Burning Embers

[user 36911]

You guys ever hear of the NRA?

Aren't they the one that those running it are thieves?

Yes, safety is important. I don't point the gun at anybody else's mouth.

 

[J. Paul]

I was taught over 50 years ago that the purpose of blowing down the barrel was to check if flash channel was clear. That was how I did it for about 10 years. Imagine my surprise when I was told in an NRA Instructors training class that orginal purpose was supposedly to extinguish glowing embers in the barrel, and had been proven it theory to actually cause a flame that might ignite the fresh powder charge. In almost 60 years of shooting, I've yet to find someone that has experienced it. I know of some neglect discharges from nipples being capped before loading and one of a flint sparking while loading from a partial cocking.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

You guys ever hear of the NRA?

I was raised with their ideas of safety. As in "Treat all guns as if they are loaded"
"Never point a gun at any thing/person you don't intend to shoot"

Weird ideas, eh?

And you all think it is acceptable to put a gun barrel in your mouth!

Incomprehensible.

Some of us know when we have fired our rifle & it is EMPTY. Believe it or not there is a purpose to blowing down an EMPTY barrel that those of you living in the "nanny" state evidently don't understand. If you are so afraid of these rifles & think you need the corrupt NRA to give you guidance to stay alive, then don't shoot them. Or at least don't tell the rest of us how to use them.

 

[JCKelly]

One reason I was able to grow up in a complete family is that Dad believed one should not leave a loaded gun lying around.
I speak from some experience.
As well as what has been offered for decades by the NRA.
Also I have worked in industries, where similar safety rules are enforced to minimize dead and crippled workers.
Actual NRA safety rules are in effect where I shoot in Michigan.

 

[Jim Nasium]

That's why I blow down the barrel. I know, I know, but I do it.

Wait a minute, you're supposed to blow?!?
It took a while, but I've finally started enjoying the exhale, and now you tell me this.

 

[user 36911]

One reason I was able to grow up in a complete family is that Dad believed one should not leave a loaded gun lying around.
I speak from some experience.
As well as what has been offered for decades by the NRA.
Also I have worked in industries, where similar safety rules are enforced to minimize dead and crippled workers.
Actual NRA safety rules are in effect where I shoot in Michigan.

Nobody has mentioned leaving a loaded gun laying around. Stop preaching to the choir.

 

[JCKelly]

Nobody has mentioned leaving a loaded gun laying around. Stop preaching to the choir.

Is there a choir?
We are all human & as such commit errors now and again. Hence the need for somewhat redundant rules of safety, at least around firearms.

 

[user 36911]

Is there a choir?
We are all human & as such commit errors now and again. Hence the need for somewhat redundant rules of safety, at least around firearms.

Maybe this will help you understand my side of it. I never go to a range. I don't need to. So, my safety rules only apply for myself. I see no danger in blowing down the barrel and nobody has given me a reason to not do it. I've been shooting guns for 70 years with zero accidents. I must be doing something right.

 

[beardedhorse]

It's the newbies or spectators watching someone blow down the barrel. Do they know that it is empty? Will they draw the conclusion that this is a common or safe thing to do? It wasn't until ten years ago that I/we didn't quit blowing down the barrel. I use a balloon inflating or bicycle pump to blow to adhere to our range rules.

 

[Zonie]

Maybe this will help you understand my side of it. I never go to a range. I don't need to. So, my safety rules only apply for myself. I see no danger in blowing down the barrel and nobody has given me a reason to not do it. I've been shooting guns for 70 years with zero accidents. I must be doing something right.

You say you don't shoot at a range but a lot of people do.

There are usually some kids at the range and kids love to see old time guns like you shoot so they are keeping an eye on everything you do. Deep inside them, they want to be a old time explorer or mountain man and shoot a gun just like yours.

So......Little Billy watched you blowing down the barrel and he remembers that must be important.

A few days later, Billy is at home and his buddys Paul and Freddie are there. Your out in the front yard mowing the grass and your wife is glued to the TV.

