It finally happened. I dropped my gun.

[randomoutburst]

Well, crud. I finally had an accidental drop on Wednesday. My hubby had his last summer/fall at the State Fair, and I posted about it on here OF COURSE! Now he gets to rub it in. I think my drop was worse than his, though. All he got was a few idiot marks on his weapon; mine is now disabled. Ugh.

So we went with a couple of friends to the Fort Worth Museum of Art. We had just walked in, and after the long drive my female friend and I decided to hit the bathrooms before roaming around. When I am carrying and need to use a public restroom, I head for the stall farthest from the door. Unfortunately for me, their stalls had no convenient place for me to place my gun, and I was frustrated because I couldn't just let it stay in the holster (it will fall right out without the tension from my belt), and nor could I place it in my pants, as I'm so tiny my pants give me the same problem -- the gun flips right out!

Anyway, I finally decided to lay it on top of the TP dispenser which appeared to have a flat surface and was only a couple of feet from the ground. I placed it on top and let my hand hover a couple of inches above it until I was satisfied that it wasn't going to move. And wouldn't you know it...the second I turned away, BAM! Smack on the floor.

I know I didn't hit it with my body or clothing because the TP dispenser was placed almost next to the commode where you couldn't hit it unless you were already seated. I stared at it in disbelief, hoping it hadn't gone off. The whole place was tiled, so the sound was so loud you couldn't tell what exactly what happened. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the hammer was still cocked back and there were no holes in the stall wall.

My friend two stalls over goes, "What was THAT?"

She knows I carry, so I thought this response would suffice. "Um. Something not good."

"Oh? What was it?"

She was being a little bit slow. There was someone else in the bathroom with us, so I was praying she wouldn't just come out and ask if it was my gun. "Uhhhh...I'll tell you once we're done."

"Well, is it bad?"

"I'll tell you WHEN WE'RE DONE."

"........OOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!"

Finally. Thank you, God.

I gazed at my poor 1911 on the floor and saw that there were two pieces laying next to it. Aw, crud. I picked up what I immediately recognized as the thumb safety and one of the bars that had once been attached. I saw the second bar (the one that pins the beavertail safety) was also broken and dangling out of the hole.

I sighed as I realized that I would not be carrying today and I needed to return to the car. At least my hubby was carrying in case anything happened. Geez. I heard the other person in the room leave, and quickly ejected the magazine and racked the slide to eject my chambered round. As I was reloading the extra round into my mag, another person entered the room. I coughed loudly as I slammed the mag back in so as to mask the distinctive "click" it makes. I put it back on the floor until I was done in the stall, then reholstered it with the hope that the beavertail pin wouldn't fall out on the trip to the car. It was sliding pretty freely and the grip safety wasn't going to work without it.

I did my business and exited the stall as the other person was leaving the room. Just me and my friend now. She was already by the sinks, staring at me with big eyes.

"Was that your gun?"

I double-checked that the room was empty. "Yes."

"What happened?"

I told her, with much cursing, what had happened, and showed her the thumb safety and bar that had broken off.

"So are you still going to carry it?"

"No. With the way that pin is hanging in the beavertail safety, it's not going to be very useful to me even if I need it. I already unloaded the round from the chamber. I've got to go back to the car."

I exited the bathroom and whispered to my husband that I had broken my gun and needed to go to the car. He smiled at me and started giggling as he followed me out to the car. I showed him what happened once we were back in the car and I had tears in my eyes because, darn it, I love that gun! He simply said, "At least it didn't go off. We can fix the safety. It's okay."

Yeah, but what am I going to carry until I get it fixed? Guess I'll have to dust off my old revolver...! I couldn't really enjoy the art because I kept dwelling on what had happened. I stashed the gun in the glovebox and haven't gotten it back out since it happened. I can't stand to even look at the poor thing. :-( I've already emailed STI in the hopes that maybe, maybe, it's covered under warranty. Probably not, but hubby told me to at least give it a try.

I'm VERY glad I didn't have an AD, and do consider myself lucky that the ONLY thing that happened was a broken safety. Whew! So from now on if I can't find a good spot to put my gun, I'm thinking I'll put it ON THE FLOOR next to the wall and hidden from view by my feet. Yeah, floors are nasty, but it's better than dropping my gun. Yikes.

[C-dub]

Sorry about your baby. Before I got down to where you said it was a 1911 I was thinking that it must not be a Glock.

If you have to place it on the floor put some TP down first.

[jmra]

Sorry about your baby. Before I got down to where you said it was a 1911 I was thinking that it must not be a Glock.

If you have to place it on the floor put some TP down first.

I was thinking the same thing (not being a glock).

This may sound silly but when we first got our CHLs, my wife and I practiced at home how we would deal with different things while cc'ing. One of those things was using the restroom.

