two college friends who had been drinking decieded to take their muzzle-loading riffle and load it with a highlighter. they then stood 12 feet apart and the one friend aimed the rifle at the other friend and fired the highliter, which broke his ribs and ruptured his heart, killing him. is this possible? is it also possible to shoot pens, pencils, and glue sticks as well? would they be fatal?

If they will fit down the barrel they can be fired out of it. Whether or not they are lethal depends on the weight, velocity, and where it hits.

Your story shows why alcohol should be kept out of the reach of young children.

Once, during an overnight camp at a re-enactment, we shot lightsticks from a Brown Bess. They were rather pretty as they flew through the air.

We , over a period of years and at various times, tried shooting different things out of muzzle loaders. The previous poster is right, if it fits down the barrel, it will come out. Usually a lot faster, occasionally in little pieces.

quote:

If they will fit down the barrel they can be fired out of it. Whether or not they are lethal depends on the weight, velocity, and where it hits.

40 some years ago, I was visiting my cousin, and he had just put together one of those single shot muzzleloading pistols that you could get in kit form.

I asked him what he shot in it, and he said: "Pretty much anything that fits down the barrel."

His favorite "bullet" was a chunk of pea gravel, IIRC.

He used the cap off of the powder can for a measure, level full, then some wadded up newspaper, then the "bullet," then a bit more newspaper.

It went BOOM quite nicely, but I don't recall if we ever hit the target...

Somehow, he and I survived this, and now he is one of the best shots I have ever seen, and is quite safe with guns, and I don't think his son or grandson have ever tried the old "pea gravel in the muzzleloader trick..."

I reckon we were around 12-13 or so when we were doing this....

quote:

Originally posted by rick4070:
Somehow, he and I survived this, and now he is one of the best shots I have ever seen, and is quite safe with guns, and I don't think his son or grandson have ever tried the old "pea gravel in the muzzleloader trick..."

Just goes to show, acting the maggot can be a good thing