Stupid things I have seen people do with a Muzzleloader, or while shooting a muz
- Thread starter akapennypincher
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
Charles D. Prokopp
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2007
- Messages
- 285
- Reaction score
- 0
Couple weeks ago, I was out at the Tucson range, terrifying targets with my .50 flint pistol. I was on bench #2 with my target at 25 yards. The weapon was a smoothbore Queen Anne, no sights, so obviously my accuracy wasn't all that great. For some reason, the post holes to hold the target frame at that distance were out of line with the rest of the holes for my bench, a few inches to the right. At our first break, I went up to check my target, as did the fellow next to me at station #1. When he came back from his target out at 100 yards, he asked me what caliber I was shooting. When I told him, he showed me his bullseye and said that I was scoring better on his than on my own. He was right. My offset target was exactly in line with his more distant one, and my balls would go through my target to hit his. I was impressed with my long-distance shooting with a pistol. :redface:
I used to make fuses out of coffee stirrers, by filling them with Pyrodex for cannon shooting.
It work quite well, until one night I had a hard time lighting it. As I leaned down to light it, it lit with a furry!
The cannon fired alright, and so quickly my forehead and eyelids got pelted with hot powder spray from the touch hole. I thought I lost hearing in my right ear, as I could not hear, and it just rang!
It all happened so fast! I am darn lucky I blinked, otherwise my eyeballs would have sustained damage as well.
After cleaning the best I could, I had burned black small holes all over my forehead and a bunch is still in their!
This happened during the last Super Bowl in front of a bunch of friends :shocked2:
The rule! Use a touch wand or cannon fuse to fire ! Hearing protection is recommended
Lesson learned, and I am ok!
It work quite well, until one night I had a hard time lighting it. As I leaned down to light it, it lit with a furry!
The cannon fired alright, and so quickly my forehead and eyelids got pelted with hot powder spray from the touch hole. I thought I lost hearing in my right ear, as I could not hear, and it just rang!
It all happened so fast! I am darn lucky I blinked, otherwise my eyeballs would have sustained damage as well.
After cleaning the best I could, I had burned black small holes all over my forehead and a bunch is still in their!
This happened during the last Super Bowl in front of a bunch of friends :shocked2:
The rule! Use a touch wand or cannon fuse to fire ! Hearing protection is recommended
Lesson learned, and I am ok!
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2005
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 4
Back in the late 70's I was at a shoot when this feller walks up to the line with a brand new custom built plains rifle. He was rightfully proud of the gun and spared no effort in letting everyone know how much he spent and how superior it was to everyone elses gun. :yakyak: Some of you may remember back then, someone (cva I think)came out with these green silicone wad/patch substitues that looked like a cylinder with a concave end that was supposed to hold the ball with suction. well this guy was using these and pontificated to every one in earshot of their many virtues. when he finally got around to shooting, his gun made a strange metalic sound like a truck running over a manhole cover. the barrel was bulged out about 2 inches, about 6 inches back of the muzzle, and all 8 flats split to within an inch of the muzzle. don't know if the suction thingy let the ball roll up the barrel, but I suspected that while he was busy yapping, he shortstarted it and forgot to ram it down. :youcrazy:
Thunder
Thunder
MikeChapin
58 Cal.
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2005
- Messages
- 2,183
- Reaction score
- 6
I remember those old Poly-Patches. I had heard of a lot of people having the same kind of problems with those. Range people hated them. A cloth patch will break down and rot over time. Those things would stay on the range until the second coming. The were banned from most shoots here because of that.
Over the years I have seen a lot of boneheaded moves and even did a few myself. The worst was a woman on the line had a misfire. Instead of stopping and keeping the rifle downrange, she swung around with the rifle still at her shoulder. A lot of people, me included, had to do some quick ducking. Lucky the rifle did not go off.
Over the years I have seen a lot of boneheaded moves and even did a few myself. The worst was a woman on the line had a misfire. Instead of stopping and keeping the rifle downrange, she swung around with the rifle still at her shoulder. A lot of people, me included, had to do some quick ducking. Lucky the rifle did not go off.
