Anyone know anything more about this?

[tac]

http://www.kcci.com/news/sheriff-teen-killed-when-gun-she-was-loading-discharges/30442336

Whatever else it is, it's a real tragedy for all concerned, especially her gunstore-owning parents.

tac

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[clearconscience]

Man that's sad. And you can only imagine her loading a muzzle loader she was probably injured in the face or neck.

If something happened to my baby I don't know if I could live. She is my world. My thoughts and prayers go the parents.

 

[Joe13]

Super Sad

 

[Monica Cowles]

Wow....how does that happen?

 

[U201491]

TRAER | The North Tama School District is planning a time today to grieve and comfort the family, friends and schoolmates of a young girl killed in a hunting accident.
Friends and others who knew Liesel Casto, 12, of Traer, will gather from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the junior high commons area.
Nt BASIC, a religious organization in the community, will offer a spaghetti meal from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Memorial Building, 414 Second St. Donations will be accepted to help the Casto family with expenses.
The fatal incident happened Saturday morning, according to the Tama County Sheriff's Office. Three family members were preparing muzzleloaders to hunt deer. Casto's rifle discharged as she was loading the muzzleloader, according to the sheriff's office.
The Tama County Sheriff's Office and Traer ambulance service responded about 7:45 a.m. Saturday.
Casto's parents are Joshua and Joie Casto. Joshua owns and operates Casto Armory, a gun and gunsmith shop at 539 Second St. According to the business' website, the company specializes in muzzleloaders and reproductions.
Liesel Casto was active in shooting sports and the Tama County Young Guns 4-H Club. Her father serves the organization as a shooting coach.

 

[Joe13]

Wow....how does that happen?

+1...

I know modern firearms but little about Muzzel loaded weapons. I wouldn't mind someone with some experience with them giving some insights as too how this may have happened.

 

[tac]

Well, I've been a muzzle-loader since the late 1960s, rifle and handgun, and never seen an accident occur during loading. With a rifle, the gun is placed on the ground or on your foot, and the muzzle most carefully kept pointing well-away from your face - you NEVER put your face near or over the muzzle, for obvious reasons.

However, there is a lot we don't know here - what kind of a muzzle-loader was it, that could 'discharge itself' while being loaded? Was it one of the recently developed inline guns, that often look exactly like a heavy-barrelled nitro bolt-action, but use powder pellets and a #209 shotgun primer, that somehow went off? I'm having a hard time trying to figure it out, to tell the truth, and I'm less than happy with the sloppy reporting.

If it was a conventional muzzle loader, then the charge goes down the barrel, followed by the patched ball or REAL-style bullet or Minié bullet. IF there was still a spark in the chamber from the previous shot, then leaving the hammer down would likely have prevented it from developing, since the air forced down the barrel and out of the nipple would not have been there to fan the spark into a full-blown burn, setting off the charge. I was taught to always leave that hammer firmly over the spent cap from the previous shot, and only to cap it when ready.

I doubt we'll ever hear what really happened in this awful event, but I'll be watching over on muzzleloadingforum.com where I found the post.

So sad, eh?

tac

 

[Medic!]

I'm not trying to diminish the girls death. The loss of a young person is the greatest tragedy.
I know. I lost my only brother to a motorcycle accident when he was 26.
But as far as this girls death relates to a firearm?

According to the CDC. There are about 3,533 Non-boating related drowning's per year. About ten per day.
But when was the last time you read an article about a drowning?

The media would like you to believe gun deaths are something more than they are. When the reality is, they hold no monopoly on senseless deaths. Water, cars, motorcycles, and guns will all kill you. The moment you loose respect for them.

Remember to that guns save many lives each day. But where are those stories?

 

[Just Jim]

Just like teaching your kid to drive a car, sometimes people get killed.

 

[U201491]

BP is susceptible to static charges, or maybe had a cap on and the hammer cocked yet,
no telling, but rare with BP.

 

[RVTECH]

I too am in the long - term Muzzle loader 'camp' and likewise NEVER an accident - or even anything close. While a 'cook off' is technically possible I have never heard of one happening and while their are stories of them happening most were due to rapid reloading such as during the Civil War. Even then as previously mentioned if proper loading techniques are used (such as the muzzle away from the face) then some powder burned fingers might be the only injury. I am thinking this will come out much differently than reported as a discharge while loading.

 

[Flopsweat]

I too am in the long - term Muzzle loader 'camp' and likewise NEVER an accident - or even anything close. While a 'cook off' is technically possible I have never heard of one happening and while their are stories of them happening most were due to rapid reloading such as during the Civil War. Even then as previously mentioned if proper loading techniques are used (such as the muzzle away from the face) then some powder burned fingers might be the only injury. I am thinking this will come out much differently than reported as a discharge while loading.

Makes sense. Unlikely to be a rapid reloading issue since they were reportedly loading up for a hunting trip. So sad no matter how it turns out that it happened.

 

[Caveman Jim]

So sad to hear of this, will be hugging my daughter a little tighter the next time I see her....

 

[Capn Jack]

I'm with RVTECH...

Muzzle loading, revolvers, single shot pistols and rifles. Never a problem. Mine were all conventional though.
I've never used an in-line as they've only recently become legal to hunt with locally.

Static electricity... IMHO There had to be a cap in place.

 

[tac]

Right now details are almost non-existent. No doubt the anti's will keep us posted.

Twelve-y/o girl and a long muzzle loading rifle?

I don't want to go there, me.

Stay safe, all you guys out there, my long-distance buddies.

tac

 

[Mark W.]

Shot Muzzle loaders in competition for almost 20 years.

If it was a "spark" then it would have happened as the powder was being dumped into the barrel. Result big puff of fire and smoke. Worst result would be blinding the loader and burn fingers, face, and hair.

If it was as a result of an ignition. Then the most likely cause would be 1. there was either a cap on the nipple and the hammer was in the cocked position or if a Flint lock then again the hammer would have to be back and locked as well as the Frizzin would have had to have been closed with a priming charge in the pan (extremely unlikely). Then as the ball was being tamped down against the powder the jarring action caused the set trigger to trip the lock causing the rifle to fire while pointing up towards the face.

THE SERIOUS BREACH OF SAFETY HERE IS TO NEVER PRIME OR CAP A MUZZLE LOADER UNTIL READY TO FIRE.

I witnessed a number of times people leaning over the ram rod to try and gain leverage to help push the ball past a powder ring near the chamber area of the barrel. This put part of their body or head over the muzzle.

I once witnessed a guy at a night candle shoot load his flint lock rifle and fail to properly cap his powder horn as he stepped up to the firing line the horn was dumping almost a 1/2 pound of powder on the ground from where he had been standing to the firing line. When he touched off his rifle sparks fell to the ground igniting the powder piled up on the ground. For a good period of time anyone looking towards the firing line (there were about shooters in 4 or 5 lines waiting to step up and shoot out the candles in the semi darkness) went flash blind and couldn't see a thing.

Luckily the shooter who screwed up and those closest to the flash were wearing leather pants and avoided any serious burns.

Needless to say the event was ended.

 

[tac]

We'll never know the truth about this until somebody tells it.

tac

 

[Capn Jack]

We'll never know the truth about this until somebody tells it.

tac

That about sums it up tac.