Remember the time you almost/could've died?

Minus almost being hit a couple times from jaywalking, I almost blew myself up once with a 40mm HE grenade.

Well, I was on the range, and we were firing M203's. I've never fired one before that, and I never got taught on it. Anywho, about 30min before firing, they briefed basically everyone again on how to use it. Open. Put it on safe. Load. Aim. Fire.

When we got to the range to fire, I opened the M203, loaded, and then closed it, THEN I put it on safe, the M203 was pointed at the wooden half wall infront of me at the time. The Corporal watching me gives me this cold look after realizing that I put it on safe after closing the M203 and says "Shit, I know someone who did that once, and it went off, oh well, just hit the tank."

Basically, when you load the 40MM HE into the M203 before putting it on safe, there is a chance that the firing pin might strike the primer on the HE grenade hard enough for it to go off. Putting it on safe prevents that.

So ya...... that's what happens when you get almost no sleep before a range shoot, and you're taught how to use a weapon only moments before firing =/.

Jam it back in, in the dark.