Why Use Eye Protection

[striker55]

Note to Self: keep the Paraordnance 1911

I have a Para also, great shooting gun. Bought years ago, I think the newer Para (made by Remington) isn't as good.

[03Lightningrocks]

I wear my prescription glasses while shooting. I don't think they would help a whole lot in this case.

[surferdaddy]

Ooooof!!! Double charge?

[crazy2medic]

Note to Self: keep the Paraordnance 1911

I have a Para also, great shooting gun. Bought years ago, I think the newer Para (made by Remington) isn't as good.

I believe you are correct! Had mine since 1994, it is my EDC!

[rtschl]

Could the guide rod recoil spring have been put in backwards?

[flechero]

He should have bought a Glock.

Ha ha! Come on, if anything, this one deserves a 1911 plug... why do you think JMB designed a steel firing pin STOP!!?!?!?!

[ELB]

Ouch!

[NavAir]

I'm an Ophthalmologist. I've operated on quite a few eye injuries from firearm misadventures in my >30 years of practice (although not as many as due to fireworks), most of them in a Trauma Center setting and the military. Although the technology to repair serious eye injuries has improved a lot over the years, these eyes almost universally have serious sequelae, or are lost. This is a life-changing injury. Prevention is always better than repair. I have an associate who saw one of my eye injury talks and took the eye protection proselytizing to heart when he was working on his garage door spring. It wound up striking him in the eye, but his polycarbonate specs prevented a serious injury.

Always wear eye protection when shooting. Also, when you are hammering nails, using power tools, grinding, working on the car, power washing, etc.

[K.Mooneyham]

I'm thinking squib load with followup shot. I'm not a handloader, but it would seem that it would be difficult to put a lot more powder in the case. The 9mm case is small, and pretty full to begin with. Of course, maybe the wrong type of powder, so that it burned WAY too quickly and generated very high pressure in a very short amount of time? Anyway, whatever the cause, yeah, eye-pro shouldn't be optional at the range.

[Rafe]

I wear prescription lenses, too, but they're polycarbonate and impact resistant. I don't think they'd be exploding-pistol resistant, but certainly for smaller stuff.

What I'll also give a plug for are side-shields you can slip over the "temples" or arms of the eyeglass frames. I've been around enough steel shooting to have been nicked by spall a bunch of times. Often doesn't even need a bandaid. But I have a little scar about a third of an inch from the outside edge of my left eye from a bit of flying copper jacket. After that I never failed to wear eye protection that didn't also cover the sides.

[Ed4032]

I would like to know what caused that.

[flechero]

Could have been either a squib load or over powered hand load which with either one would have taken out pretty much most handguns.

Could have just as easily been a bad factory round. During the last ammo shortage (obammy era) there were lots of [various forums] posts about bad ammo- over and undercharged, commercial ammo.

I've had 4 bad factory rounds in my life (that I can specifically recall) and in 2 of the instances, Remington bought the entire case of ammo back.

(I'm just being defensive since I haven't had my coffee yet and I'm a reloader)

[MadMonkey]

I've said it before but I'll say it again... I've had two instances when I was young and dumb that firmly put me into the "ALWAYS WEAR YOUR EYEPRO" camp.

The first was a Mini-14 that had a badly attached flashhider. As I was shooting, it broke loose and worked its way down the barrel until it tilted in front of the muzzle. The next round sent it about 40 feet downrange and burning powder into my face. Fortunately I had sunglasses on.

The second was an SKS. As I was firing, the receiver cover pin began working its way out without me noticing. Finally it came out entirely and the next round sent the receiver cover directly into my right eye.

Again, fortunately I was wearing cheap sunglasses, but I still ended up with cuts below and on each side of my eye. I got extremely lucky.

WEAR EYEPRO!

[MaduroBU]

I have 10 pairs of eye pro scattered around my house, garage, range bag, loading bench, et c. Working in the ED in a big hospital will make a believer out of you. It's been 21 years since I've mowed grass in anything but sandals, but I will not do it without eye pro. I could live with a few toes missing or a BKA and a prosthesis, but I do not want to be blind.

[Weldonjr2001]

Not nearly as extreme as the OP example, but several years back I had an ejected .45 casing fly back, hit me in the right eye, and
knock out my contact lens. Not only hurt like heck, cost me an eye exam and replacement contact lens, but gave me a flinch shooting anything that took a while to get past. I am a firm believer in protective eyewear now. I