shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good (video added)

[alzheimershooter]

so i have signed up completely anonomously because i am embarrassed to ask this but,,,,,,,,,,i can't believe it. i have a remington ultimate muzzle loader, the newer style. i was shooting it today, getting it ready for black powder season, i go to shoot my fifth shot and it goes off like a howitzer. i couldn't believe it. i had actually weighed all my load, it was a super light load, 70 gr by weight of blackhorn 209. anyway, kicks like a mule, the gun flies out of my hands and off my shoulder. i was shooting off of a bench. i came home tonight, and went out to investigate what went wrong, looked over all my pre weighed charges and then looked at my gun,,,, my ramrod is gone. i shot the damn rod at a target 200 yds away.

my question is, the gun looks fine, the barrel looks fine, but can i trust it. should i go shoot it again. please i don't need a bunch of folks telling me i am an idiot and am lucky to be alive. i get it.

the ram rod basically added a huge amount of weight to the bullet plus maybe deformed the bullet more. but was it a barrel obstruction? that could have weakened the barrel.

i have to know, does this happen every now and then? these guys showed up at the range just as i was loading and wanted to go down and set up targets, i must have got distracted when i waved them to go down. crap!

how big of a deal is this? please be nice with responses. thanks

https://youtu.be/rMB-cbhTvr8

 

[Semisane]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

You're not the first and won't be the last. I've only done it once many years ago. I'm still shooting that gun.

It's unlikely the gun is damaged. Run a tight patch down the barrel and see if you feel a very loose spot along the way indicating a bulge in the barrel. And place a straight edge along the outside barrel for the same purposes. Then shoot a moderate load and check the breech plug for leakage. You'll probably be good to go.

 

[Idaholewis]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

If the Rod was sitting against the Bullet, or very close to it it’s highly unlikely you hurt anything. I read a lot on Barrel Bulges, From what I’ve read it seems to be more likely to happen the Farther up the barrel the obstruction is, A good Example being- A patched Roundball Short Started only, Then Fired.

Like Semi said, Run a Patched Jag down your bore slowly, feeling for an “Odd” Spot. I doubt you hurt anything

 

[Busta]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Oh I think something was damaged for sure? His pride!

Will the real ramrod shooter, please stand up? Come clean!

How much does the Remington Ultimate ramrod weigh? Before shooting? After?

Look at the bright side, your rifle has been proof tested.

Did you get a case of scope eye, or pant load?

Need more information to give you my full assessment.

 

[ENCORE50A]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

...........It's unlikely the gun is damaged. Run a tight patch down the barrel and see if you feel a very loose spot along the way indicating a bulge in the barrel...……..

Very solid advice above.

Even with the additional weight of the ramrod and shooting just 70grs by weight of BH, my assumption is that the barrel will be fine, along with the breech plug. Those barrels and breech plugs are rated for 200grs of black powder or substitutes, and according to actual testing by Western, 160grs by VOLUME of BH209. Although you increased the pressure with the ramrod, if you follow Semisane's advice and you don't find a VERY loose spot, your barrel should be fine.

Side note........... unless you have had your breech plug replaced with the new AGS Gen2 breech plug, your rifle IS NOT WARRANTED when shooting BH209. Remington will not warrant the rifle or replace gas cut breech plugs anymore when shooters are using BH209. I would suggest that if you intend to shoot BH209 from your RUM, you highly consider the AGS breech plug.

 

[Idaholewis]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Did you get a case of scope eye, or pant load?

Need more information to give you my full assessment.

Busta :lol: :lol: I have yet to shoot a Ramrod out of a Gun, I know an older Guy here that use to do it for Fun, Him and Friends Many years ago, Long before i knew him or even lived here. He told me They Shot arrows, Ramrods, Sticks, etc. Denny told me if it Fit down the Barrel they Shot it! They obviously didn’t care about their Rifles to be doing that sorta thing for fun

 

[Dougs136Schwartz]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

I did the same thing out of a Knight MK85 years and years ago . 80 grains of FF Black with sabots and a 250 Barnes Expander . Like someone else has said your not the first person nor will you be the last . It did not hurt my gun but like busta said it hurt my pride . It literally knocked me on my a$$. I was shooting in a kneeling position and was soon on my butt and back ! Recoil was unreal gun flew out of my hand .

