ML accident

[Dennis Glazener]

Ok guys I removed several posts, no sense in making light of a tragic accident like this. You never know when someone in his family may be reading ALR posts and see our comments. We just need to keep in mind that accidents like these can quickly occur when we are lax with out safety precautions.
Dennis

[Mike Brooks]

I didn't witness the accident but saw the rifle afterwards. It was a TC Hawkens that had not only been short started but had been short started with 2 balls. When it went off it split the barrel for about 10" right at the barrel lug. The young man lost most of his left hand. This was in Tennessee about 40 years ago.
Mark

I personally did the same thing with that same results. I got away with just a singed eyebrow and don't hear much anymore. My gun was a flintlock 'Hawkins-hymer" in .50 cal with a 1" Douglas barrel. Mine let loose at the breech, never did find the op flat. I knew right after that God kept me around to do something great in the future.....

[JCKelly]

Mike Brooks, did that .50 Douglas look anything like this one, from Pa Keeler?

[Mike Brooks]

My top flat was gone for about 18"-20" or so. Stock was shattered through the lock area, lock screws were pulled through the wood and the lock blown off and found later. Stock was in two main pieces and a lot of little shattered bits. Breech plug was still in the wood, held by a front tang screw threaded into the trigger plate and a rear tang screw thread through the trigger plate. (Lollypop tang) I suppose if those tang screws wouldn't have held I'd not be writing this now. I had been shooting this gun for probably three or four years, probably a couple thousand rounds through it.
 My load was 80gr 2ff , .490 ball patched and seated. Then another 80gr charge and a short started ball which was still in the barrel when the big boom was over. My thoughts were "WOW! That was sure loud ! And I immediately turned around and asked my buds where my gun went.....
 I was Feb. with about 2 1/2 ft of snow on the ground on our woods walk trail. Nearest vehicle was probably a mile away and there was no way we could have gotten transportation there for an emergency, snow was way too deep.

[oldtravler61]

  Thanks Dennis....  People like you is what makes this such a great site.   Oldtravler

[vtmtnman]

If an unseated ball was the cause,that is why I like to make sure I get (a little) bounce on the rod before I proceed to priming the pan or capping.My biggest fear with frontstuffers whether inline or traditional is an unseated projectile.

[smokinbuck]

MtMan,
That's why your ramrod should have a loaded and unloaded mark on them.
Mark

[vtmtnman]

All of them do.

[Daryl]

If you get carried away with the military bouncing of the rod on the loaded patched ball, you can produce a detonation - seated firmly on the powder, causing no more than 1/10" compression, is the best/safest way of loading.

[HAWKEN]

If you lift your rammer about 6" and let it fall, it will bounce about 1" if the ball is all the way down on the powder.  It will not bounce if the ball is not all of the way down.  Keep yer powder dry.......robin 

[rollingb]

If you get carried away with the military bouncing of the rod on the loaded patched ball, you can produce a detonation - seated firmly on the powder, causing no more than 1/10" compression, is the best/safest way of loading.

I compress Goex FFG a full 1/4" when loading 45-70 BPCR ammo without worry of detonation, in fact some fellas compress up to 3/8" for a cleaner burn.

[T*O*F]

SO, is he going to send the gun back to TC and ask for a new one?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

If you get carried away with the military bouncing of the rod on the loaded patched ball, you can produce a detonation - seated firmly on the powder, causing no more than 1/10" compression, is the best/safest way of loading.

I compress Goex FFG a full 1/4" when loading 45-70 BPCR ammo without worry of detonation, in fact some fellas compress up to 3/8" for a cleaner burn.

I do too, but I don't drive the bullet in with the end of a dowel or ramrod tip, using repeated blows of a hammer.

[Black Hand]

If you get carried away with the military bouncing of the rod on the loaded patched ball, you can produce a detonation.

Can you give evidence to support this statement?
Black powder is not impact sensitive and pounding it with a rammer will do nothing more that compress/crush the powder....

[snapper]

I have not spoken to him since this weekend.

I dont think he is sending it back.

He bought a new stock sunday on ebay

fleener