I still cant believe this happened.  I work in a pretty decent sized 3 story office building, our company takes up most of the bottom floor.  The two owners of the place I work both know I carry and fully endorse me doing so, they are glad that I do.  I have been carrying for almost 12 or 13 years, pretty much every day.

I carry a NHC 1911 in an M-tac holster.  

Flame me if you want, whatever, but this is what happened.

I went into the bathroom, had to go "number 2".

My routine here, that I have done hundreds of times, is take my 1911 out of my holster and put it into that plastic dealio that holds the "ass gaskets" that is attached to the stall wall.  (those paper things you lay on the seat).

I have done this countless times, and I even remember the first time I thought about putting it there...I was thinking how clever I was that I found a new "secure" place to put my gun when taking care of business.

So today I go in for the routine....

I take gun out of holster, place in ass gasket holster, and this time the gun stays for a second and then drops right on through the bottom and lands muzzle first on the tile floor....I remember watching it start to fall thinking for a split second that I hope it doesn't ding my gun.....

THEN BOOM!!!!!!!!!!

This is the part the I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.  

How does the gun go off with the grip safety not engaged and the thumb safety on?  You can see in the picks the thumb safety is STILL ON!! IT IS JAMMED BACK?????

Anyway, call me stupid, whatever.....but this is what happened.

ETA since I have had more time to think about it



From the standpoint of an AD or ND....I can see the case for both, but I absolutely agree that leaving it in the holster when I take a dump would have prevented this whole thing from happening.  It was a freak one in a million accident, but I agree that I was negligent for taking it out of the holster, even though I thought I had good reason to and thought it was "safe".

From now on I will find a new way to take care of business, and I think I am going to get a new carry gun, maybe an M&P shield, a single stack nine since I do love that slim profile.

Anyway, hopefully this will help someone out and we can all learn something from this, I know I have.







ANY IDEAS ON HOW THE GUN COULD HAVE GONE OFF WITH THE GRIP SAFETY NOT ENGAGED AND THE THUMB SAFETY ON?
the thumb safety is still on!

no pic of the gun?

Tag.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

damn!! in for AAR..

I've tested 1911's that when I engaged the safety it went off. Glad no one got hurt,....oh yeah prepare your anus

At least you were in right place when you shit.

in one one

coming,....my brother is gonna host it for me and send me the link

I don't know why the gun fired, but I know a guy who does good tile work.

Tag

Oh, I'm in.

"Always carry a chambered round" they say.    

Sorry man. Force of fall on muzzle was enough to jolt firing pin into primer?

Maybe it's time to give Glock a try?

Just kidding, hope there's no consequences for you.

Why do you remove your gun from your holster to poop? I carry a G23 every day and never need to remove it from the holster. It stays in nicely whilst doing some business.

What did your boss say?

We have a very strict no gun policy at our company. The boss didn't even know it was in the handbook until last month, he carries 4 in his console and a lot of us also carry in our pickups. I would have reservations though about letting someone carry again after an nd.

Damn! Just Damn!
Hope you are okay and not fired.

IBTTIAPT [In Before This Turns Into A Poop Thread]

going to get fired? did everyone freak out? Anyone freak out?
I bet it helped the guy in the stall next to you...

in!

Omigaaaa

I have a sneaking suspicion that your boss will no longer want you to pack heat.

Eta: you balance it on top of that narrow ass pad dispenser?

Wow. Not familiar with that make of 1911. Equivalent to a series 70 colt?

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

What did your boss say? Are you deaf?

firing pin got enough velocity to set off the chambered round?

I don't think that's supposed to happen.

Do you still have a job??

You need an extra power firing pin spring.

Im guessing your bosses dont fully endorse your choices now?

google 1911 drop test

it's a common problem

I'm surprised you've carried a 1911 for so long and DIDN'T know that the firing pin can slam forward when the gun is dropped.  

Ti firing pins mostly solve the issue.

I think that would qualify as an accidental discharge

That sucks, glad you are OK.

Keep the police out of it.

How is that ringing in your ears

I hope your joking.



 

Tag

Wow. Reaction from your workplace? Glad no one was hurt.

Did the gun discharging result in as premature evacuation of your bowel?  ARF, and I am sure your coworkers, want to know!  

Glad nobody was injured.

Has the ringing in your ears stopped yet?

Firing pin safety not working?  Series 70 or 80? (as others have pointed out, this is a known issue with 1911s)

This^.

Glad you're ok OP. Do you still have the casing? I would check if the primer is seated too high.

ANY IDEAS ON HOW THE GUN COULD HAVE GONE OFF WITH THE GRIP SAFETY NOT ENGAGED AND THE THUMB SAFETY ON?





known issue with 1911's unless you have a good firing pin spring they can go off in that manor.

Series 70 or 80?

if it were a glock... glad nobody was hurt.

Had any trigger work done?


ETA: This had 2 posts and no gun pics when I hit reply....I'd say with Nighthawk I'd rule out shitty trigger work.

Did your feets get hit with scrapmetal?

This is not what I was expecting.

The grip safety doesn't lock the sear or hammer on a 1911. If the safety was on, the sear is locked into the recess of the hammer, and if the hammer slipped off the sear, then the 1/2 cock should have caught the hammer. Did the slide cycle when it fired, or did the safety keep the slide locked closed? based on what you've said, I am guessing you don't have a firing pin safety and your firing pin spring is weak and allowed the firing pin to move when it hit the floor and detonated the primer.

Wow!  In to find out if OP gets fired or not.

ETA: So did you get to poop or not?

Inertia, how does it work?

What was the reaction by other people in the area?  And what does your boss think?

Is it a series-80 or series-70 style slide/lockwork?  If the firing pin spring is weak or underpowered, a 1911 without the firing pin safety can fire if dropped on the muzzle, striking with enough force for inertia to drive the firing pin forward to strike the primer.  There's nothing mechanical locking the firing pin, the safety and grip safety block the sear and hammer, not the firing pin itself.


On a related note, did the gun going off cause you to expell your #2 with greater force then normal ?


EDIT:  Damn, I started typing and there was one reply, looks like a bunch of folks beat me to it.

Because there is nothing preventing the firing pin from bouncing from the drop. This is one reason the series 80 1911 came about.  I would suggest replacing your firing pin with a light weight one.  The heavier the pin the more inertia it has when dropped.  I've heard about this kind of ND with 1911s before.

Not positive but I would guess that it doesn't have a firing pin block and uses a steel firing pin? and in some ammo with soft primers? Inertia was enough to drive the pin into the primer.

Hence the series 80 1911's with the block or springers use of very light titanium firing pins on non FP block guns.

ETA: wow fast replies......what they said.