Blowing down the barrel

[tenngun]

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 .

I do think it’s looks.
We have all heard the urban legend about the guy who blew his brains out at a shoot. In various telling she does this in-front of his wife, or young son or daughter, or a class on field trip
It’s bunk
Heard from a friend who new a guy who went to school with the guy who saw it.
However it violates every rule of breechloaders, and servers no purpose. So as a matter of optics it’s outlawed

 

[Tumbledown]

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.

Didn't say the two directly relate. I'm saying we all can make mistakes, and placing a hand or face over a muzzle isn't the time to discover it.

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

I too blow down the barrel after each shot. I believe the moisture contributes to keeping the fouling soft and seeing the smoke come out the vent or nipple I know it's clear.

I agree. I blow the barrel to see if the vent hole is clear and to douse any hot spots. Semper Fi.

 

[LME]

I personally don't blow down my barrel. As hot as a chamber gets upon ignition leaves nothing to burn? I also am one that runs a patch down the barrel after each shot. I don't like putting any part of my body in front of the muzzle of a rifle/pistol or cannon! LOL!

 

[FishDFly]

Some while ago, I was SURE I had dryballed and spent an hour trying to get a ball puller to pull the breach plug out of the gun before I decided to rethink and check the depth of the bore with another T/C Hawken. Sucks gettin' old.

Beats not getting old.

 

[French Colonial]

No one is going to change any one's mind on this subject but there is a reason for blowing down the barrel.

How many of you have shot BPCRS long enough to get any good at it? Years ago, everyone blew down the barrel of their BP cartridge gun and there was a reason for it and it had nothing to do with embers etc. It was to keep the fouling soft. Either blow down the barrel or have terrible scores.

Quite a few guys switched after a few years to damp patches of some sort pushed through the bore only because relative humidity changes how many times you need to blow. You need less puffs in 90% humidity in S Illinois than you do in 20% or less humidity in Raton NM and you have to judge correctly or your scores suffer.

I blow down the barrel and use spit patches because that is how I was taught back in the 70's and it has always worked well enough that I have always had good scores, at least until my eyesight started to go south.

 

[toot]

there will come a time when you will do it no more! and the wake will be THURSDAY!

 

[manbat]

I don't blow down the barrel. I think I'd need to understand the science and how a very minimal volume of air, blown thru a barrel at extremely low pressure, with high relative humidity but minimal volumetric moisture can actually soften fowling before the remaining heated air inside evaporates the moisture to the point where it has zero effect on the fowling created from extreme heat and pressure.

I guess if you are committed to this, you carry around and use one of those blow tubes to keep your mouth off the barrel and residue that is likely known to be a carcinogen to the smart people in CA, to maximize the air volume and pressure through the barrel. However, with the right lip-to-barrel or nipple contact, I do wonder if it is possible to blow Reveille.

 

[mkabe]

Hello all, newbie here with a newbie question. Why when I open some conversations do I get the following comment, “You do not have permission to view this page or perform this action.” With most I don’t but do with some.
Love the site and company of fellow BP enthusiasts! Thanks!

 

[Steveoko922]

Im a firm beliver in sucking instead of blowing down the barrel.

 

[Dale Lilly]

Bye

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Well, I do blow down the barrel but shot at a NMLRA competition last year and just used a blow tube, 50+ shooters on the line, plus judges, and no one said a word.

 

[Quicksilver]

To blow or not to blow..that is the question...Can I just laugh down the barrel? Is that historically correct? This place cracks me up!!!

 

[ablock]

Year's ago when this started I got a little blue ball,, the kind of jobby that you would use to clean out a baby's nose or an old farts ear's.. I trimmed the tube part back a bit then insert the open end in the barrel and give the ball a smack.. Work's for me...

 

[APG]

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:

You sir, are brilliant. Now where did I put that darn ducky

 

[French Colonial]

I do not see how the rubber ducky or ear cleaner provides the moisture your breath provides?

 

[TFoley]

Well, I do blow down the barrel but shot at a NMLRA competition last year and just used a blow tube, 50+ shooters on the line, plus judges, and no one said a word.

They were probably stunned into open-mouthed awe.....

 

[OLD CROW]

Some good folks eat pigs feet, some good folks don't........
go figure !!!!!

 

[Clint Meier]

OK, I'll do my best to answer newbie mkabe's question in post #69 above. It is because those posts appear in the Premium Forums and can only be seen by supporting members who have paid a small yearly fee in support of the forum. Those regular members who have not paid the fee don't have access to those forums. That happened to me a lot too before I became a supporting member. If you go to the top of any page and find the word 'Forums' in the pumpkin colored strip across near the top of the page and click on it, the whole list of available forums will appear below it. The third section down in a grey strip is labeled 'Premium Members' and those forums listed and the threads can't be viewed by the regular forum members. Hope that clears things up for you! Welcome, by the way.

 

[smo]

It looks empty too me….