Blowing down barrel after each shot

[JIM1911]

Ok please help clear up something for me.

I have always been taught to blow down the barrel each shot to help put out remaining embers. I have always done that. I take my shot ,see were my shot hit the target ,pull back to half cock pull my spent cap then blow down my now (empty) barrel till no more smoke comes out.I then blow one more time before I load my powder/patch and ball. That way I can tell if there is a restriction AE:Already loaded and about to double load or my nipple or Touch Hole is clogged. I learned to do that back in the 70's from a 70 plus year old man that had learned it back in the 20's from an old school 80 plus year old mountain man back in Noth Carolina. Has something changed in th last 20 something years I've be out of Black Powder that I need to catch up on? :hmm: Have I had bad info all this time?
Im not to old to learn new ideas.
Thanks JIM1911

 

[Stophel]

Oh, man, here it comes....the big can of worms has been opened again! :shake:

 

[Dave K]

You will probably get many responses to this post. But, the NMLRA does not permit it for safety reasons and that is good enough for me. Let all the posts begin!!!!!!!!! :winking:

 

[gmww]

I must have missed all the other discussions on this. Anyways, I know in Black Powder Cartrige shooting (Sharps rifles) they sell a blow tube you stick in the breach. The idea from what I'm told is your breath softens the fouling. No embers left in cartrige shooting.

I have blow tube for my Shilo Sharps but have not used it since I use smokeless powder in my cartiges.

 

[roundball]

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

OK Jim1911...I'll start off the roller-coaster with my particularl viewpoint:
Under active shooting conditions such as a range session or hunting, I follow one of the basic safety practices of not allowing the muzzle of my rifle to point at any vital parts of my body.

My belief is that if I allow myself to routinely have the muzzle point at my vitals, then sooner or later through forgetfulness, excitement, distraction, etc, I may forget the condition of my rifle, have an unintentional discharge and kill myself.

Back at the house, during and after cleaning, with no loading components around, not in a live fire, loading/unloading environment, I'll drop a bore light down a bore, inspect a bore, etc...but at the range or hunting with live components being handled in an out of the bore, I don't let it aim at my vitals.

This includes putting my mouth / head over a[url] muzzle...in[/url] addition, I've proven to myself that it's absolutely not necessary what-so-ever as I shoot just fine every week without doing it.

 

[JIM1911]

Roundball,

Thanks for your input. You make a good case for not doing it. :bow: I did have a range officer tell me about a accident at a Muzzle Loading event. Were someone lost there head from a hang fire. But did not give any details. He did not tell me the person was trying to blow down the barrel , that may be the reason for the NMLRA rule. I have not joined them yet ,but sounds like a good way to catch up on rules and safty issues. :hmm: I do belong to the NRA ,lots of goog info there also.

Thanks Again, JIM1911

 

[Slamfire]

A blow tube affixed to a funnel that fits yore muzzle, gives all the advantages you listed without any of the disadvantages mentioned by the safty patrol. And we need them. :winking:

 

[roundball]

".....mentioned by the safty patrol....."

:shake:...and I thought this thread would have gone at least a little longer than it did before we got this...

 

[Okwaho]

Well here goes!I had been blowing down the barrel after each shot for 45 years but decided to quit this year.I belong to the NMLRA so I can get "Muzzle Blasts" but haven't belonged to the NRA for about 40 years.I haven't fired a live round in some 8-10 years but plan to get back into live firing this summer.I finally decided to stop the practice so some official at a range or reenactment wouldn't have a heart attack or a case of apoplexy.If that were to happen I would feel awfully sad indeed.
Tom Patton

 

[Zonie]

I'm suprised this is going along without the Big One starting. :grin:

For those who forgot, here is a link to a similar subject from our past:
BLOWING DOWN THE BARREL

Have fun.

 

[Ice Tigre]

at the risk of starting a debate about loading from the powder horn.... :blah:

I do it. for the theory of blowing out the embers, becaus I load powder directly from the horn, I don't want to have a flash and blow my hand off. :grin:


Gary

 

[Halftail]

I'm a little adverse to wrapping my lips around anything that has a projectile coming out the end of it.I wonder though is itPeriod correctto blow down the barrell?

 

[akapennypincher]

You will probably get many responses to this post. But, the NMLRA does not permit it for safety reasons and that is good enough for me. Let all the posts begin!!!!!!!!! :winking:

Plus ONE PUBLIC Shooting Range were I R/O in AZ FOR SAFETY REASONS.... :blah:

 

[Claude Mathis]

The Forum has a very good SEARCH feature...

Search for "blowing"
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/189207[/url]
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/187514[/url]
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/189436/post/221253[/url]

 

[sledgemeister]

just dont search google for the same! ohhh boy was that a mistake!!! :hmm:

 

[john12865]

just dont search google for the same! ohhh boy was that a mistake!!! :hmm:

I tried that google search! :bow: I'm going to show it to the wife when she gets home. :grin:

 

[jtmattison]

Noooooooooooo! Not again! I'm having flashbacks!

Please don't blow down the barrel.

FWIW, I don't think there are ever embers left behind after firing. The powder is meant to burn completely. Unless there are terrible impurities I don't see how any of it could still be smoldering after the shot. I see no need to try to blow it out.
:hatsoff:

HD

 

[Rebel]

I don't blow down the barrel to put out embers, instead i do it to soften the fouling so the next shot is easier to load.

 

[john12865]

I don't do it and I'm going to blame it on Homophobia. :rotf:

 

[BS]

The caps that I used when I first started shooting, left a foil residue over the hole, sometimes......so I use to blow down the barrel to remove it and watching the smoke stream out, was kool!...........old habits are hard to break!