Man Died From Muzzle Loader Accident

[arcticap]

In Jan., 2020., an Ohio man accidentally shot himself while removing a loaded .50 muzzle loader from the trunk of his car.
He had been hunting a couple of days earlier.
He was described as being an experienced hunter who loved hunting and fishing.
While details are lacking about which type of muzzle loader it was, it appears that the gun was left fully loaded in the car trunk.
He was still alive when he was found next to his car bleeding from a shoulder wound.
The round had exited through his back causing massive damage.

Be safe everyone!

RIP Michael Ray Rosecrans 1963 - 2020

Short news articles:
https://chroniclet.com/news/187189/muzzleloader-accident-kills-amherst-man/https://www.morningjournal.com/news...cle_7e28d916-3714-11ea-9255-1f5ccb190b25.html
Obituary:
https://www.eastmanfuneralhome.com/obituary/Michael-Rosecrans

 

[Britsmoothy]

What a loss.

Don't be looking down a barrel....especially loaded or in an unknown condition.

 

[Okie Hog]

Sad the man was killed.

Transporting a capped muzzleloader is a wreck waiting to happen. In some states a cap lock muzzleloader is deemed unloaded when the cap is removed. Flintlocks are deemed unloaded when powder is removed from the pan and flash hole stopped.

During a draw for the next day deer hunt i watched as the Fort Sill game warden checked the rifles of arriving deer hunters, found some were capped and issued tickets, as required.

Don't transport a loaded muzzleloader.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have read reports that pulling a rifle off of a horse pulled wagon was a fairly common cause of accidental shootings. Apparently, the rifles were kept in a ready state so they could be used quickly in the event of an indian attack.

 

[arcticap]

Flintlocks are deemed unloaded when powder is removed from the pan and flash hole stopped.

Some folks have posted how their unplugged flintlocks have fired without powder in the pan when they've experimented trying it.
It's one of the reasons for this thread.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

In my state a capped muzzleloader is considered "loaded" and illegal to transport. I don't even like walking with a capped muzzleloader.

Some sports have such a low tolerance for mistakes that death is often the result.

I'm sorry for this guy and his family, it's terrible, but was likely completely avoidable. Also, NEVER point the muzzle at anything you don't want destroyed. Had the muzzle been pointed away he'd have an embarrassing story to tell not a sad story told about him.

I once left a tracking party when the guy behind me refused to unload his shotgun's chamber. "I might jump a deer!" was his reply. Mine was "more likely you'll fall down and shoot me in the back. I'm going home guys, good luck finding the wounded deer."

Many years ago the local newspaper covered the story of a son shooting his father in the back with a shotgun at very close range. I don't recall the details but my impression was they were walking in the woods during the hunt. The father was crippled and died a few years later.

You just have to be careful with certain things.

 

[FishDFly]

How many here, leave a loaded M/L in their vehicle over night or longer so they do not have to take it inside where it is warm at night? See it mentioned quite a bit, even recently.

 

[Bob McBride]

Let this be a lesson to us all. Our hobby isn't without risk, which is something we should all reflect on today.... RIP Michael Ray.

 

[griffiga]

I can understand the rifle being loaded, but what I don't understand is why it must have been left in a firing position (nipple capped and hammer cocked).

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Think twice and save your life...excitement of the season we love so much and wait all year long for. Its easy to get caught up in your thoughts and excitement and get careless....its not worth it...load in woods...in the end discharge in woods.....a few minutes of cleaning when you get back.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Wishing all a safe and productive Season...Stay Safe......SM

 

[hawkeye2]

The gun didn't need to be cocked, the hammer could have snagged on something drawing it back far enough to bust a cap. I learned while in grade school that one never removes a gun, unloaded or not, from a vehicle or anything else for that matter with the muzzle pointing at yourself or anything else that wouldn't look good with a bullet hole in it. No matter the circumstances this was an accident that could have been avoided by safe gun handling which means thinking before acting. Unfortunately this happens with regularity and to seasoned shooters as well as neophytes, it only takes a moment of inattention or distraction. Forty-five or so years back a friend died from a shotgun blast to the stomach received while removing the gun from the back seat of his car. He lived a few hours but they were unable to save him. Everyone, please stay focused and be safe.

I have seen flintlocks discharged with no priming in the pan far too often to consider that safe. I would also add a frizzen stall and/or removing the flint before the gun was safe enough to transport of bring in the house.

 

[bud in pa]

When finished hunting with a loaded flintlock, i put on my frizzes stall. empty my pan and wipe it out with a wet patch. and finally release the the hammer to rest in the pan. I can't think of anything else I could do outside of firing the load, and I am too cheap and lazy to do that.

 

[Carbon 6]

Serves as a reminder about following the cardinal rule of gun safety.

 

[arcticap]

Since we don't know the details it's impossible to say exactly what went wrong.
But there have been cases of powder being set off by static electricity.
No one wants to speculate, but all we really know is that the muzzle wasn't pointed in a safe direction at all times.

Here's a thread about how powder can explode due to static electricity. --->>> Powder Explosion Caused by Static Electricity Injures Man

 

[FishDFly]

When finished hunting with a loaded flintlock, i put on my frizzes stall. empty my pan and wipe it out with a wet patch. and finally release the the hammer to rest in the pan. I can't think of anything else I could do outside of firing the load, and I am too cheap and lazy to do that.

Only other thing would be to plug the vent with something to prevent block any possible flame passage into the powder.

 

[Carbon 6]

No one wants to speculate, but all we really know is that the muzzle wasn't pointed in a safe direction at all times.

The cardinal rule.

 

[stewart.leach]

In Colorado a ML is considered legally unloaded if the cap, primer or priming powder is removed. The regulation resulted from a sad incident:

People staying in a SW Colorado USFS campground woke to a gunshot and a shout for help. They found a man on the ground behind a pickup with the tailboard down. In the bed was a fired percussion 54 cal rifle; the butt and lock area were under some gear, the muzzle was pointed out the back of the truck. The man on the ground had a wound to the groin area and bled out in just a few minutes despite first aid efforts.

Sheriff and District Wildlife Manager investigated and came to the conclusion that when the hunter had pulled the rifle towards him the hammer caught on the gear it was under, was partially drawn back, then released from the gear before becoming cocked, snapping down on the primer with enough force to fire the gun.

If moving from one hunting area to another I'll remove the cap or blow away the priming, lower the hammer, and then place the rifle in the vehicle with care. In camp, or if leaving the field for the day I will fully unload one way or another, even if it means firing then cleaning. I've been hunting since I was twelve, am now 75, and intend to hunt 'til the end.

 

[HiDesertHunter]

I'm sorry for this guy and his family, it's terrible, but was likely completely avoidable.

I agree completely and I see at least two, if not three of the Basic Rules Of Gun Safety having been disregarded - which moves this from 'accidental' to 'negligent'.

I have read reports that pulling a rifle off of a horse pulled wagon was a fairly common cause of accidental shootings.

Yep - it's been said gun injuries and deaths due to negligence in the 'early days' probably exceeded that of intentional.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Here in Alberta, a charged muzzleloader is not loaded as long as no cap is on the nipple or no flint is in the jaws.
Walk