Old loaded guns

[RAT]

Not sure where this is best posted... please move it as appropriate.

Today we had a meeting of our gunmakers guild. Someone brought in an antique gun that was loaded. Whenever guns are displayed, we ALWAYS check them! This is not the first time this has happened. I don't blame the owner. I attended the meeting remotely this time, so I didn't have an opportunity to speak with the owner directly. However, he told us that the German smoothbore had been in his family as long as he could remember. He believes it was originally owned by his grandfather. He grew up on the ranch where this gun was kept. He said he played with the gun for around 70 years. We were also told that the gun had "work done". To me this indicates that the person who did... whatever the "work" was... didn't check to see if it was loaded.

Over the last few years I've posted similar cautionary tales. Like the museum we visited where I mentioned checking old guns. The museum tech later checked all the guns in storage and found 5 that were loaded.

I have seen one gun that was "not loaded" go off. The ball almost hit someones dog. We were just lucky nobody was standing directly in front of the muzzle. The owner bought that gun used. He assumed it was not loaded... he never checked. He said the lock didn't spark... who knows how many times he snapped that lock and it DIDN'T go off. Anyway, he brought the gun to a shoot and asked someone more experienced to examine his lock problems. The experienced guy said the flint was just dull and proceeded to knap it sharp. Everyone gathered around the rifle to watch this demonstration. He pull the cock to full cock... closed the frizzen... pulled the trigger... and BOOM. I guess it sparked that time.

The last time a thread went around about this it got just a little heated with opinions. I would say a slight majority stated that they store their muzzleloaders with a load at the breech.

I've noticed a lot of new people on the site recently. It's for these new folks that I'm posting this. Please DO NOT store your muzzleloaders loaded. This is for everyone's safety. You never know where your loaded rifle will end up when your gone.

[mountainman]

I have witnessed similar incidents already, talk about a SURPRISE!! I have also seen it already when the gun went off without any priming powder for at least about 4 or 5 times.

[Longknife]

Several years ago, my son purchased a Pedersoli Kodiak SXS rifle. It was shipped to him from four states away. He brought it to my house and First thing I did was check for a load, yep both barrels! ~!!!!

[Hungry Horse]

 Anybody that challenges this is a moron that hasn’t been around old, or new,  muzzleloaders much. I took a Boy Scout troop to the local museum to help clean and oil their collection, and in the process we discovered five loaded guns. The common denominator seems to be lack of a ramrod to fit the gun. All of the guns we found loaded except one had no ramrod. The one that did have a ramrod was a civil war Springfield that someone had loaded with smokeless powder, and a bore sized steel ball bearing. Thank heavens musket caps are fairly scarce her.

 Another factor rarely mentioned is advanced age, or mental heath issues. A very good friend, and mentor, asked me to join him in demonstrating the process of loading a muzzleloader for several junior high classes. We did this for several years without mishap, but at one of the last demonstrations I was asked to demonstrate how to check a muzzleloader to see if it was loaded. Imagine my surprise when there was a lot of extra ramrod sticking out of the barrel. The early signs of Alzheimer’s is not alway evident and often gets overlooked.

Hungry Horse

[Eric Krewson]

I heard of a good deal on a TC at the local pawn shop, I hurried over there but it turned out to be a CVA flint rifle, I wasn't interested. I asked the pawn shop owner if they had checked the gun to see if it was loaded, they said they hadn't but got a lot of loaded M/Ls in at times. I checked the rifle and it was indeed loaded. I asked the pawn shop owner if they pulled the loads on B/P rifles that came in loaded; he said they didn't but cautioned the buyer that the gun was loaded.

I told him that I had read that 20% of these guns might be loaded, he said it was more like 50% of the contemporary B/P guns they got in were loaded.

[oldtravler61]

  Rule number one... All firearms are loaded unless YOU check it three times. That's what we teach at our gun safety classes.  We don't care what type of gun it is. 35+ years so far an no mishaps. Knock on wood....
Never can be to careful....

