Blowing down the barrel youtube video

[Johnny Tremain]

Smoldering embers isn't why you blow down the barrel. You do it to keep fouling soft.

Not a consideration. Blown down to see the smoke and debris out the touch hole.

The modern nannys that make rules that go against the way the first users used them.

The video is right on.

Same thing with BP six guns. History proved that the order of arms shows after you fire a round you bring the barrel to 90 degrees, straight up THEN cock it, drop the cap and level to fire another round.
From the order of arms US Army book 1866.

 

[sturmkatze]

Exactly, why is this so hard for people to understand?

It has been repeated a thousand times and people still want to go back to embers.

Who cares? I am going to continue to do it. I blow until the smoke stops. You do you.

 

[Rancocas]

Same thing with BP six guns. History proved that the order of arms shows after you fire a round you bring the barrel to 90 degrees, straight up THEN cock it, drop the cap and level to fire another round.
From the order of arms US Army book 1866.

Years ago, as a police firearms instructor I was once called upon to run a group of security guards through revolver qualifications. One guy, I'll call him "Wild Bill", after each and every shot insisted on bringing his .357 up under his nose and blowing across the end of the gun barrel. I warned him about it once. The second time I saw him do it, I threw him off the firing range. Obviously, he did not qualify to carry a handgun in his duties as a security guard.

Putting the muzzle of any firearm anywhere near my head is an anathema to me.
What are the rules of firearm safety? - 1. Check to see if it is loaded. 2. Never point the muzzle at anything you don't want to destroy.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Smoke coming out the touch hole/nipple has nothing to do with there being a burning ember. It simply means there is residual smoke in the barrel after the shot. There may or may not be an ember.

 

[French Colonial]

Who cares? I am going to continue to do it. I blow until the smoke stops. You do you.

I agree completely, I blow down the barrel, if the range officer gets upset, I use a tube and still blow down the barrel.

Have since the 70's and I am not stopping now. Others can do what they like but leave me alone.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I do it because it is historically accurate. George Washington blew down his Matchlock during Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of San Juan Hill during the French and Indian War. I read this on the internet so I know it’s been documented and true.
I love history.

 

[French Colonial]

Years ago, as a police firearms instructor I was once called upon to run a group of security guards through revolver qualifications. One guy, I'll call him "Wild Bill", after each and every shot insisted on bringing his .357 up under his nose and blowing across the end of the gun barrel. I warned him about it once. The second time I saw him do it, I threw him off the firing range. Obviously, he did not qualify to carry a handgun in his duties as a security guard.

Putting the muzzle of any firearm anywhere near my head is an anathema to me.
What are the rules of firearm safety? - 1. Check to see if it is loaded. 2. Never point the muzzle at anything you don't want to destroy.

But you will put your hands over the muzzle when dumping powder down the barrel, using a short starter and ramming the ball home.

 

[Grenadier1758]

A damp patch will keep the fouling soft and when using a properly sized jag will pull most of the fouling out of the barrel. The damp patch will send the residual smoke out of the touch hole or nipple. I will admit that using a wet patch around the ball will push the fouling down to the powder, clearing fouling from the grooves. I understand the controversy. I learned the blow down the barrel when I started shooting my muzzleloaders. I also saw that the shooters who wiped between shots had better accuracy on target than I did. I was concerned that I needed to keep the bore in a consistent condition and blowing down the barrel and using a very wet patched ball may have been contaminating the powder. I had also read Dutch Schoultz's "Black Powder Accuracy" system and I made the decision to wipe between shots. Blowing down the barrel will indeed apply moisture to the fouling, but not as much moisture as the damp patch will apply.

Oh well, to each his own procedure.

 

[brianpa40]

I do it just to see smoke trickle out the touch hole or nipple. Guess it is to make sure it is open.

 

[tenngun]

Years ago, as a police firearms instructor I was once called upon to run a group of security guards through revolver qualifications. One guy, I'll call him "Wild Bill", after each and every shot insisted on bringing his .357 up under his nose and blowing across the end of the gun barrel. I warned him about it once. The second time I saw him do it, I threw him off the firing range. Obviously, he did not qualify to carry a handgun in his duties as a security guard.

Putting the muzzle of any firearm anywhere near my head is an anathema to me.
What are the rules of firearm safety? - 1. Check to see if it is loaded. 2. Never point the muzzle at anything you don't want to destroy.

You want to destroy your hand or ramrod, maybe the target on the wall as you practice dry firering and hold?

