Ever hurt yourself or have any close calls while shooting?

[The Keymaster]

I fell while moving and shooting at John Farnahm's personal defense class in 2010. We were performing a drill where we were moving side to side and shooting while standing on old tires. I got my feet tangled and fell off one of the tires. Accolades were handed out after the fact because I handled the situation well, kept the muzzle in a safe direction, picked my self up, and continued with the drill.

 

[pipman]

Had my AR15 out at a friends house one day shooting about 40-50 yd paper targets. Last mag I had I unloaded it as quick as I could and for some reason, I still don't know what the hell posessed me, I swept over and shot at a swinging steal handgun target about 25 yds from where I was at. Either the bullet or shrapnel came back, and as Forest would say, "It bit me" right on the shin. Busted the skin, was bleeding all over the place and had a huge welt for several days, and ruined a good pair of jeans.

Lesson learned: Don't shoot a handgun steal target with a rifle round at only 25yds at about a 45* angle. Luckily that's about the dumbest thing I've ever done!

 

[El Guero]

Mostly burns on the right arm from the 22s shells on then indoor ranges when they bounce back, so wear long sleeve shirts.

But the worse so far was a high point 9mm carbine that the bolt on the left come loose and hit me at the lip very nice.

 

[Mark 1911]

On a state fish & game area. Was late morning. My buddy and I were taking a walk to scout for deer sign. We weren't wearing any orange, wasn't during a time of year when it was required, we weren't carrying any guns either - just scouting. Walking along the edge of a cornfield we saw some quail flying over the tops of the corn. I said to my buddy, "hey there's some quail", about that time heard a couple of shots, and could hear the shot ripping toward us through the corn. First reaction for both of us was to try to hit the dirt, but could not move fast enough. I didn't get hit but my buddy did. I remember hearing a few "clicks" as shot pellets hit the lenses of my buddy's glasses, also a couple hit him in the cheek. Luckily, the pellets had lost most of the energy and didn't break skin, but left several pink colored welts on his face. Also I think he was lucky to be wearing glasses as he may have otherwise sustained an eye injury.

Lesson learned - wear some hunter orange while walking in the field, even during times when not required by law. Once up in the stand, that's another story. But when I'm walking, I like to make sure I can be seen.

 

[indyjoe]

The closest call I've had was because of a cheap holster. I was in college, so I didn't have a lot of money. I had a Kel-Tec P11 in a cheap, generic IWB belt clip cordura holster. As I was moving to get some things out of the car, it squirted out. Fell from my waist to the concrete floor of my duplex carport. When it hit squarely on the muzzle, the round touched off by the inertia of the firing pin.

I was carrying inexpensive Federal HPs. The round hit the concrete and fragmented. I got a few pieces of jacket into the side of the leg, through my jeans. Nothing very deep, but it mostly scared the crap out of me. The car port was in between the two brick duplex apartments and it was LOUD.

I have never carried since in a holster that is either made for the gun or with retention strap of some sort.

 

[straight-shooter]

I once made a 2 point shot from 25 feet with my Mini-14. Flung the brass right down the wife's shirt and we both actually still laugh about that from time to time. Who says Mini 14's aren't accurate.

 

[iMac]

Last week was shooting and had a friend eject a .22 shell into my shoe. Stupid me thinking oh it's just a .22 just left it there. About 5 seconds later I ripped my shoe off to find a nice burn on my ankle, damn low-cut socks.

 

[Jeremiah]

M1 thumb. I shot a Garand match and on the last string the guy next to me had a peice of .30-06 brass land on my neck.

I've been a subject to the glock "wagon tracks" thats about it I think.

 

[db1959]

Had an SKS with a stuck firing pin and didnt realize it. When I released the bolt and it didnt close all the way I decided to "assist" the bolt with the palm of my hand. Bad move as it tore a hunk of flesh out of my palm when the gun fired. Even in my stupidity I had the weapon pointed down range.

The other time was when I was practicing shootin left hand and I had my left hand sitting to high on the gun. Slide bite bit me.

 

[gunman41mag]

I was rapid-firing into a dead tree, when a 9MM round bounced off another one stuck in the dead tree & hit me square in the freaking "N U T S" I dropped to me knees in major pain, I dropped my pants & saw one nut the size of an ostrich egg, I panic & had the girlfriend make sure everything was alright, I was glad that everything came out alright & I had a son years later, so I'm still functional

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

I was at H&H a while ago now using the indoor range. Some idiot shot the target holder and somehow a small chunk of metal from that came back and smacked me in the cheek.

