engineer wrote on 05/01/17 at 09:53:06:About two years ago a local Amish boy was out deer hunting using a muzzle loader. He didn't find any deer and when he got home he discharged his gun into the air. This is often done as it is considered to be the fastest way to make the gun safe. The round came down a mile away and struck a teenage Amish girl in the head and killed her while she was driving her buggy home after a church function. The horse kept going and returned to the family farm. It took about two days before the boy realized he had fired the fatal shot and then he turned himself in to the Sheriff. It was a very sad and tragic event for all concerned.
I think muzzle loading rounds for deer weigh close to an ounce, certainly a lot more than a 22 LR round.
I heard of this story too... we now use it as a cautionary tale in Hunters Education classes. You are absolutely right in that a typical muzzle loader bullet is a lot heavier than a 22. Also, in that case, the round never reached zero velocity by going straight up. Rather, it was in an arc, and likely retained well over half it's original velocity, and again, with a lot more mass.
It was a case study in a violation of Rule #4, Be sure of your target and what is behind it. Air is a terrible backstop. If one needs to shoot a muzzle loader at "nothing" then please, please, PLEASE shoulder the rifle, point it down at about a 45 degree angle and shoot into the dirt. The planet is a great backstop, and shooting into it from only a few feet away makes it easy to verify your round is not sailing through the air towards someone.