I'm glad you and your gun is ok lesson is learned. Be safe and good luck

 

[52Bore]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

In the 1990’s, 2 shooters at Friendship shot the rifles 1/4” steel ramrod out of their PH Vol or Whitworth rifles (these are full stock Enfield style rifles) in the same week long match on the LR silhouette line. The steel rods were found about 50-75 yards downrange - slightly bent, but not bad.
Recoil was quite stout according to the shooters, just as everyone has indicated. Rifles were inspected, inside and out and they continued on in the next relay.
The reason its probably not seen more often at Friendship on our line is that most everyone uses a range rod.
Glad all seems ok with your rifle, enjoy your shooting.

 

[Boomer]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Have seen and heard of worse.

Personally, I have ’dryballed’ once. Had a chatterbox talking to me at the range while I was loading and shooting a MLer. When I messed up and forgot a powder charge it took me a few minutes to figure out what happened. Range rod was marked and I had preloaded charges. Just missed some things on my pre-shot ‘checklist’. All the while having to listen to Mr. Chatterbox then tell me how unreliable MLs were. Put the gun away until he left and then pulled the load. Not blaming the guy, I’m the one that let myself get distracted. Reason for telling this that we are reloading as we shoot and have to pay attention and have ways of checking ourselves throughout the process. Have you figured out why or how you left the ramrod in the barrel? Identify cause and find a way to eliminate it so it doesn’t happen again. I have become what some consider anti social at the range. Unless I have the gun in the rack I ignore any comments or questions. Gets some odd looks, and have stopped trying to explain. Found non-muzzleloaders don’t understand. Asked one guy if he surfed the internet or talked on the phone while he was reloading. Told me it wasn’t the same. Ear plugs and sidesheilds on your shooting glasses are your friends.

Unfortunately, double loads, short loads and ramrods left in the barrel happen when we least expect it. Go over to the Green Board. The SML crowd there discusses these types of events and how to check your gun afterwards on a fairly ‘regular’ basis. Their margin of safety error and results are much more catastrophic with smokeless when compared to BP and its substitutes. There is a thread from about two weeks ago on a bulged barrel that you may find interesting.

Good luck. Hopefully only your pride was hurt. Could have been a lot worse.

 

[alzheimershooter]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Oh I think something was damaged for sure? His pride!

Will the real ramrod shooter, please stand up? Come clean!

How much does the Remington Ultimate ramrod weigh? Before shooting? After?

Look at the bright side, your rifle has been proof tested.

Did you get a case of scope eye, or pant load?

Need more information to give you my full assessment.

well, i am certainly not well known here, i think this is my only account on here. yes, my pride has been wounded for sure but i also hurt something else as well. black powder is not my usual thing, i only do it because kids here who have jr tags can hunt all seasons. my daughter killed a very nice buck we had mounted with this rifle a couple years ago. (did i word that right?, she DID NOT shoot a mounted deer head hanging on the wall)

i did not get scope eye cause i have williams peep sight, scopes not allowed here on ML's. i usually shoot PRS style stuff, so i am used to shooting prone and i had been shooting the ml prone until that fateful day yesterday, i shot off a bench where i couldn't load the bipod. and a contributing factor is when i shoot prs, i will bring my thumb over to the right side, my trigger finger side, to reduce interference. so when the gun went off, i wasn't driving it like i should have on the bench, so the unbelieavable recoil sent the trigger guard into my middle finger. so that is what i hurt, no poop or scope eye. i picked up and went the ortho cause i knew i needed a hand xray. fortunately, no fractures, just a really bruised middle finger that i can't move much. (i know there is some good joke material there)

i dont' have the ramrod cause i didn't realize what had happened until that night when i "noticed" it was gone and it all clicked. i don't know how much it weighs but i can tell you for sure, the recoil increased to a crazy level. i can attest to that.

i am just saying, no one probably knows me on here. i am on lot of forums though.

so waht is your assessment? thanks!

