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

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Sorry about that...Went to a shoot and in between shots got my ramrod stuck. Poured 4f into the hole and priming pan and sent it down range. I think just about everyone who has made smoke has had this happen to them once or twice.
 
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.

When I was a PUI my tutor reminded me of one of the basic tenets of aviation - 'Blue UP and green DOWN'. There are dozens of these pithy little sayings, many modified to take into account your locale.
 
I did it once when I was new to the ML rifle game. To wit, I somehow managed to stick the rod and cleaning jag in the bbl. of my T/C Hawken (or perhaps I just forgot it was there!). I fired it out and never saw or retrieved any part of it. Needless to say, recoil was a tad heavy, but I learned my lesson as I haven't done it again.
 
In the late 70's my dad had an H&R Huntsman (?). It was one of those type that broke open at the back for the cap. The ramrod was a brass one that had to be screwed out to use and then screwed back in to put it in the thimbles. We were at a shoot and he had just finished loading, collapsed the rod, and dropped it into the bore by mistake. When he fired everyone could see the dust really kicking up and the glint of the rod, nowhere near the target. I looked over at dad and he was holding his shoulder and saying how much it kicked. That was quite the shoot. Totally unrelated, but it was the only time I ever saw a tipi burn down. I think of both events when I think of that shoot.
 
I’ve done it once. Was patterning my Pedersoli 12ga SxS prior to last year’s dove opener, at one point the first shot kicked a lot harder than normal.

I took a short break, and when it came time to load again, I spent a good while looking all over the place for the ramrod that I thought I’d set down somewhere in the house. Couldn’t find it, and after a while, finally realized what had happened. Looked for it for hours, but never did find any trace of it. It’s probably under the grass, tight to the dirt out in my field somewhere. I even cut the grass down short, but still couldn’t find any trace.
 
So I was shooting my 1863 Sharps carbine. Put in the bullet, pour in the powder, close the breech and cap it. Pop, the cap goes off, no boom. Pour in more powder and cap it, pop no boom. Cleaned out the cone (just learned from 1861 manual of arms, a nipple is actually a cone) and happened to look down and there was a pile of powder at my feet. LOL, what a dummy!
Won't go boom with out a bullet!
 

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