Ramrod for a pistol?
What he was saying is that usually these types of accidents involve someone using their ramrod on their musket against safety rules, getting carried away, leaving it in the barrel after packing the powder, and then shooting it down range toward the opposing battle line. It happens occasionally, but almost never hits anyone.
Back in the 1990s, at an infamous event at Monmouth, New Jersey, a guy did get hit in the head by a worm that someone had left in their musket barrel. He almost died, and as a result, the hobby almost collapsed because of the lawsuits that followed.
The article mentions that an 1860 Colt caused the wound.
The cap and ball revolvers used during the civil war era didn’t use cartridges. You poured a measured charge of black powder into each cylinder, then placed a round ball on top. The ‘ramrod’ is permanently mounted to the gun, under the barrel, and was used to seat the ball in the cylinder.
Follow this up with a dab of grease over each ball, to lubricate and also to prevent multiple cylinder discharges. Cap each nipple at the back of the cylinder with a percussion cap, and the gun is ready to shoot.
No, just talking about my experience. We were infantry obviously.