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Blowing down the barrel

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Blowing down the barrel softens fouling, that's the only reason I do it. It's part of the reason I can shoot all day and not have to swab out the barrel. Why that should bother anybody I don't know. I'm perfectly fine with those that don't do it, leave people alone.....

With a wet patch I can shoot non stop, no blowing.

I do four and five day matches with zero cleaning, swabbing, blowing, etc.... Just loading and shooting
 
Perhaps the best reason to not blow down the barrel is hang fire. If you *think* your gun went off, and blow down the barrel, it may just blow back.

And before anyone says they always know when their gun doesn't go off, how many of us have dryballed when we NEVER forget to put in the powder first?
 
i personally enjoyed getting old. been one heck of a ride. BEING old sucks.
i have been a muzzleblower for decades. until just this year. actually just this fall. I finally quit.
this fall i made my patch lube with bear fat. unfortunately i scorched it when i was rendering it. the smell of it almost makes me retch, ain't no way i am getting it on my lips. yeah i know i could curl my fist around the muzzle but i am not going to chance it.
it stinks so bad my brother in laws hounds just know i have a treat for them and start baying from 100 yards.
stuff stinks bad enough that even with covid impaired smeller i can smell it.
 
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If we forget about range rules or the Commandments - What's unsafe about it? Seriously. I mean you put your hand over an actual loaded gun when ramming.
Y'know, I never got into this habit. Whole concept seems kinda silly to me, and given that Hollywood promoted it back in the day, I am even more certain it is a silly idea. Nope, just not gonna start giving my gun blow jobs any time soon. ;)
We have lots of historic references to doing it.
You might find it silly, but it is an historic method, not a Hollywood fantasy
 
Perhaps the best reason to not blow down the barrel is hang fire. If you *think* your gun went off, and blow down the barrel, it may just blow back.

And before anyone says they always know when their gun doesn't go off, how many of us have dryballed when we NEVER forget to put in the powder first?
Been doing this near fifty years now, never once was confused as to if my gun went off. Have only dryed balled once, and that near forty years ago
But I don’t understand how those two relate. If you thought you dryballed because you couldn’t get it to fire the last thing you would do is blow down the bore. That would be pointless.
 
Stated an opinion! If you don't like it.....don't read my postings!!
Best advice.
I have always done it, maybe you choose not to. But what ever your opinion is, it’s yours, feel free to shout it from the mountain, I’ll applaud you.
Your opinion can only effect me if 1) I take it to heart
2) get angry about it,
In this I ain’t going to stop blowing down a barrel, so one’s meaningless and I ain’t going to get angry over what you think, so 2 is meaningless
Simple thing, don’t like it don’t read it
 
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.
It can only hang fire and shoot you if it didn’t go off. On an empty gun, yes I know ‘all guns are loaded, doesn’t count with a single barrel ml I just shot, there is nothing to go off.
However one does follow the rules of the club one joins
 
this whole argument is on par with those about using 777 or pyrodex, or BP.
it is also on par with arguing about tighty whities, boxers, or commando.
also on par with arguing the hair color of women. i happen to like Blonds. and brunettes. and redheads. and raven haired. even some with green, purple or skunk striped.
what ever you want to do go for it. just don't tell me i have to mimic you.
 
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:
I might do this just for the fun of it... and the looks I will get.
Imagine the looks I will get from the cartridge shooters.
 
International ML competition rules ban blowing down muzzles between shots , I feel that something must have happened sometime, somewhere to get the practice banned , but I have no idea who, when or where .
 
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