Stupid... and perhaps stupider yet!
See, if he hit the primer side of the bullet, odds are he was standing on that side, and the bullet would go the other direction.
But depending on how he put the bullet in the vise, that would only have been possible if the casing were in the vise and the bullet itself was not.
If the bullet were clamped down, it probably would have stayed, and the casing would have fired off like a bullet. That could certainly hit his face.
If he clamped the bullet in sideways, then the casing probably would have exploded, and shrapnel could have said hello to his face.
Yet the story says that a bullet with a screw in it was found. I really don't see how putting a screw in a bullet (not the casing) would do anything that would cause it to fire.
Even putting a screw into the casing where the primer is would be suspect. Some sort of impact is required.... perhaps he slipped with the screwdriver, but again, he'd be behind the bullet, and vise position becomes important again.
Okay, so it's the last working day of the year, I'm rather bored, and this is way too much detail for someone's stupidity...
