Man Died From Muzzle Loader Accident

[Robby]

Always treat a gun as though its loaded. Good advise in any era.
Robby

 

[Okie Hog]

Yep, there have been explosions of black powder due to static electricity; usually in manufacturing facilities. It's extremely unlikely the rifle fired due to static electricity or any other factor except for being capped.

Shannon Corman a Kentucky black powder guru died in an explosion while while re-packaging bulk black powder into saleable quantities. Another man was seriously burned and passed away months later. The explosion in the garage was heard 20 miles away and did extensive damage to the neighborhood. The were not "mixing" black powder

https://www.kentucky.com/article44037075.html

 

[oldwood]

One of the first recorded m/l rifle accidents in the initial flintlock deer season in the early 1970's was caused by a guy on a plywood platform nailed in a tree. He left the loaded flint rifle on the ground w/muzzle tied to a rope to be drawn up after he had climbed on to the plywood. Once up , he pulled on the rope , the rifle started up , the flint hammer caught on something disengaging the lock's sear and the lock did what was designed to do , it fired , killing him instantly. What a shame the hunter didn't know how his lock worked..........oldwood

 

[tenngun]

I can understand the rifle being loaded, but what I don't understand is why it must have been left in a firing position (nipple capped and hammer cocked).

Might not. A gun hammer can be cocked not far enough to engage the full **** sear notch but can slip as soon as pressure is off.
This is a tragic accident and it could have been avoided, but we’ve all been in his shoes, doing something that could of killed us but didn’t, I’ve had more then one close call

 

[FishDFly]

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Product Reviews

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Something to consider from October Country.

 

[hawkeye2]

"No one wants to speculate, but all we really know is that the muzzle wasn't pointed in a safe direction at all times."

That's the one thing that's common to all firearms accidents. So much grief and damage could be prevented by controlling the direction of the muzzle at all times.

 

[HiDesertHunter]

What I fail to understand is if he had been hunting 'a few days earlier' and had left his hunting area completely, IE no longer hunting (since this happened in front of a house I assume to be his) why he did NOT discharge the rifle before leaving the hunting area?

This is a basic rule of muzzleloading - and if you are unsure run the ramrod down to check!

 

[fleener]

I am a stickler for making sure a gun is unloaded. My boys will without hesitation always check to make sure a gun is unloaded when they pick it up, even if it comes out of the gun safe.

With that said, about 10 years ago I pulled a ML out of the back of my truck, muzzle first and opened up the gun case. Much to my surprises the gun still had a cap on it. I was more then surprised, but unfortunately it happens.

Fleener

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

CO2 discharger if you dont want to dirty it up....simple right?

 

[deerstalkert]

So sad! Totally unnecessary . In my world there are no unloaded firearms, and the hole in the end of the barrel never points at anything i dont want to destroy. have had 2 AD's with an unmentionable i built. Both went into the lawn . Really really made me aware again that the end with the hole faces away from anything i dont plan on shooting

 

[azmntman]

Lots of speculating here. Anyone know about life insurance? Status of Marriage? Witnesses? Ya....only one fact we have is the guy was shot so the muzzle was not pointed in a safe direction. Had a unmentionable shot gun in the seat between me and son once. 5 Speed, lotta cassettes, keys, sting ezz etc in the console. Reverse and BOOM. He had left a shell in the chamber. Something caught the trigger as the gear shift was moved. He and me and you and everybody knew better but we were "just going around the hill to hunt there". It can and does happen. NO LOADED (capped and/or primed) guns in the car period! BTW all were OK after a changing of britches and we learned a 20 GA shell will fit in the floor board just perfect to stop the draft.

 

[Griz44Mag]

In Jan., 2020., an Ohio man accidentally shot himself while removing a loaded .50 muzzle loader from the trunk of his car.
He had been hunting a couple of days earlier.
He was described as being an experienced hunter who loved hunting and fishing.
While details are lacking about which type of muzzle loader it was, it appears that the gun was left fully loaded in the car trunk.
He was still alive when he was found next to his car bleeding from a shoulder wound.
The round had exited through his back causing massive damage.

Be safe everyone!

RIP Michael Ray Rosecrans 1963 - 2020

Short news articles:
https://chroniclet.com/news/187189/muzzleloader-accident-kills-amherst-man/https://www.morningjournal.com/news...cle_7e28d916-3714-11ea-9255-1f5ccb190b25.html
Obituary:
https://www.eastmanfuneralhome.com/obituary/Michael-Rosecrans

It's amazing how the two different news outlets wrote the story. Bias in the news - this is proof.....
Sad story to hear. I hard reminder to always keep safe. Removing the cap or dumping the pan, so simple, and yet so easy to forget.

 

[TGJaeger]

I have read reports that pulling a rifle off of a horse pulled wagon was a fairly common cause of accidental shootings. Apparently, the rifles were kept in a ready state so they could be used quickly in the event of an indian attack.

