Embarassing Firearms Stories

[ArcadiaGP]

We've all got 'em. If you don't, you're lying.

Share some of your embarassing stories of first getting into firearms... whether a recoil made you pop yourself in the face, or you were simply perplexed on how to operate a specific firearm.

I'll start

Back when I got my first firearm, it had a safety/decocker lever. Being my first gun, I was terrified to decock... because I felt like maybe it would fail and the hammer would hit the firing pin.

I went into my room, covered it up with the pillow, and.... *CLICK!*... it decocked. A stupid fear for a new gun owner... but an embarassing fear none-the-less.

Hell, one more.

I thought something was wrong with my first gun because it was so hard to pull the slide back.

I was basing it off of what I'd seen in movies, apparently. It looked so effortless. Later, I realized I was pulling it against the weight of the hammer.

YOUR TURN.

 

[CTS]

I just avoid operating things until I get someone who does know how to use them to teach me.

No embarrassing stories for me yet.

 

[88GT]

None so memorable that they stick in memory.

I've had plenty of "early" shots at the range.

I wouldn't call it embarrassing, but I loaded a .308 round into the K31 once and fired it. Humbling. Okay, mildly embarrassing for someone who has been shooting as long as I have. But the relief that I didn't blow up my beloved K31 far exceeded any shame I felt at making such a stupid mistake.

Oh, just thought of one. I have always carried in my purse. In my earliest days of carrying it was my only means of carry. One particular purse was a very bad carry purse, and I had forgotten to zip it closed. My .38 had slid out of the purse and between the seat and center console of my truck. But I didn't know this until I spent two hours after I discovered it missing retracing my steps. I had to ask the front desk receptionist at my office (a real estate office) if anybody had found a small revolver in the building because I'd lost mine.

 

[pwoller]

I'll go. My first gun was a Mossberg shotgun. I had no shells anywhere near the gun but was still scared to rack it empty.

 

[mk2ja]

Was at a gun shop in Fort Wayne over the holidays looking at a Beretta 92FS, and I was going to kinda give my Dad a little intro to it. Pretty sure I was going to show him how the DA/SA worked, but I kept messing it up: left the safety on, which, of course, meant the hammer wouldn't stay cocked, so… yeah. The guy behind the counter had to reach over and correct me on it a couple times.


Effing M9s. Gimme a freakin' 1911 again, rah?

 

[Tanfodude]

Was cleaning the M&P and lubed the slide. While watching TV, I was pulling the slide back and forth to spread the lube and I was so distracted from the TV, my palm skin got caught between the chamber and slide when the slide pushed forward. HURT like a mutha ****er.

 

[terrehautian]

Personal one:

Shooting clays at a family members house when I was a teenager with a double barrel shotgun. Shell one fires, shell two doesn't. Not knowing I was doing something wrong, I still had my finger on the trigger. I did know not to point it at anyone though. When it got a 45° from my body, my finger put enough pressure on the trigger to fire. Sacred the crap out of me and I didn't touch another gun for over 10 years.

This one is more of the actions of my dad. My dad and I were shooting at the range and there was two hand gun target stands. I go up close to the stand about 20 feet from the shelter and fire. Next thing I know, my dad is behind me shooting from the shelter. This scared me because I will never fire even if they are not in the area straight in front of my gun if they are in front of me. That is wrong and scary on so many levels.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

When I took down my 1911 for the first time to clean it... it took a couple hours to put it back together. Had to have a laptop brought out with youtube videos walking through it...

Turns out, not ENTIRELY my fault! I think... Slide got locked back and wouldn't move, had to stick something into the guide-rod hole and release the spring. No clue what happened.

Oh, and I cut my fingers probably three times during the whole thing.

 

[iceman4226]

Was cleaning the M&P and lubed the slide. While watching TV, I was pulling the slide back and forth to spread the lube and I was so distracted from the TV, my palm skin got caught between the chamber and slide when the slide pushed forward. HURT like a mutha ****er.

 

[88GT]

When I took down my 1911 for the first time to clean it... it took a couple hours to put it back together. Had to have a laptop brought out with youtube videos walking through it...

