Is This Possible?

[starman]

Back in the 50’s I saw a movie where a good guy, in a cabin, was frantically loading his muzzleloader as fast as he could because a bad guy was breaking in the door. I don’t remember if it was a smooth bore or rifle. The bad guy broke in just as the good guy was ramming the ball down the barrel. Without removing the ramrod from the barrel, the good guy pointed the weapon, ramrod and all, at the bad guy and puller the trigger. The ramrod impaled the bad guy and he died.

Is this scenario possible? Just wondering.

 

[sawyer04]

Saw the same thing Daniel Boone show, whether it will work or not ; I don't intend to find out.

 

[TreeMan]

I saw an accidental ramrod shot down range many years ago. I’d say if someone was in its path then yes it would poke a hole through ya.

 

[S.Kenton]

I’m sure a wooden dowl, made of hickory propelled out of a fully charged barrel, could fatally injure a person. Especially with a lead ball pushing it out of the barrel, you would get it with both the ramrod and roundball.

 

[starman]

I agree with sawyer04, I have no intentions of finding out!

 

[Grenadier1758]

I have also seen a ramrod shot down range. Yes, it could happen. It was shot at a target about 25 yards away. The shooter couldn't believe he missed the target. Then he couldn't find his ramrod. One of our club members has their personal ramrod shot from the rifle on display in their wall mounted gun rack.

It was also documented that during the American Civil War during the siege at Richmond that there were so many excess steel ramrods that for amusement in the trenches that the ramrods were shot at the opposing side to listen to the amusing whistle from the whirling rods.

 

[andy52]

One of the things stressed when shooting blanks during a re-enactment if your use the rod to tamp a paper wad make sure and remove it. I've even seen some where they collect all the rods from the participants and only shoot loose powder.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Of course it could happen.
If the victim died as quickly as portrayed in the film is a different question.

 

[kje54]

One of the things stressed when shooting blanks during a re-enactment if your use the rod to tamp a paper wad make sure and remove it. I've even seen some where they collect all the rods from the participants and only shoot loose powder.

In Civ War reenacting back east we stopped using ramrods at least 25 years ago for that reason exactly. No one collected them you just didn't use em, pour the powder dowen the barrel and tamp the rifle butt on the ground to settle the powder.

 

[Whitworth]

About the same as being run thru with a fencing foil, producing a narrow but possibly fatal but by no means instantaneous death. Death occurring by blood loss allows time to commit mayhem. In the movie "Spartacus" the head Gladiator instructor tells the new "recruits" to beware of a mortally wounded opponent "as many a Gladiator has been killed by a man dead on his feet". That's why LEO shoots until the threat is down and I don't blame them a bit.

 

[Crow-Feather]

I saw a picture of a kid with ramrod scars in his forehead and the top of his skull. He did live, mainly because there was no ball behind the ramrod,

In the tv show, the ball magically disappeared and did not make it to the bad guy. Not probable at that range.

 

[Livbucks]

There is a video on YT of a guy that shoots a ramrod at a deer. I dont believe it hit the deer.

 

[Bob McBride]

Years ago I shot a 1/4” ramrod out of my .32. If I remember right I was in mid load when I got a phone call. Missed the target, went to reload, and found my rammer missing. I walked down range and found half of it stuck two feet into my red clay backdrop about 30y down range. It went into the clay about half way and the force broke the other half off when it stopped. I found the second half later that year walking to a deer stand. It had gone about 50 yards and was stuck in the ground about 3”.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Back in the 50’s I saw a movie where a good guy, in a cabin, was frantically loading his muzzleloader as fast as he could because a bad guy was breaking in the door. I don’t remember if it was a smooth bore or rifle. The bad guy broke in just as the good guy was ramming the ball down the barrel. Without removing the ramrod from the barrel, the good guy pointed the weapon, ramrod and all, at the bad guy and puller the trigger. The ramrod impaled the bad guy and he died.

Is this scenario possible? Just wondering.

A guy I know about, blew his thumb off with just a styrofoam wad . A RR projectile is deadly, especially at close range. Don't wonder, it is possible!

 

[tenngun]

The very first guns were designed to shoot bolts, cross bow arrows.
a ramrod is often heavier on the tip driving the ball home so in flight it will tumble. An arrow is heavy on the front so it stays straighter in flight even without fletching

 

[satwel]

At one of the Civil War battlefield visitor center we visited in Virginia there is on display a two foot section of tree trunk maybe 4 inches in diameter with a steel ramrod sticking through it. A local farmer had cut it down after the battle. Ramrods as projectiles, both deliberate and accidental, were common during the Civil War.

 

[Buck Conner]

I saw an accidental ramrod shot down range many years ago. I’d say if someone was in its path then yes it would poke a hole through ya.

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Agreed, it will do the job without a problem.
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I shot a ramrod by accident at a large mule deer one season, bounced it off one of his tangs. Kicked the crap out of me and probably gave him a headache .....

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[Jaeger]

One of the things stressed when shooting blanks during a re-enactment if your use the rod to tamp a paper wad make sure and remove it. I've even seen some where they collect all the rods from the participants and only shoot loose powder.

I attended a reenactment at Martin Station in Western Virginia several years ago and they were pretty safety-conscious. The head honcho inspected my flintlock and gave me a small piece of red yarn to tie around the end of the ramrod to remind me not to use the ramrod. Powder was distributed in small paper packets and the packets were not to be part of the load. We just dropped them on the ground.

 

[Buck Conner]

I attended a reenactment at Martin Station in Western Virginia several years ago and they were pretty safety-conscious. The head honcho inspected my flintlock and gave me a small piece of red yarn to tie around the end of the ramrod to remind me not to use the ramrod. Powder was distributed in small paper packets and the packets were not to be part of the load. We just dropped them on the ground.

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Boy that would be exciting, what was the purpose of the packet other than a reminder?

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[ord sgt]

A friend has the dubious honor of shooting not one, but two ramrods downrange. He never found the first rod but he did recover the second ramrod. It was so badly bent that it was unusable.