Shotgun + Slug = Hole in Roof?

[gnmwilliams]

Never tell yourself it won't happen. Had a humbling experience this morning and have already chastised myself more than anyone on here can so let's move forward. i had a moron discharge while unloading my shotgun this morning but fortunately I had it pointed in a safe direction. This direction happened to be up so I now have a hole in my ceiling and possibly a hole in my roof. I have a single story house with a shingle roof and had the shotgun at about a 45 degree angle to the ceiling. I wasn't able to see any immediate damage to the roof and didn't see any water leaking. Doesn't mean it's not though. Any roofing guys on here run into this problem before? What's the best way for me to check on this? I'm just not sure if I should be looking for an obvious hole or cracks in the plywood. Hole was made with a slug.

 

P.S. I'm keeping the spent round as a reminder that you can never be too careful.

[KaNuckles]

Either go in the attic or on the roof and look around. If it was at a 45 degree angle then the leak mightt be over another room and may not show up right away. Glad nobody was hurt BTW. I bet bricks were shat!!!

Edited January 15, 2013 by KaNuckles

[gjohnsoniv]

Well with the way it's been raining I think you would be able to tell if there is a hole.

[gjohnsoniv]

In all seriousness though climb in the attic and check for a hole, maybe even get out a laser pointer and shine it up through there. Had a friend who did that when looking for a bullet.

[.357SIG]

I am not a roofer, but I have fixed leaking barn roofs. I would think that you could get something like caulk, but more of a HD sealant and apply it from the exterior as well as from inside the attic. If done right it should last at least until the roof needs to be re-shingled.

 

Glad nobody was injured and +1 for muzzle awareness. How bad is the ringing in your ears?

[gnmwilliams]

I am not a roofer, but I have fixed leaking barn roofs. I would think that you could get something like caulk, but more of a HD sealant and apply it from the exterior as well as from inside the attic. If done right it should last at least until the roof needs to be re-shingled.

 

Glad nobody was injured and +1 for muzzle awareness. How bad is the ringing in your ears?

You know. It;s actually not that bad. I was surprised. I mean I immediately lost most hearing in my left ear but it just feels stuffy if you know what i mean, like too much wax or something. No pain though. My right ear which was facing away from it never really lost anything.

[.357SIG]

I would have expected a lot worse because I know very well just how loud they can get in a crowded duck blind much less a fully enclosed room!

 

We all make mistakes man don't sweat it too bad.

[daddyo]

When I was about 13, my brother and I were home with the housekeeper one winter's day. Mom was at the grocery and Dad was at work. Now, Dad had a gun cabinet in the den, and more often than not, it was unlocked. He had taught my brother and me how to handle a gun - never point it at anything you aren't willing to destroy - and I guess he trusted us to be smart about it and not touch them. Thankfully I was old enough to understand that. Well, we were bored that day, and I got stupid and I got the bright idea to play cops and robbers with real guns. So, I went to the cabinet and got out one of his shotguns. I was pointing it at the ceiling, pulled the trigger, and BLAM!!!! He had bird shot l in the chamber. It penetrated the acoustical tile, and all of a sudden water started dripping (there was melting snow on the roof). I thought my life was over at that point, but Dad was so glad that neither one of us were injured or worse that he just gave me a mild scolding. After that, he kept a chain locked through all the trigger guards and then kept the cabinet locked.

[monkeylizard]

Undo a coat hanger to make it straight, then tie a bright piece of fabric to one end. Shove that end up through the hole in the sheetrock ceiling. You'll need to push it up pretty far to get through all of the insulation. Go to the attic and locate the bright fabric. There's your ceiling hole. Now look at the roof decking above there (assuming a 45d angle from there) for damage. Push on the decking with your hands. You may find a soft spot that you can't visibly see very well if you have OSB decking. The pattern in the wood chips make breaks/damage hard to see. Maybe you got lucky and you hit a truss or cross member instead of the decking.

 

If you damaged the decking, the shingles on the other side are probably damaged too, or at least loosened. You'd need to get a roofer to inspect that area.

Edited January 15, 2013 by monkeylizard

[Sam1]

Never tell yourself it won't happen. 

 

It will not happen, because I check, check again and make sure a third time. Glad no one was injured

[mcurrier]

When I was about 13, my brother and I were home with the housekeeper one winter's day. Mom was at the grocery and Dad was at work. Now, Dad had a gun cabinet in the den, and more often than not, it was unlocked. He had taught my brother and me how to handle a gun - never point it at anything you aren't willing to destroy - and I guess he trusted us to be smart about it and not touch them. Thankfully I was old enough to understand that. Well, we were bored that day, and I got stupid and I got the bright idea to play cops and robbers with real guns. So, I went to the cabinet and got out one of his shotguns. I was pointing it at the ceiling, pulled the trigger, and BLAM!!!! He had bird shot l in the chamber. It penetrated the acoustical tile, and all of a sudden water started dripping (there was melting snow on the roof). I thought my life was over at that point, but Dad was so glad that neither one of us were injured or worse that he just gave me a mild scolding. After that, he kept a chain locked through all the trigger guards and then kept the cabinet locked.

