A wet patch between shots for safety?

[Vomitus]

  Thanks Mike. I kind of thought canister would have a patch but have played very little with a cannon. Always wanted to build one.
  This is one of the reasons I load a tight patch ball combo in all my guns and rifles. The chances of an ember in the bore is almost non exsistant. Many in here frown on blowing down the spout so I try to forget old ways on the range. If I'm not sure where my loading regimen is, I always test with my ramrod.I've found that with the tight combo and a wet patch(sloppy) that no embers remain.

[Carper]

Thought you guys might like to hear a tell of a flintlock misfire from around 1908 in the hills of southern WV. Around late fall a mildly retarded man of great size would kill and hang the local hogs at each farm pen. My grandfather  was a boy at home and was down at the pen with this gentleman.  My grandpa  threw an ear of corn on the ground and when a hog came over to the old man fellow took aim with a flintlock rifle.  The rifle sparked but did not fire. The old man stuck the rifle between two pickets of the fence with the barrel pointing into the pen. He reached into his hat and produced a wire which he was presumably going to use to pick the vent. However before he could the rifle fired ( talk about a hang fire) and struck a hog in the guts with a ball. The old man was put into such a state and panic that my Grandfather( age 10) pulled out the mans knife, jumped the fence and dispatched the hog. I wonder if he blew down the barrel afterwards ?    Johnny

[Candle Snuffer]

The following excerpts are taken from Sketches and Eccentricities of Col. David Crockett of West Tennessee, published in London in 1834. The author describes a Tennessee shooting match of 1831 involving Mr. Crockett.

"Forty yards offhand, or sixty with a rest, is the distance generally chosen for a shooting match. If no distance be specified, this is implied. In all their shooting matches, no ball is allowed to count which is not found within an inch. They use for patching, cotton cloth, and wipe their rifles after every discharge."

My guess the wiping of their bore was for accuracy purpose more then anything else.

[Daryl]

"Ven you loads Der next shot, you Vipes der last shot" - see - I wipe the bore every shot, as I'm loading - and - I get much better than a 2" group - an inch from centre, ie: each side - thus that is not a good group. For some, I suspect that sounds really great, when they are not used to better accuracy.
 
I suspect that thumb started balls, wiped each shot might even shoot that well.

[Candle Snuffer]

I read that entire story about that Crockett shoot (I bought it up on the computer from the Library Of Congress) some time back.  If I recall, there was quite a bit of time between shots before they'd take another shot at what was offered up for a prize.  Also, if I remember correctly some of the shooter's taking part hid their rifle in the woods so no one would mess with their sights...lol...  Must of been pretty cut throat back in the day.

[Daryl]

A long period of time between shots might dictate a wipe, however I guess we've never been in that situation that requires it.

[Mike R]

The following excerpts are taken from Sketches and Eccentricities of Col. David Crockett of West Tennessee, published in London in 1834. The author describes a Tennessee shooting match of 1831 involving Mr. Crockett.

"Forty yards offhand, or sixty with a rest, is the distance generally chosen for a shooting match. If no distance be specified, this is implied. In all their shooting matches, no ball is allowed to count which is not found within an inch. They use for patching, cotton cloth, and wipe their rifles after every discharge."

My guess the wiping of their bore was for accuracy purpose more then anything else.

Audabon also describes Dan'l Boone as wiping between every shot on a squirrel hunt he accompanied him on.

[heelerau]

At the National Black Powder Champs here in Western Australia this last Easter, a chap had a .451 Volunteer go off whilst loading, put the rod and bullet through his hand.  All were non plussed as he wiped between shots. He may have  had a volatile bore solvent which diesled when the bullet compressed the air when being rammed home onto the charge.  I still don't know what the wash-up of that particular incident was.

cheers

Gordon

[Daryl]

As Leatherbelly noted earlier, he's used Alcohol on a patch wiping a flinter, with a tight patch and got a jet of flame from his 'little' vent.

[Candle Snuffer]

The following excerpts are taken from Sketches and Eccentricities of Col. David Crockett of West Tennessee, published in London in 1834. The author describes a Tennessee shooting match of 1831 involving Mr. Crockett.

"Forty yards offhand, or sixty with a rest, is the distance generally chosen for a shooting match. If no distance be specified, this is implied. In all their shooting matches, no ball is allowed to count which is not found within an inch. They use for patching, cotton cloth, and wipe their rifles after every discharge."

My guess the wiping of their bore was for accuracy purpose more then anything else.

Audabon also describes Dan'l Boone as wiping between every shot on a squirrel hunt he accompanied him on.

I did not know that Mike.  Thanks!

[Vomitus]

As Leatherbelly noted earlier, he's used Alcohol on a patch wiping a flinter, with a tight patch and got a jet of flame from his 'little' vent.

Alcohol is for drinkink! I never wipe!ever...Ya got me mixed up with someone else. It's funny tho!
(rolls his eyes,ffs's!)

[westerner]

Sometime I wipe  between shots and sometimes I don't. Depends on the rifle and the type of shooting I'm doing.  

I hate rules and habitual rule makers.  Hate putting up with stupid safety rules that have no effect on safety.  Rules rules rules just for the sake of getting a feather in your cap and making more rules.
If you think there's too many rules you can count on someone proposing yet another stupid rule while your thinking there's already to many stupid rules. And then there's rule makers that make rules to their own advantage. And rule makers who make a rule because you said you didn't want the rule. I think rules, especially safety rules should be ruled out completely.
That's my ruling.

  Wes.

[hlary]

Dear Wes,
you are an absolute genius! Now go get back under that lone tree on top of the hill and wait for the next thunder storm.

[smallpatch]

Wow, six pages of dissertation, and what is the result? Six pages of dissertation . 
Somebody please shoot me!  You can either run a wet patch or not....... I don't care!! Just put me out of my misery!

[Daryl]

LOL!

[WadePatton]

...which diesled when the bullet compressed the air when being rammed home onto the charge.  ...
Gordon

As one who has MADE a compression-ignition fire-starter, i simply cannot fathom someone ramming a loading rod hard and fast enough to ignite anything via the air heated upon compression.  The least bit of a leak in compression defeats the design-a proper design pops the ramrod back up immediately as the air cannot have an escape, else the compression ignition fails.  Therefore i completely discount the "diesel"/compression ignition angle.

that's Essay (based on experience) not Dissertation.  

+++
here's something "barrel sized" used intentionally as a fire piston.  NOTE the speed and force utilized and the very last 4 words of the vid..."never do that again." 

So do give wide berth to those loading fast and forcefully with both hands (and a sealed breech). Could be dangerous.

also please note: i didn't make or name the video.    

[Daryl]

Well - very interesting - I'll stick with the 6 to 10" slow thrusts from now on, even with the range rod - evenly slow. Point taken.

[WadePatton]

Well - very interesting - I'll stick with the 6 to 10" slow thrusts from now on, even with the range rod - evenly slow. Point taken.

when you're lifting yourself out of your boots ...that's when it could be trouble 

(again-only if the vent/nipple is sealed)