Muzzleloading Accident

[matt denison]

A cigarette lighter may have triggered a fatal explosion in Dunkirk, IN. A

Jay County man, using a cigarette lighter to check the barrel of a

muzzleloader, was killed Monday night when the weapon discharged in his

face, sheriff's investigators said. Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in his

parents' rural Dunkirk home at about 11:30 PM. Investigators said Pryor was

cleaning a 54-caliber muzzle-loader that had not been firing properly. He

was using the lighter to look into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited.



:nono:

 

[robinsroost]

This post should be forwarded to the Darwin Awards....Robin

 

[D Sanders]

I really hate to here of accidents like this. My heart goes out to the family. But so often you here of people doing dangerous things like this without thinking. :shake:

HH 60

 

This post should be forwarded to the Darwin Awards....Robin

It already has.
I knew I'd read that before. I thought there would be more detail somewhere so I did a quick web search. No more details were found, but it is mentioned in several Darwin Award references.
There was also a brief string on it on this very board back in 2004.

 

[mjulihn]

Yep -- shallow end of the gene pool for sure! :td:

 

[mooman76]

I heard of someone last year came up with the bright idea of doing that to check and see if his was loaded by blowing down the barrel and if it was empty he would blow the flame out. Unfortunate for him it was loaded and he didn't live to tell about it.

 

[Maven]

Yep, There are 3 such references, starting on page 115, in my 2000 edition of Wendy Northcutt's "The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action."

 

[zimmerstutzen]

What killed the man?
If there was a prb down there how did the lighter ignite the powder beneath the ball?

 

[Robby]

Thanks Zimm, someone had to ask. Its a dumb Idea, but I don't see how this happens.
Robby

 

[pargent]

:hmm: Well after cleaning my flinters I shine a torch through the touch hole and look down the barrel to inspect the breechface ( of course the gun is un loaded ). So 1 make sure the gun IS unloaded and 2 don't use a ciglighter!!!

 

[necchi]

Whatta ya mean?
He held the lighter to the flash channel and looked down the bore to see if it was obstructed??
Right?

Last time I checked, open flame tends to ignite powder,, :idunno:

 

[jdkerstetter]

Nah, not buying it. Doesn't sound like a flintlock shooter too me. Maybe the percussion croud. :haha: :haha: :haha: :blah: :stir:

Now, maybe here in Pennsylvania where flintlocks are madatory for the late season and everydody owns one. Yea, I could see it happening here.

And then there are always the reports of people checking the level or various internal cumbustion engine fuel tanks with lighters also.

Strange how it appears that these are almost always "eye witness" accounts and not "first hand accounts" as was the case here. :shake:

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

You think, people are smarter than that. Then (like happened to my wife & I on Nov. 25th) you’re at the public range and some guy walks out on a hot range with his grandson in tow! He was to my right and all other shooters were to my left, Thank God I can yell like a Drill Instructor. After I got the shooting stopped our rifles were unloaded , so I just dumped my gear in the truck & drove off. I’ll be Danged if I want my wife out there when that nit wit has a loaded gun in his hands.

 

[RedFeather]

Reminded me of when we didn't have range officers years ago
Was shooting a .22 when I see a couple of kids head out on to the range to check targets. Like you, I said that's it for today!

 

[pargent]

Best to get them out of the gene pool asap

 

[simeon england]

Its always sad to hear about something like this. A life lost.

IMHO, we all are entitled to a brain fart every now and then. Some times they are fatal. Hopefully not yours, or mine.

 

[Roguedog]

Perhaps one could try to educate them a little bit regarding the dangers of their actions. May prevent then from doing something stupid in the future. Or maybe not. At least you can say you tried.

Jeff

 

[Zonie]

Is anyone able to find an actual documented news story about this incident?

I spent the better part of a half hour looking for the real news story from a recognized newspaper in the country without success.

All I found were verbatim articles under Darwin Awards and similar places obviously copying and pasting the exact same quote complete with the punctuation.

Don't get me wrong. If someone actually did this I feel sympathy for his family but it wouldn't surprise me in the least to find that some bonehead dreamed it all up and posted it as fact.

There's some weird people in this world and some of them get their kicks from making up stories. :shake:

If anyone can find a news quote from a major news agency, please post it here so we can all know the truth.

 

[Col. Batguano]

There's some weird people in this world and some of them get their kicks from making up stories.

I had some magazines under my bed as a teenager that had lots of made up stories in them.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Did those magazines also have airbrushed pictures?

Of course I'm sure you merely read the articles