blowing down the barrel, etc...

Cooner54: I've shot muzzleloading rifles and pistols for over 37 years.
I do not blow down my barrels and I only wipe the bores about every 3-4 shots depending on how the last shot felt while I was loading it.

I have never in all of those years had a muzzleloader fire while I was loading it. Not even a little poof.
I know many other muzzleloaders who can say the same thing.

zonie

about a hundred yrs ago when i was a tyke 'old person word for small kid' tied a towel around my neck and jumped off a roof. i did not fly. at the time thought it was because i forgot to say, up, up and awaaay!

yep, reading those superman comics was a dangerous thing to do... on the plus side, superman was winning wwII all by himself.

..ttfn..grampa..

Claude said:

I really should compile a list of Pros and Cons for both coning and blowing down the barrel.

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:hmm: Will that list also give an answer whether a coned or an unconed barrel is better for blowing down?

( :rotf: Better duck and run now...)

just don't do it with a 1-48 twist! :blah:

I forget which family member it was that tied a towel around his neck as a cape and jumped off their roof when they were a kid!

Using today's lubes and fresh high grade powders like we do, the likelyhood of there being an ember down there is smaller than in the past. I blew on mine once and heard a definate crackling noise. Smoke just rolled out the nipple. I am assuming that some powder that was compromised by oil went ahead and burned with the added oxygen and air flow. Today I generally swab between shots most of the time, forcing air thru the same areas anyway without blowing. If I don't swab, I put my hand over the end of the barel and blow into the side of my hand. Not for safety. I just don't want to taste black fouling! Like TG said. I did not ask you to join me if you don't want to.

Zonie said:

Cooner54: I've shot muzzleloading rifles and pistols for over 37 years.
I do not blow down my barrels and I only wipe the bores about every 3-4 shots depending on how the last shot felt while I was loading it.

I have never in all of those years had a muzzleloader fire while I was loading it. Not even a little poof.
I know many other muzzleloaders who can say the same thing.

zonie

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Like I said,"The odds are stacking up against you". You can only get by with that practice only so long before you get a cook off. Good luck to ya.

:bow: Would you do every thing today that some long haired painter would do? I doubt it? Putting fire arms in you mouth, what ever kind of arm is a doubtful practice.

They did many things in 1810 that we would not do today. I don't think that in 1810, as today every one did the same thing. :hmm:

My thoughts on this is this. Although blowing down the barrel looks unsafe and does Violate the safety laws, so does loading a muzzleloader in the first place like Ol Stophel stated above.

I personally believe that the Nay Sayers of Blowing down the barrel have a deep core value of gun safety that overwelms common logic but I DO respect their opinion . If everyone TRULY abided by the Gun Safety LAW, then our muzzleloaders would never get loaded. That is a fact.

To me, by NOT blowing down the barrel, a person creates the Safety issue of a Spark being alive in the barrel. .

IF a person thinks that by blowing down the barrel will "Flare Up" this spark, I am sorry, but they are HIGHLY misinformed. A person is not blowing AIR down the barrel, but they are blowing MOISTURE down the barrel.

I, along with Thousands of shooters out there would agree that by NOT blowing, it creates a safety hazzard. And every time you dump powder down the barrel, you are wondering, Will she go this time? I know I do.

Since this practice has been pretty much BANNED in modern day Muzzleloading competition, there is MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT.

I use a Blowtube attachment for Blowing down the barrel. I do this because....(1) I don't want to get kicked out of a Match and (2) I can prevent the spark igniting my powder, and keep my foulding soft. And (3) I can set a good example to my boy and remain as safe as possible.

This way, Everyone is happy and no one has to be the bad guy.

Headhunter

It takes a tad more time, but I was taught years ago (in the hunter education course required in my state) to run a spit patch followed by a dry patch down the bore after each shot. Never had a problem doing it that way.

I confess I don't always do this in the field, but always thought any potential ember would ignite as soon as loose powder was poured down the bore, resulting in a foomph! -- which could cause a nasty powder burn to any body part in front of the muzzle, but not a bullet hole.

Having loaded a dryball once at the range (how the heck did I do that?), I'm leary of putting my face over the muzzle as a regular practice. If it's possible to load a ball with no powder, it's possible to blow down the bore of a loaded gun. If an unintended discharge occurs then, it could turn into a ventilating experience. The spit/dry patches between shots take care of the ember potential with much less risk.

