I dropped my pistol once

[Caballoflaco]

I'm pulling this story I posted out of the p320 thread so that maybe others, especially new shooters, can learn how quickly bad things can happen and the importance of making sure your pistol is drop safe.

If the other folks who posted similar stories in that thread (or anybody who has a similar story and isn't afraid to own their mistake for the benefit of others) could repost in this one I think we could build a valuable training tool.

Now I'll fully own my screw-up.

I was sitting down one evening to take a dump. Like usual I removed my loaded and holstered glock 26 from my belt and placed it on the edge of the bathtub. Because I wasn't paying attention I set it a little too close to the edge. I watched it slide off the edge of the tub in slow motion and land on the tile floor on the back of the slide with the barrel pointed right at my face. I'm glad I was where I was when that happened and I don't put my pistol there anymore.



Having abs on my motorcycle doesn't encourage me to ride like a jackass, but I have activated it before when I screwed up. Just like having a drop safe pistol saved me when I screwed up my administrative gun handling.

#sig (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=sig) #p320 #dropsafe

Mod's if there is a better place for this move it, I wasn't sure of the correct forum for it.

[eb07]

Twice I can remember:

I went off a horse on a mountain trail after he lost footing and my G17 G3 in open top kydex went flying about 50 feet down the ravine when I impacted. Loaded. Took quite a tumble.

Another time my kydex holster belt attachment broke in a morning carbine/pistol class after I dropped to shoot prone so I used a cheap general fit nylon molle jobber I had in a range bag and I forgot to secure the thumb snap and my G17 G3 went flying when I ran at the buzzer. It had just been loaded and made ready. It pretty much covered myself, the cameraman, spectators and the RO on it's way down and it tumbled a lot. Scary moment for sure. I have photos of that somewhere.

That G17 has been through a lot

Neither time did it go off. Thankfully.

[Lester Polfus]

Yup. Couple of years ago, I dropped a loaded Glock 17 with a +2 mag extension. I distinctly remember looking right down the muzzle as it headed towards the floor.

It didn't discharge, which is good, as it was aimed right at my waist/groan area when it hit, but it did bust the +2 extension off and spray Gold Dots all over my office.

[serialsolver]

In view of all these dropped gun threads it needs to be screamed from the house tops....

DO NOT TRY TO CATCH A DROPPED GUN!!!


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[Sero Sed Serio]

I've had two. Once with a Glock 22, once with a M&P Compact 9. Both loaded, both on asphalt/concrete. I've learned that if you're going to be carrying a holstered firearm, hold on to the firearm, not the holster.

The G22 fell out of a Safariland holster, and impacted on the rear of the slide while pointed back at me. There's a lot I don't love about Glocks in general and the G22 specifically, but I freakin' LOVE that that gun didn't discharge into my stomach/groin that night.

[Duelist]

Quote Originally Posted by OlongJohnson View Post
Doesn't a muzzle-down impact also cause potential issues with the free-floating firing pins in ARs and 870s?

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In 9 years in the military, and 11 as a contractor around soldiers every day, and ten years of owning my own AR, I have seen one (1) AD that could be blamed on the free floating FP: a soldier wearing a loaded muzzle-down slung M4 over his shoulder jumped down from the back of a deuce and a half, landed badly, and went to a knee. The M4 struck the hardball, muzzle only, almost perpendicular to the ground, and discharged the chambered round. The bullet injured no one.

Soldiers do dumb things. Sometimes, they do more than one in succession, like this guy did. So, yes, a free floating firing pin can contribute to an AD or ND. In this case, it took adding the momentum of a high drop and a 200# man to get it to fire. (That's why we don't jump from trucks or helicopters or airplanes with rounds chambered).

But airborne soldiers do tie guns and other gear to their bodies and rucks (dummy cords) to keep them from getting separated on drops.

Last year, I was loading my truck to go hunting, and my pack strap hooked the grip of my 3rd Gen S&W and I accidentally dragged it out of the holster while I was trying to untangle everything. It landed on the concrete pad behind me. I cringed and had shrinkage, the gun has a little scuff on the beaver tail and rear edge of the slide. I didn't see it, but I suspect it landed just like the videos of the 320s. Nothing else happened, besides me changing my shorts and swapping for a more secure holster.

Drop safety is non-negotiable. Period.

[Doc_Glock]

1. Dropped a G19 AA .22 conversion on the draw in movement. Held hands up and let it drop. Did not fire.

2. Fell 3 feet not mountain bike on to boulder directly on to G19 in Safepacker. Hard hit. Bruised hip. No discharge.

[serialsolver]

As a rookie I seen an officers python cartwheel out of a fight onto the second story balcony. It stopped before going all the way to the ground.

Dude is getting his car reposed. He calls 911 and says his car is being stolen. While he is chasing the repoman he fires off a couple rounds from his glock. The repoman meanwhile is telling 911 he's being shot at. The cops catch up and the dude thinks twice about shooting at the repoman and throws the glock onto the freeway. One of the officers seen the sparks across the highway and stopped to pickup the glock.

