So after scrimping and saving, I finally saved up enough dough to buy a Pedersoli "Mortimer" shotgun. The gun is a 12 gauge with a flintlock ignition. So technically it is a fowler.

Well as you can imagine I was pretty stoked to get it to the range.

We have all had those days where the last place we should be is at the range-well today was my turn.

The first clue should have been when I realized I forgot a bunch of stuff at home, IE: the powder measure (I used a spare pistol measure). Being that this is a smoothbore, I figured I wouldn't need a range rod. And so that got left at home as well.

According to Pedersoli's web site, this piece is supposed to be a 12 gauge. And yet on the barrel it has "12 caliber." I'm not sure if those are the same diameter, but I get the impression they are not. The 12 gauge wads I had were too big to fit in the barrel.

Unfortunately my short starter was also left at home. So loading was "creative."

Then the fun began. The flintlock ignition worked well and fired each time on the first try. However when I got to the 4th loading, the ram rod broke. It broke above where my hands were no less.

I'm sure it can be expected to have a rod break, but after only the 4th load, that seems a kind of ridiculous. Especially for a gun that cost a thousand bucks!

To add insult to injury, I stepped in gum while walking back to the truck.

What a nice f*ckin' day...