Wear your safety glasses!!!!

Went to the range today (cold!!) as just put on a 6mm Br barrel on my Chassis rifle and went to sight it in. Pulled in and hear a few shots then a louder one. Got out of the truck and went around the back to get my stuff out when a fellow comes around the truck next to me, blood dripping off his face, as he sets down what was left of his rifle (rear tang screw holding on what was left of the stock). I knew right away what had happened so went and got the first aid kit and alcohol pads/bandages to help him stop the bleeding. Took awhile, but staunched most of the bleeding. He was lucky not injured worse. Kind of stunned. His friend grabbed their equipment and packed up their truck. He and his friend then left for home.
I could tell he had his shooting glasses on as that was the one part of his face not stained with blood/powder residue.

WEAR YOUR SHOOTING GLASSES!!

Blood was on the scope and what was left of the rifle, not to mention where he walked and on his shirt. You could see the trigger assembly almost totally as everything forward of that was gone, bolt locked of course. Kiss that rifle goodbye.

Boy, hard learned lesson.
Appreciate you sharing that.

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Ouch, that sucks. Glad not worse injured.

Great job on the assistance!

If you spend enough time around guns, the question is not if but when. Eventually you will be there when something goes wrong. I was standing right next to an old duffer at the range one day when the ceasefire was called so folks could go change targets. It had been about 20 seconds since the ceasefire was called and the rangemaster was waiting for everyone to set down their weapons and show clear before allowing anyone to go downrange. I was already walking down the line towards where the portapotties were, when I heard a rifle blast right next to me. I stopped mid-stride knowing this was not supposed to happen, and looked over as the old man dropped his beautiful M1 Garand to the concrete pad and was gripping his right wrist. His palm was flayed out like a fish fillet where the charging handle had come back and nearly sheared it off. Apparently he was in the middle of attempting to pull the charging handle back to clear the weapon when it went off and the hook is what did the damage. I was the person closest to him at that moment, and in an instant I knew I had to call upon my first aid training. I had nothing with me then and there, but the old man was obviously is shock and momentarily frozen in place while his mind still tried to understand what had happened. I just immediately stepped over to him and did what I could to apply pressure to his wrist so as to try to prevent more bleeding. Fortunately the rangemaster had a comprehensive first aid kit on hand and was quickly there with it to do more than I could. An ambulance was called and the old man was taken to the local hospital for proper care.

But perhaps the coolest part of what happened speaks to the character of shooters in general. The man had been at the range by himself and there was no buddy to grab up his gear and take it back home. The rangemaster had the presence of mind to get the man to give up his truck keys before his ambulance ride to the hospital. I and a couple other dudes there that day volunteered to police up his stuff, including his vehicle, clean the blood off the Garand, lock it all up in his truck and drive it over to the hospital parking lot, secure it and deliver the keys to him in the emergency room. We all provided our driver licenses to the rangemaster to copy down and to share with each other, so everyone could know who was there and responsible if anything went missing. 40 minutes later, his truck and all his stuff was parked at the hospital waiting for him whenever he got released and we delivered his keys to him.

Did he have a cook-off? Or did he somehow accidentally touch the trigger? Who knows? But it points out that things can go wrong anywhere and at any moment. What if he had been out somewhere else with no one around? With that hand lain open, could he have even driven back to town and gotten help? Protective gear is good,...but what about when/if you get seriously injured anyway?

God only gives you one set of eyes. There are no replacements. Best to protect them.
I've worked in the trades all my life. My glasses have saved my eyes many times.
You do enough shooting, you're bound to get a blown primer sometime. Had it happen twice with a 22 LR.

Yes. I got lucky two nights ago. Even though I had my glasses on a hot chip off of the lathe made it under the bill of my cap and down inside the safety glasses which were not as close to my face as they could have been. Fortunately it was a tiny chip but still very hot. They had been turning blue which indicates 700°F at some point during the flight after breaking off of the workpiece. I immediately added a face shield to the PPE I was wearing and used it for the rest of the lathe work on that job. Whatever the steel alloy of the shaft was (off of a 5"/51 caliber gun from 1911), it threw hotter chips a greater distance than most steel that I turn.

Whenever I replace my glasses I get the safety lenses. Have saved my eyes a few times!

Reloading is fun and easy! And for even greater economy, be sure to scour local yard sales for low cost powders.

Glad you didn't arrive a few minutes earlier and thus weren't standing next to him when he blew himself up...

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Originally Posted by MaryB

Whenever I replace my glasses I get the safety lenses. Have saved my eyes a few times!

