Above is a sectioned bar showing an 80gr Sierra which was fired with a.223 bolt-action and a cleaning rod inside the bore. Both the bullet as well as the rod are still inside the bore. A Negligent Shooter Gets Lucky
“Here is a story that is so full of negligent acts that I am amazed that the shooter has survived. The photo and narrative was provided by the gunsmith that took on the repair job. My comments are in italics. It’s worth reading. We can’t get too many safety warnings in this hobby.” — GS Arizona Rifleman’s Journal, Description of Incident with Commentary
The shooter had an stuck case in his.223 cartridge. The stuck case was a loaded round which didn’t fire. It wouldn’t remove because a.222 casing was mixed up with his.223 Brass. [He had loaded wrong brass.] I saw a loaded round with a 80gr bullet and a light primer hit. Negligent Act 1: The wrong brass was mixed with the brass that was being reloaded. The shooter removed a stuck case using a 3-piece aluminium rod. Negligent Act No. 2: Hammering a loaded round out with a cleaning pole. This has led to fatalities as the cleaning rod can be driven into the victim by the round. I remember an incident that happened about 5 years ago. The shooter was pounding a stuck round out, and the cleaning rod went through him. He didn’t survive. The shooter did not notice that only two segments of cleaning rod were visible when he removed the rod. Negligent Act 3: If you ever put anything down the barrel of a gun, you better make sure that you get it all out first! He then chambered and fired another round. Negligent act number four: If there is any obstruction in the barrel or if something has been placed inside, you should check the barrel before continuing. In the last two years, I’ve heard of an incident where a benchrest gunner was killed exactly in this way. The pressure built and the rifle bolt exploded out of the receiver into his chest. The shooter was ‘OK’ but not unharmed. He said that there was an explosion, and when he regained his senses, he found a large amount of blood on his forehead. He couldn’t see because the blood was so thick that it ran into his eyes. “I thought I would die”, he said. He has a deep cut on the side his head about an inch in length, starting at the eye socket and going to the side the skull. It’s impossible to tell what brass particles are embedded in his forehead. He was alone and shooting on private property when this happened. Negligent Act #5: Don’t shoot alone! Accidents do happen. This is just another example. If we could predict all accidents, they would not happen. Always shoot with a minimum of one other person. He was able to stop the bleeding or at least control it, and then packed his car, drove himself home, without seeking immediate medical assistance. Negligent Act #6 – This could have cost him life, despite the fact that he survived. It’s impossible to know what happened immediately after an accident like this. He should have been in a hospital to be checked for shrapnel. The rod and slug were not able to be removed. The barrel was already loaded with a lot of rounds, so there was no sense in trying to salvage the barrel. The aluminum rod is a tight fit for the first few inches of the bore. The base of bullet is about 2″ from the mouth of chamber. From start to finish we have seen negligence and a complete disregard for the established rules regarding safe reloading, gun handling and the avoidance of medical attention by the shooter. The shooter is fortunate to be alive but he has surely exhausted his luck. Don’t assume that you will be as lucky. This article was originally published on the Rifleman’s Journal, which is now unavailable.