Billy starts telling his friends about the mountain man he saw and just to impress them he gets out the shotgun you keep loaded for home defense and says, "... and after shooting the mountain man always blows down the barrel like this." and he sticks the muzzle in his mouth.
Paul can't wait to try it so he reaches over and grabs the gun by the trigger to pull it away from Billy and .......

The next day you see a story in the newspaper about a young child who killed himself playing with guns. You shake your head and say to yourself, "People should teach kids about guns like that guy with the little boy that was watching me at the range last Sunday."

Yes, I made it up but it is a very real possibility. Especially with young people watching what you do at the range.

 

[user 36911]

You say you shoot at a range.
There are usually some kids at the range and kids love to see old time guns like you shoot so they are keeping an eye on everything you do. Deep inside them, they want to be a old time explorer or mountain man and shoot a gun just like yours.

So......Little Billy watched you blowing down the barrel and he remembers that must be important.

A few days later, Billy is at home and his buddys Paul and Freddie are there. Your out in the front yard mowing the grass and your wife is glued to the TV.

Billy starts telling his friends about the mountain man he saw and just to impress them he gets out the shotgun you keep loaded for home defense and says, "... and after shooting the mountain man always blows down the barrel like this." and he sticks the muzzle in his mouth.
Paul can't wait to try it so he reaches over and grabs the gun by the trigger to pull it away from Billy and .......

The next day you see a story in the newspaper about a young child who killed himself playing with guns. You shake your head and say to yourself, "People should teach kids about guns like that guy with the little boy that was watching me at the range last Sunday."

Yes, I made it up but it is a very real possibility. Especially with young people watching what you do at the range.

I said I don't go to a range. I shoot alone. I would never do it front of kids or anybody for that matter. I go to a friends property to shoot. He has a big sandpit. Nobody but me is there.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

I said I don't go to a range. I shoot alone. I would never do it front of kids or anybody for that matter. I go to a friends property to shoot. He has a big sandpit. Nobody but me is there.

MtnMan: Give it up! You can never convince the 'Nanny" state that what you do is not unsafe or that it isn't a threat to every child in the country. You & I know that their logic & concern is totally unfounded, but you will NEVER convinced them that they are not righteously correct in their adherence to the "Nanny" code. What I want to ask Zonie is how in the heck did "little Billy" & his friends get a hold of a loaded shotgun in the first place???? Why is that less of a concern to him than you blowing down an EMPTY barrel???? He seems to accept that "little Billy" can & will get his hands on a loaded shotgun, but frets over you blowing down an EMPTY barrel. Go figure. Just food for thought.

 

[Scota@4570]

I can not believe this is even debated.

The NSSA has several rules of gun safety:
1. ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

Pointing a gun at you head is not a safe direction. Most people who have an accident say, "I did not know it was loaded". Look at it another way, if somebody pointed a gun at your head, would that be OK? Why is it OK to point a gun at your own head?. This is just ridiculous.

Of one is concerned about fouling or the powder igniting prematurely, please, take a couple of seconds and swab the bore.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

All this worry, worry, worry about blowing down an empty gun barrel! You guys need to get a grip on things and give it a little thought about what could actually happen before you go telling the rest of us how stupid we are. It's as dangerous as blowing down a water pipe. You could get your head blown off by the high water pressure, you know. The same thing with loading black powder out of a powder measure with a plastic hopper. I've asked many times and no one on any forum I've ever used can show a documented case of when a blow up happened. According to some of you there's no way in hell I should have lived to be 73 years old having done all the stupid things I've done, like blowing down my barrel after I fired a shot. I won't even discuss using a blow tube on a BP cartridge rifle. The darn thing could backfire you know and blow your head right off!

End of Rant

 

[Old Hawkeye]

I can not believe this is even debated.

The NSSA has several rules of gun safety:
1. ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION

Pointing a gun at you head is not a safe direction. Most people who have an accident say, "I did not know it was loaded". Look at it another way, if somebody pointed a gun at your head, would that be OK? Why is it OK to point a gun at your own head?. This is just ridiculous.

