Brother's thumb lacerated by the slide

[modelflyer2003]

My brother went to the range with me for some handgun fun. I bought a new Ruger LCP and needed to try it out. I also brought my Glock 26 and a Taurus Model 82 from the 1970's. I liked the LCP but decided that the trigger was something to get used to, as some have mentioned. First time I shot it, I put all six rounds on a paper plate at 30 feet. Anyway to the point: My brother decided he wanted to shoot the Glock. After the second or third round he stopped firing but kept the gun pointed down range. I could see that the slide was not all the way forward, and I could see the brass of the round not fully into battery. When I approached I wondered if I had made a squib load as he was shooting my reloads. I noticed his left thumb was bleeding and had a laceration about a centimeter and a half long. It wasn't bad, but in a bad spot. He said that the slide came back and hit his thumb, because he got it too high. Being a family nurse practitioner, I realized that he would benefit from a few stitches and a long overdue tetanus shot. I told him that even if the doctor/nurse practitioner that looked at it only puts steri-strips on it, he needs the tetanus and at least and x-ray, because of the high velocity of the contact injury. The skinny is that the nurse practitioner put steri-strips on it but did not put an aluminium splint on it to keep it from breaking open when he bends his thumb. She did x-ray it though, and he didn't have a fracture. He said it was a lesson learned and that he will never make that mistake again. Probably not. I would say he got pretty lucky. He needs some pistol-holding remediation apparently. Anyone have any slide bite or hammer bite stories they want to share?

 

[sweendogie]

that happened to my dad when he was younger on an old walther p38

 

[trigger_happy57]

whenever we qualified on the m9 there was always 1 if not more people that always caught the slide due to crossing their thumbs we called it snake bites or railroad tracks. but it seemed to be a self correcting problem.

 

[Dewidmt]

I think you went a little overboard in treatment....I would have slapped a band-aid on it and kept shooting. Have done it before in the past..pistol slides don't have enough mass and velocity to cause a fracture ( unless one gets pistol-whipped to a facial bone). But at least you got a couple hundred bucks racked up in ER bills!

 

[abnk]

I'm not in the medical field, but I would not have thought that tetanus resides on something like a handgun, considering the cleaners, solvents, etc.

 

[modelflyer2003]

I understand that you might not think that the tetanus was warranted but I am into primary prevention. He needed it. That's my opinion. I would have put some stitches in to keep the edges approximated.

 

[Hoosierdood]

I did that the first time I shot a pistol, back in high school. It was a Glock 10mm, and I crossed my thumbs behind the slide. I didn't even realize what had happened until after the 3rd round and I saw blood running down my hand. Some lessons just have to be learned the hard way.

 

[Andre46996]

Damn near ripped my thumb nail off the first time I shot my XD.....

Some gauze and duct tape and I stayed at the range another couple hours...

Kinda like zipping your junk up, most people ONLY do once.

 

[Dewidmt]

Model, not disparaging you or anything, I just would have done it a bit different. Chicks dig scars man! And he would have had a great story to tell! I only put sutures in to stop bleeding (after direct pressure and elevation fail, of course) or to tidy up a facial wound...limbs and torsos didn't need em unless they were pretty significant. I was an ER medic for the USAF for 21 years, BTW. Agree on the tetanus if he was overdue a year or so......

 

[ralphb72]

When I "borrowed" my step father's 380 back in the day, and took it out back to shoot it. The very first shot bit my thumb and I dropped the pistol. Cleared it, unloaded it, and put it away very quickly.

Anyone who I have taught to shoot gets the reminder at least two or three times each range session. I try to keep an eye out for them, but sometimes the best way to learn is to get bit.

 

[modelflyer2003]

Model, not disparaging you or anything, I just would have done it a bit different. Chicks dig scars man! And he would have had a great story to tell! I only put sutures in to stop bleeding (after direct pressure and elevation fail, of course) or to tidy up a facial wound...limbs and torsos didn't need em unless they were pretty significant. I was an ER medic for the USAF for 21 years, BTW. Agree on the tetanus if he was overdue a year or so......

I told him can tell everyone it was a result of a hitchhiking accident. By the way thanks for your USAF service. I was in the Air Force for four years. Had a great time. I hurt my ankle on a nuke recapture exercise running in the desert and had to have the medic's help. That day sucked. LOL!

 

[Dewidmt]

Hitchiking...lol! Make sure he remembers the part about a nutjob with an axe!

 

[sepe]

I've been pinched, never a true bite as there hasn't been blood. My hands are big so smaller handguns are more likely to do it. I ALMOST bought an p3at but it was too small to get a comfortable grip. Working the slide while holding it, the stupid thing was pinching and it would have bit for sure. Glock 27 hasn't been a problem since I put a grip extension on and can get a little more comfortable grip.

 

[Hookeye]

"Primary Prevention" would have been to not let your brother shoot a semi auto

 

[dcahsr23]

My brother went to the range with me for some handgun fun. I bought a new Ruger LCP and needed to try it out. I also brought my Glock 26 and a Taurus Model 82 from the 1970's. I liked the LCP but decided that the trigger was something to get used to, as some have mentioned. First time I shot it, I put all six rounds on a paper plate at 30 feet. Anyway to the point: My brother decided he wanted to shoot the Glock. After the second or third round he stopped firing but kept the gun pointed down range. I could see that the slide was not all the way forward, and I could see the brass of the round not fully into battery. When I approached I wondered if I had made a squib load as he was shooting my reloads. I noticed his left thumb was bleeding and had a laceration about a centimeter and a half long. It wasn't bad, but in a bad spot. He said that the slide came back and hit his thumb, because he got it too high. Being a family nurse practitioner, I realized that he would benefit from a few stitches and a long overdue tetanus shot. I told him that even if the doctor/nurse practitioner that looked at it only puts steri-strips on it, he needs the tetanus and at least and x-ray, because of the high velocity of the contact injury. The skinny is that the nurse practitioner put steri-strips on it but did not put an aluminium splint on it to keep it from breaking open when he bends his thumb. She did x-ray it though, and he didn't have a fracture. He said it was a lesson learned and that he will never make that mistake again. Probably not. I would say he got pretty lucky. He needs some pistol-holding remediation apparently. Anyone have any slide bite or hammer bite stories they want to share?

a picture of this would be handy to show others what not to do.

 

[NHT3]

BOTH thumbs should be pointed at the target.. If you do that you won't be bit again.

 

[KillStick]

BOTH thumbs should be pointed at the target.. If you do that you won't be bit again.

I have been bit by a glock 19 and I always shoot thumbs forward. I primarily shoot and carry 1911's so I was used to riding high on the grip. Picked up the glock the same way I would grip a 1911 and got bit. Adjusted the grip and was good to go for the rest of the range trip.

 

[mwg]

I got bit by my Bouer 25.I traded it for a beretta 21a after that.

 

[modelflyer2003]

BOTH thumbs should be pointed at the target.. If you do that you won't be bit again.

This.

 

[Bowman78]

Never been bitten

By a pistol but I do have a good bit of common sense , and wouldn't go to a doc or any med center for a 1.5 cm cut unless it was a couple inches deep or get a tetanus shot either as a man doesnt need one!!! Btw I work on cars and have left plenty of DNA on mechanical items over the years!!