new marlin and a "that could have been bad" moment

[Plastikosmd]

Went to the lgs and spotted a sweet 1892 32 long/short cf and rimfire.
2 boxes of ammo, Lee loader etc.

Good shootable condition.
In the midst of handling it I work the lever and fell into my old habit of looking for the tube plunger to ensure a round is not hiding below ramp or stuck down in action. Low and behold, 2 rounds in the gun, hung up and after a vigorous use of lever, both ejected onto the floor.

owner was pretty shocked. Always check

He swore he checked and owner did.

Now I gotta wait a week before I can post pics

[Tatume]

That's always a surprise, isn't it? People think we're overly cautious sometimes, but when it pays dividends it's worth it. Thanks for sharing.

[pietro]

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In light of your experience, before I use that rifle, I would definitely remove the magazine tube and after giving the inside a good scrubbing, inspect the tube & the follower for rust - either of which could make the follower hang up in mid-tube & not driving those cartridges back far enough to be seen and/or loaded onto the carrier/lifter.


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[Plastikosmd]

amen, that is my plan, did a quick look prior to buying to make sure no big issue, thank you, pics to follow

[725]

At work one morning, I was part of a team setting up the range. We had racks of M-16's and as they were passed off the truck, one by one, I'd lock open the bolt, inspect & stack. The guy in the truck was miffed because I was taking "too long" until a live round hit the ground.

[Petrol & Powder]

The rule I was taught was if YOU didn't personally check the gun that's in your hands,.... it's loaded. I've always lived by that rule and I feel pretty good about it.
I get nervous when I see someone handling a gun of unknown condition. I've seen more than one live round come out of the action of a presumably unloaded firearm, often to the chagrin of the person handling it.

[John Allen]

I think you should just sell the sucker to me. I will give it a good cleaning for you!!!!

[Plastikosmd]

Just wait for pics, very cute

[nhrifle]

Good information to pass on to all. As a side note, I have heard reports of antigunners going to gun shops in my area, looking at the rifles in the rack and, when they are out of eyeshot of the emplyees, load a few live rounds in them and put them back on the rack. This is apparently an attempt to cause an AD and give more fuel to their case against our sport. I have not personally witnessed this, but it scares me none the less.

Everyone looks at me funny, but every time I pick up a gun I am unsure of, I work the action atleast a dozen times to ensure it's clear.

[Petrol & Powder]

I've heard of similar stories. Don't know if they are true. I suspect there is some urban/internet legend mixed in there.

However, the same rules always apply.... The firearm IS loaded until you are satisfied that it isn't loaded...The burden is on you to make that determination. The best safety is located between your ears.

If anti-gun people wanted to harm gun shop/gun show - reputations, they could only do so if the pro-gun people allowed that to happen. I strongly suspect that the vast majority of pro-gun people are too disciplined to allow that tactic to gain any traction.
A little common sense goes a LONG way.

[KLR]

Everyone looks at me funny, but every time I pick up a gun I am unsure of, I work the action atleast a dozen times to ensure it's clear.

That doesn't always work either. When I was 15 I shot a hole through the cab roof of my dad's pick-up truck. My brother bought a new Winchester 22 lever action and left it on the dash while he was baling hay. I picked it up and racked it a bunch of times to make sure it was empty. When I was finished I pulled the trigger to drop the hammer. That was a lesson I didn't forget...

[TXGunNut]

With leverguns I check the chamber AND the follower. Never had a gunshop owner or employee give me a bad time for checking a firearm, even after they just checked it. If they did it wouldn't bother me, it's loaded until I know better. KISS.

[Leslie Sapp]

check the chamber AND the follower

This... LOOK in the chamber, then make sure you can see the magazine follower. I learned this many years ago when my brother in law unloaded three shells from a plugged model 12 Winchester, sat them on the table and then blew a hole through his dining room ceiling.

The old wooden magazine plug had broken, allowing him to put 4 shells in the magazine during his morning hunt.

[Petrol & Powder]

That'll wake you up!

[KYCaster]

If anti-gun people wanted to harm gun shop/gun show - reputations, they could only do so if the pro-gun people allowed that to happen. I strongly suspect that the vast majority of pro-gun people are too disciplined to allow that tactic to gain any traction.
A little common sense goes a LONG way.

I strongly suspect you're wrong! Common sense isn't so common these days.

Jerry

[Canuck Bob]

Its amazing, rule #1, handle like a gun is always loaded even after checking actual condition. I had a guy's thumb slip once while unloading a Win 94 moose hunting. I had advised him to use a big old spruce as his backing while ejecting rounds. Helped make it a story not a tragedy.

[Ben]

It is always the " UNLOADED GUN " that kills someone !

[3006mv]

this happened to me once in a pawn shop in AK, in a Win 94 the owner was VERY glad I pointed this out to him as i handed him the ejected cartridge.

[358 Win]

I don't care who it might offend, I'm checking any firearm that I pick up, AND treating it like it is loaded after I've checked it, never pointing it in any direction where it might be a danger. I've instilled this within my family and even if I hand a firearm to my 36 year old daughter, she still checks it to be sure, as does my wife of 43 years.
358 Win

[LeftyDon]

The rule I was taught was if YOU didn't personally check the gun that's in your hands,.... it's loaded. I've always lived by that rule and I feel pretty good about it.
I get nervous when I see someone handling a gun of unknown condition. I've seen more than one live round come out of the action of a presumably unloaded firearm, often to the chagrin of the person handling it.

A big +1 on that!

[LeftyDon]

A master-at-arms blew a hole in the side of our ship during changing of the guard with the 1911 and the removed full mag that he was handed. He found out real fast that load and lock is not the same a lock and load. So even very empty guns can get loaded at the wrong time.

[blademasterii]

I also check chamber on any weapons and hand weapons to someone locked open. Many years of my father instilling safety first.

[JHeath]

Went to the lgs and spotted a sweet 1892 32 long/short cf and rimfire.
2 boxes of ammo, Lee loader etc.

Good shootable condition.
In the midst of handling it I work the lever and fell into my old habit of looking for the tube plunger to ensure a round is not hiding below ramp or stuck down in action. Low and behold, 2 rounds in the gun, hung up and after a vigorous use of lever, both ejected onto the floor.

owner was pretty shocked. Always check

He swore he checked and owner did.

Now I gotta wait a week before I can post pics

When I had kids, I gave my brother my slide action .22 because this is an issue with tube mags, esp with side eject receivers. Trained the kids with single shots or box mags, and didn't want the pump .22 around.

[Gibbs44]

I had a buddy one time I was visiting at his camper, he had his turkey gun out and was looking down the barrel at me with his finger on the trigger. I told him not to and he proceeded to let me know it was unloaded, of course I said prove it. He did and 5 3.5" shells came out. I left after that, only one near death experience per day for me and that was my quota for that day. It was a lesson I won't forget, and hopefully he won't either.

[Plastikosmd]

Wow, just wow