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

[M. De Land]

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 !

 

[springfield art]

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

 

[M. De Land]

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

Wow, that must have generated some recoil with the weight of a steel loading rod. Actually I'm surprised it doesn't happen more regularly than it does with the way us black powder shooters like to fellowship while shooting/competing and living large !

 

[Absoroka]

Yeah. Shot the ramrod out of my .32. Kicked righteously, It did hit the target though.

 

[deerstalkert]

sent a "unbreakable" delrin rod down range from a .45 SMR. thought i had doubled the load. guess I had so to speak.
recoil made my eyes water. target had a long s pattern on it. found half of the rod bent into an s about 10-15 feet behind the target. foolishly i thew it over the bank in a fit of anger.
later got to thinking about it as i was working on a pistol build.
got a rope and rappelled down the bank looking for it. it was brown. so were the thousand thimble berry stems.
did find it and part of it is in the pistol today. may shoot it down range tomorrow!

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

I have NEVER shot my steel range rod down range. No comment about wood ones.

 

[AZ Muzzleloaders]

If your camp name is Thunder Rod, there may be a connection. (right Scott?)

 

[oldwood]

I've the written this one before , but it's too good not to repeat. Pa. Late Flintlock deer season over , an opportunist meat hunter that might not clean his flint rifle for months after season close , is down stairs in the garage preparing to clean his smoke pole. Luckily , he was seated , and the muzzle above the top of his cap. Somehow , the hammer was at full cock , and he pulled the trigger , or accidently forced the cock back enough for the sear to be out of the safety notch. His ramrod in the bore , trying to pull the seated ball , Bang. Nobody has found the .440 round ball yet. The r/r went through the garage ceiling , subsequently through the first floor guest bedroom , unoccupied , and impaled itself into the bedroom ceiling. The fellow will most likely never repeat something like that again , because his wife told most all of their friends the embarrassing tale. He said to his tattle tale wife , "must you tell everyone this story?" She replies , of course. Both these two have ADHD of one form or another making their marriage a fun storm.

 

[tenngun]

Never did it by accident, shot one to see what it was like
Almost did it but a guy next to me said hey your rods still in the bore.

 

[bpd303]

Nope never have shot out a ram rod, however I shout out a ram rod cleaning jag down range. The jag got stuck and came off the unpinned rod. A CVA 50 cal Hawken. pulled the nipple and using a flintlock pan charger to put as much ffffg Goex in as would fit. Then rammed the jag down to the breech plug, recapped and boom. Boy did that jag whistle down range and I never found it.

 

[Dale Lilly]

Yes

 

[bldtrailer]

not yet but it's like dry balling it can happen to everyone

 

[azmntman]

Not YET

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Not yet but the day's not over.

 

[Hermit Tim]

sent a "unbreakable" delrin rod down range from a .45 SMR. thought i had doubled the load. guess I had so to speak.
recoil made my eyes water. target had a long s pattern on it. found half of the rod bent into an s about 10-15 feet behind the target. foolishly i thew it over the bank in a fit of anger.
later got to thinking about it as i was working on a pistol build.
got a rope and rappelled down the bank looking for it. it was brown. so were the thousand thimble berry stems.
did find it and part of it is in the pistol today. may shoot it down range tomorrow!

The sh!t we'll do for a ramrod

 

[TVG.75]

Unfortunately yes. A brown bess rod after stopping the loading process on a trail walk to help my wife with her fowling piece. Stepped up to the line, squeezed the trigger & thought I had blown up the gun. Hit the target along with a couple of saplings that it wrapped itself around.
I weight it after the fact, it was similar to an additional five .730 balls in that shot.
The worst part is that there was plenty of witnesses.

 

[Hermit Tim]

Unfortunately yes. A brown bess rod after stopping the loading process on a trail walk to help my wife with her fowling piece. Stepped up to the line, squeezed the trigger & thought I had blown up the gun. Hit the target along with a couple of saplings that it wrapped itself around.
I weight it after the fact, it was similar to an additional five .730 balls in that shot.
The worst part is that there was plenty of witnesses.

I'd hang that thing on the wall in my shop.

 

[TVG.75]

I'd hang that thing on the wall in my shop.

I took it off of the wall in my shop to snap the picture!

 

[Taevers]

Not yet but the day's not over.

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.

 

[snakebit]

I think at 74 years young, you should just do it and get it over with. As the youngsters say, YOLO.

Me on the other hand, I'm as dumb as a bag of hammers. I intentionally fired a cleaning rod with a sharpened patch jag out of my M-16 with a blank round and got caught. I pushed the earth until I achieved muscle failure. I couldn't wash my hair for 2 days. Glad the Sgt. had a sense of humor, could of article 15nd my sorry a$$. Sure was funny for about 2.4 seconds. The exuberance of youth!