What a jerk!!!

[CrackStock]

When I am at the range, I use a range rod with a billiard ball on the end. If I were to leave it in, it would be obvious.

I did have a problem once with a fixed brass powder measure. I was in a hurry to complete two targets in one timed session and did not notice that the tube came loose from the base and remained down in the bore. I ran the ball down and did not notice that the rod did not go as low as it should have. I shot the brass tube down range with the ball. I knew that something was wrong as the shot broke. Ruined an otherwise good target and took a long time to locate the tube of the powder measure.

Sickening thing is that I bought another one and did it again in a few hours. This time, I noticed that it came loose and managed to get it out. I pin them in place now or use antler measures.

CS

 

[Gary]

One of these days, I'm going to fire a metal ramrod just to record the sound. It's suppose to have a peculiar sound and some of the Civil War soldiers did it for amusement when they were bored in the trenches (of Petersburg). BTW, you set it up like a mortar so you don't hurt your shoulder.

 

[Leonredbeard]

Gary,
I read Bruce Catlin's works. Not only did they amuse themselves but some got good enough at it to hit enemy soldiers a 100 yards. They said it was a uncanny somewhat terrifying sound when one came at you. I was wondering when someone would mention this.
YAHWEH bless.
volatpluvia

 

[Runner]

I went to the shoot in Dupo a couple of years ago. I had never been there so I walked the line to look a the targets before deciding what gun to get out of the car. As I was walking the line, I saw a pard and we exchanged a few words while he was loading. He steped to the line and fired. Now, his 40 is not supposed to kick and it rocked him pretty good. I noticed the shot went low. They found his ramrod and the club is having it mounted for him! Talking and loading will do that!

 

[CARBABY]

Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger on shooting your ramrod. About 30 years ago I was (16 yrs old) shooting crows as they would come into the dump. ( That’s what we used to call the local city Land Fill). As I was defending the dump from terrorist crow’s I must have got excited looking at the massive attacking wave formations of the incoming flights. It was the first part of a blitzkrrieg I tell you! Slipping down and capping my single shot 16 gauge fowler, I raised up into a shooting position and cut loose at a Menacing Cawing Devil. I didn’t see him tumble,~ but landing gear was down and feathers decorated the sky where he had been. A second after, . . I wondered ”““why did that shot had a whistling sound?” After looking around ”¦”¦Hum ”¦..must have Robin Hooded that one (Shooting Sticks). Sure ends a days hunt fast when you do that! Have a slice of Humble Pie. Shortly after that I learned how to make a tapered ramrod and fake it to look like ebony. There should be some Secret Society for those members that have shot their ramrod. Secret - not Honorable!

 

[John Taylor]

One time when I was range officer and all the shooters were talking I saw this one gent use the short starter and proceed to line up on the target. I stopped him from shooting and asked him to ram the ball home and he said he already did. So I ask him to do it again for me and got a dirty look untill the ram rod stopped about 4" into the barrel. I never even got a thankyou out of it.

 

[Stony]

Being a range officer at my local club/range, I've seen a few "arrows" launched. One time a gal had come out with a T/C Seneca and was trying to find the best load for her rifle. She came up to the line and capped her rifle, leveled the gun and was taking her sight picture. I glanced over and noticed something shiny in front of her barrel. I called out to her not to fire but she did (probably didn't hear me). Instead of the usally twang of a ramrod going down range, a little bit of smoke puffed out. Her ramrod was still in the barrel! Well for about an hour several of us manly men tried to pull that ramrod out but it wouldn't budge. Finally the head range officer (who was a gunsmith) took the gun to his shop and pulled the breech plug and hammered the rod out. The round ball had "fused" itself to the ramrod. Never saw anything like it before or since. I prefer to use a "range" rod, currently a Durango rod purchased from TOTW. It's large handle tends to stick out and "ruin" my sight picture.

 

Mine happened 2 months ago on a trail walk. Some shooters of spit patches don't seat the ball fully until on the line if there was a wait. Good idea!? I've never had a problem, but decided to try it and was also BSing, etc. Got to the line, primed, cocked aimed, and heard "DON'T SHOOT". I got saved!! Not only was the rod still in, the ball wasn't seated! PA-WHEW! I guess I'm too old to change old habits - especially in the middle of a shoot. Bill

 

[apfelkorn]

Once when I was at the shooting range, the guy next to me was shooting his muzzleloader. He was shooting shot after shot without cleaning.I could see that it was becomeing increasingly harder to seat the bullet with every shot. finally the ball got stuck halfway down the barrel. He had a wooden ramrod and was tring very hard to drive the ball the rest of the way,to the point of the ramrod bending.well the ramrod finally broke,and when it did it went into his wrist and almost halfway up the palm of his hand,he pulled it out quickly and it really started to bleed.at this point I decided to lend a hand,I turned to place my rifle on my bench and heard a click,when I turned to see what the click was, it was him tring to shoot the stuck ball out of his gun,luckily it missfired. I ran over and stoped him from doing it again.He was shaking like a leaf and there was blood all over him,his gun and the bench.I took his gun cleaned out the pan and removed the flint,put his things away for him and went and got the range master.He took over from there. I don't know the point of my story,but all this talk of ramrods reminded me of it and I thought I would share.

 

Hey Willy
First of all, no not a jerk. Why because jerks don't care... The lession we should all learn is not 2 be too comfortable, and make sure we are not yak'en to much. I am just glad you or your buds were not hurt. I broke one off once. Then I shot it out, now that was a stupid thing to do for sure... won't do it again though... Ease up Bud we know you have learned and taught us also. Thank for the honesty.. Best regards Loyalistdawg :hatsoff:

 

[F.G. Ford]

Just wonderin' what kinda group you get shootin them ram rods, and what type of patchin would you use to get a good spin on the rod.
I suppose you could put a arry tip on the end , so it would stick in to something.
And I always thought that "I" was the only nuckle head that did those tricks.
Hope you didn't hurt yourself or lose the barrel.
Best Regards
Old Ford

 

[Colonial Boy]

This is a really interesting string of posts.
I've been shooting M/Ls now for over 55 years and have seen a few ramrods go down range. The one that was said to have really kicked was a 3 band Enfield. The rod got a small bend in it that was easily straightened.
Haven't done it myself...yet (touch wood, hand goes to head !)
Back when I was young and silly, we weren't allowed to shoot on Sundays. State law had the 'Sunday Observance Act' which forbade anything enjoyable on Sundays.
So, as we couldn't shoot on the range, we would go bush and have a Mock Battle (now BANNED by all clubs).

This particular occassion was at an Easter Shoot and on the Sunday some 40 of us withdrew into the hills for a mile or so and battle commenced. The only safety precaution was that all ball was left behind.
In the final charge against the enemy the'soldier' on my immediate right gave a louder than necessary yell and staggered convincingly. I glanced at him and there was blood spreading down his upper right arm.

One of the 'enemy' had tipped his ramrod with a .44/40 case and it had come off when he wadded.
Luckly it went straight through and end first.

That was the last "mock battle' that our group ever took part in.

Fortunately the police sargeant accepted the story that the wounded one had been pulling a charge that he'd loaded the day before and had left his gun capped and accidentally shot himself with the ramrod.
Probably he accepted the story as a quick means of writing finish to the incident. He was nobodys fool and in the years that followed I found that he was very knowledgeable about firearms, including muzzle-loaders.
We were very lucky that it wasn't a tradgedy.