 

So... did the housekeeper quit?

[Garufa]

Is is wrong to ask for pics?

 

If there is a hole in the roof just go to Lowe's or Home Depot, get a roll of flashing and some roof repair caulk/cement, climb up there and fix it.  Plenty of info on the web about how to fix a leak.

[daddyo]

So... did the housekeeper quit?

 

Surprisingly, no. She probably asked for a raise, though. :rofl:  

[gnmwilliams]

Is is wrong to ask for pics?

 

If there is a hole in the roof just go to Lowe's or Home Depot, get a roll of flashing and some roof repair caulk/cement, climb up there and fix it.  Plenty of info on the web about how to fix a leak.

What so you guys can rub it in? :) I'll see if I can get some for ya. I will say that the powder residue on the ceiling is my main cosmetic problem at the moment. The hole is pretty small considering. My main problem with a leak is all this dadgum rain we're having and me being able to get to it. Brazilnuts has offered to help me out though so it should all work out. The worst part of this whole thing was breaking it to the wife. I chickened out and texted her the news. It's a lot harder to hear the yelling through text. :rant:  :hiding:  :stick:

[NRA]

I would bet it will be your first and last time. Glad no one got hurt.

[~48_South~]

 I would be very surprised if it didnt go all the way through, I know someone personally that did the same thing but it was with a 20 gauge and bird shot and it blew a couple of shingles off the roof.

[Poor_Dog]

Get one bundle of matching shingles, pry up the bad shingle and the two just above it. (pull the obvious nails of the ones above it). Nails run through them and the one below. Slide new one in and nail it all back down... very easy fix. Bundle of shingles will show nailing pattern on the back. I wouldn't worry at all about the hole in the decking.

[Volzfan]

Thanks for posting your experience. It reinforces the fact that you can never be toocareful and this can happen to anyone! Glad no one was hurt.

[UncleJak]

My dad had this happen with his Beretta while cleaning.  Luckily no one was hurt, but he certainly had a reminder in safety.  Glad your safe!

[gnmwilliams]

Its 10 pm and So far so good. No signs of water damage and couldn't see any obvious damage to roof. From looking at the angle it looks like it hit a big crossbeam. Gonna keep a eye on it though and take a closer look once its daylight.

[musicman]

I won't go into details, but a couch and 6 vinyl records paid the price for my negligence one day. Like you, I am very thankful no one was hurt.

Hope the roof shows no damage tomorrow, and that wifey lets you live. :-)

[TripleDigitRide]

Once upon a time, many moons ago, I also did something very stupid.

 

I was kicked back in the recliner admiring the Ruger .357 Blackhawk I had recently received from my Father. It was loaded when I decided to wipe the fingerprints off with my shirt. Luckily it was resting almost flat on my belly, pointing away from my body, because you know what happened next. BANG! It took me a minute to regain my composure before I could start checking myself for a large hole with blood pouring out. I was lucky.

 

I knew which direction the bullet went, but I couldn't find a hole anywhere. After several minutes, I found the entry point behind the tuft button on the sofa. The bullet entered right behind the button, so you actually had to pull the button to the side in order to find the hole.

 

In the end, the bullet traveled through the sofa, the wall behind the sofa, the rear of the dresser that was sitting on the other side of the wall, the read of the middle dresser drawer, the clothes in the dresser drawer, finally getting lodged in the front of the dresser drawer, behind the decorative metal plate. I was thankful that the dresser was placed where it was, because if it hadn't been there, the bullet would have likely exited the bedroom window and ended up who knows where.

 

Needless to say, I now think about that moment every single time I handle a firearm.

 

Glad no one was hurt in your incident.

[mikegideon]

What so you guys can rub it in? :) I'll see if I can get some for ya. I will say that the powder residue on the ceiling is my main cosmetic problem at the moment. The hole is pretty small considering. My main problem with a leak is all this dadgum rain we're having and me being able to get to it. Brazilnuts has offered to help me out though so it should all work out. The worst part of this whole thing was breaking it to the wife. I chickened out and texted her the news. It's a lot harder to hear the yelling through text. :rant:  :hiding:  :stick:

 

I was planning on rubbing it in anyway :). Just trying to get to the end of the thread.

[dralarms]

I haven't shot a hole through a roof but in my business I have drilled a hole. First find the hole ( used a fiberglass rod), then climb on the roof and take clear silicone and fill hole to overflowing ( so it spreads on both sides of the hole). If the hole is under a shingle then you can mash the filler flat with the shingle.

[musicman]

TDR, that's pretty much exactly what I did! I had a slight bruise/burn on my tummy from flame/gas spitting out of the cylinder gap, but that was it.