Interesting Picture

[Uncle Russ]

tube blowing is actually a SAFE and SMART practice.   

once again, in this overly litigious society, we need to protect the stupid people at the expense of the smart ones.   

Uncle Russ...

[RobD]

you don't need to buy a BPCR blow tube, just get a 12" length of neoprene tubing from the hardware store, with an OD that'll fit into the muzzle. 

[rollingb]

I use an authentic "replica" of the same blow tube Jim Bridger used. (mine was "made" in 1946  )

If that isn't acceptable by the folks running a "shoot",.... then I shoot elsewhere. 

[Ohio Joe]

What I find interesting is that in some of the "time period" movies, and even the old Daniel Boone shows, the good actors will blow down their barrel or at least give the appearance they are (or have just) blown down their muzzle loading rifle barrel after their shot,,, yet you don't hear any criticism of them projecting this idea of blowing down the barrel as a "bad" thing,,, and millions more people have seen this done on TV or at the movies then most folks have likely seen it done in real life.

This common practice of blowing down the barrel of your muzzle loader after your shot has no doubt been with us for century's - yet organizations who no longer allow its practice, they simply know little or nothing at all about traditional muzzle loading yet they try to perpetuate their final word on the matter. This, IMHO - is nothing short of laughable. Their idea's and rules carry no weight with me.

Now I've been thinking about that Shadow figure,,, and my best guess is that it's the "shadow / reflection" of one the shooters on the firing line, depending on the position of the sun, and the angel at which the picture was taken. (Also I will add,,, I know little to nothing about photography - but I do know which button to push on my camera to take a picture)...   

 

[Bigsmoke]

Russ,
I think you probably bought as many of those blow tubes as I ever sold.  Personally, I thought it was a great idea, but evidently, hardly anyone else did.  It did not last too long in their catalog, one year, I think.
Seems like it was a bit awkward to use.
I recall seeing in one of the old movies, forget which one, an actor grabbing his rifle off the wall, going outside and blowing down the barrel, then loading the rifle.  I guess the thought was to clear the vent prior to pouring powder down the barrel.  Anyone else recall that scene?
John

[Winter Hawk]

I don't recall the scene (watch very few movies, and fewer tv show) but I know that I do that after running a dry patch down the bore before loading for the first shot.  It's probably a good thing that I go to the range alone without other folks telling me that I'm not being safe!   

~WH~

[Ohio Joe]

Russ,
I think you probably bought as many of those blow tubes as I ever sold.  Personally, I thought it was a great idea, but evidently, hardly anyone else did.  It did not last too long in their catalog, one year, I think.
Seems like it was a bit awkward to use.
I recall seeing in one of the old movies, forget which one, an actor grabbing his rifle off the wall, going outside and blowing down the barrel, then loading the rifle.  I guess the thought was to clear the vent prior to pouring powder down the barrel.  Anyone else recall that scene?
John

John, not the movie you're thinking of, but in the movie "The Mountain Men" with Charlton Heston, and Brian Keith,,, towards the end when Heston and Kieth are attacked at the river by the Blackfeet, Heston fires his flintlock (which Brian Kieth I don't believe was aware he was going to do as he got the gasses out of the vent from Heston's rifle on the left side of his face) - Heston does in fact (for quite a while) he blows down the muzzle of his flintlock after that shot.

Hey, I say if it's good enough for the former NRA President to do it, no need in me stopping doing it.   

As a side note, Brian Kieth also blows down his barrel in that same scene.

[Bigsmoke]

Oh shucks, Joe.  Now I gotta order The Mountain Men from the library and watch it again.
Well, if that's the worst thing that I have to do this year, it'll be a darn good year.
I used to have it on tape, but when I upgraded my equipment to a Blue Ray player, I donated all my tapes to the library.  Initially, they didn't really want to take them, but it worked out OK.  Actually, there was a woman standing by the desk when the conversation was going on and she said she would like to have the tapes.  I said great !!  Rather have someone get them than tossing into the trash bin.

Russ, I think it was longer ago than you said.  Ms. Smoke and i have been in LaLaLand for about 11 1/2 years, and it was well before we sold October Country that we handled those blow tubes.  Time sure flies when you are having fun, huh?  No big deal, just saying...

John

[Uncle Russ]

Russ, I think it was longer ago than you said.  Ms. Smoke and i have been in LaLaLand for about 11 1/2 years, and it was well before we sold October Country that we handled those blow tubes.  Time sure flies when you are having fun, huh?  No big deal, just saying...

John

  After giving it some thought, and putting two & two together, I have to totally agree with you!

John, I'm still emptying boxes that I run across now and then that have little to no value to anyone in the world but me, still yet, I am guilty of moving them around for years trying to get me one of those "roundtoits" and actually go through them, and throw the real junk in the Trash, where it should have been a decade or so back.

The reason those Blow Tubes survived as long as they did was because they were in one of several shooting boxes I have, and every now and then someone will say "I could use one of those, or I haven't seen those in years" or when I hear someone ask, "Is that blowing down the barrel business safe?"....you get the picture.
If that silly looking "blow tube" makes someone fell better, I am all for it!

Thanks for jolting my memory! Sometimes that memory works pretty doggone good, other times not so much.

Uncle Russ...