Like anything else in life cc'ing requires planning ahead. For us planning ahead told us wether or not we had the right holster/equipment to handle situations we knew/thought we might encounter. This allows us to control/properly manage the situation instead of the situation controlling us.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have dropped a 1911 before (not loaded, thankfully) but I've never seen it bust off parts when it hit the ground. The platform was originally designed for the rigors of the battlefield. They don't just fly apart when they are dropped. Not normally. Does STI use MIM parts? (BTW, there's MIM, and there's MIM. I've used a MIM part off of a Kimber to replace the broken MIM part in a Taurus, and the Taurus part broke at about 6 months, and the Kimber part is still in there 2 years later.) Is it possible that your particular gun was assembled to looser tolerances than called for by specification? I would be interested to know if STI will stand behind their product.

I own and carry two different 1911s from two different manufacturers, and while I would never deliberately drop any gun, I am confident that neither of these two would scatter broken parts after being dropped from the height of a TP dispenser. STI is supposed to have a reputation for making good guns. Good guns don't fly apart like that. I would expect them to warrant the repairs.

BTW, I take it that you weren't also carrying some kind of purse where you could have placed the gun while TCOB?

[OldCannon]

Sorry about your baby. Before I got down to where you said it was a 1911 I was thinking that it must not be a Glock.

If you have to place it on the floor put some TP down first.

I know how attached some people get with their 1911's, so I'll avoid the Glock jokes (my carry is a G23 Gen4).

On the other hand, I own an STI 1911 and that gun brings joyful tears to my eyes every time I shoot it, so I _definitely_ sympathize with the heartbreak of a broken STI.

[flintknapper]

"The Annoyed Man" wrote:

Does STI use MIM parts?

Yes. And before even getting down to your post...that was my first thought.
On the STI, most likely the Thumb Safety, Slide Stop and Grip Safety are MIM.

From the STI site:

Q. Does STI use any MIM parts?
A. Yes. We, like most manufacturers, do but not in any of the "critical" stress or wear components. Our good friend Bob Serva of Fusion Firearms has graciously allowed us to quote his response to this question.

http://www.stiguns.com/FAQ-MIM.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BTW, there's MIM, and there's MIM. I've used a MIM part off of a Kimber to replace the broken MIM part in a Taurus, and the Taurus part broke at about 6 months, and the Kimber part is still in there 2 years later.)

That is true. I'm not a big fan of MIM because the process to produce reliable MIM parts are full of "IF/AND"S". There are zero MIM parts on my carry gun....but I concede MIM parts can be suitable IF/WHEN properly manufactured.

Is it possible that your particular gun was assembled to looser tolerances than called for by specification? I would be interested to know if STI will stand behind their product.

STI has a good reputation...but they are no longer a "custom" gun maker. Some of their models are made in Slovakia, others in the Philippines (the Trojan I believe), all others in Georgetown, TX.

STI warranty does not cover items subject to normal wear or "abuse".

[Oldgringo]

I'm not planning on dropping either my Kimber or my SA Compact LW, but I wouldn't expect them to fly apart if I did. I believe I'd be in contact with STI. Abuse and defective are not synonymous terms.

[RPBrown]

I have dropped both my Colt and my Springfield 1911's (the Colt from standing height, don't ask) and have not had anything like this happen. In fact, the worse thing that happened was 1 grip on th springer cracked.

Sorry to here about your baby being broken.

[Pawpaw]

You can break an anvil if it is dropped just the right way on just the right surface.

Remember, a tile floor is a most unforgiving surface. Tile is harder than steel, just more brittle.

[Katygunnut]

The only guns I've ever dropped have been Glocks, so I've never had any issues with damage. That said, I would think that any reputable gun manufacturer would stand behind their gun staying operational and undamaged after a 2-3 foot drop onto a hard surface. Thats not a very high bar for reliability.

[McKnife]

“Get yourself a Glock and lose that nickel-plated sissy pistol.” – Sam Gerard, US Marshals


Sorry, I had to. On a serious note, it's nice knowing your friends understand the importance of keeping things personal.

[randomoutburst]

I laughed when I saw everyone posting, "Must not have been a Glock!" Yeah, I'm partial to 1911s. I don't like polymer frames AT ALL; I've got to have a heavy weapon. Also, I do not carry a purse, ever. I hate them. I carry a wallet in my back pocket and my phone in the other pocket. I also have a ScottEVest that I love, but I tore a pocket and am having it fixed, so I didn't have a pocket to put the gun in like I normally do. If I ever don't have a surface to place my gun upon, that jacket has a pocket big enough to fit an iPad, and I use it as a temporary "shelf" to store my gun while I do my business.

STI has given me great customer service in the past (and I've posted about it!) so I've already contacted them about getting it repaired. David with STI said that abuse and accidents are not covered BUT because I was honest and told him it broke when I dropped it, that he would try to see what they could do to help me out. I'm going to give him a call on Monday to see what can be done.

Accidents or abuse does not fall into the category of something that would be covered under warranty but because of your honesty I do feel compelled to help you in some way with the repair.
With that being said if you call I will give you shipping instructions and issue a RA # and we can talk about to what extent STI will help you with the repair of your pistol.

Although, now I'm wondering if I shouldn't just order a non-MIM part to replace it and have my local gunsmith do it himself. I don't know. Hmmm.

