Muzzle awareness

[dscoduc]

So I am at the range over the weekend and talking to a nice guy about guns... he happens to have a really cool MP9 with custom fiber front sights. He verifies the magazine is out, checks the action by pulling the slide back into a locked position, and then hands me the pistol with the muzzle facing down.

As I am looking at the pistol I level the pistol, careful to point it downrange even though it's unloaded and locked open. As I am looking at it the guy puts his hand on the front of the barrel and very deliberately pushes it back down at the ground - this happens a couple of more times until I hand the pistol back to him.

Now, I am not going to profess to be the most knowledgeable in gun safety but I'm pretty sure that an unloaded, emptied magazine, locked open slide pistol is a threat to anyone, and does not warrant the concern of always pointing the barrel down at the floor.

The guy was really nice and cool for showing me the pistol (If you are reading this I really did appreciate you sharing and talking to me), but I left there thinking that either I am a dumb***** for pointing the barrel downrange or he was overreacting to how I was handling the pistol.

Please (gently) school me, oh CalGuns!

[trigger945]

A verified unloaded gun with an open action may be safe but it's a good habit to keep the muzzle pointed down (or up as some ranges require) until you reach your station. It is the SAFER way to do it and people can always appreciate safe(r) handling of firearms.

I would say that he did the right thing and now it stuck on you. Good!

Enjoy and stay safe.

[santamonica9]

The guy was really nice and cool for showing me the pistol (If you are reading this I really did appreciate you sharing and talking to me), but I left there thinking that either I am a dumb***** for pointing the barrel downrange or he was overreacting to how I was handling the pistol.

Please (gently) school me, oh CalGuns!

as gentle as I can be......

all firearms are loaded and should be thought/used/played with as if they are loaded. pointing the gun downrange is the proper way to point the gun....dont you remember that wonderful CA handgun safety exam you HAVE to pass to obtain any handgun in CA - there was a question that pertains to this very issue. I remember b/c I got it wrong when I said it has to be pointed up. The clerk that graded my test explained that the correct answer was that the gun has to pointed in a safe direction usually down range. Not up & Not down (near an airport, bullet still needs to come back down * point it down and the round hits the wrong rock ever hear of a ricochet)

now keep in mind that is what the legal C.Y.A. CA state has you tested on so you can buy a pistol. Each range has their own rules, if you where unsure and the guy seemed to be a nice guy, why didnt you just ask him? Some LEO / military people also have been trained to always point their weapons a certain way

safety is without a doubt the first rule when using/shooting/cleaning/ANYTHING with a firearm - have fun & enjoy!!

[Voo]

Without more information (not having seen the incident) there seems to be nothing wrong with what the guy did.. He's promoting safety and as such, it's his gun you're pointing around..

If you were away from the line or the bench or in an area where you shouldnt' be pointing guns, then yea, I think he did the right thing..

Being anal about safety benefits everyone.. I've seen so many idiots, from newbs to people who have been shooting for years, do stupid and dangerous things.. At this point, I'd rather err on the side of caution..

[dscoduc]

...it's his gun you're pointing around..

If you were away from the line or the bench or in an area where you shouldnt' be pointing guns...

Just to clarify, we were standing inside the yellow line of the firing line and I was pointing the pistol downrange...

This guy was definitely exhibiting safe handling techniques and I could get right away he was squared away with handling firearms. Right or wrong about the barrel awareness he was definitely someone I could learn a great deal from wrt firearm safety...

[Sleighter]

Im all for gun safety, but if you were on the firing line, the safest direction for the muzzle is downrange. Every situation is different, but the best approach is ALWAYS the same: more communication.

You could have simply asked why he did it after the 1st time. It could be there was a reason other than muzzle awareness. Maybe he didnt want you to aim the pistol, drop the slide and dry fire. A quick question could have made it a teaching/learning moment. If someone is handling my gun or vice versa I would rather talk too much than have to guess at someones intentions.

[jb octane]

Did he push the muzzle down when you were no longer aiming down the sights? I could see someone doing that if you had the gun pointed downrange but were not aiming visibly aiming it.

[dscoduc]

Yes, I was no longer looking down the sights when he pushed the barrel down to the floor...

[ralph.garmin]

***

[TAS]

If you were on the firing line, the safest direction is down range. As someone else suggested, if he was worried about you dropping the slide or dry firing, then I could see him doing this. Otherwise, I think he was over reacting.

You said he did this a few times so I would have thought there would have been words exchanged, like 'please don't do that because ....'. It would have been good to get a reason for his action. We can only assume, based on his actions, why he did what he did. Saftey is always #1 and it seems you were acting safe by pointing it down range.

[dscoduc]

In hindsight I wish I had asked about it. I just assumed that I was doing something wrong and didn't want to be confrontational - after all he was sharing his pistol with me...

[jb octane]

Don't dwell on it too much. You were in the proper place and you had the gun pointed downrange. His safety reaction might have come from a previous incident, like someone doing exactly what you were doing but accidentally sweeping the firearm as they turned to talk. He never said anything so it doesn't seem like you bothered him.

[theneko]

Always point it in a SAFE direction. I would argue that downrange on an open live firing range is safer than the floor, but I would say that if either would be a safe direction that it would be ok to point it there.

[trigger945]

OP, maybe PM him and let us know

['ol shooter]

In a public place, the muzzle should be down, it's etiquette. In a private place different rules apply. In my home, once the gun is verified safe, position is not an issue, but pointing in a safe direction still applies.