Witnessed Unsafe Behaviors

[French Colonial]

Started this in the 70's
I have never had an ember
I have never broken a wooden ramrod
I have never shot a ramrod down range
I have never contaminated powder with a spit patch
I have never had a ball that would not seat using a spit patch
I have never had a shot go off pointed anywhere but where I intended it to go
I have never NOT blew down the barrel
I have had people at the range scare me enough to stop shooting and remove myself to a safe location.

I will keep doing things my way, seems to work and work well.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Saw a fellow, and this is important as he was a safe shooter. This was the only time he ever ‘slipped up that I know of, his flint failed to spark after several clatch
He knapped a new edge with a knife. And he got spark that found the touch hole.
As said he was always safe and the gun pointed down range.
I do blow down my barrels, but I’m not an engineer

That's a good example of just making a simple, yet totally understandable, bad choice. Reminded me of the other day when I need to knap after a few shots. Used the little brass hammer I bought from TOW for the first time. Had I chosen to just use the patch knife in my bag. I might have had the same result as your friend.

 

[Cattywompuss]

I've reached a point recently where I swab with a warm water patch between every shot allowing for the barrel to cool, and then a couple subsequent dry patches before reloading.

I've never had a stray spark in a barrel, but given that I now want every shot to mimic a hunting shot, I also don't mind the extra safety benefit. I have no doubt many folks will never or have never had a stray spark, but I like my eyebrows and fingers and don't see my favorite hobby as worth an ER or morgue trip.

 

[blushingmule]

...snip
...the leader of this pack jumped to the firing line with a Chinese made Russian designed semi auto with a detachable mag.
this particular unmentionable has a bad habit of the firing pin sticking, causing the thing to go full auto.

I'd bet that it was an SKS.

Bob

 

[Rum River]

Neighbor guy had a percussion Hawken with consistently poor ignition. A third party convinced him that the answer was to drill out, rethread and install a musket nipple. My first exposure to the whole thing was when they were trying it out in the neighbor's back yard. Good ignition all right - and the back pressure puts the hammer on full cock every time.

Whenever we shoot together I tell him if he brings out the semi-auto Hawken I'm going home.

 

[Frod733]

Here's my 2 cents, for what it is worth.
When shooting N-SSA competion years ago, I observed a cook off on the firing line during team matches. N-SSA shooting in team competition is based on speed and accuracy, and using minie balls of one kind or another. This gentleman appeared to be a re-enactor as his weapon and uniform all appeared very original. At least the rifle musket was original. He was either in the process of pouring powder down the barrel or about to load a minie. At any rate, it cooked off. Burned his hand severely. Went to get medical attention and returned to the line for the next relay with a largely bandaged hand. Went to load again, same thing happened, only now his bandage caught on fire. More medical treatment. Saw him later throw the entire original rifle musket into the river. I suspect he did not clean his guns very well.

A related tidbit: Years ago, I bought an original civil war rifled musket in very good condtion. I removed the breech plug and could not see through the barrel. Turns out, there was a hard disk of black powder residue at the bottom of the barrel, like a Necco wafer. It took some doing to remove it. In light of the above, I often wondered if in a poorly cleaned gun, that disk, in hot enough weather, with repeated shooting, could start to act like a charcoal briquette and at some point cause a cook off.

 

[deerstalkert]

I'd bet that it was an SKS.

Bob

winner, winner!

 

[Mr Mortimer]

Therefore a habit I'm not willing to start, thank you.

wm

You are a wise man.

 

[S.Kenton]

I'd bet that it was an SKS.

Bob

AK most likely.. detachable mag gives it away

 

[William Lincoln]

I think that blowing down the barrel of a revolver, after a crack shot , was widely spread in the 50's
with the Republic serials of Hero Cowboys before Roy Rodgers- The Gene Autry era
but not Gene. Maybe Tom Mix.

 

[rmark]

40 years ago I had a friend with a FIE colt 1851 replica that sort of worked - you had to rotate the cylinder by hand, I think the 'hand'
was broken. The cylinder would line up with the barrel fine. Having done so I left my hand about 4 inches outside the barrel/cylinder gap which when fired left a line of burning powder particles across my index finger. I have not done this a second time.

 

[deerstalkert]

AK most likely.. detachable mag gives it away

sks converted. was a big fad in the 80's and early 90's

 

[S.Kenton]

I’ve came to the point in my Muzzloading hobby that I do what I’ve always done… it has worked for me thus far. The one thing I hate is when someone I don’t know comes up to me

sks converted. was a big fad in the 80's and early 90's

Still is, well for me..

 

[TFoley]

Why do BPCR (Black Powder Cartridge Rifle) shooters blow down the barrels of their rifles, albeit with blow tubes? (Hint, it has nothing to do with embers)

When you answer that question you will also know why some muzzleloaders do it.

Just as some people shoot themselves with modern guns while cleaning etc. there are some people who should not handle muzzleloaders either.

BPCR shooters, me included, blow down the clearly empty barrel of a just-fired rifle in an effort to keep the fouling soft.

 

[Capnball]

A story that I heard from a range master. A gentleman loaded his new Kentucky rifle by pouring powder from the can. He shot from the bench. He picked himself up from the ground, left, and never returned.

Trapper lore: There was one hunter on a horse reloading his rifle after wounding a buffalo. To save time, he reloaded from the horn. The resulting blast removed his hair, moustache, and beard from his face and they say his face had a nice rosy color for many days.

Theres a video On YouTube of a guy shooting at a range with an open can of BP on the bench. Yup, you guessed it, it went off with a bang.

 

[Travis186]

BPCR shooters, me included, blow down the clearly empty barrel of a just-fired rifle in an effort to keep the fouling soft.

Ooo, I like where this is going. Now let's argue about blow tube vs wiping rod, and lubricant to boot? Grease cookies too! And my method is the best.

 

[TFoley]

Ooo, I like where this is going. Now let's argue about blow tube vs wiping rod, and lubricant to boot? Grease cookies too! And my method is the best.

No comment further than what I've already written - this is a muzzleloading forum after all.

 

[Eterry]

It would be nice if we could keep this about muzzleloaders... Please and thank you.

 

[Eterry]

I will tell an "oops" moment on myself. As a teen with a caplock that had trouble firing the first time a welder friend gave me a set of torch cleaners, basically small round files. I started honing the nipple hole until I had a much larger hole than original.
My buddy came by, lets shoot your musket he says.
In the back yard i fire her and my face is burning and the hammer is on half cock. He says your face is dirty. I say must be hot powder cause it's my usual load. He shoots it, his face half covered in soot. Hammer half cocked. It took a few more shots to convince us we had a problem. We looked like Kentucky coal miners after a 12 hour shift. Threw away the nipple and torch files.

 

[Fess0718]

I was shooting black powder last weekend and the guy next to me lights up a cigarette. I mentioned I was shooting black powder and he glared at me packed up his stuff and moved to the opposite end of the line - kept his cigarette lit the whole time. We’re a no smoking range.