[Daniel Coats]

When I was a teenager I accidentally shot a fireplace stone dead with an unloaded rifle. My ears are still ringing 

[Bob Roller]

The Huntington (WVa)Museum of Art for may years had a percussion revolver loaded,all 6 chambers with patched round balls and the curator wasn't interested in getting it out to be unloaded.At an OGCA show in Columbus,Ohio I found a loaded military issue 45 ACP and
at one of their events a gun went off and by the time the plaster started to hit the tables the owner of that display was on his way to the parking lot with help from two men and a cart.I gave up on that show when it seemed to be a dumping ground for relics of the 3rd Reich
and on the back wall was a huge Nazi flag.Some of the older guys on this forum may remember that.Early 1960's as I recall and I will be
87 on 27 March.Assume ALL guns are loaded until proven to NOT be.
Bob Roller

[Seth Isaacson]

I recently unloaded a pair of 19th century percussion dueling pistols that weren't just loaded, one was loaded twice!

[Avlrc]

"one was loaded twice!"  That was for good measure, 

[LynnC]

Local pawn had a kodiak double on the wall. He said bores were rusted. I asked if it was still loaded. He say dunno. Ramrod showed both barrels loaded about 10” deep with unknown loads. I passed on it and asked would he unload it?  He just hung it back on the wall…..

[JTR]

About 10 years ago I bought a smooth rifle barrel off ebay. When it arrived I checked to see if it was loaded, and yes indeed it was. Interested to see what was in there, I removed the breech plug. I good push with a ramrod first pushed out the powder, then some newspaper then some birdshot and finally more newspaper. Curious, I un-bunched the newspaper and one piece was large enough to see some print about a play named "Stolen Plumage". An internet search found a play by that name in the Northeast in 1916.

[T*O*F]

I like digging out old shotgun loads and trying to read what the newspaper wadding they used says.  Sometimes it can date when  a 19th century gun was last used.

[Taylorz1]

Ive purchased several that were loaded. seems like half the time they are loaded with old smokeless and steel ball bearings- which can be a real pita to get out. One time there was a wad of newspaper and rusty old nails. The best was an old Leman trade gun that was loaded with a patched ball and black powder but the patch was a little piece of buckskin. It had rusted a deep ring in the barrel so the novelty wore off quick.

[Levy]

When I worked for the State of Florida as a conservator, half of the guns that came in from State Parks and from shipwrecks were loaded.  Swivel gun with an iron ball and a handful of musket shot on top just for good measure.  A cannon was loaded with both a barshot and a cannonball.  An 1860 Colt that came out of a wall with all the chambers loaded.  A Salem school rifle that was loaded.  A Miquelet pistol with two balls in the barrel.  A nice Robert Hughes dbl. percussion that had a load in the left barrel.  The newspaper wadding said that a local girl was joining the Ziegfield Follies.  It goes on and on.  James Levy

[lexington1]

I bought a New England rifle years back. It had balls and patches in the patchbox, which I thought was odd but kind of cool. The balls were oxidized white. I checked the barrel and sure enough, it was loaded. I tried to pull the ball with a ball puller and gave up. I finally unbreeched it to get the load out.

[lexington1]

This one, as a matter of fact.

[Mattox Forge]

A gun is really a tool, and often the understanding of the tool and its use dies with the tools owner. In the case of a muzzle loaded gun hanging on the wall loaded ready for the next hunt or to protect the house from intruders, the understanding that it is loaded or even how to check that it is loaded is lost when the owner passes on.

I have received loaded muzzle loaders from some Gunbroker sales. I have also received full powder horns. It is unfortunate that people who sell these things don't bother to educate themselves on proper safety procedures.

Mike

[AZshot]

I bought a long rifle online last year.  It was shipped to me, I checked it, it was loaded with 'something'.  I still haven't gotten it out, but did pour some Kroil down the bore to inactivate the powder.