Amusing/Ridiculous Muzzleloading Misconceptions...

[D.Summers]

Tell it like it is, Sean!!

 

[Sidney Smith]

I was at a public range a long time ago. I was shooting my TC Renagade at the 100 yard target board. A guy came up to me, I guess to check out my rifle. After I fired, he said" what are you shooting at?". I said "that target at 100 yards". He responded with, " oh, really? I didnt think one of them things could even shoot that far".

 

[Newtire]

A friend of mine showed me an old smooth bore percussion gun that his Dad had found in a barn. Someone at his work told him that these guns were often found to be loaded and since there was no way you could tell, that he should break the hammer off of it just to be sure it doesn’t accidentally go off someday. The broken hammer was wired to the gun. I showed him how the ramrod fell in to way below the nipple and hit the breech plug. His Dad worked on the Manhattan project and later in the “missile program” with my Dad. He was a “rocket scientist” .... This somehow makes me some kind of great Sahib among my old high school crowd. Go figure!

 

[Tb54]

I’ve found more’n a few loaded muzzel loaders at pawn shops with the ramrod test. Had to show the guy how I knew it was loaded each time too.

 

[Shotgunblast]

DUNKS said:
The year was 1760.

Missed the conversation, but the phrase I recall was from 18 years later:

O the year was Seventeen Seventy-Eight
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
A letter of marque came from the king
To the scummiest vessel I’ve ever seen ...

And one fat ball did us in...

 

[Shotgunblast]

And one ball was fired...

Crap now have that shanty in my brain now and can't get it out.

 

[rp77469]

Crap now have that shanty in my brain now and can't get it out.

The only thing worse is when I hear that song "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" on the oldies station. Takes a week to get that out of my mind.

 

[Bob McBride]

I almost forgot my very favorite gem....

“What in the world were those people thinking when they designed that stupid pointy Southern crescent Butt plate. You can’t even shoot that thing without stabbing yourself!”

I always thought a smidge of contemplating would give a feller the answer sort of naturally, but, alas....

 

[jdw276]

The only thing worse is when I hear that song "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" on the oldies station. Takes a week to get that out of my mind.

Mine is peas peas eating goober peas.......

 

[Thunder14]

I was at the range with a Hawken and a Kentucky shooting 100yards,there were just three of us the 2 other guys had well you know the high dollar guns with scopes,bypods and any other junk they could find on eBay Telling each other what marksmen they were .So the one guy says to me probably have trouble hitting a paper plate at 25 yards with them HA.So I proceeded to load my Kentucky sighted in at yep a paper plate at 100 yards and I was about 2inches left and low about 3inches after that they shut up.O ya they couldn’t keep there shots within a 18inch circle.

 

[Thunder14]

We can only hope his uncle was "dry balled" too so he couldn't pass stupidity down thru his offspring.

Holy crap that was funny

 

[SOLANCO]

As you SEAN, it was about the kill and how many, not so much now I have become more selective in the hunt especially for deer. When hunting rabbits or squirrel two is my self imposed limit, used to also run a trap line for muskrats a few years ago sold all the steel only kept the canoe. I now find myself enjoying the watch and learning the habits of deer. I often think when watching a young buck, a few years back you would of been on the ground bye now. Guess we go through stages as we grow long in the tooth. Anytime you take a life it is good to be a bit sorrowful, and respect the life that was given.

I am a bird hunter, ruffed grouse.
A famous British shooting coach said of birds something like this: Swing with the bird and reach out to seize it viciously with your pellets. An awkward statement but it works. I think that, like you, my fire, my vicious desire, has dimmed. I would be perfectly glad of a good day in the field with a dog and not so much as a feather to show for it.

 

[appalichian hunter]

We will go on our annual quail hunt mid February (unmentionable weapons) I go for the friendships that has grown over the years and to watch the dogs work it would not bother me if I never cut a feather.

 

[theC525]

Good stories, Gents. I've laughed at quite a few of 'em. Here's one of mine, not exactly a knee slapper, but illustrative, nevertheless.