Of course, as could be the slogan of this great site, "that's what I do; you do what works for you."

bessbattlesystem said:

IF....My musket fais to fire I would NEVER put my head afront the barel..
Seems to darwins law for me. :rotf:
Unless a pint of water was dumped down first mind you.

Rob
Always have preferred paranoia to death.

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That confused me, Blowing down the barrel is after the shot not on a miss-fire. Besides how ya gonna get that pint of water past the patch & Ball.
:thumbsup:

Mike, thanks for the scholarly contribution of a primary source of someone who was actually there and reported on what he saw. Very good post and I thank you.

Audubon was a far cry from the vision of a long haired painter. He was a scholar and was one of many artists and scholars that have left us a better vision of what life was really like back then. In Audubon's case, he left pictures of the natural resources of the American wilderness that he wandered, studied, and loved. Kudos!

Zonie:

I agree totally, I too have shot frontstuffers for many years, not trying to be funny here but improving or preventing anything by blowing on it just doesn't seem like the right thing to do.

So, no I don't blow down a rifle barrel and ain't gonna ever. Even though I still see folks do it, I've always been more than a little uncomfortable putting my mouth over a gun barrel.

Osage

Well...I'll satisfy everybody tomorrow morning when I fine tune my .40cal Flintlock with a 30grn squirrel charge & Hornady .395...I won't blow down the bore and I'll clean the bore after every shot.

When I am on the firing line and the rifle goes off, I blow down the barrel.I have done this for many years and will continue to do so unless I am at a NMLRA sanctioned event. At Friendship when I shoot I sometimes carry a small bellows in my haversack for this purpose.
I do not get my head near a loaded rifle or smoothbore. But after a firelock goes off if you blow down the barrel before loading it again it is not dangerous.
I have never met anyone who had the powder ignite while loading.
When I re enact during the summer events my first model Bess gets so hot it will blister your hand.
And yet I have never heard of a musket or rifle cooking off while dumping powder down a very hot barrel.
Theres my 2 cents

I'm with Zonie. While I have not quite 1/2 of his 37 years of ML shooting, I have not had even one "burn off". I can see the reasoning behind moist air down the tube after a shot but I'll be da*&ned if it will be placed there by my mouth over the end of a barrel. NEVER. If it becomes really important to me, I'll use a tube to blow through. Until then, I'll just keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction always and keep my hand off the end of the ramrod.
Idaho PRB

Is it true that a 50cal, 1 in 48 twist, is not accurate?? :surrender:

No.

Its safe, we are too safe?? How do you think the Headless Horseman got his name. :rotf:

I've been shooting muzzleloaders since 1976 and have never blown down a barrel . . . or been tempted to.

Like Zonie, I shoot 5 to 10 times without stopping to run a spit patch to clear accumulated fouling. I've gone 15 but start to worry (as I don't carry a short starter and would hate to get one stuck).

I've been driving cars about the same length of time and have never blown into the exhaust pipe before starting the car. Should I? Seems to make as much sense. I come from a family that would send me off for counseling if I pointed a gun at my head. Certainly in my mouth. My Father would rise from the grave just long enough to plant is boot in my backside.

Shoving big roundballs up your exhaust pipe are ya Stumpy? What does that have to do with blowing down a barrel to make sure you blow all the fire out? Your logic has never made any sense to me and your analogies are nonsensical at best.
Your poor old daddy, bless his soul, probably never shot muzzleloaders nor was he taught by old timers that knew what they were doing. Mike has posted some primary source documentation as to why the old timers did it. Just like putting a wet sheep hide over a cannon touch hole or swabbing the bore with a wet mop. The same reason, cook offs while loading the round in a hot barrel. There is ample evidence that hot cannon barrels have killed and maimed gunners that shoot ML cannon and there is ample evidence of walking talking people that have lost fingers and hands to loading hot rifle/gun barrels. Just because you have not personally met any doesn't mean they don't exist or that this has not happened. You guys can laugh and make fun of us traditionalist that have been taught by old timers that have passed this knowledge on down to us all you want. I am to the point that I really don't give a manure what you decide to do with your hands or fingers. Blowing down a fresh shot barrel that you just shot is a safe practice. Much safer than loading a fresh shot hot barrel. Go ahead and laugh and have your fun.
I don't blow down modern breechloading rifles/guns because there is no reason to do so and there is always a chance that there is a round in there somewhere. If you can't tell when your muzzle loading rifle goes off by either feeling it kick your shoulder or hear it, maybe you best take up golfing or bowling and leave the guns at the pawn shop. Blowing down the barrel is AFTER you shoot the gun not before. Got it this time? :shake: