fire hazard?

[Ironoxide]

Paper 0atching causing fire is a myth

I can't tell about paper patching, but using paper as wadding or using paper cartridges definitely results in smouldering paper. Sometimes even actually burning paper landing few meters in front of the muzzle. I saw it with my own eyes.

 

[SolidLeadSlug]

Sez you.

wm

You must be nssa then. Name one wildfire caused by a civil war battle with thousands of pritchett cartridges being fired from enfields.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I won’t say I worry about it but I am aware of potential and try to be careful.

 

[ML48]

The largest wildfire I was ever dispatched to, as a peace officer, was started by 3 individuals shooting lead round balls at a large plowing disc over tall dead grass in August. I was required to take their statements and file an incident report.

The disc was about 50 yards from where they stood, the fire appeared to have started about halfway between them and the disc.

They claimed a ricochet must have caused it, but I doubted a lead ball could cause a spark.

So, yes, I have seen Firsthand where black powder will start a wildfire.

If you don't believe me, simply shoot something flammable (clothe, hay, etc)a few times and see what happens.

I agree with you. Just because old Illinois hasn't experienced it, doesn't mean it can't happen.
Had that happen on our shooting range on our property. Patch started the dry grass smoldering, put out immediately. And here in South Central Colorado, it gets damned dry in the summer.
There have been fires started here in Colorado from sparks from CF ricochets.

 

[user 13896]

And to think all the unpleasantness in N. California is being blamed on PG&E. All the above makes sense. Poring rain in Maine tomorrow, good time to break out the flinter.

 

[ord sgt]

I have seen first hand a grass fire started by a smoldering patch. It happened at my R/P club. The patch came from my flintlock rifle. By the time that a "cease fire" was called, the grass fire was really starting to spread. The firing line had to be made safe before we could go forward of the line to extinguish the fire. This lubricated patch was over top of my normal target load of 50 grains FFFg.

Name one wildfire caused by a civil war battle with thousands of pritchett cartridges being fired from enfields

The battle in the Wilderness. A major fire was started by both sides. Soldiers from both sides who were injured in battle and could not be rescued were burned to death by the fire.

 

[SolidLeadSlug]

I have seen first hand a grass fire started by a smoldering patch. It happened at my R/P club. The patch came from my flintlock rifle. By the time that a "cease fire" was called, the grass fire was really starting to spread. The firing line had to be made safe before we could go forward of the line to extinguish the fire. This lubricated patch was over top of my normal target load of 50 grains FFFg.

The battle in the Wilderness. A major fire was started by both sides. Soldiers from both sides who were injured in battle and could not be rescued were burned to death by the fire.

https://encyclopediavirginia.org/228hpr-18a088bfebccbc9/
"The fires in the woods, caused by the explosion of shells, and the fires made for cooking, spreading around, caused some terrible suffering. It is not supposed that many lives were lost in this terrible manner; but there were some poor fellows, whose wounds had disabled them, who perished in the dreadful flame.

 

[yonderin]

I was in a grass fire once (unrelated to muzzleloading). Such fires are fairly easy to extinguish if one has a shovel or they are very small. Once a grass fire gets a couple meters across good luck trying to extinguish it. The worst season for grass fires here is not summer. In summer the grass is green, but spring. There are unmaintained or wild fields around here that have grass that grows waist high. That grass dies during winter. In spring time it dries in the sun and it can get ignited with a smallest spark until it decomposes and new grass covers it.

Worst time of the year I experienced was spring. Grass dry, ground could be wet and trucks getting bogged easily. Get to do a lot of beating at that time of years.

After a few years we got to using leaf blowers instead of brooms. You could almost run along and snuff it out. Get into a marsh though and you just blew it up. If the gas cap comes off while you're using it, can make for a humorous story. The boys would have put me out after they got done laughing I'm sure. I think.

Downwash from a helicopter can work too and managed to put an end to one that had just sparked up with MG fire.

Seen a few interesting things in my time.

 

[Eterry]

https://encyclopediavirginia.org/228hpr-18a088bfebccbc9/
"The fires in the woods, caused by the explosion of shells, and the fires made for cooking, spreading around, caused some terrible suffering. It is not supposed that many lives were lost in this terrible manner; but there were some poor fellows, whose wounds had disabled them, who perished in the dreadful flame.

I would venture the folks who wrote the Virginia Encyclopedia didn't own muzzleloaders.

Simply shoot your favourite muzzleloader, (I'm assuming you have one) into ANYTHING FLAMMABLE! One shot may not do it, but a couple shots may be very educational for you.