Criminals is always throwing and I mean THROWING guns down.

I watched a rookie get out of his personal car to go start his shift. He throws his duty belt over his shoulder and slings his glock 22 out of the holster half way across the parking lot. Then when he walks up to pick the glock up he succeeded in kicking the glock the rest of the way across the lot.

I placed a hi power too close to the edge of the water closet on the toilet. I guess there is a slight dome to the lid cause the bhp fell to the floor behind me.

My favorite from a old head. He had completed his business in the stall of a public restroom. As he reaches down for his drawers his government model falls from his shoulder holster to the floor and skids into the next occupied stall. "Hay buddy" he says "I'm a policeman, kick that back over here, will ya". After a short pause the government model clatters across the tile back to its owner.

Back in the day we called a drop safety test, "the bathroom test".


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[BobLoblaw]

In view of all these dropped gun threads it needs to be screamed from the house tops....

DO NOT TRY TO CATCH A DROPPED GUN!!!


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...unless it's a 320 falling vertically, then you best hacky catch that fucker with your foot or Ronaldinho toe punch it in the grip panel and hit the deck.

[SMJayman]

If you work with guns or carry a gun a lot, you'll eventually drop one. If you are around others who work with guns or carry guns a lot, sooner or later you'll see one or more of them drop a gun as well. Cops and soldiers are notorious for being hard on equipment, to include their issued guns. I had a loaded Glock 17 sitting on the top shelf of my safe many years ago, reached in to get something else, dislodged the Glock 17, and out it fell, right onto the floor at my feet. No damage to anything. I have dropped my issued Sig P226 at least once that I can recall. I've seen guns get dumped out of holsters during a foot pursuit and go clattering down the street. I've seen recruits drop guns on the firing line at the Academy. Should you drop your gun if you can help it? No. Stuff happens though.

[Eli]

Had a seatbelt snatch a Kimber SIS Pro out of a Bladetech IWB holster, and send it skidding across the parking lot pavement. No bang, but I did start using quality holsters afterwards.

While showering in a condo while on vacation (with a group of folks that I knew, but didn't...KNOW), I had a Glock 17 under a towel on the back of the toilet. Got out of the shower, pulled the towel off of the tank...and pulled the 17 off right along with it. Gun was in a holster, but it still took a mighty whack on the back of the slide. Also no bang. Which is good...because I imagine the only thing more embarrassing than being shot with your own dropped gun, is being shot with your own dropped gun while naked.

[Bucky]

Had a 229 come out of a shoulder holster, hit the concrete ala P320-Bang angle. :eek:

[LittleLebowski]

Back when I was wearing my strong arm in a sling/cast (GSW), I had a G19 fall out of my fanny pack and hard.

[GardoneVT]

I was in Vegas. Things happened.

Blessing to the kind soul in Gardone Val Trompia Italy who designed multiple firing pin block safeties into the 92.

[Totem Polar]

Moving on, mostly, I dropped a G43—with a trigger guard kydex holster affixed—onto a carpet hardwood floor a while back while getting things packed into the range bag for an outing, because, shitty depth perception and lack of dilligence around the issue. Count me among others who have appreciation for Gaston's original design concept. Only gun I've ever dropped thus far, never ND'd, etc... but yes, shit happens. Same reason I'm a gadget fan, and so forth.

[scw2]

Friend was showing me stuff and had a holster with literally no retention. Leaned over to pick something up, and gun obviously falls out. I get a nice view down the barrel as it hit the ground, rear of slide hitting the ground first. Luckily it was not a p320, though he has one now and sees no need to send it in. :eek:

[M2CattleCo]

A few months ago I took off my 43 and set and set it on top of the kitchen fridge for a reason I can't recall.

Somehow my wife knocked it off while her, I , and our two kids, 9 and 1 1/2 were standing there. It landed on the rear sight , muzzle up at about a 30 degree angle. It was a tense second but I trusted it not to go off and it didn't. Dented the sight and knocked it halfway out of the dovetail.

(After I pushed the sight back in)
https://photos.smugmug.com/Handguns/i-mzTSkFP/0/2cd6082d/L/FullSizeRender_zpsa4o3syu0-L.jpg

[Gadfly]

A few times a gun has dropped around me. Never from my hand... but picking up my pants off closet floor? Yep. I try and make sure I have better retention these days. All my OWB holsters click in or have retention. Some of my IWB are hybrids or simply not that tight when my ass is not in the pants. With the pants on, belt snug, I can run/jump/roll and the gun stays put. But empty pants have let the gun fall out once or twice when I am not paying attention.

It happens.

And 870s and M4 set on trunk lids and car hoods can slide off. And when leaned against walls the occasionally tip over.

As mentioned above, crooks Love to throw guns while running. Like, all the time. I'm glad most guns are drop safe.


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