 

[Rancocas]

But you will put your hands over the muzzle when dumping powder down the barrel, using a short starter and ramming the ball home.

No I don't. I don't use a short starter. My hand is off a little to the side when I pour powder in the muzzle from my measure. But, yes, I suppose my hand is over the muzzle when I use the ram rod. I don't see any way around that.
():>)

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

Ever since 1992 when the NMLRA formally frowned on blowing down a muzzloader's barrel this has been a controversial subject. Because the different opinions are fundamentally based on each person's personal 'values' there will never be agreement. I have put together a video on muzzleloader safety including blowing down the barrel. The technical quality is what you expect to get when the producer, director and actor are all a set of amateurish clowns but hopefully the 'pro' side of the subject is presented successfully.

Burning patch material eh!
Yep that patch sits under the powder cause as the old saying goes, "patch,powder,ball don't workmat.all".

 

[pwbsmokey]

I've Said it before, and I'll say it again. Suck on that nipple!

That's what she said

 

[Tanglefoot]

Ten points to Tenngun for a very courteous and thorough explanation. When I was a pilgrim I was taught to blow down the barrel between shots to provide air flow and burn out any remaining embers, and the fringe benefit was that seeing smoke coming from the nipple or vent hole would show me that the ignition path was clear. I heard about using that method to soften fouling just now from reading this thread.
By golly, I learned something today after all !

 

[necchi]

but hopefully the 'pro' side of the subject is presented successfully.

As @sturmkatze says, Who cares?
That same bandwagon comes through town only once every other week,
Jump on,, beat the drum,, just try to keep an even rhythm,,, it's easier to dance too,,

 

[French Colonial]

A damp patch will keep the fouling soft and when using a properly sized jag will pull most of the fouling out of the barrel. The damp patch will send the residual smoke out of the touch hole or nipple. I will admit that using a wet patch around the ball will push the fouling down to the powder, clearing fouling from the grooves. I understand the controversy. I learned the blow down the barrel when I started shooting my muzzleloaders. I also saw that the shooters who wiped between shots had better accuracy on target than I did. I was concerned that I needed to keep the bore in a consistent condition and blowing down the barrel and using a very wet patched ball may have been contaminating the powder. I had also read Dutch Schoultz's "Black Powder Accuracy" system and I made the decision to wipe between shots. Blowing down the barrel will indeed apply moisture to the fouling, but not as much moisture as the damp patch will apply.

Oh well, to each his own procedure.

Grenadier
You and I have read each others posts enough to know where we stand on this subject, However I like to try new things so after years of blowing down the barrel I think I will try your method when I get a chance.

A couple of questions. One, on a .54 caliber Kibler (or other .54) what is the diameter of the smaller jag that you use for wiping? Or what size would you recommend?
Two, how big (diameter) of the patch would you recommend?.

The dampness of the patch I am pretty sure I can figure out pretty quickly.

Thanks in advance.

 

[waksupi]

History proved that the order of arms shows after you fire a round you bring the barrel to 90 degrees, straight up THEN cock it, drop the cap and level to fire another round.
From the order of arms US Army book 1866.

That was to allow the spent cap to hopefully fall out, so it wouldn't tie up the revolver.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Interesting topic than tends to get folks’ panties in an uncomfortable knot. As a youngster I was taught to blow down the barrel after each shot. In the early 1970s at the Philmont Boy Scout Ranch while shooting muzzleloaders we were shown the technique of blowing down the barrel. It was the gold standard of the day. Personally can only remember one actual hang fire, maybe a five to ten second delay. The very same shooter had recently admitted to a dry ball situation. They were advocates of blowing down the barrel. Remember asking how they were sure the gun had fired if they got confused on whether there was powder and a patched ball in the bore. Silence. No answer. I have not blown down the barrel since.

People jump out of perfectly airplanes every day. Others despise helmets while riding motorcycles. Some see no issues with smoking. I worked with a gentleman that would argue the benefits of smoking (this was in the 1980s) until he passed from lung cancer. I know a few who will not wear seat belts. All comes down to personal choice. As long as you don’t mess up my day, have at it. Whatever you do is your personal choice.

Good post thanks

 

[Grenadier1758]

Grenadier
You and I have read each others posts enough to know where we stand on this subject, However I like to try new things so after years of blowing down the barrel I think I will try your method when I get a chance.

