# So my rifle blows up in my face today... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 11, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358 "2004-12-11T22:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358/21 "2004-12-13T04:54:45Z")
Holy Carp! > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > But here are some lessons learned: > > 1. While my prescription glasses probably saved my eyes, I’m still _damn_ lucky. From now on I will never shoot a gun - not even a frick’n _BB gun_ - unless I’m wearing full-size, ANSI-rated goggles. > > 2. When a gun jams I will _carefully_ study the situation before attempting to fix the jam. _Damn_ straight. Very glad to hear that you’re not seriously injured. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358/22 "2004-12-13T17:46:15Z")
A few times on the Marine Corps Rifle Range with the Primary Marksmanship Instructor yelling after EVERY round of firing quote]\*\*UNLOAD, CLEAR, AND LOCK! REMOVEthemagazinefromthemagazinewell, LOCKthecharginghandletotherear, CHECKIT! [/quote] \*\* had ingrained that sequence of events into my brain housing group. Next time, before any action, remove the magazine. that’s what the PMI said, and you ALWAYS do what the PMI says. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358/23 "2004-12-13T18:04:29Z")
That’s a cool gun, a cool story, and a damned good lesson in gun safety for the next crop of shooters. The remains of that rifle belong in the most prominent place in your house. You’re damned lucky you weren’t killed. At least you peered into the chamber, as opposed to down the barrel, and you _still_ could have lost some vision if a shard had shattered your glasses and drove a piece into your eye. ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358/24 "2004-12-13T19:41:46Z")
**C-Man** , glad to hear your okay, and sorry about the FAL!! Definitely a tough lesson to learn but I’ll bet you ain’t gonna do that again. I’m sure you’ll have fun looking for a worthy replacement. 😉 Let us know what you get. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358/25 "2004-12-13T20:58:16Z")
It does make the notion of putting a tipped bullet right behind a centerfire cartridge appear a tad ill-conceived. Kinda surprising when you consider it that this doesn’t happen more often. As mentioned, glad everything turned out _reasonably okay_ in the end. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358/26 "2004-12-13T21:00:57Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. When a gun jams I will carefully study the situation before attempting to fix the jam. You’ve learned the hard way that the magazine has to come out first. I’m glad that you weren’t seriously injured by this. Things could have easily turned out much, much worse for you. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358/27 "2004-12-14T04:04:03Z")
Thanks for the kind words. As mentioned, the rifle is toast. But I don’t care; at least I’m still alive. And on the plus side, this gives me a good excuse to do what I’ve always wanted: build a FAL from scratch using a new receiver and new barrel. (Yep, crazy at it sounds, I still love the FAL rifle. After all, the accident was primarily _ **my** _ fault; it cannot rightfully be attributed to any design deficiency of the rifle.) The only thing I’m concerned about right now is my face: I have hundreds of small, red-speckled dots on my face, presumably where small pieces of powder and brass hit it. Is it possible I have metal or powder embedded under the skin? Will they work themselves out? Or (TMI) do I need to dig them out? I’ll also take digital photos of the rifle and broken pieces (magazine, etc.). When I’m finished I’ll post the URL. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-rifle-blows-up-in-my-face-today/279358.md?page=1)