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Most Dangerous Practices....
- Thread starter gizamo
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hanshi
Cannon
I guess that's three of us then. I've had to mention this to people at the range who've walked up to my loading bench while smoking, that, HEY, black powder here, explosive, DUH!
hanshi said:
I may have posted before of walking into a housing "pod" at Raton years ago to find a guy loading BPCR ammo, powder open everywhere, with a cig dangling from his mouth probably 5-6 people in attendance.
I said that smoking was not safe and he started into some blather or other in defense but I was already headed back up the hallway. A friend from Alaska at my heals. He caught up and told me that he honestly had not noticed. The guy with the cigarette later apologized. But his instant reaction was to poo-poo the danger.
It could have been very bad...
This is simply not thinking. A great many people are injured in BP "fast fires" due to such inattention or in some cases ignorance.
Dan
hanshi
Cannon
It happens fast, too. Survivers of these type accidents are frequently at a loss as to how it happened. Scares the H__l out of me!
Pacobillie
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I agree with all the comments made here about smoking around ML propellants.
Let me add one more issue: interrupting loading before completing the routine, because the range officer has closed the line. Here, we have to immediately back off the line and are not allowed to touch the rifles while the line is closed. You better remember what stage of the loading routine you were at when you got interrupted!
Let me add one more issue: interrupting loading before completing the routine, because the range officer has closed the line. Here, we have to immediately back off the line and are not allowed to touch the rifles while the line is closed. You better remember what stage of the loading routine you were at when you got interrupted!
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Short starting a load. It could happen so easily, and probably does.
RedFeather
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I guess loading from the flask is number one. You see it so often, even performed by the "firearms expert" on Pawn Stars/Discovery Channel. (Who IS that guy?)
Another one, for me, is the hang fire. I think , sooner or later, we all get these. I was at the range once and a guy came up to me with one of those CVA Colonial kit pistols which his "brother in law made for me" that he was having a problem with. I asked him what that might be and he said he had loaded it, put a cap on the nipple and shot it, recapping a couple more times, but it just wouldn't go off. All the while he's waving it casually back and forth over my mid-section. Pointed him downrange, said hold that pose for about ten mintues, then left. Another time there was a guy with a T/C Hawken who was trying to impress my sister. He loaded her up but forgot the powder. No problem. Just kept trying to trickle powder down the nipple directly from the flask while bracing the butt against his ample gut. Thankfully, the range is a saner place these days!
Another one, for me, is the hang fire. I think , sooner or later, we all get these. I was at the range once and a guy came up to me with one of those CVA Colonial kit pistols which his "brother in law made for me" that he was having a problem with. I asked him what that might be and he said he had loaded it, put a cap on the nipple and shot it, recapping a couple more times, but it just wouldn't go off. All the while he's waving it casually back and forth over my mid-section. Pointed him downrange, said hold that pose for about ten mintues, then left. Another time there was a guy with a T/C Hawken who was trying to impress my sister. He loaded her up but forgot the powder. No problem. Just kept trying to trickle powder down the nipple directly from the flask while bracing the butt against his ample gut. Thankfully, the range is a saner place these days!
I live in Florida and the Fish and Game Department publishes an annual list of gun accidents. Mishaps from loading are non-existent while hunting although they do happen at the range. This doesn't mean they CAN'T happen- there just isn't anything on record. There is however a proportional amount of these accidents that occur during muzzle loading season and the majority of them are related to putting loaded black powder guns in vehicles, climbing with them over fences, getting in and out of boats, keeping them around camp, cocking the hammer on a deer that then disappears and having the hammer slip off the thumb while lowering back to half cock- those type things. Getting up early and hunting while you are tired or being excited by game and becoming careless- they seem to be the bulk of the accidents on record.
If you hunt out of a tree stand I would say load at the base of the tree, Cap once you are in the stand, take the cap off before going down the tree, if you cock the hammer and don't shoot- make sure the gun is pointed in a safe direction when lowering the hammer to half cock. Maybe take the cap off, lower to half cock, recap.
If you hunt out of a tree stand I would say load at the base of the tree, Cap once you are in the stand, take the cap off before going down the tree, if you cock the hammer and don't shoot- make sure the gun is pointed in a safe direction when lowering the hammer to half cock. Maybe take the cap off, lower to half cock, recap.
cfmoviereplicas
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Trying out a new firearm without fully inspecting it first. Had a Army replica revolver in .44 and the timing was off where it did not quite line up with the barrel. Had shaved lead coming out of the gap on both sided of the handgun. luckly no one was around me at the time.
Cold temprature makes for foolish thought.
I live in Souther Ontario & hunt deer in the Controlled (Black Powder only) season. This hunt takes place in November to December depending on which week you choose.
A couple things can go wrong at this time of year if your not carfule. Since the temprature is cold outside, by bringing a rifle indoors will cause it to sweat and thus dampen the powder. This will creat a long hang fire once the hunter goes back outdoors & attempts to takes a shot.
If a hunter isn't thinking clearly due to being very cold, he may not give the condition of his load much thought.
A poor assumption may be that his gun wasn't loaded if it dosn't fire after a few attempts. If he loades it again & goes to fire it...well lets hope nobody gets hurt!
One of the tricks most guys in my hunt group do is make a mark around their ram rods that indicate if there is a load down the barrel. So it you foolishly double load your rifle, the ram rod will NOT go all the way down to the mark.
