Safety issue!!!

[pacificman]

My Son is up for a visit and we were out shooting. He was shooting his 17 HMR when he shot and assumed he had a dud round...when ejecting the dud and then trying to load 2nd round it would not chamber as the bullet was lodged in the bore just far enough so he could not chamber the 2nd round! Could you imagine if he was able to chamber the 2nd round with bullet far enough ahead in the bore and then pull the trigger!!!

He is not a member but wanted me to post this to all my fellow shooters...he's a great kid and I'm glad he is safe to be able to tell his story. Be careful guys. My Son and I hope this might be of use and maybe save some one from a dangerous situation.

 

[Cort]

The moral of the story is always check your bore after an odd shot and before firing another. I carry a long piece of heavy, weed eater line in my range bag for that purpose. On a firearm that you cannot inspect the bore from the breech, you can insert the line in the muzzle with the muzzle pointed down range and barrel slightly extended past the firing line with no concern from adjacent shooters or by any of the range officers. If the line doesn't appear in the chamber then you have something stuck in the bore or the line is too short.

Cort

 

[pacificman]

That's a good idea Cort...Thank you! I passed this on to my Son as well.

 

[jonbearman]

I appreciate the heads up as I shoot a 17hmr myself and that would really ruin your day.

 

[M-61]

Good story with a good ending. I always have a couple of drop rods in my bag. They are small and always wind up in the very bottom of the bag but they are there should I need them.

 

[lpreddick]

learned this one the hard way but without an injury. i loaded jacked bullets using book reloading data for a replica 45 colt uberti 6 shooter. my brother was the shooter. first shot...sounded funny and nothing hit the target...WAIT! WAIT! DON'T SHOOT! but the second bang, then stop. these two bullets were now lodged in the barrel, but no disaster and gun was ok. the loading data i used was for old vintage 45 colts and the uberti's bore was a bit tight. cost just under $100 to get the two welded bullets out and the gun was good. if the firearm soesn't sound right ,stop everything.

 

[pacificman]

learned this one the hard way but without an injury. i loaded jacked bullets using book reloading data for a replica 45 colt uberti 6 shooter. my brother was the shooter. first shot...sounded funny and nothing hit the target...WAIT! WAIT! DON'T SHOOT! but the second bang, then stop. these two bullets were now lodged in the barrel, but no disaster and gun was ok. the loading data i used was for old vintage 45 colts and the uberti's bore was a bit tight. cost just under $100 to get the two welded bullets out and the gun was good. if the firearm soesn't sound right ,stop everything.

Glad your brother didn't get hurt! Good info for us all..Thanks man!!!

 

[butchlambert]

Good story with a good ending. I always have a couple of drop rods in my bag. They are small and always wind up in the very bottom of the bag but they are there should I need them.

Be very careful with the drop rods. One of our BR shooters lost his eyesight because of this. He wasn't a rookie either.

 

[kolar55]

This exact thing happened to me about a week ago. What kind of ammo was it? Mine was Remington 17 grain Vmax. All I heard was the click from the firing pin fall. I looked at the empty case and it was full of powder but it was crusted together-like it had gotten wet or something. The other 49 in that box plus a few other boxes were fine and the most accurate in my CZ of any of the different brands I have tried. I bought this stuff a number of years ago.

 

[pacificman]

This exact thing happened to me about a week ago. What kind of ammo was it? Mine was Remington 17 grain Vmax. All I heard was the click from the firing pin fall. I looked at the empty case and it was full of powder but it was crusted together-like it had gotten wet or something. The other 49 in that box plus a few other boxes were fine and the most accurate in my CZ of any of the different brands I have tried. I bought this stuff a number of years ago.

YES...It is the exact same ammo...Remington 17 grain Vmax. I have read that all 17hmr ammo is made at the same place but what a coincidence that this would happen with same brand! It upsets me when I hear a story about a shooter getting hurt enjoying our sport especially when it could have been prevented...Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

[M-61]

Good story with a good ending. I always have a couple of drop rods in my bag. They are small and always wind up in the very bottom of the bag but they are there should I need them.

Be very careful with the drop rods. One of our BR shooters lost his eyesight because of this. He wasn't a rookie either.

Sorry to hear about the injury and eye loss. Curious.......I assume this did not occur using a drop rod on a BULLET stuck in the barrel...but rather some different scenario....but I am wondering what exactly? Safety should always be foremost in all things but I would like to know how this event happened. Thanks

 

[butchlambert]

M-61,
It happened to Dennis Tinkham in 2008. Brownells used to sell a brass drop rod to dislodge bullets. Dennis used one and forgot to remove it from the barrel before making his next shot. It blew up on him. Below is a little about it.

http://benchrest.com/showthread.php?55200-Dennis-Tinkham-Update

Dennis did come back and shot at a later date. He used a multiple mirror set up to shoot right handed with his left eye.

 

[butchlambert]

Dennis could have been left handed, but I don't remember.

 

[KWeigel]

Can someone describe to me what a drop rod is. I am assuming it is like a cleaning rod. Thanks

 

[butchlambert]

It is just a short brass rod.

 

[Cort]

I like the heavy weedeater line to tell me about a stuck bullet over the drop rod for the very reason that there is no way you leave it in the barrel. I use a cleaning rod and a shot of Kroil to remove the bullet.

Cort

 

[butchlambert]

Cort,
Dennis knew a bullet was stuck. He didn't need any fishing line to tell him that. He dropped the rod in to knock out the bullet. As far as the cleaning rod, people have been killed and blinded by a cleaning rod left in the bore. It doesn't matter if you aren't paying attention.