Not meaning to detract from the solemn message of the OP or highjack the thread, but this is exactly what happened in a situation my family was involved with.
During the Pawnee War, in the winter of1859, which started near the town of West Point, NE, the Pawnee found that white settlers had moved into their traditional hunting grounds. The settlers had found herds of elk hole up in the wooded river bottoms, and due to the deep snow, the elk could be run down and bashed in the head with an ax. It didn’t take long for the elk to be wiped out. The Pawnee arrived with the intent of stocking their larders with venison, only to find the herds wantonly butchered. They were understandably upset and went looking for someone to open a can of “whoopazz“ on. Some young warriors found an old trapper in a tiny cabin along the Ta-ha-zoo-ka (Elkhorn) river. They roughed him up and stole $300 and his winter supply of whiskey. The braves went on, enjoying the spoils of their vengeance, and the trapper kited into West Point. The Townsfolk, rounded up a miliata and went looking for the Pawnee. They found each other at a farm house owned by my kinfolk. No one was home when the Pawnee arrived, they promptly made themselves at home by rounding up some poultry and dressing then in the kitchen. One of their number put on an apron and whipped up some biscuits while waiting for the chickens to be prepared. The militia showed up about then. Somebody fired a shot and a skirmish followed. The Indians fled out the back way, except for the apron clad cook. He took a ball in the head. The townsfolk eventually entered the house and found the place full of feather, but no dressed poultry, and the deceased cook. While some of the party investigated inside, the rest stood out in the yard. Somebody yelled out a warning that more Indians were coming and everyone scrambled for their rifles. One unfortunate young man grabbed his loaded and primed gun from the wagon and while he was staring down the bore, the weapon discharged. He and the deceased, Pawnee cook were the only casualties of the war.

 

[Tumbledown]

I can understand the rifle being loaded, but what I don't understand is why it must have been left in a firing position (nipple capped and hammer cocked).

Perhaps the hammer was down, and snagged something enough to get pulled back and snap the cap or primer (not knowing what type of ML it was. )

 

[pooch156]

How many here, leave a loaded M/L in their vehicle over night or longer so they do not have to take it inside where it is warm at night? See it mentioned quite a bit, even recently.

Not me!!

 

[watopeka]

Think twice and save your life...excitement of the season we love so much and wait all year long for. Its easy to get caught up in your thoughts and excitement and get careless....its not worth it...load in woods...in the end discharge in woods.....a few minutes of cleaning when you get back.

I agree so much. What a sad event. I always do exactly that.

 

[Rum River]

Tragic for all involved.

I'm guessing all of us on this forum have our own fashion of how we pass along the safety aspect of the shooting sports.

A work acquaintance who conducted advanced training classes for unmentionables would often relate different scenarios where a student had done or was about to do something stupid in regards to safety. He would tell the tale and then question me if I knew what number rule had been broken.

I never got it right.

In desperation I made up my own list.
#1. Muzzle direction.
#2. Try not to be any more stupid than I can help.

Over the years when I was in between employment for my "day" job, I ended up working at various firearms retailers. A couple were larger-than-average independents and a couple were the "big box" version. I guess I'm just naive but it has always somewhat amazed me how often people could care less about muzzle direction. What amazes me every time are those multiple occurrences where someone showing me their prize firearm gives me a hard time about checking to see if it's loaded - and when it turns out it actually is they have laughed out loud. All the one guy got out of it was how funny it was to see the expression on my face. (After I found an unmentionable deer rifle fully loaded in his kid's play area.)

 

[Capnball]

In Jan., 2020., an Ohio man accidentally shot himself while removing a loaded .50 muzzle loader from the trunk of his car.
He had been hunting a couple of days earlier.
He was described as being an experienced hunter who loved hunting and fishing.
While details are lacking about which type of muzzle loader it was, it appears that the gun was left fully loaded in the car trunk.
He was still alive when he was found next to his car bleeding from a shoulder wound.
The round had exited through his back causing massive damage.

Be safe everyone!

RIP Michael Ray Rosecrans 1963 - 2020

Short news articles:
https://chroniclet.com/news/187189/muzzleloader-accident-kills-amherst-man/https://www.morningjournal.com/news...cle_7e28d916-3714-11ea-9255-1f5ccb190b25.html
Obituary:
https://www.eastmanfuneralhome.com/obituary/Michael-Rosecrans

Too sad. But ty his should open everyone's eyes a bit to pay attention to your weapons status and safe unloading practices. Safety simply has to be first and foremost handling these or any other firearms. I attended a gun safety class once when my son wanted to start hunting. The instructor started the class with a question. "What is the number one type of weapon involved in the most accidental shootings?"
People replied with all types of answers from pistols to shotguns, flintlock to cartridge. To every reply the instructor shook his head no. The instructor repeated "What is the number one type of weapon involved in the most accidental shootings?" "An unloaded gun! "I thought the gun was unloaded."
Let that sink in for a bit. I actually have known two people who were shot with "unloaded" guns. One was a. 16 yr old girl shot through the thigh at a party by a guy with a 22 lever action. The other was a guy who was accidentally shot through the mouth with a cap and ball pistol by his room mate in another room. Neither injury was fatal but an inch or two one direction or another and it's a horror story.
Be careful guys, I like you all. Even the grouchy ones.
Neil

 

[toot]

and how about the people? who after every shot have the impulse to blow down the barrel after every shot??? just DARWINS, LORE OF SELECTION!!! that is why at most clubs if caught doing it you will be throwen out !!!

 

[toot]

remember the old saying, I'M SORRY!, I DIDN'T KNOW THE GUN WAS LOADED!, I DIDN'T KNOW THE GUN WOULD KILL?? too late. there is a reason for these age old sayings.