Blowing down barrel

[Lastmohecken]

I always heard that blowing down the barrel helped to keep the powder residue soft for eaiser loading of the next round. I never had much of a habit of doing it, but today I did it after every shot, and I would see some smoke or residue come out the nipple when I did that, and I do believe it made the gun eaiser to load on the next round, but it could have been my imagination.

At any rate, my gun was as easy to load on the last round as the first and accuracy seem to hold it's own. But I changed a lot of things this time, so I doubt blowning down the barrel made much difference, but I did see stuff comming out the nipple, that would have still been in there, for the next shot.

[snake eyes]

At any rate, my gun was as easy to load on the last round as the first and accuracy seem to hold it's own. But I changed a lot of things this time, so I doubt blowing down the barrel made much difference, but I did see stuff coming out the nipple, that would have still been in there, for the next shot.

So will you continue blowing down the barrel?

[Lastmohecken]

I think so, I see no reason not to, unless I am shooting at a range that forbids it, but since I don't do much of any range shooting, anymore, why not.

Lastmohecken

[mark davidson]

Unless I am in a real hurry, I patch between shots anyway so I figure the patched jag does the blowing for me and keeps my head out from over the bore. I mostly hunt so my first shot when it counts will almost always be from a clean bore so I try to duplicate that for every shot or almost every shot in range sessions. The patched jag blows and cleans both way better than I am sure my best "huff" could produce.

[R.M.]

Except, your  best "huff", contains lots of moisture, and that's the reason it works for us.

[mark davidson]

I bet the "huff" is not as moist as the spit patch I push down the barrel on my jag. :-) Not trying to be argumentative or disrespectful to an old ritual; it just seems to me that blowing down the barrel is more ritual than practical and kinda like licking your thumb and wipeing the front sight before you shoot.  Then again I am honestly too new to really know how important or effective it is either way.

[James Kelly]

Sometimes a policeman gets depressed from the stress of dealing with life's scum, and the stress on his family. When he puts the muzzle of the gun in his mouth, it is known in police circles as "eating the gun"

There are, believe it or not, rather well established safety rules for handling guns. Since at least the 18th century it has been noted that "unloaded guns" do a fair amount of killing. Those with sufficient intelligence to follow established safety rules, such as promoted by the NRA & NMLRA, do not intentionally point any firearm, loaded or "not", at anything they don't want a hole through.

Personally I don't much care whether you suck or blow the muzzle, you will  not do it on our DSC range.

[Mitch]

Mr. Kelly-you have beat the horse to death....I'll continue to blow down my barrel, you can continue to not....beating folks down with "safety rules" can get really old, really fast....most of us know the "rules"

[woodman]

I would like to know how you load your Muzzleloaders withiout putting a part of your body in front of the muzzle? Last time I looked the only way to hold a ramrod is in your hand there is no holder that I know of that allows you to load with out putting your hand in front of the barrel. What do you do decide which hand is expendeple.....
 Woodman
  Meant tounge in cheek as this is a silly discussion........Personaly I blow down the barrel as old habits are hard to break...and if you can't tell if your rifle gun has gone off ...then maybe ya should't be shootin any way..............

[Capt. Jas.]

I blow down the barrel of 12L14 barrel and will continue to do so.  : )

[rollingb]

I would like to know how you load your Muzzleloaders withiout putting a part of your body in front of the muzzle? Last time I looked the only way to hold a ramrod is in your hand there is no holder that I know of that allows you to load with out putting your hand in front of the barrel. What do you do decide which hand is expendeple.....
 Woodman
  Meant tounge in cheek as this is a silly discussion........Personaly I blow down the barrel as old habits are hard to break...and if you can't tell if your rifle gun has gone off ...then maybe ya should't be shootin any way..............

Them's my thoughts EXACTLY!!  

[bushy]

Tired of this post but I have to comment. If the NMLRA is so concerned about gun safety than maybe they should not endorse Re enacting events as such because the players all point their weapons at the other players.  Yes they point over their heads but they are still horseplaying with real guns.  Loaded with powder only but still loaded.  It is not a safety issue as such. Re enacting is a great money maker, safety no.
I do blow down my own barrel.   I do not horseplay with my flinters.  I do not point my flinters at anyone even over their heads.  If I ever pointed a unloaded flinter over someones head at my range, I would be thrown off.  If I was to point an unloaded flinter over my neighbours head the Police would be called and my guns would be taken.  
So get off your high horses about gun safety and blowing down the barrel.  If it was a safety issue as stated   Re enacting  would be banned.  But again there is too much money in it and we all know money is what really counts.  In reality boys and girls all loading procedures of a muzzleloader should be considered an unsafe practise.  So do I continue with my hobby and shoot my flinters?  You bet and I will suffer the consequences if and when they occur.


Bushy(Vaya Con Dios Amigos)Stay Well and Shoot Often

[mark davidson]

If something has to be "risked" to shoot a muzzle loader then I am OK with that but for my part that "risk" will be my hand on the ram rod, not my HEAD! Again, I am new and mean no disrespect to what seems to be an old and very ingrained ritual. Old pistol shooters like me have been putting our hand in front of the muzzle of revolvers with a cleaning rod for ever so my hand in front of a muzzle with a rod in it does not seem unnatural at all. My head in front of any muzzle does make my skin crawl a little.

[Uncle Russ]

Obivously there are many folks who practice this, and quite a number of folks who would never consider such a practice.

It is equally obivous by those who do that it has absolutely nothing to do with safety, and may even increase the "prevention" factor of an accident occuring.

We all must admit that safety is paramont in any shooting event, and we have all gotta respect the other persons opinion on safety issues...range related shooting incidents are rare indeed, whether black or smokeless, while hunting related incidents seem to increase proportinately with the increase of hunters in the field.....two totally different scienieros.

This is a long running thread, and there is a lot to be learned....if we remain civil to the others opinion.
Let's try very hard to keep the thread on track, and refrain from any "cheap shots'.....otherwise, it will be locked and removed, as we all know, or should know by now, that such behavior is not allowed on this forum.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Russ...

[rollingb]

Just to pick up a beautiful longrifle harkens (in me) a feeling of going "back in time", a time when life was much freer and much less restrictive.
A time,.... when the "rules of safety" were left up to each individual to watch out for his own life and well-being.
A time,.... when it was thought to be "rude" (or, even ludicrous) to force someone to do something (or, NOT doing something) because of some "unsubstantial occurence."
A time,.... when the "PERSONAL choices" a man made, were "HIS" choices alone and not DICTATED by others who thought differently.
A time,.... when the longrifle was a "daily tool", such as one might consider a hammer, power tool, (or etc.) today.
A time,.... when a man took responsibility for his own actions and "lived, or died, with the conseqences" of his PERSONAL decisions.
A time,.... that is all too fast disappearing, but still appreciated, and "longed for", by many of us who love traditional muzzleloaders.