A couple of questions. One, on a .54 caliber Kibler (or other .54) what is tand not drive fouling from the grooves into the breech and the touch hole or flash channel. he diameter of the smaller jag that you use for wiping? Or what size would you recommend?
Two, how big (diameter) of the patch would you recommend?.

The dampness of the patch I am pretty sure I can figure out pretty quickly.

Thanks in advance.

I really don't believe that blowing down the barrel supplies enough moisture to soften the fouling very much. You will see the residual smoke from the ignition pouring out of the touch hole or nipple.

As far as reducing the size of the wiping jag goes, the jag can be reduced in steps of 0.010" until the diameter of the jag and the two thicknesses of the patch equal the land-to-land diameter. Now the damp patch will slide over the fouling in the grooves or the flash channel. As the jag and patch are pulled up, the patch bunches up and filles the grooves to pull the fouling from the grooves. The wiping patch should cover all the grooves of the wiping jag and about the same above the jag. Square or round patches make no difference. We still may have problems with a chambered breech, but the patch will push out the smoke to indicate a clear path from flame to powder charge.

When shooting, most of us are well aware whether the gun has fired or not. It is in situations where many guns are being fired simultaneously that we may not be aware if the gun has fired or not. Since most of us keep our eyes open when firing, we see the cloud of smoke even if the gun is heavy enough to prevent the feeling of recoil. It is very unlikely that as safety conscious as we are about the gun's loaded condition, that we are likely to be blowing down the barrel of a loaded gun. However, I do believe on a shooting range where several people are firing at one time, the restriction to eliminate blowing down the barrel is a reasonable safety precaution.

We cannot blow down the barrel as hard as we can move air when we push a damp patch down the barrel. I have done both and the smoke blown out is a slow, lazy plume of smoke. When I push a damp patch down the barrel after firing, the stream of smoke is blown far further from the touch hole.

Aside from the alleged safety issue, I just don't see an advantage in blowing down the barrel to wiping the bore to maintain consistent bore condition.

 

[French Colonial]

I really don't believe that blowing down the barrel supplies enough moisture to soften the fouling very much. You will see the residual smoke from the ignition pouring out of the touch hole or nipple.

As far as reducing the size of the wiping jag goes, the jag can be reduced in steps of 0.010" until the diameter of the jag and the two thicknesses of the patch equal the land-to-land diameter. Now the damp patch will slide over the fouling in the grooves or the flash channel. As the jag and patch are pulled up, the patch bunches up and filles the grooves to pull the fouling from the grooves. The wiping patch should cover all the grooves of the wiping jag and about the same above the jag. Square or round patches make no difference. We still may have problems with a chambered breech, but the patch will push out the smoke to indicate a clear path from flame to powder charge.

When shooting, most of us are well aware whether the gun has fired or not. It is in situations where many guns are being fired simultaneously that we may not be aware if the gun has fired or not. Since most of us keep our eyes open when firing, we see the cloud of smoke even if the gun is heavy enough to prevent the feeling of recoil. It is very unlikely that as safety conscious as we are about the gun's loaded condition, that we are likely to be blowing down the barrel of a loaded gun. However, I do believe on a shooting range where several people are firing at one time, the restriction to eliminate blowing down the barrel is a reasonable safety precaution.

We cannot blow down the barrel as hard as we can move air when we push a damp patch down the barrel. I have done both and the smoke blown out is a slow, lazy plume of smoke. When I push a damp patch down the barrel after firing, the stream of smoke is blown far further from the touch hole.

Aside from the alleged safety issue, I just don't see an advantage in blowing down the barrel to wiping the bore to maintain consistent bore condition.

Like you, I started blowing down the barrel back in the dark ages, unlike you I have never seen a reason to quit. Back when I could see I won a lot of matches blowing down the barrel. If you notice the fouling starting to build up, you need to blow a couple of more times between shots.

However, 10-15 years ago I got heavily into BPCRS and shot my way in to Master class and like ML'ers do I was blowing down the barrel to keep fouling soft. Almost everybody did and the experts (Mike Venturino, Steve Garbe etc.) even recommended it in their book.

I found however that the number of times you needed to blow down the barrel to keep fouling soft had a lot to do with the humidity at the range during a match. When the humidity in southern Illinois is over 90% and then you go to Raton to shoot the nationals and humidity is well under 20% the difference is dramatic.

I started wiping between shots with a damp patch (10% Ballistol 90% water) so I would not have to hyperventilate while at Raton and it worked well. I kept doing it at ranges in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan etc.

I am going to try your method and see how it works, maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks