Ryan Sabalow

ryan.sabalow@indystar.com

Indiana conservation officers say a shooter inadvertently turned a rifle into a grenade when it was loaded with the wrong kind of gunpowder.

On Monday, Department of Natural Resources officers posted a photo on Facebook showing a black muzzle-loading rifle that had been blasted to pieces.

"This is what can happen when you shoot smokeless powder out of a muzzleloader designed for black powder," the post read.

The caption on the photo said the Martin County would-be shooter lost a couple of fingers in the accident.

It's currently legal to use muzzleloader firearms to hunt deer in Indiana.

Modern muzzleloading rifles are similar to muskets and long-rifles that were used before the advent of modern bullets. With these guns, black powder and the projectile are packed into a rifle barrel using a ramrod.

As this unfortunate shooter learned, using more potent modern smokeless powder in a gun designed for black powder can have disastrous consequences.

Call Star reporter Ryan Sabalow at (317) 444-6179. Follow him on Twitter:@ryansabalow.