Test firing rifle

[RWL]

Some good advise however one should always wear eye protection when on a firing line, even as a observer.

I agree. I didn't mention it above, but I was wearing protective glasses and a full face shield and ear muffs even though I was behind the block wall.

[Gil Boyd]

Yes as I said at the beginning, I wear them as soon as I am on the range, you can practically replace everything else but without your eyes you may as well sell your guns!!!

[browningautorifle]

Once again I suggest that if you're that afraid of firing a rifle then you shouldn't fire it at all. All these measures don't matter if it's that shabby, so it doesn't come apart this time...maybe it will a few rounds down the road?

[RWL]

Once again I suggest that if you're that afraid of firing a rifle then you shouldn't fire it at all. All these measures don't matter if it's that shabby, so it doesn't come apart this time...maybe it will a few rounds down the road?

It's one thing to shoot a gun of relatively recent manufacture that you've bought from someone who says "Yeah, I've been hunting with it / shooting it". It's another to buy a gun of unknown provenance, particularly old military rifles even if they look good, and go shoot it without caution until it's proven to be safe to shoot. If someone has been shooting it all along, there's probably no need for special precautions. An old military rifle from a gun show or a yard sale where there's no reliable history is a different story.

[Gil Boyd]

Sorry Jim, I missed out wearing a helmet too, with the glasses, and probably going by the rifle which started this thread and its unknown background, a MK10 Respirator too

[browningautorifle]

An old military rifle from a gun show or a yard sale where there's no reliable history is a different story.

Why? Does it look like crap? Again...

[rcathey]

Where I’m from (Kentucky) there’s a whole lot of secondhand guns on the market. It’s not uncommon for a questionable one to come along.
The SOP in that case is strap it an old tire, place a big ol’ tree between you and it, and yank a string tied to the trigger.
The 1917 I own came in a rattle can Color Guard paint job. Once I stripped that off, you can bet your biscuit I tested it the way my forefathers tested their questionable guns.
Scientific? Maybe not. Made me feel better about it though.

[Aragorn243]

I bought a lead sled on sale at Cabelas. The put them on sale every year at black Friday.

I have doubts about a lot of the rifles I have, they are old, 75-100 years old, have pitting, were abused, etc. One particularly bad example was a Swede M38 that was rusted so bad the tip of the barrel was plugged. I took the rifle to numerous shops after restoring it. All said "no problem" but I still didn't want that next to my face or hands the first few shots.

Quiet time at the range, set it up, put the rifle in it, sand bag it in and string fire.

No problems with that one. I have two or three others that I will do that with the first time. Honestly, I don't have real "fears" with any of them because if I did, I wouldn't bother firing them because I don't want to destroy the value. That being said, that nagging doubt in the back of my mind needs the security of the lead sled.