Embarrased myself at the range yesterday..ran out of powder!!!

[oldracer]

Went out last week working on the 300 yard scope settings for my slug gun and it appears I did not refill my powder horn after I came home??!! I was not feeling too good and went and laid down and then cleaned the gun after my nap. I completely for got about the powder reload until yesterday and ran out after 10 shots! I used to keep a can of FFG in my shooting box for emergency situations such as this but had not had one until TODAY after I refilled the horn.

At 300 yards I am getting 2 to 3 inch groups now with the pure lead grease groove bullets either the Pedersoli 520 grain flat nose or the 540 BACO Credmoor and it does not seem to matter if I use a wad or not? 90 grains of powder sure goes fast now days. I am using a 6x scope and it helps a lot.

[DIRT Farmer]

Running out of powder just means a good day doesn't it. My shotgun boxes have room for two cans of powder. A can sure don't last long.

[johnson1942]

man do you get good groups, any one else shoot like that at your range?

[oldracer]

It is hard to say as there are only a few muzzle loader shooters that are shooting guns like the Pedersoli Gibbs or my home made copy. Some of the Schuetzen group keep telling me they have "slug guns" but they never bring them to the range! There are cartridge shooters that do the steel silhouette matches and they said I can't use my muzzle loaders so........... Plus I would have to shoot off hand and with my arthritis I could probably get in one or two shots! I am using cross sticks and resting the barrel about half way between the front of the stock and the muzzle and the gun I currently am working with has my home made 6x scope on it. The whole thing weighs about 16 pounds.

[40-82 hiker]

Around '67 my father and I went to the range to shoot our BP guns. We got all set up and realized we had forgotten the powder. I was disappointed, but thought it was funny and started laughing. My father was disappointed, but thought homicide was appropriate due to my laughter, but I survived with no marks. He just couldn't bring himself to kill me while I was rolling on the ground in stitches. [smilie=l: I was 14 then and wished I had learned that defense mechanism much earlier in life. :wink:

[mooman76]

I have always been forgetful so often I have to do things to help me remember. Some people think I am bugging them or annoying when I ask them something repeatedly but I don't mean to be, it just helps me remember. Anyway I often forget things when going shooting. It isn't that far but far enough I won't make a second trip the same day. I have forgotten Ramrods, the right size RBs( I have quite a few calibers). I forgot mags for my CF rifles and even once forgot the bolt I took out of a rifle. I got to where I always bring extra guns even if I don't plan on shooting just in case I can't shoot like I planned so at least it isn't a wasted trip.

[Skipper]

Embarrased myself at the range yesterday..

Heck, try shootin' your ramrod through the 50 yard target in front of 15 guys! :x

[bob208]

i was at a match and had to pull the nipple and work powder in so many times the range officer told me it was a muzzle loading shoot not a breach loader shoot.

[JSnover]

Holy carp! If you're holding 2-3" @300 don't feel too embarrassed. I own a rifle that will do that but my eyes aren't up to it lately.

[oldracer]

I learned many, many years ago about setting up a series of "steps" or plan to not miss anything. When I raced motorcycles I would habitually forget my steel bottomed shoes so I started a thing like "shoes - socks - pants - shirt - jacket - gloves - helmet" while physically touching each item in the race bag. Same when bicycle racing and later on sports car racing. I have a sort of method like this for the guns where all cleaning rods and funnels, hearing protection are kept in the car. The bullets, powder, etc are kept in one place as are the guns so........

[Newtire]

I learned many, many years ago about setting up a series of "steps" or plan to not miss anything. When I raced motorcycles I would habitually forget my steel bottomed shoes so I started a thing like "shoes - socks - pants - shirt - jacket - gloves - helmet" while physically touching each item in the race bag. Same when bicycle racing and later on sports car racing. I have a sort of method like this for the guns where all cleaning rods and funnels, hearing protection are kept in the car. The bullets, powder, etc are kept in one place as are the guns so........I would try that but would just bring the wrong gun. Like someone mentioned already, bring multiple guns. That little trick really came in handy for Samuel Jackson in "The Long Kiss Goodnight" though. Go rent the movie.

[Sharpsman]

Order it by the case!!

[dagger dog]

Heck, try shootin' your ramrod through the 50 yard target in front of 15 guys! :x

Great ! I'm not the only one !

Shot my Pedersoli Enfield Musketoon with 60 gr FFg a 505 gr minie and at least a 400 gr ramrod that nearly dislocated my shoulder, only the wife was present she decided she didn't want to shoot it that day after seeing it nearly knock me off the bench. Lucky it didn't harm the rifle.

Couldn't find the ramrod, it cut the target and poly backboard in two pieces right down the vertical center.

[waarp8nt]

If we are telling stories on ourselves...I was a teenager when this happened to me...

I was shooting my dads 45 cal box lock muzzleloader. Things were going well until I ran a cleaning patch down the barrel and couldn't pull it back up. Being a farm kid or at least leaving in the country, I figured I could handle this... I grabbed a piece of leather to wrap around the "ram rod" and a hand held nut cracker out of the junk drawer...even though a vice grip, channel lock or whatever brand of pliers would have worked better. Knowing the age old family tradition of grunting loud and going for broke, I pulled like the dickens and the ram rod came out and landed on the ground along with the nut cracker and chunk of leather. Upon closer inspection of the ram rod something was missing...the brass end and the jag attached to it. I tried with no luck to blow through the barrel...so not only the cleaning patch, but the brass end and jag were in the barrel too. At that point I gave up and waited for the old man to get home...he was a dayshift foreman in Maintenance at a local factory and quite an accomplished mechanic with welding and machining skills. He came in the house and I met him at the door to explain what I had done, I figured out early it was easier to man up and tell him how it was rather than to try to hide it. While he wasn't happy I shortly understood he wasn't going to kill me. He made me fix it...while he sat over me. We took the nipple out and put a little powder in the hole. Dad had me put a cap on it and he directed me to step outside. Snapped the cap off, nothing but a sound similar to a cap gun...absolutely no boom. We tried it again with similar results. The third time was the charm and the old smoke pole went boom. I could then blow through the barrel. I went back into the house somewhat excited and shouted "we got it". The excitement quickly when away when the old man asked "did you find the brass end and jag?" My head dropped a little before I replied "NO"...
Even though I had a pretty good idea where the entry hole was in the ground, digging up about half the yard, with a spade, to find the brass end and jag proved to be unsuccessful.

[Grantb]

Do you have a metal detector? I use one to find lost arrows - works good.