Of one is concerned about fouling or the powder igniting prematurely, please, take a couple of seconds and swab the bore.

Another "Nanny" state advocate that lets others dictate his own common sense behavior & succumbs to hard & fast "rules" others have laid down to apply to situations where it could be possible that a gun may be loaded. What is it that you don't get about someone blowing down a barrel that he JUST SHOT & KNOWS IS EMPTY?????? What exactly is the danger you so fear? Can't you think or act rationally? Must you blindly follow some organizations rules that have no relevance to the circumstances & then find it your duty to criticize others for some imagined violation???? I can't believe this is even debated either.

 

[user 36911]

When i'm alone i'll do as I please. I haven't killed myself yet. I know what's safe and what isn't.

 

[Jim Nasium]

Everybody has these opinions about pointing barrels at one's own body parts, but they all go out the window when we clean our firearms. Why is that? Because we clear them ourselves and never take another's word for it. That's the main point to teach and to take home. You can't tell kids one thing and then have them watch you do another, and tell them, well this is a special occasion. No, we point firearms at ourselves under very certain circumstances. We all do. Every one of us. This is what should be taught.

You never point a gun at something you don't intend to destroy, and you never point a gun at yourself until you're familiar with how to clear it, and have done so. This is rational. This is what little Billy the knumbskull was never taught. If my daughter who is not even 10 yet was around Billy, she was taught to gain control of the firearm in a situation like this, and to clear it.

Firearms are relatively simple mechanisms. It didn't take long for her to figure out firearms she's not familiar with on her own. Daisy Red Ryder used to be huge proponents of children's firearm education in schools. I may be mistaken, but I believe long before the NRA ever did it. It's nothing new, and it has nothing to do with the NRA.

There isn't some tax exempt association out there telling us how to teach our youth knife handling skills and safety. We don't hide knives away from them. We don't lock them up when we're gone. You aught to be able to figure it out. The principles are simple.

The guy blowing down the barrel has clearly made his firearm safe, just the same as the guy peering into it after running a patch through it. He hasn't asked some other poor sap to do it for him while assuring him it was made safe. If either of those statements is false, well then they're both just as dumb as Billy and play for team Darwin together.

 

[user 36911]

What everybody should be complaining about is what's done in the video in post #52. That's out there on YouTube for the whole world to see.

 

[fraungie]

You say you don't shoot at a range but a lot of people do.

There are usually some kids at the range and kids love to see old time guns like you shoot so they are keeping an eye on everything you do. Deep inside them, they want to be a old time explorer or mountain man and shoot a gun just like yours.

So......Little Billy watched you blowing down the barrel and he remembers that must be important.

A few days later, Billy is at home and his buddys Paul and Freddie are there. Your out in the front yard mowing the grass and your wife is glued to the TV.

Billy starts telling his friends about the mountain man he saw and just to impress them he gets out the shotgun you keep loaded for home defense and says, "... and after shooting the mountain man always blows down the barrel like this." and he sticks the muzzle in his mouth.
Paul can't wait to try it so he reaches over and grabs the gun by the trigger to pull it away from Billy and .......

The next day you see a story in the newspaper about a young child who killed himself playing with guns. You shake your head and say to yourself, "People should teach kids about guns like that guy with the little boy that was watching me at the range last Sunday."

Yes, I made it up but it is a very real possibility. Especially with young people watching what you do at the range.

Zonie we are truly blessed to have you on this site. Your wisdom and the way you explain things never ceases to amaze me Thank you so very much.

 

[user 36911]

Zonie we are truly blessed to have you on this site. Your wisdom and the way you explain things never ceases to amaze me Thank you so very much.

Maybe, but he called me out unfairly when he misread my post. Instead of apologizing to me he edited his post instead. You quoted the edited version. Read what I quoted of him and you'll see the unedited version. I wasn't impressed with him doing that. When I make a mistake I admit it. He should too.