http://www.lexingtonleader.com/story38.shtml
Gun Recoil Claims Life of 12 Year Old Boy


Lee County Sheriff Chief Deputy Rodney Meyer leads the investigation of the death Marcus Wall. The investigation continues into the accident.
- A 12-year-old San Antonio boy died Saturday afternoon south of Giddings when he was struck on the top of the head by the recoil of a Ruger .454 gun he was firing. The boy, identified by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office as Marcus Wall, was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Paul Fischer.

Sheriff’s Deputy Rodney Meyer stated that the victim and his father, Marc Wall, were with friends dove hunting on the Zoch place off County Road 233. Deputy Meyer reported that when the hunters took a break for lunch, they began shooting a variety of guns owned within the group. The Ruger .454 Casull was purportedly owned by Joe Ramsey of Austin.

According to the Sheriff’s report, when Marcus asked to shoot the Ruger, Ramsey told the young boy the gun was too large for him to shoot. However, allegedly it was later “ OK’ed for him [Marcus] to shoot the gun”. The report did not identify who gave permission for the child to shoot, though Ramsey stood by the boy when he fired.

From the Sheriff’s account of the incident, Marcus was instructed how to hold and shoot the gun. “Mr. Ramsey assisted the victim [when taking aim] by holding his hand above the victim’s [hands] for the recoil,” explained Deputy Meyer.

When the gun was fired, the gun recoiled upward, hitting Marcus in the head causing head trauma. The gun’s owner, Ramsey, received injury to his fingers but was not transported for medical attention.

The Sheriff’s Office 911 dispatch received two calls reporting the incident, though only the second caller could identify their location. Deputy Mike York advised dispatch that he was in the area and had been flagged down and directed to the location. Upon arrival at the scene, Deputy York radioed to dispatch to cancel the call for an ambulance and to send out a Justice of the Peace.

The recoil velocity of the Ruger .454 has been noted for its strength for some time. In a May 2001 article in Shooting Times, author Dick Metcalf reported that “...when the .454 Casull version of the Super Redhawk was introduced in 1999, Ruger spokesmen candidly acknowledged they did not expect the new chambering to be shot a lot for casual plinking or for steel-target competition. Its recoil was simply too severe.”

Deputy Meyer stated that the case is still under investigation.

I read this last week.

The suspicion is the 12 year old failed to have his
elbows locked, and had the gun closer to himself
than he normally would, in order for his father to
have his hands near the gun.

With elbows locked, an injury like this is virtually
impossible.

With elbows unlocked, and the gun brought closer
to his head, an injury like this is almost certain
for an inexperienced shooter.

It is unfortunate, but I feel the father is more to blame
than anyone.

Dave

Very tragic indeed.

That is very sad :(

That is a SAD, SAD story..
If it was not for the fact the boy died(which is punishment enough)IMHO, the father of that child and the man who loaned him the gun should be brought up on charges IMHO.

Those adults where RESPONSIBLE for that child's safety and they obvously applied ZERO thought into what they were doing!!!

WHY? Because I doubt there is a twelve year old in the US who can even safely HANDLE(hold and cock ) a huge handgun like a Ruger Super Redhawk let alone actually fire one safely.

I have seen grown men get injured with big guns.Nasty cuts in the forhead from blade handgun sights,and half moon scope cuts in the brow.I even have a friend who was actually PUT IN THE HOSPITAL after shooting a 12bore paradox rifle with full loads.

He was an experinced 30+ year old shooter at the time and knew how to handle a gun.He was of average size and weight.The recoil pulled three ribs loose at his sternum when he shot the gun three times.

Large amounts of Horsepower whether it's guns ,cars or even real horses- NEEDS to be respected and only used by those who can safely handle it. A twelve year old child should not be allowed shoot a gun that most ADULTS have trouble shooting!!!

Agreed! I have to mentally get prepared before shooting my 454. I'm also hesitant to let my friends shoot it at the range. Maybe if it were a 357 that the parent allowed the son to shoot, but a 454?!

Bill

I'm afraid we'll see more of this now that the Casull and the Linebaughs are chambered in more affordable guns. I show my students a short video that I picked up on the web that shows how vicious the recoil of a Linebaugh is, and warn them not to get sucked into shooting one.

Bye
Jack

Gents,

It reminds me of the MORONS I see and hear about who think it's just HILARIOUS to introduce their girlfriends and wives to shooting by purposely selecting the hardest recoiling thing they have in order to make themselves(the guys) look macho.

What idiots....

You know,I think Sigmund Freud Was full of Beans corelating the love of weapons to one's lack of physical endowment. BUT given the law of averages,there must be SOME lovers of big bore guns who are packing considerably less "south of their waste line"-if you get my drift.......

The sad thing is many also "pack less" between the ears as well.

sad. I realy do not younger people should shoot large bore firearms.

FWIW, when i was in Germany and the .454 Casull was new, one of their demo videos showed a 12 year-old shooting it, the obvious message was that the recoil wasn't bad and that anyone could shoot it. It even stated that. I don't know if they had a reduced load or what, but it didn't kick much on the video, not at all like the real one we shot later that day.

What a shame. I don't really know how 2 grown adult men could allow a 12 year old child to fire a 454 casull handgun!!! I can somewhat relate to this as I have a 12 and 14 year old son and they are with me most of the time when I shoot. I also have a freedom arms 454 casull. I have taught both sons how to handle firearms since 5 years starting with a BB gun. I try to teach safety and respect for weapons of all types. I have allowed them to fire my 44 magnums loaded with 44 special loads. What could have the 2 men been thinking? No 12 year old could hold that much weight out at the end of his arms and withstood the recoil of a fullhouse load, NONE!! This is a real shame. Please, Let's all look at this tragedy and learn from it. We all get a little careless at times, But lets not get stupid. A child knows no better but as adults we do. All we can do is say a prayer for the 2 men who allowed this to happen, The 12 year old is in Heaven with God now. The 2 men must live with it every day, I feel for them, A mixture of hate and sorrow. PLEASE TEACH OUR KIDS SAFETY FIRST AND COMMON SENSE WITH FIREARMS !!!!
Evidently some adults too.

To make a long story short. A couple of years ago similar accident, but not fatal, thank god, I feel bad for the family members of the other boy, well the story goes he was using same caliber 454 Casull sinle action, some rich cowboy and his son go out to Alaska for a big game hunt, big buck hunt, the father bought his son a 454 Casull single action revolver as one of the guns he was to use, the kid never shot this revolver before either, he was only 15 years old a good size teen but still not familiar with heavy recoil, the father boasted about how he bought this pricey revolver for his son and wanted his son to shoot few rounds at the range before the hunt, well the kids first shot the spur caught him right on the top of the head knocking right out, they air airvaced him out needless to say, but ok other than a cracked head,
concussion. Stupid things people do. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

Guys, I have a question. Does the .454 have no muzzle break ? Because my unc;e's .500 S&W, while huge and heavy, doesnt fly upwards at all. It's more of a backwards shove in my opinion, much like shooting a pistol gripped 12 gauge. Am I missing a point here, or does a .454 just kick like a mule ? I have never got to shoot one, but I plan on trying as soon as I have a chance. At 6' and 135lbs I have yet to back down from a gun.

No sir,
The 454 Ruger is a purely unadulterated impliment of destruction, no muzzle brakes here. :) I have one with a scope which kinda helps reduce recoil, but she still kicks pretty hard with 340 grainers. I've found the best easiest way to shoot is sitting down with my back to a tree shooting off cross-sticks. Did I mention I also wear a glove? Don't get me wrong I don't fear it, but I really respect it. I don't know how many times I've stressed to my girlfriend that there are two pistols in the house, and this one is not for self-defense! Don't touch! Bad! NO!

Bill

Yea, grab that for self defense, with no experience, its gonna kill game on both ends.

Now that I think about,, if you didnt have your elbows locked that .500 would go upwards, FAST. So I can see how it would make a difference.

Also keep in mind that the Ruger not only lacks a muzzle brake but it weights 19 ounces (1.2lbs) less.

Bill

bronco, what part of WV are you from ? We worked all over up there putting in Windows.

Tang,
Private message

replied........

Tragic...
It takes time for anyone to develop the skill nesecary to safely fire a big-bore handgun.

I would'nt be too quick to condemn the adults (although I agree it was stupid). In my line of work I have seen a lot of normaly competent people do some REALY stupid things and wind up dead or injured, and the conclusion I have come to is that everyone I have ever seen is capable of lapses in judgement that could prove fatal - no exceptions. So take it easy on the poor people who were responsible; they have enough punishment to last two lifetimes. There will probably never be a day that they won't feel the pain of guilt - there is nothing worse, not even jail.

Jack, where could I find that video on the web that you spoke of, with the demo of firing the Linebaugh? Thanks. Lee.

I can't remember where I found the Linebaugh video, and it's too big to insert here. I'll keep looking, but check out this site.
http://www.imageevent.com/fiveshooter/csa4

Bye
Jack