Ever do anything stupid at the range ?

[fasteddie]

This may be long and boring for many of you but ...... here goes .

 

I took my ML to the range a few weeks ago . The 1st 3 shot were great at 60 yards and then I had 2 misses . My ML is a NEF Huntsman 50 cal . The ramrod is collapsible from 23" to 15 3/4" . To use the ramrod you turn the end counter clockwise , extend it and keep turning the same direction until it locks . To put it back in the ML , you do everything in reverse . The ramrod is 15 3/4"  collapsed so I made a 7 1/4" extension with a wooden dowel and then with a fat arrow shaft which I put a brass shell casing on each end . I could then push a sabot in the barrel , push it in with the dowel and finish pushing with the un-extended ramrod and avoid all the unscrewing etc .. 

After I fired the 4th shot and missed , I let the barrel cool and then attempted to reload . I couldn't find the dowel so I used my backup . Fired again and it looked like another miss . Walked down to the target and noticed my wooden dowel laying on the ground broken . What the heck !

 

Note to self : after ramming the sabot down the barrel , remove the ramrod and tip the barrel to remove the 7 1/4" extension ! 

[Buckmaster7600]

I have one of those huntsmans haven't shot it in years but I always hated that ram rod but for shooting at the range I always just extended it and left it out of the gun, if I was hunting on the ground I always had it extended as well.

[fasteddie]

If I use my 2-man ground blind I take a TC fiberglass ramrod along with me . 

Apparently no one else has had any type of mishap / brain fart at the range or just don't want to admit it . 

[kpkot]

I found a blown up ram rod on a range once- convinced someone shot their ram rod. Ever see the film mountain men when he shot a guy with his ram rod?

[Buckmaster7600]

I was a Range safety officer on Parris Island for just under 3 years I have witnessed recruits and Marines do more stupid things with rifles and pistols than anyone could possibly imagine. The stupidest thing I have done while shooting is I blew up a Glock barrel with one of my reloads that didn't exit the barrel.

[wildcat junkie]

If I use my 2-man ground blind I take a TC fiberglass ramrod along with me . 

Apparently no one else has had any type of mishap / brain fart at the range or just don't want to admit it . 

Fiberglas ramrods are death of rifling. Far too abrasive! I use a 48" dedicated hickory "range rod" for every caliber I shoot & a rod made from a 1/2" dowel with a 28ga brass hull head on one end with a 2 1/2" wooden drawer knob handle on the other end when shooting skeet with my 12 ga dbl barrel muzzle laoder.

 

I've had a few brain farts at the range, but nothing stands out. I did see the results of a horrendous case of brain constipation once though.

 

We were at a "public" rage at a fish & wildlife area. While shooting at the 100 yd range this Yahoo shows up with a break top .22 rf Stevens pistol for which he had made a custom grip & fore-end. He had a short eye relief rifle scope mounted on it. He was leaning against the roof supports holding the short weapon like a rifle & crowding up on it trying to get a full field of view in the scope. This guy was "an accident waiting to happen"!

 

Well, my brother in law & myself decided to get the hell out of there so we escaped to the 50 yd range which was separated by a high earthen berm from the 100 yds range.

 

After some time a guy came up to the 50yd range & said. "You won't believe what just happened."

 

It seems Mt Yahoo wasn't paying attention to where his finger was & fired a round with his finger over the muzzle a he was cradling the fore-end with his left hand! We went down to the now deserted 100 yd range & there was blood sprayed everywhere on the benches, roof supports & the lower section of the roof!

 

It made my bunghole pucker thinking of how much that must have HURT!

 

Edited December 31, 2015 by wildcat junkie

[wolc123]

I stopped at a buddies cabin one time to pick him up to go to a pig-roast at another buddies cabin a few miles away. While I was there, we went back to his range, him with his cooler and me with my ML. After a few successful shots and several beers, a patched ball got rammed down the "powderless" barrel. After removing the nipple and pushing a little pyrodex in from the back side, re-installing the nipple and another cap, 3 or 4 times, we were able to get he ball to exit the bore. Lesson learned - save the beer until after the shooting. Fortunately, nobody got hurt and nothing was damaged.

Another time I was sighting in my 30/06 on the range at the back of our farm, from the 100 yard bench. I walked over to the target, leaving the rifle on the sandbags, pointed down range. There was no one else around, so I assumed the it was pointed in a safe direction. When I looked back up-range, I saw a buck walk out of the brush, and right over to the bench. For a short time, he had his nose next to the muzzle. I hoped the gun was not loaded but you never know for sure, which is why you treat any gun like it is loaded. A picture flashed through my mind of him knocking the gun off the bags and it going off, hitting me. What a story that would have been. The anti-hunters would have a field day with that one "DEER SHOOTS MAN".

[Marion]

I found a blown up ram rod on a range once- convinced someone shot their ram rod. Ever see the film mountain men when he shot a guy with his ram rod?

you mean brokeback? Never seen it and have no desire thank you very much

You Can't Beat My Meat!

[ATbuckhunter]

I personally don't shoot muzzleloaders, but I heard a similar story from my former biology professor who is a life long hunter. I always figured these kind of things happen. If you ever miss the deer with the sabot, you might get it with the ramrod lol.

