wabi

Courtesy photo - DELANEY CREEK BOTTOMS — Derrick W. Edwards’ muzzleloader after it exploded. Pieces of the firearm were found 7 inches deep in the ground. Edwards’ arm was injured, but he was treated and released.



DELANEY CREEK BOTTOMS — Derrick W. Edwards of Indianapolis was injured when his muzzleloader exploded after he finished deer hunting Sunday in Washington County.

Edwards, 46, suffered a laceration to his left forearm, and was treated and released at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour.

He was injured while attempting to unload his .54-caliber muzzleloader at the end of his hunt.

“Derrick W. Edwards also told investigators that he had loaded the muzzleloader with modern smokeless gunpowder instead of the required black powder,” according to an Indiana Conservation Officers news release. “Conservation officers recovered the firearm from Mr. Edwards and located pieces of the gun driven as deep as 7 inches into the ground at the accident scene.”

Muzzleloaders should always be loaded with black powder or the appropriate substitute. They are not manufactured to withstand the extreme pressures generated from modern smokeless gun powder.

“Mr. Edwards was extremely lucky he didn’t see a deer while hunting this morning,” stated Indiana Conservation Officer Phil Nale in the release. “Had he fired the firearms while shouldered near his head, his injuries could have been much worse.”

frontier gander

ouch. And that aint no spanish made rifle either. Didnt push the load down perhaps?

gleason.chapman

He shot smokeless powder in it, not very bright thing to do with a BP gun. Chap Gleason

Semisane

[quote]“Derrick W. Edwards also told investigators that he had loaded the muzzleloader with modern smokeless gunpowder instead of the required black powder,”[/quote]

Pay attention Gander. There will be a test at the end of the thread!

frontier gander

i didnt read it all, im busy cleaning the deer creek.

Sharp Shooter

Will I need my #2 pensil for this?

cayugad

This is exactly what anti gun people love to see... idiots with rifles. He loaded smokeless powder. I mean come on people, how stupid is this? Did the personthink he was going to get an edge using smokeless powder? Or was he really so uninformed that he did not understand the concept of smokeless powder VS black powder. I would guess that his .54 caliber Renegade would not be covered under T/C's life time warranty for this.

The person responsible is lucky he was not seriously injured, or killed. Also, perhaps injured someone else standing near that bomb when it went off would not have stood a chance... Wabi thanks for the posting.

While many of us find an incident like this just amazing that someone would or could try this, believe me.. there are many out there that have little clue as to how to safetly shoot muzzleloaders. Which is one reason I am so thankful for a forum like this and members like we have, willing to explain things and point out tips and reasons why one thing might be good, while another might not. That is why we often times state.. There is no such thing as a dumb question...

RugerMike

This had nothing to do with a bad or dumb question. This happened in Indiana and the guy did not have a clue what a muzzleloader was made for or what to use in it. Just plain ignorance of anything to do with muzzleloading or deer hunting for that matter. Words to the wise take a hunter education course and know your firearm and what it intended use is, and know your target and what is on the other side of it!!
It is unbelievable the misshaps that accure with todays laws and training available. Plumb senseless, the stupidity going on out there. And we wonder why our rights to bare arms is in danger!!!

frontier gander

Says to shoot blackpowder ONLY stamped right into the barrel. Some people probably think, ah i'll just put some powder in and it should be fine.

Question is, If he was hunting with it, How did he sight it in?

wabi

Don't know any details other than what was posted (copied off another forum) but it brings a question to mind.
It looks like an early T/C Renegade. I'm not sure when they were first produced (1970s ?), but did the early models have the "Black Powder Only" stamp on the barrel????
I had a Renegade .54 flintlock way back then, but I can't remember much about it except it was one of those I should have held on to! I had the old vernier tang sight on it and could shoot squirrel's heads off with it at 25 yards. (and that .530 round ball would remove their heads )
I doubt if he ever shot it before hunting with it. Probably bought it with the assurance it was "dead-on" and just loaded it up and went hunting. (Someone stupid enough to use smokeless powder would easily be stupid enough to do that, too!)