06-03-2012, 05:38 AM
This may sound stupid to those of you who have been shooting autoloaders for a long time, but I do get a little nervous about new shooters hunting with a semi. A shooter must have practiced enough that he will not accidentally fire off multiple rounds. Many new AR hunters don't have extensive military/LEO experience with the weapon.
Note: I said accidentally. A second shot while in full recoil can go a long, long, way.
Could this happen? Well… The second or third time I had a shooting session with a Saiga 7.62x39, I was determined to find out the absolute best accuracy that I could get out of the thing (stop snickering! It was, after all, sold as a “sporting rifle”
. I decided to try different ammo and shooting styles. Here, it is important to point out that virtually all of my shooting over the years was with an air rifle, .22, or 9mm carbine. I had shot the 7.62x39 before. Mild recoil, certainly not like a .308, .270, or 30-06. I wasn’t worried.
Eventually, I got around to the standing position, left elbow tucked in – supporting the rifle with my knuckles. From prior experience, I knew that some rifles were more accurate if held loosely and allowed to follow-through without much resistance.
You guys probably know what happened. I kept my trigger hand loose, gently squeezed off a shot and, as the barrel rose and rifle recoiled into my shoulder, it bounced off –the trigger reset - and the danged thing fired again during the follow through. I had accidentally “bump fired” a round. The second shot was well above where I was aiming. Rather pale-faced, I thanked God that I was at a range that could stop the round.
The only thing that I could think of was “what if I had made that mistake outdoors and the bullet hit someone far down range.”
I am not the only person to accidentally double-tap (or more). More than one shooting range with a good berm has been closed because some bullets ended up in houses far downrange. Accidental double taps maybe?
Another fellow I met had a more spectacular experience with a semi-automatic 12 ga shotgun (extended magazine, of course). He was an experienced shooter, but something about the combination of the recoil-pad and the coat he was wearing kept the shotgun bump-firing until out of ammo. He said that he simply could not get his finger away from the trigger. He also said that he needed clean underwear afterwards.
Jim
Note: I said accidentally. A second shot while in full recoil can go a long, long, way.
Could this happen? Well… The second or third time I had a shooting session with a Saiga 7.62x39, I was determined to find out the absolute best accuracy that I could get out of the thing (stop snickering! It was, after all, sold as a “sporting rifle”
. I decided to try different ammo and shooting styles. Here, it is important to point out that virtually all of my shooting over the years was with an air rifle, .22, or 9mm carbine. I had shot the 7.62x39 before. Mild recoil, certainly not like a .308, .270, or 30-06. I wasn’t worried. Eventually, I got around to the standing position, left elbow tucked in – supporting the rifle with my knuckles. From prior experience, I knew that some rifles were more accurate if held loosely and allowed to follow-through without much resistance.
You guys probably know what happened. I kept my trigger hand loose, gently squeezed off a shot and, as the barrel rose and rifle recoiled into my shoulder, it bounced off –the trigger reset - and the danged thing fired again during the follow through. I had accidentally “bump fired” a round. The second shot was well above where I was aiming. Rather pale-faced, I thanked God that I was at a range that could stop the round.
The only thing that I could think of was “what if I had made that mistake outdoors and the bullet hit someone far down range.”
I am not the only person to accidentally double-tap (or more). More than one shooting range with a good berm has been closed because some bullets ended up in houses far downrange. Accidental double taps maybe?
Another fellow I met had a more spectacular experience with a semi-automatic 12 ga shotgun (extended magazine, of course). He was an experienced shooter, but something about the combination of the recoil-pad and the coat he was wearing kept the shotgun bump-firing until out of ammo. He said that he simply could not get his finger away from the trigger. He also said that he needed clean underwear afterwards.
Jim