blowing down barrel

[buzz]

I shoot rock bangers and always done this as i was taught to in my thread on brass powder horns couple guys mentioned this as a bad idea? Why

 

[Stumpkiller]

It is never a good idea to put any body part in front of a firearm. It's forbidden at most ranges.

Violates two primary safety rules: Never point a firearm at anything you don't intend to shoot. Assume ALL firearms are loaded.

. . . brass powder horn? I think you mean a flask.

 

[Dwight Rutherford]

Check the six page sticky just above your question. Lots of opinions.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I was just grabbing the sticky link -
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/211292/

 

[buzz]

Thanks yeah this is a grey area i load shoot and blowin the barrel i like the of a blow tube but
Next outing i'm going try not to see if i have to prick it
I only used my prick once in all the years i been shooten rockbangers
Starting see some of the old wisetails arent the best
I want be as safe as i can and not make any clean up my mess

 

[azmntman]

I only used my prick once in all the years i been shooten rockbangers :haha:

It can be addictive, I haven't got that bad yet :rotf:

 

[Rifleman1776]

When I started in this ml game i was taught to always blow down the barrel after shooting to add moisture to the residue making it easier to clean and/or reload. Then NMLRA passed the do not blow rule and I was forced to rethink my habit. Good rule. I no longer blow.

 

[nkbj]

Don't understand why blowing down the barrel of a muzzleloader would be particularly desirable nor why a person who wanted to would not first use the ram rod to determine if the barrel was charged.

 

[larry wv]

I still blow down the barrel. :redface: Not going to stop. :v Larry

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well, first did your rifle go BANG? Do you then check with a ramrod each and every time it goes BANG to be sure it really went off? :grin:

The idea is the back pressure helps keep the touch hole open. When in the field I will cup my left hand at the pinkey over the muzzle after taking a shot, forming a sort of funnel, and then blow into that, which gives enough pressure to clear the touch hole.

On the range, when lots of folks have guns going bang, this is not a good idea, for you may in the excitement of the moment THINK your rifle went off, and if you had a hang-fire instead....,

So not a bad rule, to simply prevent an inadvertent habit from translating onto the range where confusion could occur.

Some folks don't think it's necessary at all, some swear by it to keep a touch hole open. I wasn't taught it helped the fouling at all, just helped keep the touch hole clear. In my case the hand is in front of the muzzle when loading powder and ball, so the risk is less than when loading.

LD

 

[LRB]

Me 2.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I had a friend who insisted on blowing down the barrel. When they added the rule not to, he blamed any misfiring on not being allowed to blow down the barrel. So I got a rubber duck squeeze toy, removed the "squeaker" and put it on a leather lace so he could "blow down the barrel
" with his rubber ducky. :idunno: :idunno:

 

[hanshi]

To no one in particular.

Well, let's see. Blowing down the barrel is HC/PC so I do it and admit to being incorrigible. I make a funnel with my thumb and index finger and watch the smoke (fouling) puff from the vent hole. If a range/match/etc says NO BLOWING then I will not blow down my barrels. Otherwise I will continue. My flintlocks are single shots and I know if they fire or not (duh). Hang me if any cries out for my hide; just don't try and stop me from BDTB.

 

[kurts]

I blow down the barrel , for the same reasons the other guys do, if you don't know that your gun fired and the ball went down range you should not be playing with firearms.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I still blow down the barrel. Not going to stop.

You might stop suddenly one day when the shot you think you just fired was actually the guy next to you and your charge cooks off while the muzzle of your barrel is in your mouth. :shocked2: That could ruin yer who day.

 

[Billnpatti]

There is obviously no use in my telling you not to do it. It is a lot like telling someone that they should wear a seat belt or a motorcycle helmet. Blowing down a gun barrel is blatently unsafe and prohibited at most ranges and rendezvous and all NMLRA events. I hate to see you choosing to use such an unsafe practice when all around you are telling you how unsafe it is and the possible dire consequences.

 

[azmntman]

Been at this 39 yrs give er take, have never seen anybody do it and have never considered it? I am slow though :blah:

 

[S.Kenton]

I still blow down the barrel. Not going to stop.

You might stop suddenly one day when the shot you think you just fired was actually the guy next to you and your charge cooks off while the muzzle of your barrel is in your mouth. :shocked2: That could ruin yer who day.

I can certainly tell you this: I shoot 60-80 grains and I KNOW when my rifle goes off and when it it misfires...even when I'm shooting with 15 other guys on a line. If you can't feel the recoil from the rifle your shooting.. maybe it's time to quit the game?

 

[S.Kenton]

I used to blow down the barrel. I stopped that, not because I feared for my life while doing it, but I didn't care for the taste of my patch lube..now I just swab with a tight patch between shots, it kind of does the same thing as BDTB.

 

[robinghewitt]

Me 3 :thumbsup:

I am a speed loader, I blow until the smoke stops coming out the touch.

If it doesn't want to stop, I don't pour powder until it does.