Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Bushbow on December 25, 2009, 11:10:36 pm

Title: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Bushbow on December 25, 2009, 11:10:36 pm
Ever shot something in the house you did not intend to?
I was watching TV late one night and made a bow out of two Douglas fir slats. I overlapped the ends to form a handle, taped it together and added a cotton string. I don't know the draw weight, but it was not much. I had to test it, so I grabbed a light target arrow and threw a local phone book on the couch (1" thick) and shot it from about 5'. Whack! It hit harder than I expected. Thru the phone book and about 1" into the couch. Mercifully my wife was in bed (I would not have got past stringing it up, if she was up), the couch was old, and the hole was small. I never brought it up, she never noticed, and the couch is gone now. Anyone else? >:D
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: woodstick on December 25, 2009, 11:31:39 pm
my wife wont let me shoot in the house plus the only area i got is the hallwat and my kids bedroom doors are down it. my friend shoots his compound in his house to work on form. not me. my form is perfect. ha ha b.s.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: aznboi3644 on December 26, 2009, 12:04:37 am
I'm just lucky I have a 30' long basement to practice shooting
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: hawkbow on December 26, 2009, 12:22:50 am
 I accidentally stuck an atlatl dart in the ceiling of the Gymnasium in high school  when I was a kid.. does that count?
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Pat B on December 26, 2009, 12:29:30 am
Nothing too memorable...YET!!! A few flower pots, the occasional garden hose, a gas can or two. You know, the ordinary stuff.  ;D  I try to be aware of where my shot might go but... ::)  
   Fortunately we live in the middle of the woods so a misplaced shot or ricochet shot only get lost.  ;D  I do have an old dog that shows up between me and the target butt unannounced. Actually, that keeps me on my toes.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Hickoryswitch on December 26, 2009, 12:40:55 am
Shot a car tire out one time on accident. The arrow skipped off the top of the 3d target then bounced across the ground under the car and hit the off side tire. Had to have been like 125 yard shot.  That was interesting to explain.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Jesse on December 26, 2009, 01:06:56 am
I had an old 45# fiberglass longbow when I was younger and I got it taken away because I took my sisters plastic toy horses and shot them all in my bedroom with a mattress for a backstop but some went through the mattress and put a few holes in the paneling. Parents were not too happy with that one ;D
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: adb on December 26, 2009, 01:23:13 am
I was shooting in our basement hallway leading into the laundry room, and I missed my mark.  I shot through the wall, through an (empty) bedroom  door, breaking a mirror on the oposite wall. Sweet Jesus. I thought I had the mess all cleaned up, but when the boss got home, I couldn't explain the nice little round hole through the bedroom door. No more shooting in the house.   ;D O:)
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Bushbow on December 26, 2009, 02:24:44 am
Thanks for the responses, I got a laugh. ;D There is also the time I was shooting my target butt from the end of the driveway into the garage (20 yards). I got bored and decided to shoot the garbage can. Hit it a couple of times, The next arrow hit it on tangent, ricocheted into a folded ping pong table, richocheted again, and nailed my weedwacker in the plastic housing. That field point is still bouncing around in the weedwacker. Don't tell my wife.
Chuck S.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: M-P on December 26, 2009, 02:33:33 am
I accidentally shot my own quiver once.   I was shooting at some bales in the back yard.  One of the arrows flew sort of squirrelly so i backed up to shoot it again, leaving my quiver on top of the bales.  (I wasn't going to miss that badly!)  I let loose with the funny arrow.   In the 15 yards to the bale, the arrow shot straight toward the ground, skimmed along the grass and then suddenly shot up to hit my quiver.   I checked the arrow and found was way under spined.
And then there was time as a teenager when I dry fired my 22 at a duck wing tacked on the side of the garage.   Except of course that it wasn't a dry fire.
Ron
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Badger on December 26, 2009, 03:12:22 am
      To this day I cannot figure out how this shot happened. I lived in a back house behind my ex wife. We got along well and by doing this we didn't need to selll the house. There was a wooden fence that seperated my yard from hers, my target was set up about 2ft below the top of the fence, bulls eye about 3 ft below. Somehow an arrow got loose and went through her bedroom window, into her closet and right through her brand new new years eve dress that she was to wear that night. Glass covered every inch of the room. she was furious. years later she finaly admitted that she was still able to wear the dress and the hole was able to be fixed somehow.
     My other dumb move was a buddy had leaned his old ben pearson on the side of my target, his dad who passed away gave it to him and he brought it by to show me. Somehow that bow just sucked me in and I shot through a limb ruining it. Bow had no real value to speak of but plenty of sentimental value.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: nathan elliot on December 26, 2009, 06:29:47 am
I have quite a few tales to tell, some will have to wait until my wife finds the holes and asks how they got there! My best so far, is a metal garage door. An archery buddy came round to check out my latest bow, we were shooting it in my makeshift range in the garage. I had a brainwave about instinct shooting, so I let off a few quick arrows to find my mark, then tried one with my eyes shut! The resounding boom told me I had missed. My buddy was laughing his head off, and my arrow had gone right through the metal door just to the right of my target, only stopping at the fletching. My wife had heard the boom and guessed what I had done, she came in and gave me one of those looks that sends you back to being a child again. She just shook her head and said fix it. I had the last laugh though, couple of weeks later the same Boyer buddy came round and put an arrow right through my wife's sun lounger, don't know how he did it, my guess is instinct shooting again!

Nat
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: jamie on December 26, 2009, 08:21:00 am
copper gas line in the basement, my buddies lawn mower in his garage, one of his bows that was hanging in his basement after i put an arrow through his basement window, and the coup de grace the jacket on my waterheater. just dented the tin side and tore through the jacket. oh yeah i almost forgot about the $#itter pipe in the basement.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Dane on December 26, 2009, 10:18:44 am
Not shot, but a hole was involved. I wont go into why I was drilling on the table, but I ended up drilling a 1/8" hole in the dining room table. It was clean and all the way though. My wife didn't notice it for years, until my boss was over for dinner, and he asked about the hole. He assumed she already knew, as I had been soliciting ideas to plug the hole at work one day.

Luckily we were needing a new table, so I was not in too much trouble. Not much, anyway. 

Dane
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: George Tsoukalas on December 26, 2009, 10:24:52 am
I've had shots in my house but they were of the liquid variety. :) Jawge
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: HoBow on December 26, 2009, 11:09:40 am
Jawge- was it ouzo? ;D. When I arrived in Greece our hotel took my group into a room and gave everyone a shot of it...I had no idea what they were trying to do to us ???
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: adb on December 26, 2009, 12:16:25 pm
I've had shots in my house but they were of the liquid variety. :) Jawge
:D :D :D
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Marc St Louis on December 26, 2009, 01:16:02 pm
Can't say I have ever shot anything inside my house but about 12 years ago I made a HHB bow for a friend and he was so taken with it that he had to shoot it inside during the winter. His basement was not finished and he had about a 30' shooting lane.  He setup a target on a wall and started shooting.  One arrow missed his target and went through the wall, he was too concerned about that since it was a gypsum covered wall and he figured he could fix it easily enough.  What he didn't count on was that on the other side of the wall he had stored a brand new fiberglass shower stall that he was to install.  The arrow put a neat hole through that.  His wife was not pleased
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: osage outlaw on December 26, 2009, 03:51:33 pm
Not me, but my uncle had some inserts imbedded in his trim above the front door.  He would stand in the kitchen, shoot through a hall, through another small room, out the door and into a target on the porch.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: rockhound34 on December 26, 2009, 05:14:01 pm
I shot my wifes favorite stuffed snow man last year,it was a good heart shot to. shes still mad,an I still laugh.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: adb on December 26, 2009, 08:53:58 pm
 :D :D :D
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Grunt on December 26, 2009, 08:59:14 pm
When I was around ten I took a bad innertube off my bike tire and tied it to a tree fork in the back yard. I made a spear about six feet long and set her in like a slingshot. I pulled it back as far as I could and let her go. Unfortunately I shot towards the house and that spear went farther than I though it would and stuck in the moulding under the big picture window. Also unfortunately my father was looking out the window at the same time. Ouch!!!!  
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Lombard on December 27, 2009, 01:38:46 am
Bushbow this didn't happen in the house, but is related.

I had been shooting my target from one hundred feet away off and on
all day long, with a favorite bow. Well I moved the target over to my shed
and started shooting in another bow, that was being built. Just half draw
from five feet away. The thing is from one hundred feet and a couple
hundred arrows, I never missed the target, but from five feet away
somehow managed to miss. Dead center a foot over the top in one side
and out the other of my shed, and right into my eight foot fiberglass
step ladder, that was leaning against the fence.

Thank goodness for fiberglass repair kits (for ladders) ;-)
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: islandpiper on December 27, 2009, 10:21:18 am
Without all the gory details, I'll tell you that a 20# bow and a spruce arrow with NO TIP can get into trouble at a violin shop, too. 

Everything's OK now.   I don't keep arrows in the shop any more. 

piper
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: elk country rp on December 27, 2009, 03:46:03 pm
i was brainstorming about how to get closer to speed goats with traditional gear & decided to learn how to shoot from my back. i learned three things actually:
1) it's kinda hard to sight down the arrow from the other side of the bow
2) a 53# horsebow at half draw can put a 2 bladed steel force through a particle board garage door quite easily
3) broadheads are for outside only!
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: papasickle on December 30, 2009, 10:24:00 pm
Dang squirrel! Just wanted it to go elsewhere and squawk at my dog. I think every kid on my side of town seen me climb that tree and get arrow and one not quite dead critter out of that tree. A mad squirrel in a tree can be like a mad grizz I guarantee. Them teeth be three-four inches long I swear.  ;)
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Simple Hunter on December 30, 2009, 10:56:00 pm
When I had first started making bows, which was about 8 years ago I had just finshed a hickory bow and was eager to try it out and I grabbed some  arrows went to the back yard and started shooting, about the second shot wack, the arrow snapped as I shot it.My first reaction was to look for the arrow, while looking for it I looked down and saw a piece of my arrow sticking out between my thumb and first finger,this may be hard to believe but it went under the skin and was stuck in the first knuckle of my finger.I spent 3 hrs in surgery.I now check each arrow before every shot. 
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Ghost Dog on December 31, 2009, 12:39:14 am
I was shooting a highly reflexed self backed osage flatbow that had been pulled into reflex by the sapwood back. It was made by a very well known bowyer and I had every confidence in it. It was raining so I was shooting in the house. I had shot the bow many times, before the fateful day.The bow blew on release, the arrow went wild and  through the kitchen window and out into the street. I had the window replaced before my wife came home, but I told her what had happened. Man that was a great bow. If it had been backed with rawhide I think it would still be shooting.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Rich Saffold on December 31, 2009, 01:28:16 am
Does the neighbors snarling   pitbull count? Oh wait that wasn't by accident! ;)  ( I have fat blunts for this situation, and he was too lean anyhow)
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: huntersteve on December 31, 2009, 04:27:34 am
I've shot a few things out in the yard by mistake.....lawn chairs,garden hose reel,well house,tree's...the usual stuff......
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: skyarrow on December 31, 2009, 12:21:41 pm
i almost shot my moms horse with a ricochet 
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: vtclimber on December 31, 2009, 12:45:53 pm
Damn, this post could not have come at a better time! JUST last night I was sitting on the couch with Katie and wanted to try a new (cheap) crossbow pistol a friend gave me for kicks. We figured we could take out rats with it. Well, I set up several boxes and filled them with old shop towels. Did',t think it would have a lot of power. Sighted it and shot.....through the top of the first box and into a 200 year old white oak mantel....Katie was not happy and promptly informed me that the house was NOT the place to be shooting bows.....
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: makenzie71 on December 31, 2009, 01:08:38 pm
Once I was letting the hammer down on a .40 auto and it slipped off my thumb.  To this day we have no idea where the bullit went...we looked for HOURS and found no holes in the floor, walls, cieling, TV (where it was pointed), stereo equipment, etc...we looked everywhere and couldn't find a trace of the slug.

