Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters John, Some Interesting Stuff You Might Want For An Article...

I wonder just how much consideration they gave to muzzleloaders?
Not from the bullets but from the sparks emanating from the muzzle when the gun is shot. Case in point. It was back in 1975 or maybe 1976 when I bought my first muzzle loader, a .50 cal. T/C Hawken. I'd case up a few balls to try the gun out and that night my hunting partner and I went out to shoot a few Jak rabbits. I brought the T/C with me to give it a try on one of the bunnies. While ouit on the great rabbit safari we ran into the son of one of my co-workers so we stopped to BS a while. I was showing my co-workers son how to load the gun when a very dumb bunnie moved into the fringe of our headlights. So I capped the gun at took a shot at the rabbit. Big old flash and shower of sparks that landed in that dry grass. That grass was like gun powder and it took us 20 hard minutes to put that fire out. Good thing there wasn't a lot of wind. I decided hunting with that smokepole wasn't all that good an idea and sold the gun. I still shoot muzzleloaders on occasion, usually as a demo on range day in the Hunter Ed program.
Paul B.

Never mind that fire safe cigarettes are the law these days, as well as campfire restrictions during Red Flag conditions.

We are collectively learning how to lessen the chances of human caused fire. Unfortunately, idiots don't always listen.....

Add in the ones caused by sparking power lines in high winds.

Thanks for those links. Looks like promiscuous target shooting has to be stopped during periods of high fire danger. But that would be "common sense" that might not be so common.

I've shot steel plates while doing T&E on rifle scopes during failing light, and right up until it was too dark to shoot, and have seen sparks on impact almost everytime, even at long range. The plates shot were mild steel. I shot AR500 plates as well, and saw no sparks on impact. Makes sense when you see what a bullet does to mild steel.

When we go into fire season, all public and private lands fall under similar fire restrictions. Campfires, smoking and all forestry operations are subject to restrictions depending on which of 4 levels of conditions are in place. In Level 4 the forest lands (whether private or public) are essentially shut down. We were very close to Level 4 last year as it was very dry, hot and all of our fire fighting resources (plus resources from throughout the nation) were already committed to the 75,000 acres of fires that were already burning.

I still remember the last fire I worked on here in northwest Montana a few years ago. We sent in a total of 8 people to work a 1 acre fire for the first two weeks rather than just hire a crew of 30 people to stamp it out in a day or two. This is the forest service utilizing there highly educated personnel. Finally after two weeks of the most pathetic attempt to put out a fire I have ever witnessed they ended up calling in more than 50 large equipment and more than 100 personnel to fight what was now a raging forest fire. This pathetic little fire was nothing more than a $20,000 expenditure at best yet in the end cost the taxpayers just over $37,000,000.

I've witnessed this sort of thing on way more than one fire. It is pathetic and ignorance to the highest degree.

Shod

I've seen the same thing in low light.Sparks off the mild steel stand if I hit it, but nothing off the AR500.

Most woodsmen are fairly practical and tend to be common sense type individuals.

If John were to write an article containing any of this nonsence the forest service is doing and portray it in a positive light he would lose most of his readers overnight!

Shod

Depends how information is presented... you give too little credit to his readers.

Brad,

A study to find out why the world economy is in dire straights due to ignorance and uncontrolled spending that is threating the sportsman's way of life along with the very existence of humanity is likely something Johns readers may far more appreciate.

I give the intelligence of the sportsman all the credit in the world while you on the other hand are giving them very little.

With that said I want to say this post is not meant in anyway to affend or express animosity towards you.

Shod

Odd things do start fires. In NM a few years back, the forest rangers started a "controlled burn" but did not do their job properly - and burned out a big chunk of the city of Los Alamos. Now they call those "prescribed" burns - really can't expect control, eh?

Simple solution,get some ice bullets from the CIA.