I agree; I would not expect the safety to just break off like that. I've dropped it once before onto carpet while at home practicing drawing (and it was empty, I promise!) so obviously that didn't do much damage. Tile is a horrible surface on which to have a drop, but I was surprised that it broke from a 2 foot drop.

Interesting thing - when I inspected it after the drop onto the tile, I can't find another spot on the gun where ANY mark was made due to impact. There's a small spot on the rear sight that was made when I hit the gun on my nightstand table, and that was that only blemish I could find. I'm thinking when it fell, it fell at just the right angle to put all the pressure onto the safety which is why it snapped.

And don't worry, if I have to put the gun on the floor in the future I WILL make a TP bed for it. ;)

[Divided Attention]

Random I am sorry to hear about your break. I think us gals must get extra points for hazardous duty - Potty breaks are the most treacherous times for IWB carry in my humble opinion. I have had 2 drops - one with just the gun, and the other I was in an emergent hurry and didn't check the clips on my holster that they were over the belt and the whole shibang fell on the floor. You are right - the sound is HORRID! Fortunately the only reminder is some tiny scratches on my Liberty. I ALWAYS check my clips and have one hand on the holster at all time now when the belt is loosened. At least you did not hang it by the trigger guard from the purse hook

Hoping they fix it under warranty - STI is what I told hubby I wanted for our 25th anniversary hoping to hear they have good customer service. I would expect it to be a bit tougher than that.

Sending you an air hug! Good to see you haven't disappeared forever - have missed your input here.

[flintknapper]

"randomoutburst" wrote:

STI has given me great customer service in the past (and I've posted about it!) so I've already contacted them about getting it repaired. David with STI said that abuse and accidents are not covered BUT because I was honest and told him it broke when I dropped it, that he would try to see what they could do to help me out. I'm going to give him a call on Monday to see what can be done.

That would be a good idea, it can't hurt to see what they say.

Although, now I'm wondering if I shouldn't just order a non-MIM part to replace it and have my local gunsmith do it himself. I don't know. Hmmm.

That might be an excellent option for you. Depending upon the extent to which STI is willing to go...on the repair. IF the cost to have it repaired by STI approaches what you could have it done for locally (include the cost of shipping), then I'd definitely swap out non MIM parts.

I agree; I would not expect the safety to just break off like that. I've dropped it once before onto carpet while at home practicing drawing (and it was empty, I promise!) so obviously that didn't do much damage. Tile is a horrible surface on which to have a drop, but I was surprised that it broke from a 2 foot drop.

That really wasn't much of a drop, but as you state..TILE is an unforgiving surface to land on. Undoubtedly...the pistol made a "two point" landing on the thumb safety and Beavertail. Still...I would expect it to hold up.

And don't worry, if I have to put the gun on the floor in the future I WILL make a TP bed for it. ;)

Its just one of those unfortunate things. Yours is not the first problem I've heard of when making a bathroom stop. I wear a shoulder rig...so its never a problem for me, but something to be dealt with for other modes of carry.

Thanks for sharing your story and bringing to our attention the need to safely store your firearm under those conditions.

I hope your repair works out well for you.


Flint.

[randomoutburst]

Divided - Yeah, it's incredibly difficult to use the bathroom when carrying on the waist. I have a shoulder rig for my revolver, but can only wear it in the cold winter months when I have something a little heavier to use as a cover garment.
I'm resigned to carrying my revolver for a while anyway, so I'm going to have to reassess my carry clothing. I wear my revolver at 9 o'clock instead of 4 o'clock like my STI. It's easier for me to both draw and conceal at 9 o'clock for some reason. Eh. Anyway, this means I have to choose different clothing, as I have to make sure more of my front is covered than usual.

Yes, I've already had one great customer service contact with STI (posted here about it, kind of a long read: http://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=37400) and already see that the immediate response this time is geared towards getting me taken care of, even though it's not covered under warranty. I've always been polite and honest with them, and it seems like they'll go the extra mile to ensure you're happy with their product.

I've missed being here! School just kicked into high gear, I changed jobs, and my personal blog about work has really taken off so I haven't been making my rounds here as usual. I've stopped in to read a bit, but I know that if I start responding I'll be on here for hours. I'm hoping I can start posting again more frequently. Can't believe someone noticed! Thanks for missing me; I've sure missed you guys. :)

Flint - I'm leaning towards getting a non-MIM part and having the local gunsmith replace it. I know a guy that would do it for a reasonable price, and he does good work. My husband and I stop in quite a bit just to chat with him. Kudos to STI for offering to help out even though it's not covered under warranty, but after seeing how a drop can break that part…I'd rather not have it happen again in a potentially high-stress situation.

I've never really had a problem with finding a place to put my gun before. If I'm wearing jeans I can usually position the gun in my pants like a hammock - as a last resort - but the pants I was wearing that day just weren't up to the task. Lesson learned: if there's not a surface that can hold the gun, just make a TP bed and put it on the floor. I always choose the end stall with a wall, so that shouldn't be a problem.

As my grandfather told me….there wasn't a good lesson he ever learned that didn't cost him some money. :-)