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[wildcat junkie]

I found a blown up ram rod on a range once- convinced someone shot their ram rod. Ever see the film mountain men when he shot a guy with his ram rod?

 

 I think that was Garry Cooper. I saw that the 1st time as a kid in a TV dept of a store while waiting for my mother who was shopping. Skewered that redskin right in the chest.

 

Edited December 31, 2015 by wildcat junkie

[Jeremy K]

We were shooting over the summer , kevin was shooting his 30-06 and dave was shooting his .308 (some of you already know where this story is going) Kevin takes a shot and i immediately notice the difference in sound , right then and there i told him to stop and sure enough he had loaded a .308 round in his 30-06. Rifle and shooter were not harmed,luckily . No more shooting off the same table anymore at the same time.   

[chrisw]

I loaded a mag with 380ACP rounds and promptly put it into my glock 17... I realized at the first shot the recoil/report was not right. Too many guns/ammo on the table at once!

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[philoshop]

It was many years ago, loading the truck for a day at the range.

 

Ammo - check

Sandbags and rest - check

Cleaning supplies - check

Optics - check

Lunch - check

Guns - left 'em on the porch back home ;-]

[fasteddie]

It was many years ago, loading the truck for a day at the range.

 

Ammo - check

Sandbags and rest - check

Cleaning supplies - check

Optics - check

Lunch - check

Guns - left 'em on the porch back home ;-]

 

That wouldn't have been a big problem for me . I am only about 1 mile from the Ontario Gun Club . 

I did forget my full length ramrod on the last trip . That's why I used my adapters ........and shot them . 

[phade]

I know a guy who shot himself in the foot at the kitchen table cleaning guns. Right through to the basement. Forget what caliber...might have been a 380.

 

I do remember an idiot shooting when the range officer closed it for target swaps, etc. Boy you should have seen that guy gather his gun and go home. People were running after him. Running. Stupid.

Edited December 31, 2015 by phade

[dbHunterNY]

I knew of one guy that forgot to take out the ram rod while firing at the bench.  he said the gun kicked so hard the scope came back and just about knocked him cold out.  dumbest thing I've done is while coming onto the target, before getting settled, the gun fired.  finger was on the trigger before I was aiming.  got all sighted in and carried the gun unloaded in my hand to check the target.  slipped and slammed the scope on the ground.  had to clean it and reload to check/re-zero it again.

[dbHunterNY]

I know a guy who shot himself in the foot at the kitchen table cleaning guns. Right through to the basement. Forget what caliber...might have been a 380.

 

I do remember an idiot shooting when the range officer closed it for target swaps, etc. Boy you should have seen that guy gather his gun and go home. People were running after him. Running. Stupid.

 

oh boy that's a big one.

[bubba]

I got my ramrod stuck in my barrel swabbing the barrel of my hawken. I snapped the rod off just above the barrel. I pulled the nipple and stuck some powder in there. Stepped in my back yard and shot it out. That rod went through the front on my storage building. They can be lethal

[wolc123]

Once, during rifle team practice at high-school, while shooting from the kneeling position, my rifle discharged when I closed the bolt.   It was pointed upward a bit at the time.  I thought I felt something hit my jacket and the shooter to my right, who was somewhat of a jokester, clutched his chest, shouted out "I'm hit" and slumped forward.    Fortunately, we were all wearing those heavy canvas jackets and eye goggles, so no actual injuries occurred from what was probably small chunks of concrete that the bullet knocked out of the ceiling part way downrange.  The rifle I was using was an old Winchester, probably WWII era, and it had a trigger so light you could almost fire it by breathing on it.  Following that ceiling hit, I always made sure I had it pointed at the backstop when I closed the bolt.  I also closed the bolt a little more carefully and never had another misfire.  That hair-trigger likely helped my scores a bit, and that was the only one of the old Winchesters, with which I could occasionally keep up with our top two shooters.   The school's only two fancy Anchutz match rifles were reserved for them.            

[turkeyfeathers]

While shooting my daughters youth 20 gauge I forgot about crescent mooning myself with scope. Turkey load had some good recoil. Here I was stuffing light field loads in it for her to shoot. I was afraid of she knew how I started bleeding she'd be afraid to shoot it. I gently lied that a pricker bush must of gotten me on the way in. As they did get our arms and legs behind friends house. I pulled my hat down to try and hide the cut but the blood dripping off my nose gave it away. The first shot she took she said " oh crap " I thought she did the same thing or the recoil hurt. Nope, she was referring to she hammered the target and was pleased.

 

Used to shoot at Niagara gun range . I was amazed at the dents, holes and apparent errant shots in the target rails overhead and places who should not see a bullet hole(s)   Always a little nervous shooting there. Seems like everytime I've shot there a group of kids would come in and rent the AK. Now that made me nervous as they were not gun savvy. And that thing is loud !

[Nomad]

No never ....

[hunter49]

  A friend of mine was sighting his new ML in for the first time & after 4-5 shots he told me his Ram rod was dead on at 50 yds!  oops! lol

Edited January 3, 2016 by hunter49