Oh, rats!

They ate the balls?

brewer12345 said:

They ate the balls?

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Probably to keep there teeth worn down. I'd be worried for any mouse traps set around there, them rats maybe like a claymore going off lol.

Might I suggest an force appropriate response to the raids they have levied against your arsenal.

Best to nip it in the bud, first it's mice with flintlocks, next thing you know all the squirrels have machine pistols and little pickelhaubes

troy fairweather said:

I'd be worried for any mouse traps set around there, them rats maybe like a claymore going off lol.

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Maybe an airsoft to stun 'em.
After dispatching them, you might want to field dress them
to get your lead back.

JT

I hate rats

OrangeCat said:

Might I suggest an force appropriate response to the raids they have levied against your arsenal.

Best to nip it in the bud, first it's mice with flintlocks, next thing you know all the squirrels have machine pistols and little pickelhaubes

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That would be an amazing catapult. Neighbors dog barking at unholy hours at the night? Why not throw a pesky rodent instead of firecrackers?

It's a good thing they didn't smoke. LOL

Huh. Such a thing had never occurred to me, so I appreciate the lesson. Saltpeter, maybe? Regardless, as we have rats, I suppose I now need to find a way to keep them away without potentially blowing up the neighborhood.

Middle of the II world war in Europe. Soldiers got bored, caught one large rat, soaked it with kerosene (for lamps) and lit it. Rat run screaming into huge stack of hay, and within minutes hay was in the flame.

!! Learn something new every day...

I have never heard of such a thing. Good to know, thanks for posting! Glad I keep mine in a steel cabinet.

Some squirrels got into the attic of an old house that I grew up in, and they ended up living inside of the thick plaster wall.
They eventually found their way into the floor boards and chewed right through a lead water pipe in search of water.
The floor boards had to get torn up to fix the pipe.
I was really young at the time and but still remember it.

I;ve also seen how squirrels will gnaw openings through thick plastic garbage containers in search of food.

rat turds are lethal enough without lead being introduced

There's probably a lesson to be learned from them going for the BP and ignoring the Pyrodex. If nothing else it reinforces what crap that stuff is...rats won't even eat it. LOL

Dave

Probably the sulfur component, chewing thru plastic just an additional benefit. They will not chew thru a steel container, I guarantee !

gobsauce said:

That would be an amazing catapult. Neighbors dog barking at unholy hours at the night? Why not throw a pesky rodent instead of firecrackers?

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Oh it's not a catapult it's a little black powder cannon the spoon is the trigger and lies over the barrel. The idea being when the rat creeps under the spoon he disturbs it releasing the sear smashing a percussion cap and *BOOM* rat paté.

I think it's called the 1861 mouse trap maybe 1886?

Eta 1862.......

...... looks like a fun project if you have a block of brass, a spring and a high risk tolerance.

OrangeCat said:

Might I suggest an force appropriate response to the raids they have levied against your arsenal.

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There's a video of it in action after the 7:20 minute mark, but it was only loaded with a cap and not powder or projectile.
The owner explained that it might be illegal since it's a booby trap or set gun, among other reasons.

http://ericnestor.com/testing-the-1862-cannon-mouse-trap-video/

This stuff will keep all the vermin away. Local farmers swear by it for keeping mice out of tractors and trucks.



Mice and pack rats will eat any black plastic. They love it. They also eat automotive wires, hoses, clear through spark plug wires, plastic ducts, insulation, aluminum parts, etc.

My reloading gear is protected by this guy

OrangeCat said:

Oh it's not a catapult it's a little black powder cannon the spoon is the trigger and lies over the barrel. The idea being when the rat creeps under the spoon he disturbs it releasing the sear smashing a percussion cap and *BOOM* rat paté.

I think it's called the 1861 mouse trap maybe 1886?

Eta 1862.......

...... looks like a fun project if you have a block of brass, a spring and a high risk tolerance.

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Thank you for the clarification! Though i still think a catapult would be better. I wonder if the pressure from the landing would be enough to detonate the black powder. Though, given that it's probably moist it probably wouldn't do much except splat.

Dave T said:

There's probably a lesson to be learned from them going for the BP and ignoring the Pyrodex. If nothing else it reinforces what crap that stuff is...rats won't even eat it. LOL

Dave

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I don’t blame them I don’t like Pyrodex myself!

BigBoomD said:

Well it is a smart rat in more ways than just it’s choice in powder, I have had no luck trapping him yet. I was a bit silly and used cheese as bait though, when really it should be a pure lead round ball with a dash of true black.

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Maybe try Swiss for both cheese & powder

Or this , it would only be right to use cap n ball revolver

I'll go ahead and ask, whats the best way to load a c&b with "rat shot"...

SlowFuse said:

I'll go ahead and ask, whats the best way to load a c&b with "rat shot"...

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I would out shot in paper like used for paper cartridges.