I bought my first muzzleloader, a used 50 cal TC Renegade for a very reasonable price at a small spoting good store that had no BP supplies. I went to a nearby store that did handle all that. I was quizzing the store manager about using a muzzleloader when he told me I would need to fire off a couple caps to make sure the nipple was clear and stated that, "you could even fire one off in here, it would sound like a cap gun". :shake:
I new better than to touch off a cap indoors and went out to the farm where I was living. You guessed it, when I touched off the cap, the load, left in the barrel, went off. Barrel was pointed in a safe direction. I suppose that might have been a bit embarrassing :redface: had it happened in the store, not to mention dangerous.
I have ever since checked barrels on muzzleloaders carefully before loading for the first time. Mart
I new better than to touch off a cap indoors and went out to the farm where I was living. You guessed it, when I touched off the cap, the load, left in the barrel, went off. Barrel was pointed in a safe direction. I suppose that might have been a bit embarrassing :redface: had it happened in the store, not to mention dangerous.
I have ever since checked barrels on muzzleloaders carefully before loading for the first time. Mart
I think one of the dumbest things I ever saw, I saw up close as I did it, I was having problems with getting spark/ignition with an old Kentuckian and when it did not fire I dumped/wiped the pan and held the gun lock uo and "watched" for a spark as I dropped the hammer..well there was one, just one and it seemed to take forever to bounce back and forth before it dropped down the vent, at about the same time reflexes caused my eyes to shut(note I attribute it to reflex, intelligence would not be the correct term) when I got back to the truck my face was pocked with black spots and a generaly grey hue....this was after shooting ML's for many years and "knowing" al the safety routines...
Although I wasn't involved I did read about a couple of guys with a loaded flintlock that just wouldn't fire. In fact, it wouldn't even make a spark so the non shooter (who happened to be a smoker) said something like, "Here, I'll just touch off that powder in the pan with my cigarette.
With that he reached over and poked the lit end into the pan.
Sure enough, the pan flashed and the gun fired but the blast out of the touch hole blew hot glowing pieces of the cigarette all over the place and the holder of the weed ended up with some badly burned fingers.
With that he reached over and poked the lit end into the pan.
Sure enough, the pan flashed and the gun fired but the blast out of the touch hole blew hot glowing pieces of the cigarette all over the place and the holder of the weed ended up with some badly burned fingers.
Well, I was doing something stupid today.
Loaded my .45 Pennsylvania, put a cap on the nipple and fired: Nothing happened. After three caps without igniting the powder charge I removed the nipple and put some powder behind it for ignition help and cleaned the nipple.
Put a cap on it, fired, just ''pfff'' a bit smoke came out of the nipple but nothing else happened. I did the same thing three times in a row but nothing happened, cleaned the nipple, poured powder behind the nipple but again nothing happened.
AFter half an hour of cleaning and pouring powder into the nipple other BP shooters suggested me to pull the ball and patch, I put the ramroad into the barrel and it was perfectly clean, no patch no ball. :shocked2:
Later I found out that the patch and ball was shot out of the barrel but I havent seen it. My guess is that I did load patch and ball without powder. I didnt realize that I shot the ball out with the few grains of ignition help powder because I was waiting for the ignition of 55 grains which I didnt load.
Lesson learned: Never go shooting when you're feeling tired. :redface:
Loaded my .45 Pennsylvania, put a cap on the nipple and fired: Nothing happened. After three caps without igniting the powder charge I removed the nipple and put some powder behind it for ignition help and cleaned the nipple.
Put a cap on it, fired, just ''pfff'' a bit smoke came out of the nipple but nothing else happened. I did the same thing three times in a row but nothing happened, cleaned the nipple, poured powder behind the nipple but again nothing happened.
AFter half an hour of cleaning and pouring powder into the nipple other BP shooters suggested me to pull the ball and patch, I put the ramroad into the barrel and it was perfectly clean, no patch no ball. :shocked2:
Later I found out that the patch and ball was shot out of the barrel but I havent seen it. My guess is that I did load patch and ball without powder. I didnt realize that I shot the ball out with the few grains of ignition help powder because I was waiting for the ignition of 55 grains which I didnt load.
