Blowing Down Barrel After Firing

[BobKrohn]

Always been meaning to ask this.

I always had been blowing down barrel after firing. This was to "moisten residue and kill embers".
I had an old timer muzzleloader (actually I'm one too) flip out when he saw me do it.
Swore that he saw a guy blow his head off doing it.

I just don't see how this could happen.
Maybe a hangfire? Well didn't you just shoot it?

Hard to miss that recoil and big puff of smoke out the bore.

I have seen video of a gun flashing upon pouring powder down bore during rapid fire.
I'm not talking about that.

Has anyone found any verifiable instance of someone killing (or even injuring) themselves in this way?
Above mentioned incident supposedly happened in the Northern California area.

PS I get it about the seeming idiocy of sticking the muzzle into your mouth. But put that aside for now. Many think we are crazy just hovering near the muzzle during the loading process.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Did not see it, but a story passed about a man and woman who were shooting. He always reloaded for her. She had a hang fire and handed him the rifle to reslove it. He started to blow down the barrel thinking she had shot when it resolved itself and killed him.

May have been an urban legend, but it did make the rounds as a true occurance.

You say it's hard not to notice the recoil, and yet m/l rifles have been found with multiple loads in place. When you get distracted, like in a battle, a large deer, a fiercely contested target match . . . whatever.

I don't do it because it was drilled into me to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times. In your mouth does not seem to be so.

I don't even put the palm of my hand over the rammer to set the ball - just fingers around the rammer so if it "pops" the ball will skin me good no doubt but I'll be mostly intact and not skewered and shot.

 

[BobKrohn]

Oh, I also understand that the same result could be accomplished (more safely) by running a moist patch down there.

 

[Zonie]

Seems like we about beat this horse to death in this topic:
BLOWING DOWN THE BARREL ETC.

That's why it was made a "sticky" that's posted at the top of the index in this "General Muzzleloading" area of the forum.

 

[BobKrohn]

The story you mention sounds like the one I was told. So there could be validity to it.
Sounds like a really long hangfire and mis-communication with the wife.
I want to try and follow up and verify it. Wonder if NMLRA has any record.
Maybe the big mistake was taking his wife shooting? Having a large Life Insurance policy?

Your points are all true. Especially the multiple charges found in rifles during the Civil War.

Ya really can never be too safety conscious.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[BobKrohn]

OOPS!
Honest, I did a search in the Advance Search page and didn't see anything.

This is like when I'm in Home Depot after looking everywhere for an item.
When I finally ask the clerk, the item is invariably within 15' of us.

I check out the link you gave.
I'm looking for a verifiable source for the story.

 

[Zonie]

You probably won't find one. At least, one that everyone agrees is true.

You will find the whole subject can get pretty heated though. That's why the sticky was made and locked.

 

[Rat Trapper]

Must to have been great to have lived back in the 1700's - 1800's and not to have had to deal with lawyers, and safety nazis. I think those guys just did what they wanted to do and let the chips fall as they may. They also did not protect their kids to the point that they could not fend for themselfs when they go older. If you do not have any common sense, then suffer until you get some.

 

[Firelock937]

AMEN! :hatsoff:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Actually there is an 18th century poem where they warn of the same thing, blowing one's head off..., which is probably the origin of the story, and it may be one of the world's oldest surviving urban myths...

It's not done to lessen embers, or soften fouling, as the military drill of the 18th century would've probably used it, as they were rapid firing, and had the best chance of an ember being in the barrel, and also needed the barrels to stay as clear as possible during a battle, so softer fouling would be good too.

The reason is to back pressure the touch hole, and it does work to help keep the tiny touch hole on a rifle clear. (The hole on a musket is so bloody big it isn't a factor, thus the omitted procedure for soldiers.) It may have been part of a quick loading procedure for rifles in combat.


The idea that when shooting alone, the shooter wouldn't notice the large bang, and the huge cloud of smoke, and so would make the mistake of blowing off his head is absurd for anyone who isn't both deaf and blind..., and then why would they be loading and firing a rifle? :idunno:


However, in a line of shooters on the range, one might mistake a flash-in-the-pan when occurring at the same time as shooters on either side had a discharge, that a mistake could happen..., thus it is a dangerous idea when simultaneous shooters are on the line.

