Accidental 12 guage Discharge

[jwfab1]

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to follow safe gun handling procedures!

I went to the trap range with my brother yesterday to have a little fun. This was my first time to this particular range, but not my first time shooting trap. I don't have my own shotgun so I decided to rent one of the ranges instead of using my brothers. They gave me a Remington O/U.

Went out to the range and first few clays went good. About the 8th clay I pulled and the shotgun fired the over and then the under like an automatic. My brother told me not to ddo this because we only had 25 shells and there is 25 clays, I won't have enough shells to finish. I explained that I had only pulled the trigger once and the shotgun malfunctioned. I removed the spent shells and reloaded. The next pull fired both shells simultaneously, resulting in a very heavy recoil. My brother yells, what the hell was that, I explained something is wrong with this shotgun. Right then and there I should have turned in the shotgun, I knew something wasn't right!!!

I guy watching right behind me asked if I had been shooting trap very long because he thought I was doing pretty good. I told him this was my first time there and calls bull$hit. My brother laughs and explains this was indeed my first time.

I removed the two simultaneously spent rounds, reload, and as I close the chamber both shells fire simultaneously!!!! This blows a hole in the trap cage about 12" from my left foot, hits the concrete peppering it, and blasts the trashcan over a couple of feet. I'm in complete shock, not quite realizing what has happened and the trap operater runs over, removes the shotgun from me and asks what has just happened. I look to see if I' still have my feet, or if I'm injured anywhere. The gentleman behind me is screaming at me thinking that I accidentally fired the shells, he is extremely upset. I explain that I'm no longer going to use that shotgun and that it is malfunctioning. The operator explains I need to have that looked at by a certified gunsmith before using again. I explain that this is their rental shotgun. We go back to the office where I find out that I'm the first to use that shotgun since being repaired for double firing!! I guess noone had test fired it before returning it to the rental inventory. They give me another shotgun and we finished to games.

As we finished the first game I was 4 shells short of finishing, so at some other time the shotgun had fired both rounds. I only know of 3 of the times. So I finished with an 11 the first game and a 13 the second, not bad I guess.

Moral of the story, treat all guns as if they are loaded and ALWAYS point them in a safe direction!!

[jednp]

actually, moral of the story should be... if your gun malfunctions like this making it unsafe, don't fire it again. Stop shooting for the day and have the gun inspected. You let the gun malfunction several times, knowing something was wrong and unsafe, yet you continued to use it. You're lucky somebody wasn't hurt. You should have immediately taken the gun back to the range people as soon as you realized it was double firing.

[XDAndMe]

+1 for Mossberg

[aftershock]

thats scary glad your alright....

[jwfab1]

Jednp your absolutely right.

But at the same time the gun is designed to fire two shells consectively, 1 then 2. So the first occurance I still had a doubt that maybe I pulled twice.
The second occurance I was pretty sure something wasn't right. But still thought maybe it was a fluke, but my gut feeling told me otherwise. The third time I was absolutley sure there was a problem and I turned in the firearm.

It's like having a failure to feed, failure to fire, failure to eject, you'll never know if it was a one time fluke or an actual problem until the failure repeats itself. But not being familiar with this particular rental, after the first occurance I should have asked the range staff if anyone has ever had a simular problem.

Thanks, aftershock, I'm also glad noone else got hurt either. Things could have gotten real ugly at that piont.

[jednp]

failure to feed, fire, extract aren't that serious of an issue though. If my gun fired twice with one pull, I'd know something was dangerously wrong.

[PackerfanXD]

Originally Posted by XDAndMe

+1 for Mossberg

+2

My FIL had the same exact problem with his Ruger(I think it was his Ruger; he's got so damn many...) O/U. He had to send it back to be repaired.

[sermon8r]

Originally Posted by jwfab1

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to follow safe gun handling procedures!

I went to the trap range with my brother yesterday to have a little fun. This was my first time to this particular range, but not my first time shooting trap. I don't have my own shotgun so I decided to rent one of the ranges instead of using my brothers. They gave me a Remington O/U.

Went out to the range and first few clays went good. About the 8th clay I pulled and the shotgun fired the over and then the under like an automatic. My brother told me not to ddo this because we only had 25 shells and there is 25 clays, I won't have enough shells to finish. I explained that I had only pulled the trigger once and the shotgun malfunctioned. I removed the spent shells and reloaded. The next pull fired both shells simultaneously, resulting in a very heavy recoil. My brother yells, what the hell was that, I explained something is wrong with this shotgun. Right then and there I should have turned in the shotgun, I knew something wasn't right!!!

I guy watching right behind me asked if I had been shooting trap very long because he thought I was doing pretty good. I told him this was my first time there and calls bull$hit. My brother laughs and explains this was indeed my first time.

I removed the two simultaneously spent rounds, reload, and as I close the chamber both shells fire simultaneously!!!! This blows a hole in the trap cage about 12" from my left foot, hits the concrete peppering it, and blasts the trashcan over a couple of feet. I'm in complete shock, not quite realizing what has happened and the trap operater runs over, removes the shotgun from me and asks what has just happened. I look to see if I' still have my feet, or if I'm injured anywhere. The gentleman behind me is screaming at me thinking that I accidentally fired the shells, he is extremely upset. I explain that I'm no longer going to use that shotgun and that it is malfunctioning. The operator explains I need to have that looked at by a certified gunsmith before using again. I explain that this is their rental shotgun. We go back to the office where I find out that I'm the first to use that shotgun since being repaired for double firing!! I guess noone had test fired it before returning it to the rental inventory. They give me another shotgun and we finished to games.

As we finished the first game I was 4 shells short of finishing, so at some other time the shotgun had fired both rounds. I only know of 3 of the times. So I finished with an 11 the first game and a 13 the second, not bad I guess.

Moral of the story, treat all guns as if they are loaded and ALWAYS point them in a safe direction!!

I shoot trap with an O/U and I only load 1 shell....the over...now mine has 2 triggers but the point is only 1 shell should be loaded per round.

Glad you are ok

[jwfab1]

That is a good idea when shooting singles trap. But this isn't always the case, thus the reason for having an O/U. We were originally going to play doubles, but decided to play singles. But loading two shells in an O/U that is operating properly is completley safe.

Though we were playing singles, and my brother and I being the only ones on that range at the time, there wasn't much delay between pulls. This was the reason for loading two shells.

I'm not trying to start an argument with anyone. My main objective is to share an experience with everyone with the notion that someone else could possibly learn from this, as I did, that the basic safety rules for gun handling should always be followed. Hopefully noone else has an experience like this. And if they do, basic safety rules could save someone from being seriously injured. This was an eye opening experience.

[rev-arb]

Originally Posted by jednp

failure to feed, fire, extract aren't that serious of an issue though. If my gun fired twice with one pull, I'd know something was dangerously wrong.

+1 That would scare the hell-o out of me! Way too dangerous. I would not have used the gun after the first double fire. If it was a rental it make you wonder how often they are cleaned.