I've shot lots of other things in the house...but very few accidents.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Michael C. on December 31, 2009, 02:50:19 pm
Once I was letting the hammer down on a .40 auto and it slipped off my thumb.  To this day we have no idea where the bullit went...we looked for HOURS and found no holes in the floor, walls, cieling, TV (where it was pointed), stereo equipment, etc...we looked everywhere and couldn't find a trace of the slug.

I've shot lots of other things in the house...but very few accidents.

I did the same thing with my Dad's 9mm into our living room floor. My friends and I were shooting our trash barrel out behind our house and he left the gun cocked, when he gave it back to me without the clip in it inside the house I noticed the hammer was back and instead of checking the chamber I tried to let the hammer down and slipped. Scared the crap out of me/him and serves as a reminder for me to this day to always double check the chamber. 
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: makenzie71 on December 31, 2009, 02:57:11 pm
I did the same thing with my Dad's 9mm into our living room floor. My friends and I were shooting our trash barrel out behind our house and he left the gun cocked, when he gave it back to me without the clip in it inside the house I noticed the hammer was back and instead of checking the chamber I tried to let the hammer down and slipped. Scared the crap out of me/him and serves as a reminder for me to this day to always double check the chamber.

Damn straight.  Good lessons learned hard ways...I'm very glad I learned very young and very "all by myself".
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: mullet on December 31, 2009, 08:21:56 pm
 I was showing somebody the nice safety feature of a Colt 1911. Well guess who depressed the grip safety when he pulled the trigger? It was in my livingroom, and carpet, padding and concrete dust was floating everywhere. I was glad my ears were ringing that way all I could do was see my wife's lips moving. And I thanked God it didn't richochet across into the China Cabinet with her families turn of the century, German, formal China set.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Justin Snyder on December 31, 2009, 10:40:25 pm
It wasn't in the house, but I accidentally shot the neighbors dog in my yard.  O:)
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: Dave 55 on January 01, 2010, 02:34:42 am
For absolute supidity mine may win a prize,I was wondering how far I was drawing a hickory bow I had made so I drew an arrow and asked my wife to gently grab it at the front of the handle and pull it off,the nock was fairly tight and she ignored gently and grabed it and gave it a pull,the string slipped from my fingers in a perfect release and the arrow took of like a rocket out the living room window towards my neighbors house.Our houses are seperated by about 10 yds and it was about 10 pm so I took a peak out the window and didnt see my arrow.I went to bed that night wondering who I killed with that arrow.The next morning bright and early,way early I got up and started investigating and looking out the window I could see it stuck in the shingles on his roof,I figured it had to be a God thing or it would have ended up in the parking lot of a grocery store.I dont do that any more.
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: KShip85 on January 01, 2010, 12:09:39 pm
Hmm...lets see, inside the house I have shot a couple walls, a chair and stuck a few in the carpet. 

Outside I managed to skip one off a wooden table that my target was sitting on and send it another 50 yds into the side of my parents jeep. 

My all time dumbest shot ever was several years ago when I was a dumb teenager who was out in the field with my buddy and decided to see how high my dads wheelie bow would shoot an arrow.  Pulled her back and let her fly watching the arrow the whole time, well my buddy had gotten a little spooked because he didn't see it take off and was worried about us getting hit so he took off running, as I noticed I told him not to run that way but he didn't hear me and stopped and stooped over right as the arrow came down landing about a foot and a half to his right.  Absolutely scared the crap out of both of us.  Learned that day if you're going to do something dumb in a field either establish before hand the protocol or do it alone to minimize injury to by-standers.  Needless to say I have not tried to shoot an arrow straight in the air since.

Kip
Title: Re: Things you have Accidently shot in the House.
Post by: dragonman on January 01, 2010, 01:27:00 pm
this wasnt in the house but the back garden, a friend and I had a target set up at about 25yds with a net behind it, to stop stray arrows going in the neigbhours garden. I asked my friend if he could shoot left handed, so he tried, the arrow went over the net, through the window of the negibhours shed, leaving a clean arrow sized hole and stuck in a piece of wood the other side of the shed. It was pretty embarassing to explain things to the neigbhour, but he was very understanding!