After a hectic September down in FL selling a house and moving out, then PA archery season taking up all my free time with a moose hunt in Labrador thrown in the mix, I finally got out to shoot a smoke pole. My friend and I took the flinters out. Either my eyes changed or my sights got moved but I had to make some sight adjustments. But after doing so we were both packing them right in the bull. Then someone had thrown some semi-rotten apples out where we were shooting. So we set them up on the bank and proceeded to make 'applesauce' shooting them at about 50 yards.
What a blast.

all that snow miss you?

Shooting at fruit is so much fun. I have some oranges in the fridge that are begging to be blasted!

Shooting old fruit is a blast. I like hanging old eggs on a string and whacking them. Scrambled anyone?

Well dang Bronko. I'm glad you finally got to have some fun after all of that dull boring bow hunting and moose hunting.

Funny you mention that!!!! We had a HUGE, 24" across, punkin on our porch that the wife wanted gotten rid of. The snow, ice n frost made it not so pretty anymore. I get an idear!!!! Punkin pie anyone!!?!?!?! I carry, looked like one of those world strong man comp's with them putting the atlas stones on the stand!!!!, that thing around back and cut a hole in top n fill with water. Carry/hoble it out to the field in back and out comes my .460 Smith with some 200grn FTX's at 2300fps. BOY HOWDY!!!!!! We had pie!! Wish I had a slo mo camera to film that. I was maybe 25yds away and pieces hit me!!!
I would have never thought with all that mass it would have had enough energy to throw pieces that far.

I forgot to tell you guys. I had an episode. While swabbing between shots with an alcohol patch, the insert from the range rod pulled out and left it and the jag/patch in the bore. I had to take off the barrel, remove the touch hole and pour in some FFFFg into the breech, reinstall the touch hole. Then I put the range rod down to make sure the patch and jag were down all the way and removed the rod. I shot into the ground and recovered my jag but the insert was banged up as it must have hit a rock.
I just got done putting a new end on the range rod and pinned it with a brass brad. Now it will never come off.

Dang Son!!!!!! Hope none of that bad luck can jump over the 'Net waves!!!!!!! I have enuf of my own!!!! At least you were able to recover part of it and not a total lost, that would be my luck!!! Was it a CVA nylon range rod? I have always wondered just how well they are made. I have 2. One just for back up.

Yeah secondchance it was a CVA range rod. I have 3 of them. One each for .50, .54, and .58. I just change the jag on one for the .45.
I am skeptical about the threaded inserts in them. I had one come out of the side with the T handle on which is no biggie. But coming off in the bore with a patch is a different story. If I had some old wooden ramrods I would take the ends off of them and install them on the range rods with epoxy and pin them. That's what I did with this one using the last of my threaded ramrod tips.