Is it normal for a rifle to discharge if it falls over

[philip964]

http://news.yahoo.com/wyoming-firefight ... 38950.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I know very little about rifles. Is this normal? Is this a high powered rifle, or are all rifles involved in shootings "high powered"?

Yahoo tends to be anti gun whenever it can.

RIP

[G.A. Heath]

I would consider a .270 to be a medium power rifle. Unless something got caught in the trigger guard it should not have fired simply because it fell over.

[gljjt]

I would consider a .270 to be a medium power rifle. Unless something got caught in the trigger guard it should not have fired simply because it fell over.

I would speculate a stick or rock or other debris engaged the trigger upon the rifle hitting the ground.

[EEllis]

if the gun was "Cocked" then yes but only if the safety wan't on or failed. The safety will engage the firing pin to prevent it's movement. With that gun however there is a possible issue with the safety failing to engage after loading a round.

[RJGold]

The other possibility is that it "fell over" and the group is sticking with that story...

Tragic outcome...

[gljjt]

The other possibility is that it "fell over" and the group is sticking with that story...

Tragic outcome...

Could be.

[TomV]

Yes, typically the media classifies all rifles as "high power".

The safety wasn't on or the rifle wouldn't have fired. It is possible with some triggers to get them set soft enough they will slam fire, but not with the safety on.

[howdy]

The other possibility is that it "fell over" and the group is sticking with that story...

Tragic outcome...

[Maxwell]

I would suspect t he media classifies anything above a .22 rimfire as high powered...

[EEllis]

Yes, typically the media classifies all rifles as "high power".

The safety wasn't on or the rifle wouldn't have fired. It is possible with some triggers to get them set soft enough they will slam fire, but not with the safety on.

A possible issue with the 70 is that with some guns once they are cocked you then cannot reapply the safety. I understand that it has something to do with wear on the detent on the firing pin but regardless. Most people would never except this in a new rifle but since there are so many heirloom guns out there it sometimes just gets accepted and since otherwise the gun works it never gets fixed.

[Keith B]

If it wasn't a Winchester Model 70, but a Remington 700 I would question this recall
http://www.remington.com/pages/news-and ... seven.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

However, there are a lot of factors that could play into why it discharged in the first place. Had there been aftermarket work done on the trigger, or new trigger installed improperly, etc?

Bottom line, no firearm should go off just from minor impact alone, but there are mods and defective parts that can cause it to happen.

[bulinm]

What is a safety ?

Sir, a safety is a mechanical device.

Having said that, the story don't sound right.