Blowing Down The Barrel?

[Mike 56]

I have a modest black power rifle it's a CVA 50cal Bobcat. I have been playing around with for a few years. By trial and error i found it likes 60gr Gotex FF, CCI mag caps. As for patches i started out using pillow tacking from Wallmart but found the patches were too tight. After trying a lot of different patches i found that wool flannel from a night gown worked the best. After testing countless lubes store bought and homemade along with hand cleaner and Windex i found spit worked the best. I tried running a spit patch down the barrel between shots but found that if i just loaded the rifle and not wipe down the bore between shots my rifle was more accurate. After all this i could only shoot 3-5 inch groups at 50yd. Last week end i was shooting and remember reading about guys blowing the smoke out of the barrel between shots so i tried it to my surprise i could shoot one raged hole all day long no problem. My question is why would blowing down the barrel make such a big difference.

Mike

 

[frontiergander]

blowing down the barrel is to blow out any possible burning embers.

Better accuracy from it is probably just something mental.

 

[ArmedBear]

Blowing down the barrel between shots, with moist breath, has an enormous effect.

If you don't think so, try shooting a Sharps .45-70 with BP loads. Blowing down the barrel makes the difference between being able to seat the third round easily, and having to use a mallet to seat it in the chamber. Sometimes the second round.

My guess is that doing the same thing with a muzzleloader will soften up the fouling in the barrel just enough to make it smooth out when you load the next round. It become more like a thick mud. Dry, it's more of a rough "crust." But that's a guess. All I really know from my experience is that it does make a difference.

 

[Rachen]

The crud made by blackpowder fouling is actually in it's gaseous form right after a round is fired, due to the extreme heat and pressure from the burning powder a fraction of a second ago.

After a couple of seconds, the gaseous remnants return back to it's solid form, and deposit onto the barrel.

Blowing down the tube have ventilate it, at least some of the gas might leave through the nipple vent, or come back out the other end of the barrel. Either way, the gas is being dissipated, before it has any chance to cool, solidify, and sediment along the lands and grooves.

 

[alemonkey]

Armedbear is 100% correct, my Sharps will hardly even load round #2 unless I use a blow tube. And it does soften up the fouling a lot. Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to accuracy. If you can keep the fouling the same from one shot to the next instead of increasing with each shot you'll see a difference.

 

[scrat]

wow this is crazy but definately worth a try

 

[mykeal]

Lets' see, if I recall correctly, one of the rules of gun safety was to always treat every gun as if it was loaded, and another was to never point your gun at something you would not want to shoot. Like your face.

Yes, I know, you just pulled the trigger and it went bang, and the was a new hole in the target, and it wasn't out of your hands between bang and blow...

 

[frontiergander]

at a lot of rendezvous its not allowed unless you have a long rubber tube or a hollowed out piece of wood.

 

[alemonkey]

Agreed, I wouldn't put my mouth directly on the muzzle. For BPCR a blow tube is inserted into the breech. There's no reason you couldn't use a tube on a muzzleloader.

 

[[email protected]]

a few yrs ago, a fella loaded powder then blew in the barrel. he got his mouth burned. at that time, nmlra banned the practice. dont know if they allow it now. i agree blowing does soften the fowling and makes loading/accuracy better. i find it isnt necessary to put lips on the barrel, actually it works better for me if i dont. putting too much moisture in can cause the fouling in the nipple to expand to the point of plugging it. i use vaseline and beeswax or spit for patch lube. this comes from 35 yrs shooting bp and talking to guys that have shot more than i have.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Blowing does soften the fouling and makes it easier to reload. It also can cause an ember to ignite and you might get a mouthful of blowback. For that reason, the NMLRA forbids the practice of blowing on its ranges. If you must blow, get a blowtube.

 

[Blacksmoke]

It is my understanding that in the era of the Napoleanic Wars riflemen used to piss down their barrels to clean the the fouling. I guess potable water was in short supply on the battlefield. So, if you want to make a real statement at the next Mountain Man shoot, you know what to do.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I've only read about one incident where a Civil War soldier urinated down his barrel. Most of the time, they picked up a fallen comrade's gun.

 

[sharps59]

I would say if need to add moisture your fouling to dry, that it is effecting your groups after just a few shots, you better change your lube to start w/.

 

[[email protected]]

the main reason for blowing down the barrel is to blow out any remaining embers, thereby, removing the possibility of an ember igniting your powder charge, especially when ramming a ball, probably messing up your hand. (a definite day ruiner) if your rifle has just been fired, there will not be any powder left to ignite, ember or not. i have not heard of urinating down the barrel of a muzzle loader for any reason. the only time i have heard of this is when using a breech loader and firing heats the barrel up, as on a buffalo stand. of course it would soften/ remove fouling, also, thereby improving accuracy. all of this of course is IMHO.

 

[alemonkey]

On my Sharps, I need to blow between shots because my bullet is seated just a couple thousandths off the rifling. If I don't blow the crud builds up and it won't chamber the next round. I haven't experimented with just wiping out the chamber and foregoing blowing, so I don't know how it affects accuracy. Most of the BPCR guys I've shot with do it regardless of the lube they use, so I'm guessing it helps. From what I understand it's not so much about keeping fouling soft as it is keeping the friction in the barrel consistent.

That being said, I don't blow in my muzzleloader. After about 5-6 rounds a PRB starts getting hard to load, so I give it a quick wipe.