Even some early frontiersmen have shot and killed Indians with ramrods, when it was to late too remove there ramrods from the bore; while being under attack. {At least that what happened in a Hollywood movie}
In Hollywood they turn pistols on their side, flip cylinders closed and do all sorts of dufas things......
Think about this for a second...
Simon Kenton could load his rifle on a dead run, spin around, and while running backwards fire off an aimed shot.
He wasn't alone in that skill. Several men, both white and red could do the same.
Shooting your ramrod at someone just effectively turned your gun into a club.
No matter how much shot and powder you had, without the ramrod, you were disarmed. No one would do that,,,,,,besides, priming the pan or capping a nipple is a much more time consuming act than ramming the charge home.
Once the charge is loaded and compressed, any embers would have either ignited the charge or have been extinguished, because you took away all oxygen. At that point it can either ignite the charge, or extinguish.
Potassium nitrate - a key ingredient of black powder - releases oxygen as it decomposes. it also does it in a very spectacular manner...
My question..........was I overly sensitive about a "loaded" BP pistol on the line with us down-range?
No - - but - - not because of the loaded & uncapped cylinder.
Grease can and will melt and run into the chambers and foul the charge.
If that pistol had been fired and heated up, leaving it standing muzzle up w/greased cylinders is an invitation to a real problem.
I had that happen to me once & it's a real nightmare to clear those fouled chambers - - if you can at all.