Anything you can do keep yourself safe ...DO IT because the life you save could be your own!!!
The safety proceedures in regards to "hang fires" are not just for reading...its for following so nobody gets hurt.
I live in Souther Ontario & hunt deer in the Controlled (Black Powder only) season. This hunt takes place in November to December depending on which week you choose.
A couple things can go wrong at this time of year if your not carfule. Since the temprature is cold outside, by bringing a rifle indoors will cause it to sweat and thus dampen the powder. This will creat a long hang fire once the hunter goes back outdoors & attempts to takes a shot.
If a hunter isn't thinking clearly due to being very cold, he may not give the condition of his load much thought.
A poor assumption may be that his gun wasn't loaded if it dosn't fire after a few attempts. If he loades it again & goes to fire it...well lets hope nobody gets hurt!
One of the tricks most guys in my hunt group do is make a mark around their ram rods that indicate if there is a load down the barrel. So it you foolishly double load your rifle, the ram rod will NOT go all the way down to the mark.
Anything you can do keep yourself safe ...DO IT because the life you save could be your own!!!
The safety proceedures in regards to "hang fires" are not just for reading...its for following so nobody gets hurt.
cfmoviereplicas
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I know what you mean about the gun sweating. Has happened to me a few times without really thinking about it. I do have the markes on my ramrod, one side is marked for ball and 70grains of powder and the other is marked with buffalo bullet adn 100grains of powder. Not only can I tell if its loaded but what is in there as well.
I have the ramrods marked at the point where they are empty of a load and powder. As I am still trying out differant amounts of powder and bullet types. Just seemed to make more sense for me.
This is one that I have to keep both hands on: You must have a loading routine and that demands both focus and practice. I have dry-loaded several times because I was either distracted or interrupted during the process. Had another occasion when I wasn't sure if I double-charged so I dumped the powder and started over. Bottom line: if there's any doubt, play it safe and start over.
fyrfyter43
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cynthialee said:
This is what I recommend to my hunter education classes (we have a separate class for muzzleloader). A mark showing an empty barrel will never change. If you drop a rod and it doesn't go to the mark, something is in the bore. It could be a load, or it could be a stuck cleaning patch. Either way, you need to clear it before loading.
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1) pouring from flask into barrel ... OK- smart guy , put a half pound of explosive right next to your face ...
2) blowing down the barrel ... well, you get the classic parabolic curve of cerebral matter ...
3) not checking that it's loaded ... i think it was Mark Twain who said that the kid who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if given a half hour to set up the shot would pot everyone's favourite aunt at two hundren yards with an unloaded musket which hadn't been fired in twenty years.
4) anyone who thinks that just because it's a muzzle loader, it's not really a gun. ever seen someone hit with a 12 guage? (as in, double ought buck in the upper shoulder at a range of a few feet? ... kinda makes the scapula a moot point) ... now, how 'bout standing in front of your buddy's Brown Bess? duh, same difference ...
5) the jazzed up twenty somethings who thing that there's a 'reset' button to life ... hey, kid, get off the range: your life is too precious to play with
OK- i'll climb off my soapbox before i fall down and get hurt...
2) blowing down the barrel ... well, you get the classic parabolic curve of cerebral matter ...
3) not checking that it's loaded ... i think it was Mark Twain who said that the kid who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if given a half hour to set up the shot would pot everyone's favourite aunt at two hundren yards with an unloaded musket which hadn't been fired in twenty years.
4) anyone who thinks that just because it's a muzzle loader, it's not really a gun. ever seen someone hit with a 12 guage? (as in, double ought buck in the upper shoulder at a range of a few feet? ... kinda makes the scapula a moot point) ... now, how 'bout standing in front of your buddy's Brown Bess? duh, same difference ...
5) the jazzed up twenty somethings who thing that there's a 'reset' button to life ... hey, kid, get off the range: your life is too precious to play with
OK- i'll climb off my soapbox before i fall down and get hurt...
Brokenlaig
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I saw a fella shoot his brass range rod once. He'd loaded and put the rod down the barrel, then got distracted. Later on he ups with the gun, caps it without checking, and bang! Bullet, rod and all go down range. He had a rod with a skinny round grip, not a big one that obscured the sights.
Well, it knocked him down, and the entire left side of his face went to turning red, then purple while we watched. His arm bruised from mid-chest to below his elbow. His gun re-cocked itself from the back pressure, and the barrel looked kind of funny in the stock.
Well, it knocked him down, and the entire left side of his face went to turning red, then purple while we watched. His arm bruised from mid-chest to below his elbow. His gun re-cocked itself from the back pressure, and the barrel looked kind of funny in the stock.
Like I said, trying to load and watch what's going on at the same time is the ticket to trouble. Bad thing is the guy next to you has a technical question or a couple of spectators come over to watch you and you don't want to seem rude so you try to take care of them...rest is history.
Finding out that the older I get the more I have to pay real close attention to what I'm doing...
Finding out that the older I get the more I have to pay real close attention to what I'm doing...
pa woods roamer
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I always try to wander off a bit from my fellow shooters when I reload. This helps to keep from getting distracted....helps!!! My Wife won a really nice custom Percussion. At one of our shoots, She couldn`t get it to Fire. She gave up and when we got Home I took out the Nipple and primed it, figuring She didn`t have Powder in it. Put the Nipple back in and made sure the Ball was seated...it wasn`t!!! She had short started it and I have NO idea why it didn`t go off. Just lucked out, I guess???
