We’ll I did it !!!

[Pratt]

I have seen a ramrod shot a few times. They yell Harpoon when a brother does it. As far as dry balling out of 100 shooters 85 people have dry balled . The other 15 lie about other things too.

 

[Absoroka]

I was thinking of putting a broadhead on one of my ramrods and hunting during bow season. The one time I shot one, it kicked like a mule and hit the target. Definitely knew the load was not normal.

 

[büchsenmacher64]

I heard stories of market hunters using sharpened sticks and cotton batting to shoot fish in shallow water. Same concept.

 

[Flathorn]

May be temping fate - bought a box of lead balls at the York
Shoot, nice gentleman BUT company name “DRY BALL”

 

[hanshi]

In the 55+ years I've been shooting muzzleloaders sending the rod down range is the one thing I haven't done yet. I've dry balled many times due to distractions; and I've also loaded powder (no ball) and fired blanks for the same reason. I could blame my ADHD for it all but I won't. This is why I also prefer shooting alone or maybe with a partner; other people around are normally curious and often come over and that's all it takes.

 

[Kabulrocks]

I still laugh out loud at how my best friend shot the wood ramrod out of my .45 CVA Kentucky rifle. Fortunately we were shooting across a shallow and slow moving river at mussel shells on the opposite bank so it was an easy recovery. That big splash mystified us for a bit tho, until he went to reload. That was 40+ years ago. Still have the rifle and the ramrod.

 

[longcruise]

Pending here. My specialty is dryball. Last year I didnt and year before I actually did three diff trips. CO2 YES

You're a piker! I dry balled three times in the same day!!

One of the things I do if training a new shooter is have them dry ball intentionally. Then we go through the solution process. I have had new guys tell me they went hunting and dry balled. It was a panic situation then. One guy packed up camp, drove home and found a Smith to fix it.

 

[Cornbread]

Having gleaned over the replies I didn’t catch if you or another member asked if you got “distracted” from someone talking to you while loading???

I say that because I recall a GOOD thread posted here by another member a while back titled, “Excuse me while I’m loading” (or something to that effect). The comments/replies were ODDLY similar.

Regards,
James

 

[Ballshooter]

Lol I did it once couldn't find find it and it kinda kicked .hahahaha

 

[BillyC]

Having gleaned over the replies I didn’t catch if you or another member asked if you got “distracted” from someone talking to you while loading???

I say that because I recall a GOOD thread posted here by another member a while back titled, “Excuse me while I’m loading” (or something to that effect). The comments/replies were ODDLY similar.

Regards,
James

Yes, another ML shooter asked to go down range and put up his target, then I had to wait for him to find his hearing protection

 

[Jason holgate]

Yeah that happens

 

[Coinneach]

Back in the 90's when I re-enacted with the 42nd RHR (Black Watch 1815) our Company paraded in the early dawn for a Celtic festival at Glenn Innes NSW.
We loaded our Besses on command and the guy standing next to me Bess went off in a UD while he was ramming down the blank charge. The ramrod disappeared into the Dawn light sky and our Sgt strode over see what happened.
We must have been standing in the ranks well over a minute or so when the airborne steel ramrod speared into the ground not a foot in front of us, said ramrod crumpled on impact and took on a twisted S shape.
How no-one was speared by the ramrod -arrow was a miracle, and we all agreed the ramrod must of damn near entered the stratosphere in its remarkable flight.

 

[stephenprops1]

I have never shot a ramrod out of the barrel. I have been shooting muzzleloaders since 1985. I have had a jag break off and I had to shoot out the jag.

 

[Hermit Tim]

Pending here. My specialty is dryball. Last year I didnt and year before I actually did three diff trips. CO2 YES

Done that twice so far. Not a pleasant experience.

 

[Hermit Tim]

Live in the country. Percussion rifle. Ran a ramrod with jag and patch down the barrel, capped it and stepped out back to blow any oil out the nipple. Held muzzle up to the night sky -KABOOM! Forgot I had already cleaned and loaded a week before in anticipation of a hunt. Never found the rod.

And two hollers over somebody's hog died that night

 

[Hermit Tim]

Back in the 90's when I re-enacted with the 42nd RHR (Black Watch 1815) our Company paraded in the early dawn for a Celtic festival at Glenn Innes NSW.
We loaded our Besses on command and the guy standing next to me Bess went off in a UD while he was ramming down the blank charge. The ramrod disappeared into the Dawn light sky and our Sgt strode over see what happened.
We must have been standing in the ranks well over a minute or so when the airborne steel ramrod speared into the ground not a foot in front of us, said ramrod crumpled on impact and took on a twisted S shape.
How no-one was speared by the ramrod -arrow was a miracle, and we all agreed the ramrod must of damn near entered the stratosphere in its remarkable flight.

I bet that puckered up a few fellers, didn't it?

 

[Coinneach]

I bet that puckered up a few fellers, didn't it?

It sure did.

 

[Vtmountaindeerhunter]

Smoked that one. I haven't been lucky enough yet. But I guess it's not if but when it happens I won't feel like a fool, at least amongst the best ml shooting community in the world.

 

[Steve Wagner]

Pending here. My specialty is dryball. Last year I didnt and year before I actually did three diff trips. CO2 YES

I feel your shame az. I've gotten to 'expert' on that by removing nipple, powdering the drum, replacing the nipple and shooting them out. The other day I lost a wad of steel wool down at the breech of a pitted bore [old tc] I was polishing. Then I broke my patch remover trying to get it out. Finally, in disgust, I put a good patch over the top of it all and shoved the whole mess tight to the bottom and shot it out the same way. Damn, this hobby is humbling. Bright side-this is a great grouse load. Kill and clean in one shot. I keep a picture in my phone of a ramrod shot through a target sideways that was posted by a member of the local ML club. Caption-"Anybody seen my ramrod ?" I've done just about everything else I can think of wrong at least once so this will probably show up too. Wonder how many deer have been killed w a ramrod and a ball ? Ouch ! SW

 

[azmntman]

I feel your shame az. I've gotten to 'expert' on that by removing nipple, powdering the drum, replacing the nipple and shooting them out. The other day I lost a wad of steel wool down at the breech of a pitted bore [old tc] I was polishing. Then I broke my patch remover trying to get it out. Finally, in disgust, I put a good patch over the top of it all and shoved the whole mess tight to the bottom and shot it out the same way. Damn, this hobby is humbling. Bright side-this is a great grouse load. Kill and clean in one shot. I keep a picture in my phone of a ramrod shot through a target sideways that was posted by a member of the local ML club. Caption-"Anybody seen my ramrod ?" I've done just about everything else I can think of wrong at least once so this will probably show up too. Wonder how many deer have been killed w a ramrod and a ball ? Ouch ! SW

If no CO2 I use the clean out screw. Much quicker and I keep vs pull bottle with some 4f just for this in my box. Real brave c yesterday (and lucky) I went with just the pistols and stuff in a Walmart bag.