[spittinfire]

That guy is lucky he only lost half a digit. I'm guessing that no other injuries were picture worthy so he'll recover. Pay attention gents and don't hold your buddy's beer.

[Tgeorge]

Originally Posted by alsaqr

The incident took place in Canada. That Savage muzzleloader is designed for use with smokeless powder. Those guns have been tested with loads that developed 120,000 psi with no ill effects.

"The shooter claimed that he was using a recommended load of smokeless powder. There is a good chance that the shooter did not seat the sabot/bullet on the powder.

":

That's my guess - the bullet didn't seat on the powder charge so it acted as a bore obstruction.

Personally, my view of "in-line" muzzle loaders is a jaundiced one. They make as much sense to me as putting a telescopic sight on a crossbow. I guess the real appeal is to hunters who want to extend the hunting season without the hassle of learning how to use a real traditional muzzle-loader.

I REALLY feel sorry for that poor guy. That picture gives me the hebbie jeebies!!!!

[TJWright]

OMG OMG OMG I am so sorry for the unfortunate soul this happened to.
When I was an adolescent, I fashioned a small muzzle loader out of an old BB gun six shooter and small piece of pipe with a plug for breech, and used roll caps as primer........... just a few grains of powder .177 cal for shot........
about the third firing, and a couple grains too much powder, and when I pulled the trigger.... thank god I wasn't aiming at something or the barrel would have come out of the back of this potmetal revolver it was scabbed into, and hit me in the face.....luckily I had it off to the side and the barrel shot past me and hit the wall, however the force of this was more than enough to cause the hammer to swing all the way back and pinch the web of my thumb and index finger and cut me SLIGHTLY.....I am so lucky.
People Remember....BE CAREFUL with any and all Firearms.........
The life you save may be your own....and DON'T EXPERIMENT....PERIOD

[Tgeorge]

Originally Posted by zeskullmaster

I just cant understand why ANYONE would put smokeless powder in a rifle that loads a loose powder charge ... and I would bet he loaded by wt.and not vol. I load Black powder cartridge as well as muzzle loaders but I NEVER load a Black powder in any weapon that takes a loose powder I dont care if it said it was ok or not . You could say it goes against my grain . ( No pun intended )

I TOTALLY agree.

Its unfortunate incidents like this that give fuel to the anti-gun lobby.

[Fisherking]

Boy oh Boy that makes my but pucker.
F.K.

[Bigcountry02]

Originally Posted by Highpower

I have 2 black power revolvers and that is the extent of my wisdom on smokepoles.

I agree! I will stay with the pistols only!

[Jakey]

Originally Posted by zeskullmaster

I just cant understand why ANYONE would put smokeless powder in a rifle that loads a loose powder charge ... and I would bet he loaded by wt.and not vol. I load Black powder cartridge as well as muzzle loaders but I NEVER load a Black powder in any weapon that takes a loose powder I dont care if it said it was ok or not . You could say it goes against my grain . ( No pun intended )

I believe he loaded the other way around; by volume and not weight. different powders have different densities, are more powerful etc. The barrel may or may not have been rated for 120kpsi which can easily exceeded if you put twice the recommended charge...

There's also the possibility that the charge detonated, either by having too much powder or perhaps packed way too tight; even though I find this unlikely, detonation is something that occurs in high explosives, like RDX, TNT, Nitroglycerin, and not gun powder; I suppose stranger things have and do happen.

What I don't understand, and they gave us plenty of muzzleloader horror stories just like this in hunters ed, is what possessed these people to use smokeless powder in the first place with stuff like pyrodex on the market. Pyrodex is cheap, clean and comes in pellets, why not use it?

[superc]

The center of the bulge was where the pressure was greatest. That's midway down the barrel. Therefore it could have occurred exactly as described, i.e., with a normal load. Except there was a barrel obstruction which the shooter doesn't mention. Either the bullet wasn't seated properly, or he loaded a second bullet on top of (in the case of an inline, behind?) the first...

A few decades ago the Army and the Park Service did a display of guns recovered at Manassass and Gettysburg and there were a few looking more or less like that. Some had two or more bullets still stuck in the front part of the barrel. Also shown were recovered guns whose owners remembered to load the bullets, but forgot to include the gunpowder. Also found were instances where ramrods were launched with the bullets.

Loading a blackpowder arm requires attention to detail. I long ago put some paint stripss on my ramrod as a visual indicator of where a properly charged loaded round should be sitting. If the ramrod won't sit to the proper depth, something is wrong. Use of an inline gun eliminates that safety marker.

[willfully armed]

This is already posted on ftf with quite a few more pictures and explanation.

[Durangokid]

Gees what a horrible wound. About 25 years ago I saw something like this up in the Big Horn country of Wyoming. A fellow found a can of powder in an old Line Cabin. He just filled some 30-30 cases and fired one. His hand an arm looked very much like the photo posted here.

DK