close call at the range
 

There was another person at the range today that was shooting a muzzle loader. That person was having a little trouble seating the bullet so I took my palm saver over to show it to them. I then turned and went back to my table two tables down. When I got there I turned back to see the person preparing to fire the rifle, WITH THE RAMROD STILL IN THE BARREL. I yelled "Don't shoot! Don't shoot." Luckily that was enough to delay the person so I could say "Your ramrod is still in the gun." Another disaster avoided by SUPER PLUCKIT.

all right pluckit may have saved someone on that one good going

People become distracted when they shoot and then things go terribly wrong. No telling what would have happened. They might have just got the kick of a life time from the rifle, or it could have ruptured the barrel. You just never know. Good job.

while taking aim, how does a person not notice the darn ram rod hanging out of the barrel? this just amazes me!! Ray

I have never stuck a primer in a ML without the barrel pointed to the ground. It would be hard to load any other way. I should say hard for me to load any other way.

it woulda just shot the ramrod..shoulda pulled the camera out and started rolling.

About the same as a person pulling the trigger on an empty semi auto with the slide back and locked. It is a form a sight fixations. They concentrate so much on their sights, that they don't see anything else.

I know of a guy who shot his ramrod out not once, not twice, but a total of three times (so far). Of course, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer either.

A friend of mine shot one from a smooth bore. And those ramrods ar long. What surprised me was how far it didn't go down range.

You probably broke his concentration when you went over there to show him your palm saver. It was your fault. :happy0157::happy0157:
just kidding, glad you stopped him from shooting da rod. With my big range rod I think it would be hard not to notice. Keeping one's concentration is vital with this sport.

:p Well Builder, all I can say is I have a 36" hickory rod somewhere in the Pine woods North of New Orleans. Never could find that sucker. :s14:

+1000 if you have the muzzle in a safe position how can a ramrod stay inside of a barrel while placing a primer even with sidelocks?

Scary thought just came to mind while reading these blogs that no one mentioned. Maybe he CAPPED IT BEFORE LOADING IT!!!!!!!! This would have prevented him from dropping the rod while charging it later!!!!!

On the range my sequence goes: Powder, bullet, seat bullet, lay gun in gun rest, sit down, load primer, shoot.

I wouldn't consider that an unsafe practice, perhaps others would. I've never shot a ramrod, but I can see where it could happen.

That's just the way I do it. And I think that's the way this person did it. He just forgot to take the ram rod out.

Now don't forget guys. For safety reasons some people do not cap or prime (flinter) their rifles at the range until they sit down and place the rifle on the rest. So it would be very easy to dump the powder, seat the bullet and set the rifle on the rest then sit down and cap it with the ramrod still in the bore.
It can easily happen especially when the person is distracted or thinking about something else.
Now speaking of this, did anyone watch Sons of Guns a week or so ago when they altered a .410 shotgun to shoot a carbon arrow? that was pretty wild. Basically the same thing as shooting a ramrod.

I didn't think of that but I can understand it being possible with that sequence which still has the muzzle pointing down range in a safe manner. I can see it happening in that manner.

I've been mulling this over and realize I do it several ways.

When shooting from the bench with sidelocks I put the cap on the nipple after I lay the gun in the rest and am sitting at the bench. But with my two inlines, a break open Mustang and falling block Omega, I put the 209 in the breech while standing and before I lay the gun on the rest and the bore is pointed at the ground as I open and close the action. With those actions it just seems easier that way. But when I was playing with the bolt action Remington 700ML I primed with the gun on the rest just like with the sidelocks.

When walking the woods I prime the Mustang and Omega in the same fashion as at the bench. But I hold sidelocks at Port Arms to put the cap on the nipple, or with the muzzle pointed slightly downward to prime a flintlock pan.