Maybe THAT'S where the no hunting in months without an R came from, dry grass in May...hmmm...

 

[ZUG]

When I was using the "Dry Patch Method" I would have small grass fires 80% of the time 15 + feet in front of me. I stopped using that patching method and went with a wet lube for target shooting and a grease lube for hunting. No more "Dry Patch Method" for me ---

 

[tenngun]

Oh boy...........well the rumor is an unconfirmed yes. Well here in East Central Illinois it gets dry in the summer. Darn dry. Crispy 'dead' grass dry. I have NEVER, not once EVER, had a single issue with fire/smoke/smoldering grass/weeds/leaves/etc. I even shoot tow out of my smoothbores with no issues. Paper wadding, no issues. Lubed patches, no issues. Prone in the crispy grass with full house hunting loads, no issues. Draw your own conclusions.

I’m not going to say your lick because that’s not true. I started one fire in New Mexico almost fifty years ago. Your experience is typical.
I would say we have to be mindful.
I’ve camped a lot in the tall timber and never started a fire with my camp fire. Been going to events near fifty years and never burned down my tent. But both of those truths comes from me being mindful of my fire. The same with my shooting

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I’m not going to say your lick because that’s not true. I started one fire in New Mexico almost fifty years ago. Your experience is typical.
I would say we have to be mindful.

Most of us are also no shooting artillery. Even a small 2 lb. galloper will toss burning embers onto the ground.... seen several tiny fires because of that BUT since the crews have a bucket of water for swabbing the wet swab can be used for dowsing.

LD

 

[NorthFork]

I’m not going to say your lick because that’s not true. I started one fire in New Mexico almost fifty years ago. Your experience is typical.
I would say we have to be mindful.
I’ve camped a lot in the tall timber and never started a fire with my camp fire. Been going to events near fifty years and never burned down my tent. But both of those truths comes from me being mindful of my fire. The same with my shooting

Lick = luck, lying,????????????

 

[tenngun]

Luck… spell check

 

[11th corps]

I posed this question on the forum several years ago. iirc, Zonie replied that he did not know of any historical evidence of anyone starting a wild fire with a smoldering patch.
I was asking because the summer I questioned this, I was shooting my TOW northwest trade gun flintlock with lubricated patches and saw one smoldering in the grass. It had been very dry here that summer-much like this summer has been. I suspended my shooting until we had rain.
No doubt it probably happened in the past, but may not have been eventful enough to be recorded.

 

[Grenadier1758]

So the story goes around my gun club, some years back at a Rendezvous the requirement was to start a fire with flint and steel. The club member asked if all that was needed was to see flames. Yup, flames were all that was needed. He poured abut 5 grains of powder down the barrel, then the nest of tinder. He filled the pan with powder and pulled the trigger. The nest floated down burning fiercely. His time was 2 seconds. Rules changed and we couldn't use our flint lock for fire start.

On a more practical note and on topic, I have seen fires start in dry grass from a smoldering patch. Fortunately there were several of us on hand to stomp it out.

 

[Colonial Boy]

Living in one of the most fire prone countries on earth, l was made aware of the dangers of starting a fire with wadding when I first started using a muzzle loader and it was many years before I saw a patch/wad start a fire, but start one it did (which was swiftly put out).
‘The shooter had been using compressed (slightly) oiled tissue paper.
‘These days if I use a m/l in summer I use cards cut from plastic milk bottles, seems to work OK.

 

[Don Steele]

When I was in Rhodesia, we had an American hunter show up with a Colonial Williamsburg rifle to hunt Plains Game in the Midlands area. It was May when the bush is "down" ( dry conditions). Everytime he took a shot, we had a tracker detailed to watch for the patch and run forward immediately to stomp out the smoldering area that was ( sometimes) occurring. It wasn't 100%, but it did happen enough to be a concern.

 

[ML48]

Any where there is very dry grass/shrub, there is a chance of fire from a spark/smoldering patch/etc.....period.

 

[Grenadier1758]

So the story goes around my gun club, some years back at a Rendezvous the requirement was to start a fire with flint and steel. The club member asked if all that was needed was to see flames. Yup, flames were all that was needed. He poured abut 5 grains of powder down the barrel, then the nest of tinder. He filled the pan with powder and pulled the trigger. The nest floated down burning fiercely. His time was 2 seconds. Rules changed and we couldn't use our flint lock for fire start.

On a more practical note and on topic, I have seen fires start in dry grass from a smoldering patch. Fortunately there were several of us on hand to stomp it out.

Ultimately his time was disqualified when it was judged that he used an accelerant, the 5 grains of black powder in the barrel.