Shotgun came already loaded.

[BruceB]

I received a .36 Mowrey from a seller in Mississippi, (I'm in Kalifornia),It arrived loaded with a patch but no ball. Why I don't know. I never got an answer to my emails, and the seller passed on, I heard, a while later.

 

[11Bravo]

I have two stories, Firstly spent a whole tour where everyone kept their weapon loaded and some were on safe, some not. Made little difference to us as we were in combat. Not one accident in the 12 months I was there.

So in the late 70s my Uncle died and I went out to St. Louis for the funeral. We are back at his house and my aunt starts passing his long guns down from the attic. We are sitting around the room and after about the 6th person I get handed a .22 auto that was fully loaded with one in the pipe. After clearing it I then took the guns out of my aunts hand from the attic and checked them all. Bottom line is the .303 Jungle Carbine was also fully loaded. The worst part is before I got that .22 handed to me it went thru my other Uncles hands and he didn't check it (WWII Vet)?

 

[flntlokr]

I was looking for an older lightweight SxS shotgun and someone here said they had one. After due diligence I was satisfied that the deal was legit and we proceeded. The gun arrived and it is in better condition than described and photos indicated. The Seller said he bought several guns in order to get one in the bundle that he really wanted. Admitted he didn’t know much about these.

I was going to clean, check and oil the barrels. When I looked down them with a light I did not see the breach, but rather a flat white surface in both barrels. I used a patch screw and removed a white card from each. Then I could see shot, which I dumped out. There was an orange thing still in there that I could pull to the choke but then it would stick. I used a CO2 discharge and everything came out into a bucket. The orange was cork, lubed wads. I measured what I could out of curiosity. 90 grains of powder and 1 1/8 oz or mixed shot, size 2,6 and 8. The nipple threads had slight rust and the breach face. It came right off. First time for me, coming across a loaded ML upon inspection. CHECK, Check, check! I let the Seller know, but I’m not upset, I know he didn’t know and I’m glad he didn’t load and try to shoot as he may have hurt himself or the gun. On a side note, the nipple threads and just slightly more upright than the 4 other Pedersolis I have. While I switched the others to musket cap with a simple nipple swap, this one doesn’t squarely hit the musket cap nipples. I figured out a minor mod to the nipple that will work and I’ll get that done later today. Please beware of “new”, used MLs …. They could be loaded.

I looked at one in a local gun shop on behalf of a friend. First thing I did was attempt to blow down the barrels. No go, so I asked for a ramrod. checked the depth, and sure enough, both barrels were apparently loaded. The shop owner went sort of pale at that point. We got a worm and stuck it down, and pulled about 5 rolls of toy caps out. (It needs a cap tp work, right?) The other barrel contained some rolls plus a full load. My guess is that kids had been fooling around with it during the last 100 years or so, expecting to make noise, and were disappointed. Lucky thing it didn't dawn on one of them to stuff the hammer cup full of caps instead of putting them down the pipe. May have had an unhappy ending. Friend ended up getting a different gun, even though that one wasn't bad. ALWAYS check! And don't leave them alone partly (or fully) loaded.

 

[swathdiver]

Unless there was a percussion cap on the cone or powder in the pan, we consider them charged and not loaded.

 

[Oldbear63]

On my bucket list was a duck hunt. I have many cousins who hunt back home, so I scheduled a trip out with a group of cousins and friends. They let me borrow a nice semi-auto shotgun. When I got to the blind I went to load it and found out that it had a shell in the chamber. My cousin turned white.

 

[Rob M.]

Nothing surprises me anymore these days . Just last week I finally got a modern Muzzleloader unloaded for a friend of mine , he's been bugging me about it . I had to drill it out it .... It was two heavy loads , one on top of the other ....Lordy. Just last muzzle loading deer season my buddy Randy was hunting with ourvfriend Bob . They were in a blind together ...they didntvsee anything , thank goodness . Randy started talking about Bobs rifle and something struck him weird . He pulled out the ramrod and checked Bobs rifle .... It was loaded .... A lot .... Later he pulled the charges ...3 f%#@ing charges on top of each other !! What is wrong with people !!!!!???!!?!?

 

[stephenprops1]

Please let me be the first to tell you how lucky you were!
A modern bullet?
How did you know there wasn't modern powder behind it?
A shooter posted the photos of his remaining hand parts after loading smokeless and shooting it.
I'm glad that you still have all of your fingers! (Assumption on my part).

My guess is it was a Sabot or a Conical bullet.

 

[jimhallam]

I bought a Traditions Pioneer on GB several years ago. It was delivered loaded through the postal service. The whole gun was clean and slick as a whistle so I just made sure it was seated and let her rip. I let the seller know so he could be sure to check the next time. I did wonder what would have happened if the postal folks somehow found out it was loaded.

I really CANNOT undestand why anyone would just fire something when they didn't know WHAT was in the barrel. Goodbye, dear fingers ?

 

[jimhallam]

Nope. Just powder and ball down the barrel.

Even so !!!! NEVER put anything away without ensuring that the bore is clear right down to the "chamber".

 

[jimhallam]

Unless there was a percussion cap on the cone or powder in the pan, we consider them charged and not loaded.

Who are "we" ??? Some form of Royalty?

Still doesn't make sense! Words might be one thing, but BANG! is also a word.... ....

