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Thread: Scary - Gun Malfunction Discharge (Browning A5)

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    Default Scary - Gun Malfunction Discharge (Browning A5)

    In light of the Baldwin interview and other thread posted I thought I would share of a scary situation that happened this past week while shooting some skeet with my son and Dad. My Dad had just shot a few skeet and walked back and handed the unloaded "old" Browning A5 20 ga. to my son. We were all standing together and with the gun pointed up in the air my son dropped a shell in the open chamber and hit the button to close the breach. Unexpectedly the gun went off in between the 3 of us. After I cleaned my britches and realized everyone was okay my first thought was to fuss at my son.....safety, safety, safety! Then I preached some more, then some more about loading the gun up front where we were shooting.

    My son told me the gun went off on its on and he didn't touch the trigger. So, with the gun safety on I tried it myself and sure enough when the breach closed the gun fired. I took it to a gunsmith friend who tore it apart as he was very curious as to what had happened. Come to find out the hammer sheared off causing the malfunction. He said mechanically nothing else was wrong and out of 60 years messing with Browning A5's this is the 1st time he's seen a sheared hammer on one.

    I just wanted to share our experience as it can be a learning experience for many moving forward.

    Last edited by Timberman22; 12-04-2021 at 03:36 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ghetto View Post
    A larger caliber will help you with your deer kills. Try it.


    Quote Originally Posted by Sportin' Woodies View Post
    I agree with timber22

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    Wow!!! Really glad no one was hurt.

    Solid reminder to always have muzzle control.

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    Glad y’all are ok- scary situation for sure.
    Never confuse enthusiasm for capability

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    jwilliams is offline 2th Doc's Fishing understudy
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    Dang scary. Saw it happen with old franchi not the broke piece, but the weapon discharge from closing breach
    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn View Post
    Does Elton John know you have his shotgun?

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    Damn. Glad everyone is ok.
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    Thanks for sharing, H. Glad he knows to keep that barrel pointed in the right direction...

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    Had a buddy 2 years ago standing in the duck hole in Arkansas with his 870 over his shoulder and it just went off. He wasn’t sure exactly what happened and then 10 minutes later it was hanging on a tree hook and went off again. Safety was on. I told him to take it to a gunsmith and he said he was taking it straight to the trash because he could never trust it again. He left that gun in an Arkansas swamp

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    What gunsmith did you take it to?

    I have a browning B80 that has sat in the cabinet for 3years.

    I put it there for good when it did the exact same thing that yours did.

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    Quote Originally Posted by FULLCHOKE View Post
    What gunsmith did you take it to?

    I have a browning B80 that has sat in the cabinet for 3years.

    I put it there for good when it did the exact same thing that yours did.
    Art Cavanaugh in Lexington, SC
    Quote Originally Posted by Ghetto View Post
    A larger caliber will help you with your deer kills. Try it.


    Quote Originally Posted by Sportin' Woodies View Post
    I agree with timber22

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    Thanks for sharing this story. Good lesson for all of us to make sure barrel is always pointed in a safe direction. Glad no one for injured.

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    Why father has a Weatherby Vanguard in 7mmRem Mag that would fire when closing the bolt. Happened the first time after I dropped him off to sit on an oak ridge. Took it back to the cabin and was able to replicate it on ma empty chamber 1 out of 4 times cycling the bolt.
    Sent it to Weatherby and they fixed it, dont recall the details.
    Last edited by CurLee; 12-04-2021 at 06:15 PM.

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    Your son did right. I've seen men tell their sons to put the gun away when, just for an instant, he let the muzzle sweep across someone. It needs to be second nature.

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    I have a Rem 700 sendero chambered in 7mag.
    Many years ago in stand I flipped safety off getting ready to shoot a fat doe. Gun went off.
    Could not replicate it on empty chamber. That afternoon exact same thing happened in stand.
    After that unloaded gun it would snap every other time after flipped safely off.
    Ended up being broke safety spring. Scary shit


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    Quote Originally Posted by GMAC View Post
    Your son did right. I've seen men tell their sons to put the gun away when, just for an instant, he let the muzzle sweep across someone. It needs to be second nature.
    Reflecting back I probably shouldn't have fussed at him so quickly but he still should have waited to load the gun out front of us. However, I did commend him on the muzzle control.

    Like I said, hopefully this story will remind everyone to expect the unexpected and guns can fail mechanically at any moment.
    Last edited by Timberman22; 12-04-2021 at 07:40 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ghetto View Post
    A larger caliber will help you with your deer kills. Try it.


    Quote Originally Posted by Sportin' Woodies View Post
    I agree with timber22

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    Y’all are freaking me out! Glad everyone is ok
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    Quote Originally Posted by Relentlous View Post
    Y’all are freaking me out! Glad everyone is ok
    Muzzle safety is the key. Never know when any malfunction can happen.
    It’s an uneasy eye opening scary feeling.
    Scared the absolute crap out of me.


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    A good lesson for everyone!!. Never trust a a gun .Thank goodness he had been taught to keep the muzzle in the right direction.

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    So maybe Alec didn't shoot them!
    Low country redneck who moved north

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