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 #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.