 

[Grenadier1758]

Many state game departments will consider a muzzle loading firearm unloaded for purposes of transportation if there is no cap on the cone or no powder in the pan during hunting season. So, even though it is considered "unloaded" by the game department, that firearm should be cleared to the chamber before being put up for storage. I am one of those that will clear the firearm at then of the hunting day.

Yes, my cousin and I played with our great grandfather's smooth bored Springfield muskets from the Civil War. One day my uncle checked them, and both were loaded. There aren't loaded any more. I don't remember what he pulled from the bore, but he did light the powder off.

 

[mushka]

Death resides in unloaded guns. I have seen the result.

 

[Sidney Smith]

My guess is it was a Sabot or a Conical bullet.

Wrong, go back and read my response. It was a ballistic tip bulket of the kind used in inline rifles.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Great but not everyone feels this way. I for one have left guns charged for the entire season.

Many state game departments will consider a muzzle loading firearm unloaded for purposes of transportation if there is no cap on the cone or no powder in the pan during hunting season. So, even though it is considered "unloaded" by the game department, that firearm should be cleared to the chamber before being put up for storage. I am one of those that will clear the firearm at then of the hunting day.

Yes, my cousin and I played with our great grandfather's smooth bored Springfield muskets from the Civil War. One day my uncle checked them, and both were loaded. There aren't loaded any more. I don't remember what he pulled from the bore, but he did light the powder off.
[/QUOTE

Not everyone feels this way. I have left guns charged for the entire season, only to fire at a deer on the last day. I normally insert a coiled pipe cleaner into the flashole, and leave the gun cased I'm my garage to prevent temperature related moisture issues. Never had a problem.

 

[alcessapiens]

Please let me be the first to tell you how lucky you were!
A modern bullet?
How did you know there wasn't modern powder behind it?
A shooter posted the photos of his remaining hand parts after loading smokeless and shooting it.
I'm glad that you still have all of your fingers! (Assumption on my part).

I once swapped for a beautiful jager built in 1840 that had what looked like 40 gr. Red dot a wad and a gob of wax paper. Not what you want to be firing. I’d guess the red dot wouldn’t ignite with a cap. The dealer I got it from never knew it was loaded as he wasn’t a muzzleloader guy. Turned out well, cleaned it up and it had the most beautiful rifling, deep clear and perfect (3 shot 75 yd cloverleaf nearly every time).

 

[Oldbear63]

A Mark Twain quote:

Don't meddle with old unloaded firearms. They are the most deadly and unerring things that have ever been created by man. You don't have to take any pains at all with them; you don't have to have a rest, you don't have to have any sights on the gun, you don't have to take aim, even. No, you just pick out a relative and bang away, and you are sure to get him. A youth who can't hit a cathedral at thirty yards with a Gatling gun in three-quarters of an hour, can take up an old empty musket and bag his mother every time at a hundred. Think what Waterloo would have been if one of the armies had been boys armed with old rusty muskets supposed not to be loaded, and the other army had been composed of their female relations. The very thought of it makes me shudder.
- Advice to Youth speech, 4/15/1882

 

[Crows-R-US]

I've bought two like that just in the last couple years. One from a local gun show, the other from gunbroker. Both shot out & cleaned up just fine. Also, I bought a box-lot of 17 or 18 powderhorns off gunbroker. One of them arrived filled to the brim with what looks to be 3F powder.

 

[1stsf]

I was looking for an older lightweight SxS shotgun and someone here said they had one. After due diligence I was satisfied that the deal was legit and we proceeded. The gun arrived and it is in better condition than described and photos indicated. The Seller said he bought several guns in order to get one in the bundle that he really wanted. Admitted he didn’t know much about these.

I was going to clean, check and oil the barrels. When I looked down them with a light I did not see the breach, but rather a flat white surface in both barrels. I used a patch screw and removed a white card from each. Then I could see shot, which I dumped out. There was an orange thing still in there that I could pull to the choke but then it would stick. I used a CO2 discharge and everything came out into a bucket. The orange was cork, lubed wads. I measured what I could out of curiosity. 90 grains of powder and 1 1/8 oz or mixed shot, size 2,6 and 8. The nipple threads had slight rust and the breach face. It came right off. First time for me, coming across a loaded ML upon inspection. CHECK, Check, check! I let the Seller know, but I’m not upset, I know he didn’t know and I’m glad he didn’t load and try to shoot as he may have hurt himself or the gun. On a side note, the nipple threads and just slightly more upright than the 4 other Pedersolis I have. While I switched the others to musket cap with a simple nipple swap, this one doesn’t squarely hit the musket cap nipples. I figured out a minor mod to the nipple that will work and I’ll get that done later today. Please beware of “new”, used MLs …. They could be loaded.

I just did the same thing, bought a side by side 12 and ran the rod down after getting it home to inspect it. Both barrels loaded with 13 pellets of buckshot and 80 ish gr of powder, I also used my bullet puller to remove most but did end up using my co2 tool to make sure it was clear. One of my buddies said “well hell you should have capped it and shot it “. I think not lol.

 

[stephenprops1]

A toy gun is an oxymoron!

I grew up in the 1950's and 60's. Every boy and some of the girls I knew all played war with toy guns. We knew the difference between real and toy. Back then many of the toy guns looked real.

 

[Ed C.]

IDK, when you see bone I would think that was pretty bad.

If that was my hand, I'd think it was terrible. Hurts just to look at it!