 

[alzheimershooter]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Have seen and heard of worse.

Personally, I have ’dryballed’ once. Had a chatterbox talking to me at the range while I was loading and shooting a MLer. When I messed up and forgot a powder charge it took me a few minutes to figure out what happened. Range rod was marked and I had preloaded charges. Just missed some things on my pre-shot ‘checklist’. All the while having to listen to Mr. Chatterbox then tell me how unreliable MLs were. Put the gun away until he left and then pulled the load. Not blaming the guy, I’m the one that let myself get distracted. Reason for telling this that we are reloading as we shoot and have to pay attention and have ways of checking ourselves throughout the process. Have you figured out why or how you left the ramrod in the barrel? Identify cause and find a way to eliminate it so it doesn’t happen again. I have become what some consider anti social at the range. Unless I have the gun in the rack I ignore any comments or questions. Gets some odd looks, and have stopped trying to explain. Found non-muzzleloaders don’t understand. Asked one guy if he surfed the internet or talked on the phone while he was reloading. Told me it wasn’t the same. Ear plugs and sidesheilds on your shooting glasses are your friends.

Unfortunately, double loads, short loads and ramrods left in the barrel happen when we least expect it. Go over to the Green Board. The SML crowd there discusses these types of events and how to check your gun afterwards on a fairly ‘regular’ basis. Their margin of safety error and results are much more catastrophic with smokeless when compared to BP and its substitutes. There is a thread from about two weeks ago on a bulged barrel that you may find interesting.

Good luck. Hopefully only your pride was hurt. Could have been a lot worse.

i defintely want to now make some sort of check list. what is the green board, is it on here? and what is sml, something muzzle loader? i assume. can i ask you where the bulged barrel thread is, somethings those threads are buried in categories and sub categories.

and what happened was i was on a narrow range by myself, part of a bigger complex. and 2 guys drive up to shoot. so as i was finishing the pushing the bullet down, i got so caught up in being courteous and friendly on the range, and they want to go put up targets, and one guy goes to do it and theother is setting up their rifles, so like normal friendly conversation ensues and i totally forget to pull out the dang rod. when the gun practtically leaps out of my hand, i think they didn't know it wasn't normal, at least they didn't notice. i sure as hell noticed.

from now on, NOTHING WILL DISTRACT ME when shooting ML.

 

[alzheimershooter]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

and thank you to everyone for your helpful info. i feel much more optomistic now

 

[Boomer]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Tough cause and effect lesson.

FYI, Green Board refers to ‘Doug’s Message Boards’. SML refers to ‘Smokeless Muzzleloading’. Doug’s has a board called ‘Savage/Smokeless Muzzleloading’. Will send you a PM with direct link to post, not sure it is legal here to post links to other muzzleloading forums.

 

[Boomer]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Sent you a PM with direct link.

Do a search on Doug’s and you should find more than one thread on buldged barrels. Serious topic with that group.

 

[ENCORE50A]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Just understand, you CAN NOT shoot smokeless from your Remington Ultimate.

 

[Boomer]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Should have CLEARLY stated that. Different game. Smokeless in the wrong gun/barrel will put you and everyone around you in the hospital or worse.

 

[alzheimershooter]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

yes, absolutely understand and knew that. i just use blackhorn and i think i tried the triple7 pellets once.

i have just started weighing my charges and have always kept them in little tubes. not sure if it makes a difference but it is actually faster that way. i make sure no other powders are around when i am working with one particular powder.

 

[alzheimershooter]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

You're not the first and won't be the last. I've only done it once many years ago. I'm still shooting that gun.

It's unlikely the gun is damaged. Run a tight patch down the barrel and see if you feel a very loose spot along the way indicating a bulge in the barrel. And place a straight edge along the outside barrel for the same purposes. Then shoot a moderate load and check the breech plug for leakage. You'll probably be good to go.

by the way, how would you check it, just look inside and see if any black carbon has come around/thru the threads?

 

[ENCORE50A]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

You're not the first and won't be the last. I've only done it once many years ago. I'm still shooting that gun.

