Hanshi: This is not about how often you clean, or wipe, or what your loading technique is. Its about how to check the load to see its on the powder charge, shot after shot. If your guns shoot BP, then residue builds up in the rear of the breech, just like it does in my gun, and pushes both the powder charge, and the PRB FORWARD in the barrel. That means that the Mark on a ramrod no longer indicates that the ball is seated on the powder, and you have to guess by feel what's going on. That is when people do things like push down on the handle of their rod, putting their hand in line with the bore.
And that is how we lose fingers and parts of hands. You have to work hard to have an accident, but its done.
The only reason I HAVE to wipe down the bore each shot, relates to safety- not need. I extinguish embers burning in the barrel when I use a damp cleaning patch. The ADDED benefit( NOTE THE EMPHASIS ON "ADDED") is that I am able to remove BP residue from the Breech, so that my barrel remains ONE SHOT DIRTY through the entire shooting session.
I also never have to worry about a PRB sticking part way down the barrel.
I don't worry about where the PRB will strike on the target, because the shortened bore length changes the harmonics of the barrel to change.
I do get lots of silly questions at the range asking why I use that "Monkey grip", until I let them take a try at loading my PRB down my barrel, using the technique. Once the feel the control they have on the rod, and see the obvious safety the grip affords, and how easy it is to keep the PRB moving down the barrel in a smooth, continuous motion, they answer their own question. :grin: :hmm: :thumbsup: