HoleHopper

Idid somethingreally stupid and careless while sighting in my new TC Omega. Ileft the ramrod in my barrell and fired the gun. Please, Please, Please check to make sure you are safe before, during and after the shot!!!!!!

I think I am lucky I didnt get blown barrel in the face!All that happened was a badly brused shoulder and hand not to mention my pride, and what may be a ruened TC.

I am going to get ahold of TC to see what they sudjest I do with the gun. All visual checks seem to be ok but I dont know if I can trust the gun. And I dont think I will. Believe me, that will never happen again!

Anybody ever have any expirience with this happening or other boneheaded things I can add to my do not do list? Is my gun scrap metal?

thumper50

I did the same thing 2 yrs ago with my knight bighorn 50cal. I found the ramrod about 35yds downrange. Scared the hell out of me. No harm to the ,eventhough it kicked like the devil. I rember reading an article some yrs ago by Sam Fadala,Ithink, where they set out to blow a percussion barrel and it took 600grs of powder to do it. get things checked out but I think things will be ok. but I am no expert. Good luck and be safe.

IndyHunter83

Glad to hear your alright. I had a friend who shot a rifle that was double loaded. Damn thing blew up and he lost an eye and has some really bad burns on his face. Please be more careful and get back out there. I doubt it hurt your rifle too bad.

Lubricious

I saw some pics of a rifle that had been fired with a bore sighter in it....nasty

eldeguello

Take your cleaning rod, put an oily, tight-fitting patch on the jag, and run it up and down the bore. Do you feel any loose spots, or gaps in the rifling? Take the breech plug out. Look through the bore. Do you see anything out of the ordinary, like a black ring somewhere? Was the rod sitting on the bullet when you fired? If the bore andbreechplug look OK, there is no ring in the bore, and the rod was pushed out by being in contact with thebullet when it was fired out, chances are that the gun is OK.

Many folks have "shot the rod" without damaging the gun.....

Buckhunter46755

This is somewhat off topic but I thought I'd tell this story...

A couple guys who I know of fromthe town I live were drunk or high whatever...
They had a ML but didn't know how to properly load it etc. Anyways, according to the DNR investigation, they put WAY WAY too much powder in it, left the ramrod in it, and fired it. The barrel and breech exploded like a grenade. The kid who fired it got his hand COMPLETELY blown off... I guess from the story his hand was hanging a almost a foot off his arm by the tendons. This is no BS...
It happened 3 miles from where I live. Just last year.I know one of the guys who was there. It happened at his dads house when he was at work. I guess they were really F-ed up. I don't mean to be so gruesome but that's what happened. The kid was only 18 or 19 years old. Very Sad. The other guys that where standing by him got shrappnel in their faces etc. But where not severly injuried like the shooter. It's a miracle someone didn't die. I guess the shooter almost did, from blood loss. That is a good example that guns & drugs and/or alcohol don't mix. I personally don't have a problem if someone chooses to party or whatnot, but they shouldn't have been messing with ANY guns. I still think of that kid and what happened to him. Makes me sad. Talking about ML's blowing up brought that right back. I'm pretty sure if they would not have been so screwed up, it wouldn't had happened...and the thing is the guy who lived at the house has been around hunting and guns etc..... ??? Don'tknow..

Semisane

What eldequello said is correct. If the rod was against the bullet when the gun was fired it is highly unlikely the gun was harmed. If you can't find any loose spots with the ramrod/tight patch test you're good to go.

Did that myself one time with a .40 caliber / 42 inch barrel and solid aluminum ram rod. Kicked like a mule but no harm to the gun. I know at least three people who have "shot the rod".

MLKeith

Might be important to know how much powder was in the charge. If you figure the weight of the bullet and the ramrod with a relatively low powder charge it probably would be in the limits of the normal expected range. If it was a heavy powder charge and the extra heavy "bullet" things may be well above expected pressure. Likely the rifle is OK but it would be interesting to see how T/c reacts to that question. Make sure you let them know powder type and charge.

HoleHopper

First of all thanks for the replys and the honosty Thumper. I will do the tight patch test for sure. TC said that I was lucky and to send it in and let them determin if it is ok or not. I was useing a 250 gr. bullet with two 50 grain 777 pellets. It also had a b rass jag on the end of the rod. There does appear to be some crackson the sinthetic stockon the insideby the mounting screw. Where the barrel attaches to the stock.Not sure they were there befor or not.

Thanks again for the input

cayugad

You're not the first to launch a ramrod and you will not be the last. The main thing is you are safe, the rifle probably is fine but you're showing your intellegence having it checked if you have any doubts, and I bet you will never do that again... Your message to the forum is a very good alert and I think well intended.. thanks.

I have a friend that did the same thing. He was loading and got distracted. He ended up loading the ramrod as well and when he fired it, the results were not life threatening thank goodness, but after he picked himself up, we all had a good laugh. We now send him emails every time we see ramrods on sale.. as we tell him, in case he wants to stock up.

Good luck in the future with the rifle, and be careful out there...