Scared me more than hurt, but it left a little welt for a bit.

 

[indianachris]

Got fragments of a bullet lodged in my hand from a 22 revolver. The gun was damaged (unknown to me) and that was the last time I ever shot that SOB.

 

[Sylvain]

No, the 4 magic rules always kept me and the ones around me safe.

 

[indyjoe]

I guess this technically was while I was hunting (so that could be considered shooting.)

Dad and I were out for some Squirrel and we always used .22s. We parked at a farm owned by a friend of Dads and started out towards the woods. I needed to take a leak bad. I leaned my rifle up against the hedge and let a stream go. Then I hit a wire on the other side of the hedge that was hooked up to the electric fence machine. Nothing like getting kicked in the balls around 60 times a second, from the inside.

I have never been tazed, but I'm guessing it was something like this. My legs go out and I end up on my back. But I still have to pee and there was no control to stop it. So I'm pissin' all over myself in a big fountain. I didn't enjoy the Mythbusters electric fence episode, because I know that ones gonna come back confirmed.

By the time I could stand back up, Dad was crying from laughing so hard. But he got his later. Bullet to the head of a squirrel, knocked it out of the tree. Dad throws it in his over the shoulder game bag. About 10 minutes later, that knocked out squirrel comes to. It gave dad a scare and I got my chance to laugh back. There was enough blood to look like a head shot, but it must have just took off a little of the skin and skull. The rifle stock to the head fixed that problem though.

 

[DarkRose]

First time I ever shot anything other than a BB gun was my dad's Mini-14, scoped. Had my eye riiiiiight up on the scope... Yeah. Left a lovely shiner (I was about 10 or 11).

My dad's buddy was going to let me shoot his Bersa Thunder (I think) and was showing me to keep my hand low so the slide didn't bite me, he fired a couple shots, and got slide bit, lol.

I knew what not to do then.

 

[gunman41mag]

I was shooting my MAVRICK 12 gauge with a pistol grip from the hip & letting it recoil, my friend went to shoot the shotgun, but he was aiming it, & with only a pistol grip, the recoil was too much & the back of the shotgun smack him in the mouth & split his lip & left his front teeth so loose, that they wiggle, boy did he bleed

 

[neverenough83]

Seemed like every time I went out shooting my little kel tec I would get slide bite. Think I have it figured out now.

 

[CSORuger]

On a state fish & game area. Was late morning. My buddy and I were taking a walk to scout for deer sign. We weren't wearing any orange, wasn't during a time of year when it was required, we weren't carrying any guns either - just scouting. Walking along the edge of a cornfield we saw some quail flying over the tops of the corn. I said to my buddy, "hey there's some quail", about that time heard a couple of shots, and could hear the shot ripping toward us through the corn. First reaction for both of us was to try to hit the dirt, but could not move fast enough. I didn't get hit but my buddy did. I remember hearing a few "clicks" as shot pellets hit the lenses of my buddy's glasses, also a couple hit him in the cheek. Luckily, the pellets had lost most of the energy and didn't break skin, but left several pink colored welts on his face. Also I think he was lucky to be wearing glasses as he may have otherwise sustained an eye injury


Lesson learned - wear some hunter orange while walking in the field, even during times when not required by law. Once up in the stand, that's another story. But when I'm walking, I like to make sure I can be seen.

Was it Dick Cheney shooting at you?
"Dick Cheney and his buddies go down there hunting in Texas, and Dick Cheney guns down a guy. And they're hunting quail, and the quail disappeared. They vanished. And reports now that they're hiding in the mountainous area near Pakistan" --David Letterman

 

[williamsburg]

I know someone who was showing thier wife how the safeties worked on the springfield xd9 and was doing so with a live round in the chamber to show that it would not go BANG!
Then after showing that it wouldn't go bang there was a replay of the demonstration. This time it did go bang and went right into the ceiling.

This person shall remain nameless.

 

[Mosinowner]

My brother thought I was a bird once when we were hunting. And he took the shot. He didn't hit me but it was close. I keep telling him not to jerk the trigger.
On a more serious note. GETTING SHOT AT SUCKS!