Turns out, not ENTIRELY my fault! I think... Slide got locked back and wouldn't move, had to stick something into the guide-rod hole and release the spring. No clue what happened.

Oh, and I cut my fingers probably three times during the whole thing.

I think everybody has a story for this category that starts out like this.


One of the first few times Mr88GT was cleaning the 1911, the spring (or maybe it was the barrel bushing) got shot when his grip slipped. We saw it go flying and heard it hit, but couldn't find it at all. We tore the room apart. After a couple of hours it finally occurred to me that we heard it hit an old brass table lamp that we have. Said lamp has a bowl-like guard around the bulb. So I climbed up on the couch to peek down inside and sure enough, there it was.

 

[reesez]

first time i shot my glock i was a little distracted and put my left thumb behind the slide. hurt like hell, lol. and i broke a nail! lmao.

 

[aaron580]

Was sick once but decided I would go out to practice shooting the slug gun for deer season. Aimed at the target, shot down a small tree 3 feet to the right. I wouldn't say it was to embarrassing, I'm kinda proud of taking a tree down!

 

[jkwparrott]

Not really embarrassing, but I do recall my first gun awareness training. It was a long time ago, maybe 1970 when my grandfather took me squirrel hunting. I had never fired a shotgun and I was just 10 years old. We saw a squirrel and he handed me the shotgun, an old 12 gauge double barreled Stevens I think. He told me that there was a trick to firing the gun, that you had to pull both triggers at the same time. I did, and fell on my butt. He laughed and laughed. Scared me half to death!

 

[MCrupe]

The first time I ever handled a shotgun my buddy handed it to me and said the safety is on so I thought it was safe to handle, as I was looking it over I bumped the trigger and it fired nearly shooting him in the foot. We then completely unloaded it so I could get familiar with it before we started shooting.

 

[terrehautian]

Not really embarrassing, but I do recall my first gun awareness training. It was a long time ago, maybe 1970 when my grandfather took me squirrel hunting. I had never fired a shotgun and I was just 10 years old. We saw a squirrel and he handed me the shotgun, an old 12 gauge double barreled Stevens I think. He told me that there was a trick to firing the gun, that you had to pull both triggers at the same time. I did, and fell on my butt. He laughed and laughed. Scared me half to death!

I got an old double barrel, double trigger shotgun. I don't know if I want to fire it because I don't know if it can handle modern loads (it was made in 1914) but if I ever get a stock to put on it and someone qualified says it is, I want to fire it as it was my Grandpa's.

 

[Mosinguy]

The first time I ever held an AK I expected it to have a LRBHO. I instead hung the bolt up on the disconnector. I jumped about three feet once the bolt decided to slam home.

 

[dangar]

My dad frequently goes to turkey/still board shoots. When I was a teenager, I went along with him once and he let me shoot. Apparently, I didn't have the butt of the shotgun firmly against my shoulder. When I fired, the resulting recoil forced the scope into my forehead. No serious damage done, but I did have a perfectly shaped circle cut into my forehead. It healed about a week later, but not before I had to explain repeatedly to friends what had happened.

 

[Hajisc]

My first time shooting my .44 redhawk at the range, first shot blew the clip holding the target clean off. Immediately the range officer was returning the Line to replace the clip and target. Hd just shook his Head and said try aiming at bottom of target first.
I felt like one foot tall and trying to hide. Was a lot younger then.

 

[88E30M50]

The first time I disassembled a 1911, I launched the spring cap past my face and into the ceiling. There is a divot in the plaster from where it hit. Now, that is what a true 1911 idiot mark is.

Oh, there was this other time I left the house with an empty holster. Damn did I feel like an idiot going out unarmed. The gun sat home that day in the safe while I did my best to conceal my stupidity.

 

[BogWalker]

I haven't done anything remarkebly stupid or embarrasing, but don't worry there is plenty of time for it to happen!

I suppose the first time I tried to shoot trap and left the safety on when I went to fire was fairly embarrasing.