Swabbing, a safety measure

[Claude Mathis]

I think it is stupid and dangerous to not swab beteen every shot.

My personal guidelines”¦

When at an event, I abide by the rules.

When on my own, I do as I please.

What others do is their business.

 

[George T.]

For me at least it was good to hear from someone that actually knows and not guessing!

I shoot with a club that made me shoot three matches before accepting my membership. They have never even mentioned rules and as far as I know there is no printed list of their club rules.

I intend to ask for this matter to be addressed at our next shoot. Anything that can make a shooting sport safer in the current atmosphere is a good thing!

Thanks again Geo. T.

 

[meanmike8665]

Hi,
NMLRA rules book are available by contacting the office, just keep in mind that this week the Fall Championship are being held, If you need one right away you can email me and I will send one.
One thing to remember is that Safety rules are different from match rules a club that shoots a Buffalo off the bench at a club because no one can get up and down any more is just fine,for example, loading from a powder can is never allowed.

Michael

 

[Joel/Calgary]

How many people swab out their "patent-breech" chambers and flash channels in addition to their bores? For that matter, how would one swab that inner chamber on a real Nock patent breech, rather than the Manton or generic chambered breeches that are mostly used nowadays?

Would a blow-tube be acceptable under MNLRA rules or is any form of application of biogenic moist air prohibited?

Regards,
Joel

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

I know that blowing directly into the barrel is considered an unsafe practice. I saw some guys avoid the danger by blowing through a flexible plastic tube they put into the barrel opening. They blow into the barrel without putting their face in harms way...

 

[Captjoel]

One of the problems that I have run into when swabbing the barrel between shots on a percussion patent breech rifle is that the damp patch actually pushes the fowling down into the flash channel. This makes the next shot a misfire and holds up the line for all of the added work to get the rifle to fire. For this and a few other reasons I prefer to shoot a flintlock rifle.

 

[meanmike8665]

Yes, A blow tube is acceptable. Rule 1090, provided the shooters head is not in front of the muzzle.

Michael

 

[tenngun]

I've heard about the tube for blowing down the barrel and would use it if I was in a match that ruled against blowing. I don't shoot in matches often as I don't enjoy that sort of shooting.
A damp patch tween shots would do the same thing.
Claud's post about following the rules in a shoot and shooting as you please when your on your own was right on point.

 

[cynthialee]

I swab after every shot. I do it for uniformity of conditions when I load.
The safety aspect is just the thing to make me pleased I have been swabbing after each shot.

 

[bpd303]

My thoughts too. Then I use the damp patch used to swab the bore as a wad under the patched ball. Works for me.

 

[PatrickScotch]

I'm pretty new to muzzle loading and this is a good story as to why swabbing is a good idea. I have seen people use alcohol swabs to swab before, an idea that I like since I work at a hospital.

 

[Don Steele]

Let me see if I understand what you are saying. After removing the dirty patch from your rod, do you bunch it up and push it back into the muzzle before you start the patch and ball,using it for an "over-powder" wad ??

Have you been able to document an improvement in precision ??
Thanks.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I do recall reading, way back when I began in muzzleloading, that swabbing between shots would help reduce the chance of a glowing ember down in the breech.

For those who feel that their flat breech face eliminates the nooks and crannies for sparks to hide, well that is just silly. The guns still have the corners where the barrel wall meets the breech face and unless they have some miraculous new form of ignition, they still have flash channels for the touch hole flame to reach the bore. Ever examine one of those holes, with threads on the walls of the channel. Yep no place to hold a glowing spot there.

And the hot embers, don't necessarily come from powder. Lint from clothes or patches, bits of dust, etc. (I once saw some off brand powder with what looked like bits of saw dust in it. ) Not too mention the slight possibility that an unmixed speck of charcoal made it through the powder milling process.

I remember distinctly reading that paper cartridges are prone to leaving bits of detritus that can hold sparks.

I have fired patent breech muzzleloaders for decades and swabbing between shots has never pushed lumps of fouling into the breech and caused mis fires. By that logic, constant firing without swabbing would leave layer after layer of hard fouling to build up in the breech and cause misfires.

 

[bpd303]

Exactly...I use the blue shop towels that come on a roll as my swab material. I tear off a piece about 2X2 in. dampen it with moose milk, once down the bore, flip it over and fold it up so the clean side is out, start it in the muzzle, patched ball on top and ram it down. It has let me go to a thinner patch and thumb start the PB with out any loss in accuracy.

 

[Rifleman1776]

One of the problems that I have run into when swabbing the barrel between shots on a percussion patent breech rifle is that the damp patch actually pushes the fowling down into the flash channel.

That means your cleaning jag is too large. The patch should go down freely but then bunch up in the rebate behind (above) the jag as you pull out. It is that bunching that gets into the rifling and pulls out the crud.
For oversize jags I just put them in a chuck (hand drill, drill press, lathe, etc.) and reduce the size a little bit by holding the flat of a file on the grooves.

 

[gard72977]

Exactly...I use the blue shop towels that come on a roll as my swab material. I tear off a piece about 2X2 in. dampen it with moose milk, once down the bore, flip it over and fold it up so the clean side is out, start it in the muzzle, patched ball on top and ram it down. It has let me go to a thinner patch and thumb start the PB with out any loss in accuracy.

Are you saying that you use the blue shop towel as a buffer? I never thought of using the cleaning patch as a over the powder buffer. I will have to try that. I have been keeping a 32oz Gatorade bottle close to put the patches in after if swab the bbl.. I works well. The jag hold the patch good enough that when you put it in the bottle the edges of the patch grab the bottle and pulls the patch off the jag.

 

[bpd303]

Yep use them as a wad (buffer) like this, wad in muzzle then thumb started patched ball over it & ram them down.

Fired patch on left without wad, wad in center, fired patch on right with wad below it. Same patch material & lube. Nice thing is I don't have to make or buy separate wads.

To me the proof is in the target. 25 yards off hand.