The did you ever thread......

[sheriff john]

Determined to shoot a duck with my flint fowler, before dawn I waded out to my assigned spot at Eagle Bluffs conservation area. Shot at a duck. Water was between my knees and waist. Hadn't really thought about how to reload until then. Sloshed back to shore, everything wet. Drank coffee, ate doughnuts, watched other hunters work birds and went home. Long barrels, cold water, and clumsy old guys are not a recipe for duck dinner.

 

[Colonial Boy]

My greatest ‘did you ever’ with a muzzle loader was when shooting clay pigeons .
I was using a Westley Richards 20 gauge double percussion gun made in 1845.
Fired at a clay and almost no recoil, fortunately I twigged what had happened, no shot.
But as I remembered loading shot into both barrels, I checked the left barrel and, sure enough, there was a double charge of shot.
That was the point at which I decided that talking and joking whilst loading was not a good idea,

 

[Sean E Bug]

Had my underhammer get stuck at half **** when target shooting. my finger slipped off the trigger when I was messing with it and put a round ten feet in front of the target. in shame I packed up and went home glad no one was around to be endangered by my stupidity. should have taken the cap off of the nipple. Also have taken a trip to the range and forgot to bring powder.

 

[Snydly]

Went deer hunting with my 54 cal flintlock. Drove all the way to my jumping off point, still in the dark. Went to load and discovered I had brought the wrong hunting pouch! It was for my 50 cal. To salvage my day I just double patched the . 490 RB and took off hunting. Didn't get a shot but just before heading home I set up a target at 50 yards and took my shot. Dead on but about 4 inches low. I had already decided that if I did see something I would keep it 50 yards or less. Might have actually worked. More careful now. Only been doing this since 68..!!

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

...I know I did!
Today I set off to see if the Geese would give me a shot.
Only a 7 mile drive.
Just put my bag over my shoulder that I prepared the whole day before (!) and instantly remembered I had not put any caps in

So there, I said it and got it out.

So how about you, did you ever.....?
Keep it muzzleloading. No stories of too much gas and accidents in your shorts, well, unless it was while muzzleloading of course.
Did you ever royally screw up? Now's the time to spill the beans, clear the air and get it off your chest

In the early 70s and fairly new to this sport, I was at the club range with other BP shooters. Guess who showed up? The local media, and they want to photo or film a BP rifle in action. The boys set up a pop can and I was the celebrity star shooter. When the media was filming I missed the pop can. I inherited a new nick name that day. Old Five yards
Larry

 

[gunpa]

Got home after last day of the elk season. Next day I remember my 54 is still loaded, no problem. I take out nipple and blow the charge out with rubber tipped nozzle. Conical and LOTS of powder fly out. Continue to blow high pressure air and thump on barrel. Empty. Take rifle downstairs to gun room and run oiled patches down barrel. Run another patch down and cap the rifle to check fire channel ( DUH!). BOOM!!! Ramrod and jag gone and room full of smoke. Patent breach? Or me packing powder with patch? Still have a long,deep gouge in concrete floor. Had to cover it with a rug.

 

[Coinneach]

A true hunting story. My hunting partner's teen age son , was told by dad , his m/l rifle was laid out for him. Dad wanted to teach son to be responsible , and get his own hunting stuff ready , and make sure it was loaded in the truck. Well , we parked the truck in the Game Land parking lot and prepared to walk in to where the deer lived. In a sheepish tone , junior asked dad if he had put his gun in the truck. Dad , said No , didn't you?. I laid it out for you. Junior was disappointed , and walked behind us on the way into the deer woods. I let him stew about his forgetfulness , and took him to a stand in the woods , I wanted to use that morning. We sat for a while , no deer. I had an idea where a deer might be , and if he took my .62 Jaeger rifle , and shot pouch , maybe I could make some luck for junior. We were seeing no deer , and I had a hunch , that if I sneaked over to a high point overlooking a laurel patch , there could be a deer there , that I could chase back to junior in the stand. I went to the escarpment , and there were 18 deer laying and standing in the laurel a hundred yds. below me. I decided to go for broke and scare the herd so profoundly , that some would scatter back around the hill . I summoned my best 18th century war whoop , and it worked to perfection. The herd broke , and ran all directions . One of the bunch , went back around to junior , and I heard him shoot. Got back to him , and he had the best grin on his face standing over a large freshly killed doe. Doesn't get any better than that. He never forgot his shot pouch and gun , again. ...........oldwood

We learn more from experience than any book.

 

[sheriff john]

Nice summer day I was with my father at the local gun club shooting his then-new Tingle pistol. A lone duck came flying by and Dad took a shot at it. Hit it. The skeet range was packed with cars but several hundreds of yards away. "Come on, Johnny. We need to go home." Dad's long gone, but every time I pick up that pistol, I see that duck falling and feathers floating slowly to the ground. He taught aerial gunnery in the Army Air Corps.

 

[SciAggie]

This thread is a jinks. Just YESTERDAY I drove out to the ranch and took the Polaris SxS. I wanted to go check a place I have been baiting for hogs and add some corn. I dropped the gate to the trailer, took all the tie-down straps off, climbed into the seat of the SxS and reached for the igni....... Are you kidding me? I left the keys at home.
Strapped it back down - went back to town and got the keys - then back to the country. This mistake only cost me about 1 hour and 45 minutes.