TC New englander 54 cal

[Cleburne]

Above all be careful! The gun may be charged. I bought a .50 caliber Renegade a few years back only to discover at home it was loaded. Same for a 12 gauge side x side shotgun. Brought it to the range to shoot for the first time and noticed a few grains of powder in each nipple. Scared me to realize it sat in my locker, fully loaded, for a year before I had the chance to try it out. Take nothing for granted when it comes to your safety.

 

[J.G. Terry]

Have had this happen twice in my life. Once,fifty years or so ago, was shooting with another person when his "new"-to him- muzzle loading rifle discharged. No telling how long that thing had been loaded. More recently I bought a 12ga. SxS ML shotgun and found previous owner had dry balled two round balls. This finding loaded second hand muzzle loaders is not rare. I tried to explain this to one clerk in a gun store and his eyes glazed over-it was a good try.

 

[Zonie]

Those of you who are buying used guns and find later that they are loaded, be careful.

The first thought that comes to mind is, "I'll just take her out back or to a shooting range and shoot that load out."

That can be dangerous.

Not only can the "load" be way over loaded but at least on one gun I bought, the load was smokeless powder.

Shooting that load out could have killed me.

 

[nkbj]

That's so scary I cannot imagine, can't wrap my brain around, the why's and wherefore's, the train of events that brought a smokeless loaded rifle to you. Wow. That movie needs Jack Nicholson swinging an axe.