Ever shoot a loading rod down range? You tell me........... I won't rat you out !

[APG]

I've done it, twice. The first time was around 1986ish. About a month or so after I first bought a CVA rifle kit. Don't recall all the specifics but it stuck into a 4×4 post. I was about 10 feet from the post seeing how deep a round ball would go into it.
Second time was in 2020 shortly after getting my Pedersoli 1861 Springfield. Not paying attention and talking to someone will mess you up. The rod was bent beyond help. I now use a range rod that sticks out 8 inches from the muzzle so I can plainly see if it's there.

 

[longcruise]

Did it just over 40 years ago. Was shooting at 100 yard steel first time out with a GPR that I'd just built. Typically I'd be using a range rod at the range but it was just about an inch short. Don't remember what distracted me but I remember watching it fly sideways past the ram and into some tall grass. It was undamaged and I continued to use it for the rest of the range session.

 

[Mina]

Yes! A replica 1863 Springfield rod; suffered some bending which was difficult to correct.

In the museum at Gettysburg there were two rooms crammed with rifles and some photos and a section of maybe a fence post or tree with a steel rod run through it.

 

[Lead Nuggets]

Witnessed old Lumpy shoot an arrow he found out of his Hawkins. Came pretty close to the stump he was shooting at. I’ll have to check with him again on what he used for a charge. It was just a young, dumb, homemade fun moment in our life.

Ditto

 

[Eterry]

I've not had the distinction yet but hey I'm only 74 an recovering from a heart attack, plenty of time left !
I remember the first time I witnessed the phenomenon as a teenager shooting off the front porch at my cousins house. We were shooting at a target on an old grainy about 50 yards distant and I recall a flash of something long going down range as my cousin touched off his flint gun in .44 cal.
I didn't know what it was until we got down to the target and found the splintered loading rod fragments.
Cousin was talking about how the gun kicked more than usual as I remember it. He was done shooting for that day !

I've done it once, but it was on purpose.
Was going elk hunting, bought a cheap Fast twist 54 caliber rifled for those say boys.
Shooting REALs, it quickly fouled terribly.
I only had the fiberglass ramrod. I got it stuck at the breach. My buddy and I've tried everything to loose it, no joy.
I finally pulled the nipple, dribbled in a few grains of ffg, and let rip.
I held about head high, the rod hit the ground about 70 yards out, bounced high into the air, and landed behind the 100 yard berm.
It took about 20 minutes to find it in the tall grass. Was fine, I still have it.

 

[Mike in FL]

In 1974, I was new to muzzleloaders. Got my ramrod stuck after pushing the load down. Really stuck. Fired it straight up; couldn't believe how high that rod went. It did not break.

 

[Century to late]

Yep! Totally destroyed the ramrod because it hit concrete. Young and new black powder shooter. Had to toss those undies.

 

[TFoley]

While I've never fired a ramrod, I HAVE fired one of those new-fangled laser bore-sight collimator spuds that you stick in the muzzle into multi-piece oblivion.

Worse, I'd borrowed it.

 

[52Bore]

I’ve witnessed a steel ramrod out of PH Whitworth and 2 false muzzles over the decades - all were found about 40-60yds down range.
Only the Whitworth shooting realized the recoil was quite excessive! lol
Everything was fine in all cases.

 

[Cruzatte]

Nope, never shot the ram rod. But I did shoot the little brass end cap that came loose from a short starter once. They make a cute whistling sound as they fly down range.

 

[Eterry]

My Sgt was notorious about borrowing things and ruining them.
He borrowed a Ruger of mine, dropped it and had it reblued.
But...I saw him borrow a laser spud and fired it from his 357! Yep, destroyed.

 

[longcruise]

While I've never fired a ramrod, I HAVE fired one of those new-fangled laser bore-sight collimator spuds that you stick in the muzzle into multi-piece oblivion.

Worse, I'd borrowed it.

Ooooh, borrowed

Back when I first got a chronograph they weren't common and guys would ask if they could shoot over it. I always told them "no, but for $100 cash you can buy it for a while and I'll be happy to buy it back if it's not damaged". A few took me up on it but none ever shot it.

 

[M. De Land]

Ooooh, borrowed

Back when I first got a chronograph they weren't common and guys would ask if they could shoot over it. I always told them "no, but for $100 cash you can buy it for a while and I'll be happy to buy it back if it's not damaged". A few took me up on it but none ever shot it.

Yeah, I had a good friend frag my chronograph after being instructed how to hold high and miss it. I had welded on some deflection shields ahead of each electronic eye so all that got frag'ed was the sky screen tape.
The .270 bullet hit the deflection plate , came apart and got the sky screen.
Never have stuck a patched ball and rarely shoot conicals except in my .58 Hawken Hunter that I use Maxie balls in.
That thing recoils so much I haven't shot it in 20 years or more.

 

[wiscoaster]

No, but that doesn't mean it won't yet happen. When I was in aviation, there was a saying something along the lines of "there are those that have landed gear up and there are those that are still waiting for it to happen." Kind of a caution to keep your wits about you, no matter what your level of expertise and experience.

 

[TDM]

Never have, but there’s still time for it. Might do it sometime, just for kicks, with a blank rod. Have a number of them, or maybe a just a thin shaft of river cane. Dam it, now I’m getting ideas about this.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

Saw it done at a N-SSA national match. Tremendous recoil from a .58 Enfield and a steel rod. Stopped one from happening recently; an older gentleman came to the line, capped, and raised his rifle to shoot. I yelled at him to cease fire, and advised him to remove the ramrod before firing. All good.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[gunpa]

I'm in the twice club too, sad to say. Got a black eye and bloody nose the second time! Ouch! No more for me thanks

 

[LANEY REECE]

YEP, thats all i going to say.

 

[Kabulrocks]

A friend of mine did, while shooting my CVA Kentucky rifle at mussel shells on the opposite bank across a low, slow moving river. We couldn’t figure out what the splash was about halfway across the river, we thought he might have spooked a gar with his shot. When he started to load the next shot we realized it was the rod hitting the water. Fortunately we were able to retrieve the undamaged wood ramrod.

 

[mikesto44]

Nope never have......But...I'm OCD when I'm handling firearms.