It's unlikely the gun is damaged. Run a tight patch down the barrel and see if you feel a very loose spot along the way indicating a bulge in the barrel. And place a straight edge along the outside barrel for the same purposes. Then shoot a moderate load and check the breech plug for leakage. You'll probably be good to go.

by the way, how would you check it, just look inside and see if any black carbon has come around/thru the threads?

If you think you need to check the breech plug, you can remove it on the Remingtons. You will need a long 1/4" extension and IIRC its torqued to 90 inch pounds. That ignition system is STRONG, very STRONG, and there's most likely nothing wrong with it. You'll bulge the barrel before you damage that breech plug with pressure. If you damage the breech plug in that RUM, lots of stuff is going to happen before the breech plug goes.
I'd be more worried about a bulge than anything else and that's highly doubted. Do exactly as Semisane said, run a tight patch down the barrel to the breech plug slowly. If you bulged the barrel in any spot, your patch will immediately move extremely freely at the bulge.
You are right to be concerned, never let anyone tell you different. You just need to confirm you didn't bulge the barrel, then go shoot it without interuptions.

 

[Busta]

Re: shot my ramrod out of my gun, is it still good

Oh I think something was damaged for sure? His pride!

Will the real ramrod shooter, please stand up? Come clean!

How much does the Remington Ultimate ramrod weigh? Before shooting? After?

Look at the bright side, your rifle has been proof tested.

Did you get a case of scope eye, or pant load?

Need more information to give you my full assessment.

well, i am certainly not well known here, i think this is my only account on here. yes, my pride has been wounded for sure but i also hurt something else as well. black powder is not my usual thing, i only do it because kids here who have jr tags can hunt all seasons. my daughter killed a very nice buck we had mounted with this rifle a couple years ago. (did i word that right?, she DID NOT shoot a mounted deer head hanging on the wall)

i did not get scope eye cause i have williams peep sight, scopes not allowed here on ML's. i usually shoot PRS style stuff, so i am used to shooting prone and i had been shooting the ml prone until that fateful day yesterday, i shot off a bench where i couldn't load the bipod. and a contributing factor is when i shoot prs, i will bring my thumb over to the right side, my trigger finger side, to reduce interference. so when the gun went off, i wasn't driving it like i should have on the bench, so the unbelieavable recoil sent the trigger guard into my middle finger. so that is what i hurt, no poop or scope eye. i picked up and went the ortho cause i knew i needed a hand xray. fortunately, no fractures, just a really bruised middle finger that i can't move much. (i know there is some good joke material there)

i dont' have the ramrod cause i didn't realize what had happened until that night when i "noticed" it was gone and it all clicked. i don't know how much it weighs but i can tell you for sure, the recoil increased to a crazy level. i can attest to that.

i am just saying, no one probably knows me on here. i am on lot of forums though.

so waht is your assessment? thanks!

I have checked out the RUM's several times and almost purchased one back in 2014, but they had some early barrel issues that quenched that idea. I guess those have been long taken care of, and it's now water under the bridge. They are solid rifles, and heavy comes along with that. I can't recall ever pulling the ramrod out and giving it the once over. Is it solid aluminum or tube?

Just trying to get a handle on the weight?

I would follow Semisane's advice with the tight fitting patch on a jag, to see if there is any loose spot in the bore, especially where the powder and bullet were sitting. Also the straight edge on the outside of the barrel checking for any bulged area.

Your probably going to be just fine on the rifle. Sorry to hear you hurt your finger, but it could have been much worse. Just make sure you check it out good first before shooting again. The others had already gave you great advice, and thinking you came out unscathed, I made a sad attempt at some comic relief.

Distractions at the range have got to account for over 90% of the double loads, shooting ramrods. Dry balling, etc,. I have a 100 meter range about 75 steps out my back door, with no distractions. I like it that way, and would be out there right now if not for the rain. I've found myself dry balled once, and with wet balls more times than I can count over the last 45 years, but I've never even come close to shooting a ramrod, yet. I hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Be safe, don't get distracted, keep your powder dry, your balls wet, and your ramrod in the thimbles. Fire in the hole! :mrgreen: