Loading Habits

[54Bucks]

 A different thread on pan powder has me wondering why anyone would block the touch hole with a pick of somesort before loading? I never understood why making a deadspace without unburned powder is an advantage. I also never understood why picking the touch hole of a loaded gun would be adviseable either. I can undertand picking the touch hole of a gun that may have had a cleaning patch run, before dropping the next charge to possibly remove some fouling in the vent.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

From time to time, if you don't block the vent prior to loading (and I never do), a piece of fouling is pushed into the hole with the force of loading, and you get a misfire.  It happens but it's rare, and I do like to see the charge right out to the pan after loading.  In the event of a flash in the pan, one needs to clear the vent of fouling, to allow the pan flash to enter the vent.

[The other DWS]

wWith a large or enlarged touchhole, ramming the patched ball down on the powder can force eject powder out the vent.  Depending on several different scenarios this can be good or bad. leaving a soft vent prick or quill can prevent this if desired.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

The only time I ever use a pick is in the event of a pan flash misfire, and like Taylor said that happens very infrequenlty. Years ago I did have a rifle that would auto prime when I loaded, I used to close the pan to keep the charge consistant then reprime when I was ready to shoot.

[Standing Bear]

Because of the location of the the touch hole on one of my rifles, if I dry load, the ball seats past the vent and there is no room to get enough 4F behind the ball to push it out.  To keep  loading proceedures consistant, even the paten breech flinters get a vent pick.

Then too it don't hurt none.
TC