What happens When You Accidentally Shoot a Ramrod out of your gun?

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There's been a lot of posting on this thread and another "conversation" somewhere else. I responded that I haven't shot a ramrod ever before and I've been muzzleloading for over 55 years.

Well, I should never have read any of the posts about it and now I have to "fess up". I think I launched mine last week, though I can't prove it. I generally load with the wood underbarrel ram rod at the range and of course I did so when hunting. I will now lay out the evidence I DO have and let everyone to decide YEA or NAY because I can't decide, myself.

I was shooting my .45 flintlock and I was alone at the range and I prefer this with no witnesses. I was loading & shooting, loading and shooting but when I started to load the next shot I could find no ramrod anywhere. That was the most critical evidence I could find, and I searched the entire empty firing shelter but found nothing. I then started walking downrange sweeping the ground with my eyes and thought if I did launch it I should be able to find it. I moved slowly down and back with with careful attention to anything remotely "stick like". Well nothing to do so I packed up and headed home. Fortunately I had a replacement rod so the rifle is complete once more. I've "dry balled" more times than I can count but never this!

Did I actually launch it???
 
There's been a lot of posting on this thread and another "conversation" somewhere else. I responded that I haven't shot a ramrod ever before and I've been muzzleloading for over 55 years.

Well, I should never have read any of the posts about it and now I have to "fess up". I think I launched mine last week, though I can't prove it. I generally load with the wood underbarrel ram rod at the range and of course I did so when hunting. I will now lay out the evidence I DO have and let everyone to decide YEA or NAY because I can't decide, myself.

I was shooting my .45 flintlock and I was alone at the range and I prefer this with no witnesses. I was loading & shooting, loading and shooting but when I started to load the next shot I could find no ramrod anywhere. That was the most critical evidence I could find, and I searched the entire empty firing shelter but found nothing. I then started walking downrange sweeping the ground with my eyes and thought if I did launch it I should be able to find it. I moved slowly down and back with with careful attention to anything remotely "stick like". Well nothing to do so I packed up and headed home. Fortunately I had a replacement rod so the rifle is complete once more. I've "dry balled" more times than I can count but never this!

Did I actually launch it???
My vote is "Launched it!"
 
There's been a lot of posting on this thread and another "conversation" somewhere else. I responded that I haven't shot a ramrod ever before and I've been muzzleloading for over 55 years.

Well, I should never have read any of the posts about it and now I have to "fess up". I think I launched mine last week, though I can't prove it. I generally load with the wood underbarrel ram rod at the range and of course I did so when hunting. I will now lay out the evidence I DO have and let everyone to decide YEA or NAY because I can't decide, myself.

I was shooting my .45 flintlock and I was alone at the range and I prefer this with no witnesses. I was loading & shooting, loading and shooting but when I started to load the next shot I could find no ramrod anywhere. That was the most critical evidence I could find, and I searched the entire empty firing shelter but found nothing. I then started walking downrange sweeping the ground with my eyes and thought if I did launch it I should be able to find it. I moved slowly down and back with with careful attention to anything remotely "stick like". Well nothing to do so I packed up and headed home. Fortunately I had a replacement rod so the rifle is complete once more. I've "dry balled" more times than I can count but never this!

Did I actually launch it???
If you didn't feel some extra kick I'd say no. I've done it and it kicked hard!
 
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I think it's time.

To introduce SPAM to muzzleloading.

What better way to shoot little yellow piggy than with SPAM. Slow motion video with SPAM splatter.

SPAM projectiles. SPAM wadding. SPAM overshot and over powder wads.

And there's no issue with lubrication. SPAM gots plenty.
 
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I have done it several times. This is a fact of which I am not proud, but it is, nevertheless, a fact. I have only once recovered the rod. It was broken but still in one piece. I learned two quite surprising things from the event. 1, I found the rod about ten yards behind the 40 yard target at which I was shooting,
2, There were smears of lead on the wooden part of the rod just ahead of the fitting and ball seating jag.
 
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