A cautionary tale.
One of our members, shooting at a remote private location, catches a ricochet in the foot. He’s fine, he got some lead and copper in the ankle and it cut some tendons but it looks like he will make a complete recovery with no lasting ill effects.
But.
he’s wounded. Bleeding, Left ankle in some not inconsiderable pain. In a car with a stick. IN a remote location, without a cellphone.
Don’t shoot alone if you can help it. folks. We will probably make this a suggestion at our range, becoming a mandatory “buddy system” eventually.
29 comments Og | Uncategorized
Hate to say it, but with all the Lawyers around, not having a 2 Man Rule while the Range is occupied is a Lawsuit just waiting to happen. Yeah, I know you probably have the “Shoot at Your Own Risk” signs, and Members sign Waivers, but the old days of a Dozen Guys with Keys to the Gate and Shooting on their own time are gone. Too Many Ambulance Chasers out there.
Ayep.
Hitler had a mandatory buddy system too.
For those who don’t know and might find themselves in situations with a car with a stick, it can be driven without using the clutch. Even from a dead stop if a postmodern car’s starter engine’s will-not-engage-when-in-gear gismo has been disabled ahead of time. It doesn’t take long to figure out. It’s another reason to always have a good strong battery before venturing out into the frontier.
Also, you can drive a stick if you have your factory equipped second foot with you still in good condition. It only takes one foot to drive a car.
Automatic transmissions remain a great idea, turns out.
“It only takes one foot to drive a car. ”
When you have bad knees, you let me know how that works out for you. The guy in question is 86 years old and rough as a cob.
I do have bad knees.
Just letting you know.
But when I am 86, I plan to have a vehicle with an automatic transmission. If the government still permits private vehicle ownership by then.
lol.
Someday I’ll have to show you what bad knees are.
I expect stubborn old fart that you are, you’ll eventually find out.
I do still run occasionally, but the pain is getting worse. I am already “government certified” as having bad knees, for what that’s worth. Your 86 year old guy have a government certificate?
I’m not “Government certified” but my dr says I’m stupid for not having handicapped plates. After three knee surgeries the cartilage is like gravel. If I sit still for more than 1/2 hour I lock up and by the time my commute is over I can’t walk upright for about a half hour.
The 86 year old is WW2. Has two purple hearts.
if you held a gun to my head and said “Run” you’d just have to shoot me. If you can run, your knees aren’t that bad.
You win.
S’ok. You’ll catch up eventually.
And THIS is why I have a trauma kit attached to my range bag. Because I live in a rural area, and shooting doesn;t consist of “going to the range”, but “going to a buddy’s field”.
Even with cell phone reception, might have to keep the mobile biological heavy metal collection device alive for 30-45 minutes before the woo-woo box shows up.
Excellent plan geo.
+1 on having a blow out bag as a permanent part of the range bag.
Even shooting at the indoor pistol range a few blocks from work and a few blocks from the local FD and a few more from the ER I keep it close at hand. 4×4 gauze, quik-clot, roller gauze, and vet wrap all in an ziploc bag along with a pair of EMT shears.
BGM
BGM, where do you get your quick clot? I see wally world has some first aid kits with Celox in them. I would like to find a supply it.
I can see suggesting the buddy system, but mandating may be a little too much. I do the majority of my shooting at the club alone. Many times, I throw the supplies in truck in the morning and go right from work. Sometimes, there are no people available, and sometimes the peace and solitude are nice. It is a risk, but so are a lot of things in life. I do make sure I have my cell phone on me, and the club does have a caretaker and family on site.
Rich: You’re also not a bluehair one startled moment from a grabber. A lot of these guys have one foot in the grave. But we will do our best to keep it voluntary.
Another thing to be aware of when shooting in a remote place, if you don’t mind : Remember the FBI shoot-out in Florida a while back? The bad guys had acquired their weapons by ambushing recreational shooters out in the sticks. They would wait until magazines were empty and jump them.
I not only take a buddy, I take a dedicated sidearm.
Hitler would have put the trial lawyers at the head of the line of jews gypsies and homosexuals. Maybe he warnt so bad after all.
And this is thought provoking. I won’t use a chainsaw without someone there, and I always wear kevlar chaps, steel toed boots etc. But ill put 100 rounds through a rifle by myself without a second thought. Best rethink that.
Damn. The biggest drag for me is I prefer shooting alone to shooting with someone.
First world choices, do I shoot alone in the not really remote private range I go to, or drag a friend and diminish my enjoyment, but improve my safety. Hmmm
I get my QuikClot and Combat gauze off eBay. Same place i got the pressure dressings and CAT TKs (and yes, I know how to tell the Airsoft clones from the real ones )
I do NOT recommend buying medical kit from unknown strangers unless you:
A., are qualified to evaluate it when it arrives, and
B., get it for a low enough price that you’re willing to take a 20% or so chance you’ll evaluate it and end up binning the useless Chinese pirate clone, UNSAT clapped out old cow, or way past the expiration date items you got suckered into.
(Seriously, even if you ARE capable of doing the eval, you’ll spend less in the end by buying from a reputable medical supplier — but I combine utility with recreation when buying kit on eBay. . . every purchase is like laying your money down on “RED” and “EVEN”. )
geo: makes sense. Can civillians buy the stuff? I have EMT friends who can probably get me a few things, they get me suture silk and other stuff, but the Quick Clot seems like they’d be unwilling to sell to civillians
I picked up some quick clot from lapolicegear Og. I think the bandages make more sense than the loose stuff. Having the powder blow into your eye turns a bad day into a worse day.
i bet!
Son tells me that the newer Quikclot formula is better than the original; also says the bandages or pads are a lot easier to use than the loose powder.
Tom’s right, there’s no restrictions on buying the stuff, Amazon and LAPG have it, among others. A bit spendy, but it works
Remind me to tell you about driving myself to the doctor with only my left arm & leg working in my stick-shift truck.
Yeah, my knees were better then; still…