Over the last decade or so, I've really gotten into smoothbore shooting. It amazes me how many experienced shooters in my club look at me disbelieving when I step up to the hundred yard line, and hit paper, let alone put one in the black, which at that range looks like the period at the end of this sentence. I just turn, smile, and say "It can be done."

I shot in a match with my smooth bore and rang the hundred yard gong several times against shooters with rifles who couldn't hit it. Just proof that knowing your fire arm is most important.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I was at the range with a Hawken and a Kentucky shooting 100yards,there were just three of us the 2 other guys had well you know the high dollar guns with scopes,bypods and any other junk they could find on eBay Telling each other what marksmen they were .So the one guy says to me probably have trouble hitting a paper plate at 25 yards with them HA.So I proceeded to load my Kentucky sighted in at yep a paper plate at 100 yards and I was about 2inches left and low about 3inches after that they shut up.O ya they couldn’t keep there shots within a 18inch circle.

I totally believe this.

Last year, I was at the club sighting my flintlock at 50 yards. A guy a couple tables away was shooting a scoped slug gun with sabot rounds. I had about a 3 inch group which for me isnt bad. This dudes group was maybe twice to three times that. I heard him say something to himself about my group. I can only imagine he was wondering why he sucked so bad.

 

[TFoley]

I totally believe this.

Last year, I was at the club sighting my flintlock at 50 yards. A guy a couple tables away was shooting a scoped slug gun with sabot rounds. I had about a 3 inch group which for me isnt bad. This dudes group was maybe twice to three times that. I heard him say something to himself about my group. I can only imagine he was wondering why he sucked so bad.

The definitive 'crap-shooter', just about sums it up, I think......................

 

[jimhallam]

I almost forgot my very favorite gem....

“What in the world were those people thinking when they designed that stupid pointy Southern crescent Butt plate. You can’t even shoot that thing without stabbing yourself!”

I always thought a smidge of contemplating would give a feller the answer sort of naturally, but, alas....

We might smile at that BUT I still see a lot of people shooting a rifle with a crescent butt-plate off the shoulder, instead of off the upper arm. When I show them that the supporting arm should be against the ribs and the rifle ACROSS the body (i.e., Schutzen style) they are frequently amazed. I have even seen people shooting that style of butt PRONE, which must hurt somewhat. ;-)

 

[Britsmoothy]

4f is evil!

 

[OhioHawkeye]

..... shooting a rifle with a crescent butt-plate off the shoulder, .....

I dont correct folks. Why? Because I too shoot with a non standard form.

For a rifle, the typical stance is with the left humorous against the chest. Well,. Certain over developed parts get in the way and that puts me in an unstable situation sacrificing much consistency. I think it is why many women get frustrated with shooting.

I instead shoot with the elbows both firmly squared horizontally. It gives me a much more stable base and greatly improves consistency. It is a typical shotgun stance for mobility.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Just another range story and a character study in how sorry some folk are.

I was sighting in my deer rifle at a club range in the late 80s, the distance was 100 yards. The main parking lot was about 50 yards away then I hear a noise behind me and see a shiny Cadillac pull up right to the shooting benches.

Out steps a a sawed off fat guy with no neck, huge diamond rings on each finger and an "I am the top dog" look on his face. He sneered at me as he went by then stopped when he saw I was shooting factory ammo. I wouldn't even put that $h&* in my gun he snarled as he walked to adjacent shooting bench.

He uncased his rifle which was a full stock Mannlicher-Schoenauer with a Schmitt and Bender Scope and prepared to shoot. He probably had 5K in this rig, I had $184 in mine, a model 700 Rem BDL in .308 I bought new in 74. He shot what I called boutique ammo, the $40 a box kind in the late 80s. I was shooting plain old Remington Core-Loktc, 150 gr., probably $9 a box at the time.

I popped off three rounds, my gun was dialed in, you could cover the group with a dime.

I had a spotting scope and could see his target as he shot, it was as I expected, no better than a 10" group. Frustrated he tried again with the same results, he was making pig grunting noises at this point, considering his body type it kinda' fit.

I called "pull" and walked up to the backstop to get my target. As I walked by his bench I threw my target down in front of him and said "dang, I guess I will have to keep shooting that $h&*". I left him red faced and muttering as I walked back to my truck.