Blowing down the barrel

[Sun City]

To do so safely....one must have an IQ two notches above my #12 boot size!!

 

[Ames]

There's thems that do and thems that don't. Both sides are adamant on their thinking. You won't convert one side to the other.

 

[Tumbledown]

Seems you're just looking to stir up trouble.

 

[tenngun]

I think we have about a hundred pages devoted to this. The safe shooters arguing with the safe shooters.
I must have an iq above your boot size ‘cause I do.
Of course I’m one of the safe shooters

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I understand that alone, you know if it went BANG or not.
I have had more consistency and fast ignition times when doing it.
I understand that on the range, with a newbie, this could be a disaster.
There is a way to only risk the pinky and ring finger on the shooter's "weak" hand, and still get it done.

Since this has been hashed and rehashed several times over the past few years, I wonder if I should lock it now ???.......

LD

 

[tenngun]

Well you could lock it now, we have done it to death, but it’s winter wet and cold and grumpy old men need something to fuss over.
And one added benefit Trump and Biden both have no position on it. So , argue till our button pushing fingers are sore, no one can get political

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well you could lock it now, we have done it to death, but it’s winter wet and cold and grumpy old men need something to fuss over.
And one added benefit Trump and Biden both have no position on it. So , argue till our button pushing fingers are sore, no one can get political

 

[FishDFly]

From page 8 of a long post:

A simple solution to the (Blow or not to
Blow) safety issue is to get a rubber ducky. Just enlarge the "squeker hole " and use it to blow down the barrel by placing the duck over the barrel and squese the duck! This is why you may find people with rubber ducks hanging from a leather cord. :yakyak:

And from April 15, 2010:

I keep mine in my bathtub. :blah: :haha:

 

[oldwood]

Ok to blow down the barrel , my support quits if it's suggested , tongue action ,(yuck) , might be better to break up carbon buildup.......

 

[TDM]

I too blow down the barrel after each shot. I believe the moisture contributes to keeping the fouling soft and seeing the smoke come out the vent or nipple I know it's clear.

 

[pacanis]

There is a way to only risk the pinky and ring finger on the shooter's "weak" hand, and still get it done.



LD

That must be the way I adopted.

Forty-some years ago I was taught to put my head right over the bore and blow through my hand, but now, after getting back into muzzleloading, I tend to keep my face away from the bore like any other gun. I do the offset blow. Not as forceful, but does get smoke out the flash hole.

And don't tell anyone, but I put 10 shots through my 1861 percussion and didn't blow down the bore at all. I left the hammer down on the used cap like I've seen guys do to help choke off oxygen.
What's the worse that could happen? You get a fizz and smoke when you pour the charge in? As long as the muzzle is tilted away I don't see a problem other than a What the Heck moment.

 

[Ames]

Since this has been hashed and rehashed several times over the past few years, I wonder if I should lock it now ???.......

Nah. Like a goldfish in a bowl, this little plastic castle is new to me every time I read it.

 

[FishDFly]

"What's the worse that could happen?"

Guy at Friendship shot the end of his finger off, he got to ride in the ambulance.

 

[2 shots]

o get a rubber ducky. Just enlarge the "squeker hole

that is not the right thing to do..... how would you like to have your " squeker hole " enlarged and stuck over a stinky , dirty, hot, ect. m/l barrel. im sure the duck lovers of america would love to get ahold of this .

 

[pacanis]

"What's the worse that could happen?"

Guy at Friendship shot the end of his finger off, he got to ride in the ambulance.

I wasn't referring to blowing down the barrel. I was referring to pouring a charge down a barrel if there was an ember. Unless he puts his hand over the muzzle somehow when he charges his rifle??? But he "shot" it off? What was his hand doing over the muzzle on a loaded weapon?

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Blow down the barrel just to see the smoke come out the touch hole.
Besides chicks dig it.

 

[Urban Coyote]

I too blow down the barrel after each shot. I believe the moisture contributes to keeping the fouling soft and seeing the smoke come out the vent or nipple I know it's clear.

I went to a Quigley, (SS BP cartridge competition), shoot in Forsyth, Montana and several shooters blow through their just fired bores from the breech, keeping fouling soft I assume.

So this topic gets a bit of play here from time to time. I usually blow down my barrel between shots. Recently I thought, what the heck I'll try not blowing down the barrel today. It was not real comforting when as I poured charges down the bore to have a whiff of smoke from the previous shot roll out the muzzle. I think I'll continue to blow down the barrel between shots. After years of loading in this fashion I still haven't blown my head off. Then I've never had a charge being poured down my barrel ignite either.

 

[oldwood]

Could someone be blowin' smoke here???

 

[FishDFly]

Went 8 pages last time before it was stopped.

 

[bang]

Definitely a toss up issue. I can see not doing it if you're in a speed shooting situation with quite a few people on the line.
My BP club says don't do it any time so being the rule I don't. Funny how it didn't take me long to just stop doing it.
Stopping it did not have any change in accuracy or loading so IMHO it's unnecessary.
The odds are very high for hot ember or super delayed ignition so the question is are the odds worth your life.
Gun safety states to never point the muzzle at anything not intended to be shot, including yourself.
I've seen hang fires that lasted upwards of 4-5 seconds. I've seen rifles laid down pointed down range go off as the shooter walked away to get tools.
I'll side with Murphy's law. Anything that can happen will eventually happen.