Cooner54 said: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:
That IS my point. Neither makes sense. I blow on embers to keep them ALIVE when using flint and steel. Maybe you're just working one up hotter when blowing on it - adding air to a smoke smothered environment. I don't shoot cannon so I don't swab between shots. Not sure what that has to do with rifles unless you load with paper wrapped cartridges.
I keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction as often as possible. That means not at my mouth. That means even if my measure falls on an ember, which has never happened to me or anyone I have shot with, near or talked to, I get burnt fingers; not a rear window in my head.
Most shooting accidents involve what was thought to be an unloaded firearm. You assume it's unloaded when blowing. I HAVE had hang fires. Some that went several seconds. Long enough to kill it I was to disobey Rule #1 and point the rifle at something I did not intend to shoot . . . me.
So, did those old timers also teach you to melt lead in your soup ladle and rub mercury into a patch with your bare fingers to de-lead barrels? Both were done. Both we now know to be bad for you. Do you lick your thumb and wipe your front sight because you saw that in the old Sgt. York movie? Probably as old as your "traditionalists" that showed you how to blow.
Check out some of the CW museums with barrels containing five or six loads where the soldier THOUGHT he was firing but kept adding loads on top of loads. The brain can mislead you. If you're concentrating 100% on the target in a stressful match . . . Or cold . . . etc.
Such as you are, I'd still hate to lose you to a unnecessary and tragic accident.