Lesson learned: Never go shooting when you're feeling tired. :redface:
Front Loaders shoot on Sunday. My shooting buddy sent me a email and said he had changed his plans and was coming over on Saturday in his motorhome to shoot and stay over for Sunday morning. 1 1/2 hour one way trip for him so this way he could get in more shooting. Ran up to the range about noon and spent the afternoon with him.
Just as I got there a guy on the next bench was packing powder down the nipple hole.
Seems that the two of them were talking about loading BP rifles and this guy was so busy "BSing" that he forgot to add the powder. I watched as he dropped the hammer and the ball landed about 15 feet in front of him.
(note to self: Watch what you're doing and don't try to out lie the other guy!) :wink:
Just as I got there a guy on the next bench was packing powder down the nipple hole.
Seems that the two of them were talking about loading BP rifles and this guy was so busy "BSing" that he forgot to add the powder. I watched as he dropped the hammer and the ball landed about 15 feet in front of him.
(note to self: Watch what you're doing and don't try to out lie the other guy!) :wink:
Grizzled Roberts
54 Cal.
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2006
- Messages
- 1,779
- Reaction score
- 12
Mine was about 10 years ago when I was into Cowboy action shoots. I used a pair of 1858 remingtons that shot better than the rugers I had.
Rugers are gone still got the 58s.
Our club did a stage based on Clint Eastwood's last western The Unforgiven I believe. We did the scene where the kid shot the guy in the hooter.
We turned it around. The shooter was sitting on the pot with his gun belt unbuckled and around his ankles. He heard the man out side so he grabbed his shot gun and fired two shots through the hooter door. He then stood up, strapped on his gunbelt and fired at targets through the holes
in the hooter door.
Our club actually built up a wooden outhouse ( hooter ) put a chair in the center and made the front door just a frame that held newspaper. which was easy to replace between shooters. I shot real black powder in all of my guns. My shotgun was a 10 guage double barreld rabbit eared
monster. Most of the smaller chocked shotguns were
putting small holes in the "door" even at close range. My shoulder howitzer blew a giant hole in the door. I new I had it made as my 58s shot very well. I pulled the first pistol and held dead center of the large steel cowboy target. I fired and there was no ding. I thumb cocked it and fired again holding it a little tighter this time.
No ding. This process was repeated three other times and again for the next pistol. I always drew a crowd when I loaded the Remingtons. Powder,Ball, fiber wad and axel grease. Evidently I had been distracted and loaded all 10 rounds without any .453 balls!
Of course there was close to 100 people watching!
Rugers are gone still got the 58s.
Our club did a stage based on Clint Eastwood's last western The Unforgiven I believe. We did the scene where the kid shot the guy in the hooter.
We turned it around. The shooter was sitting on the pot with his gun belt unbuckled and around his ankles. He heard the man out side so he grabbed his shot gun and fired two shots through the hooter door. He then stood up, strapped on his gunbelt and fired at targets through the holes
in the hooter door.
Our club actually built up a wooden outhouse ( hooter ) put a chair in the center and made the front door just a frame that held newspaper. which was easy to replace between shooters. I shot real black powder in all of my guns. My shotgun was a 10 guage double barreld rabbit eared
monster. Most of the smaller chocked shotguns were
putting small holes in the "door" even at close range. My shoulder howitzer blew a giant hole in the door. I new I had it made as my 58s shot very well. I pulled the first pistol and held dead center of the large steel cowboy target. I fired and there was no ding. I thumb cocked it and fired again holding it a little tighter this time.
No ding. This process was repeated three other times and again for the next pistol. I always drew a crowd when I loaded the Remingtons. Powder,Ball, fiber wad and axel grease. Evidently I had been distracted and loaded all 10 rounds without any .453 balls!
Of course there was close to 100 people watching!
I've seen alot in 30+ years, mostly what any common sense person would figure some of those folks were lacking,,, common sense!
Here are some of the things I've seen;
1. A person starting down range to hang a target while others were still shooting. (Warning with threat of Suspension)
2. People loading behind the firing line and capping or priming their front stuffers while they wait their turn to step up and take their shot. (Stern warning of suspension if ever happens again)
3. People smoking while handling black powder.
(Stern warnings with threat of suspension)
4. People capping off and aiming their rifles down range while others are down range pulling and posting targets. (Stern warnings with threat of suspension)
5. People consantly yapping while they are loading and usually find they've dry balled. (Warning to not visit while on firing line)
6. Saw a father having his son standing down range about 20 feet away from the target off to the side so the boy could yell back to his dad where his dad hit on the target... (Membership Revolked for Life!)
In most cases these safety violations have never happened again.
Number 6 had to be the most absolute idiotic thing I ever saw!!!
Here are some of the things I've seen;
1. A person starting down range to hang a target while others were still shooting. (Warning with threat of Suspension)
2. People loading behind the firing line and capping or priming their front stuffers while they wait their turn to step up and take their shot. (Stern warning of suspension if ever happens again)
3. People smoking while handling black powder.
(Stern warnings with threat of suspension)
4. People capping off and aiming their rifles down range while others are down range pulling and posting targets. (Stern warnings with threat of suspension)
5. People consantly yapping while they are loading and usually find they've dry balled. (Warning to not visit while on firing line)
6. Saw a father having his son standing down range about 20 feet away from the target off to the side so the boy could yell back to his dad where his dad hit on the target... (Membership Revolked for Life!)
In most cases these safety violations have never happened again.
Number 6 had to be the most absolute idiotic thing I ever saw!!!
Wow is right! There was two of us who saw this and we put a stop to it at once and then went to our club's BoD with what we had seen.
I simply don't know what gets into some folks mind's, and in this case there was no mind to get into??? Just sheer stupidity!
I simply don't know what gets into some folks mind's, and in this case there was no mind to get into??? Just sheer stupidity!
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2006
- Messages
- 724
- Reaction score
- 24
im thinking that people are maby are thinking that because the gun maby of an anitiquated design and therfor not real a leathal threat as to modern firearms.. it uses black powder what could happen.........duuh...... i spoken to people that it still a gun. respect it.
Naw!
I bet if you would have asked the father ahead of time if sending his kid downrange was safe he would have answered, "Hell there's no danger. I'm a real good shot! If I wasn't, do you think I'd send my kid down there?"
Some people are born stupid and some people seem to work at it. This guy wasn't content to just be born stupid, he was trying to work on it too.
zonie
I bet if you would have asked the father ahead of time if sending his kid downrange was safe he would have answered, "Hell there's no danger. I'm a real good shot! If I wasn't, do you think I'd send my kid down there?"
Some people are born stupid and some people seem to work at it. This guy wasn't content to just be born stupid, he was trying to work on it too.
zonie
Dave Rosenthal
70 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2006
- Messages
- 4,470
- Reaction score
- 24
Reminds me of the line from Tom Hanks' movie Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does!"
Yeah, he works at it hard, allright!
Dave
Yeah, he works at it hard, allright!
Dave
"6. Saw a father having his son standing down range about 20 feet away from the target off to the side so the boy could yell back to his dad where his dad hit on the target'
It is amazing how trusting out children can be, 25 years ago I was putting arrows into a paper plat at 20 yds or so with My old Herters recurve "Farbenglass" bow, and had put abput 7 or 8 arrows into the plate and told my son to go down to the backstop and hold a new plate while I shot it...he willingly (at 10 years old) grabbed a plate and ran to the backstop, of course I did not shoot , but we had a long talk about safety and recognizing it and repecting it regardless of who tells you to do something.
It is amazing how trusting out children can be, 25 years ago I was putting arrows into a paper plat at 20 yds or so with My old Herters recurve "Farbenglass" bow, and had put abput 7 or 8 arrows into the plate and told my son to go down to the backstop and hold a new plate while I shot it...he willingly (at 10 years old) grabbed a plate and ran to the backstop, of course I did not shoot , but we had a long talk about safety and recognizing it and repecting it regardless of who tells you to do something.