One can easily perform the same reliability by simply pricking the touch hole after loading the main charge, and prior to priming the pan.

LD

 

[cynthialee]

if you were to swab the barrel with a large cotton swaber and send the rod to the bottom of the barrel rapidly, it shoots a gust of air out of the nipple thus clearing the fire hole sufficiently for the next shot
Just being near the top of the barrel durring the loading part is enough scary for this girl. I ain't never sticking my face over a barrel!

 

[Blake]

This could never happen to me I am to smart I know when my gun is loaded and when it not. Yes that was me :youcrazy: 3 years ago just before I had a 1911 go off in my truck out side a Carl's Jr probably the only thing that saved me was I had the gun pointed in a safe direcion. I swore I had unloaded it . I have been shooting 1911 for over 30 years this what happens when you know everything. In my opinion don't blow down your barrel of your muzzleloader.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Sorry but the 1911A1 analogy doesn't apply (imho). We aren't talking about an negligent discharge from a modern breechloading piece, nor a mistake in unloading such a piece, but whether or not a single shot muzzleloading rifle can be mistaken for having gone off when used solo, not in a group. You either have a large bang and a large cloud of smoke or you don't.

Again, it was probably a rare combat procedure used in a running fight with unpatched ball. The speed of reloading when hunting or practicing shooting at marks would not necessitate ensuring the touch hole was cleared by back pressure.

LD

 

[bob308]

why i don't blow down the barrel. when i first was learning to shoot. safty rule number 1 don't point the gun at anything you don't want a hole in. like your head. another rule my father preached on was it is the unloaded gun that will kill you.

 

[jdkerstetter]

....safty rule number 1 don't point the gun at anything you don't want a hole in. like your head....

Right...."never let your muzzle cover anything you are not prepared to destroy".... :yakyak:

So, how does one ensure their bore is clean??? Oh, that's different. So that rule doesn't always apply.

"All guns are always loaded". Are they really???

All of these basic safety rules are good practices and play a major rule in the overall safety of the shooting sports. They should practiced and drilled into every child and new shooter repeatedly.

If we had the same kind of rules for motor vehicle safety likely we'd save thousands of lives a year. Now, we all know that "all cars are always in drive", right?....it seems a little ridiculous when put that way but if it made people double check before they got out of their cars there would be less people driving through 7-11 windows.

These rules are kept short and catchy to make them easy to remember but they all have exceptions....well, maybe not "be aware of your target and what lies beyond"....there's no leeway there.

Common sense has to come into play somewhere. If you "keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire", you'd likely never be able to safely return my gun to half cock after that deer spooked. I'd ikely never get that next gun built either.

If a shooter choosed to blow down the barrel of a gun he or she just fired, it's their business and I contend he is more likely to be struck by lightning or hit by a car doing it than he to shoot himself in the head.

Thanks for the opportunity to rant. Enjoy, J.D.

 

[LRB]

Excellent JD !!

 

[cynthialee]

I am pretty sure if a 'only imediatly after fireing' rule is followed there would not be a problem.

Elmer Keith himself would blow down a barrel after shooting to soften fouling. (I read that right here on this site from an old catalog that was posted on anouther thread. Elmer wrote the forward and in it he mentions blowing down his barrel after shooting a grouse.)

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I also completely agree. Well said.

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

Over here blowing down the barrel is forbidden on our range. I sometimes see people bypass this rule by using a plyable plastic tube that fits neatly into the barrel... They nevr have to put theit face nearby the barrel...

 

[jdkerstetter]

Thanks Dan and Wick. I think I sprained a brain coming up with that one. :grin:

S. Tanka,

The range has liability to contend with and I really can't blame them for instating any rules which they feel will limit accidents in that type setting. I have a lot of civilian and military range time and have seen some really dangerous and stupid acts...by amateurs, idiots and some of the most experienced hansd out there. Timed events, especially on the combat range, can be chaos. :shocked2:

Accidents happen and rules help make one stop and think....at least a little. Enjoy, J.D.