to clean it. After cleaning it I then fire my fourth shot. Something felt wrong, and I examined the rifle and found a bulge two inches from the muzzle of the barrel.
Bottom line is that I must have left a part of a patch in there after cleaning it. Target had the proper round count so that eliminated a squib. Now after cleaning, I look down the barrel prior to reinserting the bolt. Took the rifle to my smith and he cut four inches of the barrel and it is one of the most accurate guns I own.
Since I had the day off from work Monday, I spent some time in the garage loading up some .223 plinking ammo. But woe was me, as I noticed something very wrong after loading several hundred rounds. I'm loading on a Dillon 550 with brass that was already pre-processed so in station one I have an RCBS universal decapping die that I use to knock stray grains of tumbling media from the flash holes.
While I was loading, I noticed that tumbling media was NOT accumulating in the spent primer cup. A quick check of the decapping die revealed that this decapping pin was missing. After removing & examining the die I discovered that both the pin and retaining cap are gone. They were not broken, but rather had come loose and fallen off the threaded rod. I wasn't able to find them on the bench or the floor so that meant the parts were inside of a loaded round. Ugh...
I was dreading the thought of having to pull & examine all those rounds when a buddy recommended just weighing them to see if the offending round would reveal itself. Sure enough, I eventually found the rogue cartridge after about an hour, but it was much quicker than pulling rounds. Average weight of a complete cartridge was 180gr and the offending round weighed in at 200+ grains.
Pulling the trigger on that round would have been an expensive and painful event!
While I was loading, I noticed that tumbling media was NOT accumulating in the spent primer cup. A quick check of the decapping die revealed that this decapping pin was missing. After removing & examining the die I discovered that both the pin and retaining cap are gone. They were not broken, but rather had come loose and fallen off the threaded rod. I wasn't able to find them on the bench or the floor so that meant the parts were inside of a loaded round. Ugh...
I was dreading the thought of having to pull & examine all those rounds when a buddy recommended just weighing them to see if the offending round would reveal itself. Sure enough, I eventually found the rogue cartridge after about an hour, but it was much quicker than pulling rounds. Average weight of a complete cartridge was 180gr and the offending round weighed in at 200+ grains.
Pulling the trigger on that round would have been an expensive and painful event!
Not me, but my brother...
Forget why, but his truck was out of commission and he was driving a rental car. He had just got a 10/22 and was itching to shoot it. He drove out in the woods to a spot that many people would frequent to plink. Someone had left a can! He said he pulled up, opened the door and laid the 22 on the roof of the rental. BLAM! Nothing happened to the can. BLAM! BLAM! The can didn't move.
He said he took a few second to realize what happened. The scope had a clear line of sight, but the barrel didn't. He had shot three holes in the roof of a rental car.
That was some good material to remind him about for years.
Forget why, but his truck was out of commission and he was driving a rental car. He had just got a 10/22 and was itching to shoot it. He drove out in the woods to a spot that many people would frequent to plink. Someone had left a can! He said he pulled up, opened the door and laid the 22 on the roof of the rental. BLAM! Nothing happened to the can. BLAM! BLAM! The can didn't move.
He said he took a few second to realize what happened. The scope had a clear line of sight, but the barrel didn't. He had shot three holes in the roof of a rental car.
That was some good material to remind him about for years.
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