# Shooting mishap at the Lee Kay Center



## karma

This is embarrassing but I’m going to tell it anyway just as a caution to be careful.

I went to shoot Saturday, the 22nd. Got set up, put the powder down the barrel, grabbed a bullet and pushed that down the barrel. I didn’t have the T handle screwed on to the ramrod so I used a towel to pad my hand from the end of the rod. It kind of hurts your hand otherwise. Then I set the towel down and laid the rifle down. I got distracted, by what I don’t remember. The next thing I did was to pick up a primer and put it in. Then I sat down, sighted, and shot. 

That thing bucked like a 7mm mag without a muzzle break. The scope cracked me between the eyes and the blood started flowing. I was like “what the hell?!??! That gun had NEVER done that before!”. Holding a rag on my new wound I looked at the target through the spotting scope. Nothing… I knew I’d had it sighted in real well from the previous week. I didn’t understand why my gun knocked the crap out of me and I didn’t understand why there was no hole in the target. I knew I’d made a good shot. You know how you can just tell when you touch off a shot whether or not it was good?

Anyway, I went to reload and couldn’t find my ramrod! I was shook up and bleeding so it took me a minute or two to realize I’d just shot my ramrod down range. Shooting with an obstructed barrel HURTS. I would strongly advise against it.

When playing with your guns, do not think ahead. Stay in the moment…be careful. Within about four minutes after my little episode, a guy on the next bench had an AD (accidental discharge) and shot a hole through the ceiling of the awning over the shooting area. At least I wasn't the only one with egg -- errr blood -- on my face. 

I'll bet any of you a thousand dollars I never make that mistake again.

I thought it would have gouged the inside of the barrel but it didn't hurt it. After about 20 patches ran through it it was as good as new. It even passed the cotton ball test. I bought a new ramrod the next day and after three scope adjustments I shot a four shot group of 1 3/4". I’m ready for tomorrow. I figure the scab will blend in with the mountain terrain pretty well. No need for a camo bandaid.


----------



## archery

okay i'll come clean also, several years back i bought a new remington 7oo m l. i had drawn a le tag and was excited. i went up to favorite spot to dial things in. i had shot maybe a dozen shots and it was shooting better than i ever dreamed. i loaded it another time and was joking around with my girlfriend and not really paying attention. when i touched the shot off i thought a cannon had just gone off in my face. i had crud in my eyes and my face was black and it hurt my ears. then i noticed that the barrel was litterally blown open like a flower. elmer fudd sstyle , where it peels back in four different pieces. I did not understand what the yippity had just happened. i took it back to my good friend that i had purchased it from and he sent it off to remington. a few weeks later i got a brand new gun back and a letter from the tech that said it would be wise to load only one charge at a time in the future. somehow i had actually put two full loads down and then shot it. they included some good photos of the barrel after they had sawn it in half and it showed very clearly where the second load was tightly packed against the first. this is the dumbest thing i have ever done to date while shooting or hunting and i pay attention now at all times while loading or shooting it. it is very wise to limit distractions and give your full attention. even after learning what i had done i still cannot believe i did that.


----------



## Huge29

Thank goodness that your injuries were not much more serious! There is an email going around with pics of a guy shooting with the bore sight still locked in-hauled off in a stretcher; send me a PM with you email if you care to see it.


----------



## MarkM

I did something similar last year at Lee Kay with my ML. Got BSing with a guy next to me and put in a double load. Good thing I had marked my ramrod and noticed it before I shot.

Mark


----------



## EPEK

Sorry, I do know the seriousness of this, but that is flat out hilarious.


----------



## bossloader

last year on the hunt my daughter had shot a deer and it took off running she was with her cousin and it was close to dark they had to wait for me to quit "bird dogn" through the trees so 10 minnets later i emerge and here the news so we all start to follow blood but it got dark fast so we decided to continue in the morning, well i grabbed her gun loaded it with the same charge i always use (100 grains loose and 350 grain maxi hunter) but as soon as i try to seat it i noticed alot more rod poking out so i asked her abougt it and she said well ya dad uncle don got there before you and he reloaded it for me cause i was to nerves, so i ask him what he put in, 80 loose and 350 maxi so now i have 180 grains powder and 700 grains of lead in the gun, we striped the bullet puller so tryed to take out the breach no luck! so as dad was the dumbie he had to fix it so gun on one side of big quakie me on the other pull trigger and hope, the gun and me are both fine no damage but now i know no matter how proud you are and want to help your kid make them reoad there own gun.


----------



## COUNTRYBOY

I have never double loaded my muzzleloader, but I did seat a bullet with no powder once in my Hawken .50. I tried to blow it out with just the primer, but that only moved it about 3 inch up the barrel. A friend of mine helped out who had also did this. He removed the percussion cap nipple and forced powder into it that way. When we touched it off, the ball hit the ground about 15 feet in front of us. It worked though.


----------



## GaryFish

Get a silent ball discharge kit. They take a CO2 cartridge - you put them over the nipple and it pushes the powder and ball out the barrel without firing the gun. One of the best investments I ever made. Well worth it.


----------



## JedInUtah

Thank goodness sometimes for inlines. Remove the breech plug and let it fall out the back.


----------



## COUNTRYBOY

GaryFish said:


> Get a silent ball discharge kit. They take a CO2 cartridge - you put them over the nipple and it pushes the powder and ball out the barrel without firing the gun. One of the best investments I ever made. Well worth it.


It is on my shopping list. :wink:


----------



## mack1950

i ll tell you a story about what could have happened to me. i was in a local pown shop in tooele a few years back just checking things out and spotted a remington model 700 m l on the back was after checking it out i said to myself hell why not and bought it. well after i got it home you can imagine i was in a hurry to go check it out but as pollicy i always give a gun a good cleaning before firing it, to my surprize when i pulled the plug on it there was a full load already in place as you can imagine what could have happened if i had just taken it to the range and tried to load and shot it make me sudder just thinken about it. on the bright side the investement i made that day was the best i have done in ages the gun is a take driver and including the 4 point i shot thursday i have not missed a buck in the past 5 years i have hunted with it and niether have the boys so for its 7 shots 7 bucks not bad for a gun i found in a pawn shop.


----------