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I do the same. The polycarbonate lenses are pretty cheap insurance for the additional protection they provide.

I couldn’t agree more and not only at the range. I have pairs of safety glasses near all my work areas. You only get the gift of sight once in your lifetime.

Safety glasses are a must running any machine. But also many other tasks.
My big pet peeve is seeing operators wearing gloves running machines. Even the 1/2 horse home drills will grab the glove and suck you in before they stall.

The gentleman spoke of above was extremely lucky. while no major injuries they were also not in the wrong places. ( one of those cuts in the throat could have been life threatening). The speedy triage that took place was very good and keeping the injured calm and relaxed is the best thing one can do until doctors can take over.

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Originally Posted by country gent

... My big pet peeve is seeing operators wearing gloves running machines. ...

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Watched a guy at work 25 years ago w/ gloves on using a large disk sander to deburr the edge of some plate for a fixture he was making.

I was only 35 feet away or so, and didn't see the detail, but what I gather is that the disk grabbed the glove, and in pulling on it it tightened and it took all the skin and some of the meat from his thumb. Off to the hospital, and a few months with his thumb sown to his belly to acquire new skin.
We told a lot of Napoleon jokes, or cruder ones, for a while.

In seriousness, even non-powered tools can do it to you.
Never pull anything apart Toward yourself -- My left eye was rebuilt because I was pulling a small roll pin out of a block toward myself. It came loose abruptly (as would be expected in hindsight) and the end above the pliers pushed the glasses off my face and ripped into my eye.
6 Stitches to close it so it didn't collapse, a new lense and 3 more surgeries later I get to see double the airplanes and birds in my left upper vision field because scars can act as prisms...

TurnipEaterDown,
We may be acquainted I shot at Southern Mich range ( Toledo high power league) washenaw and worked at rawsonville ford plant.

One I remember from work was a die caster had a 1/8" mounted point break caught him in the throat penetrating. Was a emergency surgery to remove the piece and sew up the artery. Another had a 4" grinder grab a loose tee shirt and wrap it up. bruises and welts around his middle sore for several days. The simple tool that scares me the most is the grinders, hand, bench,and the grinding machines. Those wheels are moving they grab, under the right conditions blow up, and just arnt forgiving at all. A grinder wound normally leaves nothing to sew up it removes everything.

Every machine has murder maiming and mayhem built into it we have to use our heads and control it. even our firearms have this ability built into them

Country Gent - no, I don't believe we are aquainted, to my misfortune quite possibly.
I didn't work at Rawsonville, though lived near there for 5 months. Also, never shot at Southern Michigan range.

Hopefully my own little bit of chiming in helps someone stay safe(r).

My oldest son is left handed. When he was growing up I had him into emergency sooo many times as a result of runaway tools. It seems most folks are right hand dominant and power tools are designed to pull away from the operator if they get away from you. This does not hold true if you are left dominant, the tool comes right at you. So, hand held grinders, Dremel tools etc. are particularly dangerous for lefties!

Had a mag blow-out in AR15, yup, stunned for a moment too. No major injuries fortunately.

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Originally Posted by country gent

TurnipEaterDown,
We may be acquainted I shot at Southern Mich range ( Toledo high power league) washenaw and worked at rawsonville ford plant.

One I remember from work was a die caster had a 1/8" mounted point break caught him in the throat penetrating. Was a emergency surgery to remove the piece and sew up the artery. Another had a 4" grinder grab a loose tee shirt and wrap it up. bruises and welts around his middle sore for several days. The simple tool that scares me the most is the grinders, hand, bench,and the grinding machines. Those wheels are moving they grab, under the right conditions blow up, and just arnt forgiving at all. A grinder wound normally leaves nothing to sew up it removes everything.

Every machine has murder maiming and mayhem built into it we have to use our heads and control it. even our firearms have this ability built into them

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I call cutting wheels death wheels for a reason! Have rushed friends to the ER for stitches when they blow up... I wear my welding leathers when using one. The leather is harder to penetrate!

I used to use the stubs of 14" cutoff discs in an Atlas 7" air grinder .......boss came over one day ,and was well pleased at saving money ........wasnt so well pleased when one of the stubs broke and pieces hit him amidships.......funny thing is I was explaining to him how the wheels were safe down to 5" ,when they would break......(the 14" cutoffs are made with a outer abrasive layer ,then a cheaper centre part thats just filler)

One time I mowed without glasses and I got scarring.
Whacked me on the middle of my right eye.
Lesson learned.