Posted on 08/11/2009 7:57:47 AM PDT by Notoriously Conservative
I came across this the other day, it isn't my account, but the account of an unfortunate gun owner. You can point to snopes, and say this isn't true, but in an episode of MythBusters, they proved it was plausible:
460XVR blew my thumb off today!
No joke, about 1/2 of my left thumb is gone ... what's left is a friggin mess.
It's pretty hard to type, and I'm only posting because you never know, it might save somebody else a thumb. I was using a 2-handed grip, fired off a Cor-Bon DPX .460 and the blast came violently out the side of the gun.
At first my thumb was so covered in blood that I couldn't see how bad it was ... and I was full of adrenaline and felt no pain. And honestly it looked really bad, my whole hand was covered in blood and it was kinda gushing.
The blown-off thumb was on my support hand. I'll re-create the grip tomorrow to see where my thumb was, but it's not like I didn't already know not to get any body part near the cylinder gap. And even if I totally screwed up and did, taking my thumb clean off seems a bit excessive?
Just be careful with those 460's. That case operates at such high pressure, it's just asking for trouble.
BTW, I bought my 460 new and had exactly 12 rounds through it. Info about the gun, it's a full-size 460 with the 8 3/4' barrel and factory installed compensator. It's one of the Whitetails Unlimited models. Ammo was 200gr Cor-Bon DPX.
The gun only had 12 or 13 rounds of the Cor-Bon through it, and 10 ..45 Long Colt rounds through it. So it was essentially still brand new.
Saw a hand specialist while there today. Lots of ways to try and save what's left, but first I just have to hope it doesn't get infected in the next few days ... then surgery early next week.
The hand specialist I spent a few hours with last night said that in gunshot wounds there is always a lot more damage than is first visible ... same with things like fireworks going off in your hand. A lot more flesh around the wound is dead, and will rot and fall off over the next couple days. That's why it's so important to keep clean, and that's also why they can't do surgery now. If they wrapped new skin over dead skin it would just puss out, possibly turn gang-green, and they'd have to start all over again.
This is an example of how he was holding his revolver. Wrong, wrong, wrong!
This is what's left of his thumb. 
More photos on Notoriously Conservative
OUCH! Almost as bad as what happened to Eaker!
Obama folks will use that to have GUN CONTROL.
Not only could you HURT SOMEONE ELSE, you can hurt YOURSELF and drive up HEALTH CARE COSTS!!!!
This guy was an IDIOT!!!
Saw it on mythbusters. They determined it to be plausible, this guy confirms.
Ping.
That was a good episode of Mythbusters. Those guys have fun jobs.
I know little to nothing about emergency trauma wounds. But that photo looks shopped.
I call BS.
More proof of evolution at work?
Never seen or heard of anyone holding a revolver with their thumb stuck out there like that.
Can't imagine what that .460 crane-flash looks like at night, might as well stick your thumb in a blowtorch...
Ya shoulda seen the other guy though.
Yeah, it’s best to use the push-pull/hand-over-hand method; it is more stable and works w/ semi-autos as well as revolvers.
The hands look some what feminine
Believe that is a dramatization; yes the hands look female.
He's shooting a .460, which is pretty much by definition excessive.
I keep my left thump pointed up so I can cock the piece with it. I find it very fast to do so. After seeing that pic I’m glad I do. I will also respect the gap on my .44 a little more.
That grip is just plain wrong. If someone needs their support hand that far forward, I’d suggest a rest, a rifle, working out, or a lighter (smaller caliber) revolver.
I can relate to the lack of pain UNTIL later.
It would never dawn on me to hold any handgun like that.
Stiff lesson though!
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