Making Blow Tubes

[rbertalotto]

I've been busy making a couple of Blow Tubes to be used in my 45-70 rifles

One for the Rolling Block



And one for the Sharps and 1885 Winchester



I started out with a 45-70 case and a 44Mag case is used to step it down to the plastic tube.



First, drill out the 45-70 case to the outside diameter of your 44mag case



Then drill out the inside of the 44Mag case to the major diameter and grind most of the rim off the case. Leave a very little lip so it won't pull out of the 45-70 case.



Slide the 44Mag into the 45-70 and super glue the seam (or you could just as easily solder it) It is a very tight fit and Super Glue will hold it fast.



Slip a piece of 3/8ID plastic hose over the 44Mag case and you are done. You might need to heat the tubing up a bit with a low temp heat gun as it is a very tight fit on the 44 Mag case.



For the Remington Rolling Block I had to make a modification because the 45-70 barely fits over the hammer on these rifles with out the extension. So it needed to turn a corner.
A short piece of copper tubing bent 90 degrees and super glued into the 45-70 case solved this issue.



At the other end I built up the diameter of the copper tubing with a 38 Special case and a 41 Magnum case. One inside the other. Super Glued together.

Now to go moisten some black powder fouling!

[Pitchy]

Cool,nice job
I take it you blow air through the bore or is it for water?

I made this wood one for use on my muzzleloader.

[AJMD429]

I guess it's time for a remedial class . . . what are these used for...?

[Pitchy]

I guess it's time for a remedial class . . . what are these used for...?

Mine is used for blowing down the barrel of a ML between shots to moisten the fouling so ya don`t get ignition when pouring the next charge in. Most people including myself just blow down the barrel with their mouth but there was a debate about how safe or good of practic that was so i made that thing to be a smart you know what.

I`m not real sure about rbertalotto`s

[Chuck 100 yd]

Moisture from your breath softens the black powder fouling allowing more accurate shooting and in some cases a rifle cant even be loaded due to fouling stopping the next bullet from fully seating in the barrel.

Black powder target shooters almost all use them.

[rbertalotto]

Yup, what Chuck said...........gotta keep the black powder fouling solf or you can't even seat a second cartridge.

Must have been a real issue during the Civil War to keep your gun operating.

[Lefty Dude]

During the CW I read some where they used an Ammonia/Water solution. Called Urine to field clean the Rifles & muskets.

[Griff]

Blow-tubes the EASY WAY!

[Don McDowell]

Yup, what Chuck said...........gotta keep the black powder fouling solf or you can't even seat a second cartridge.

.

If you can't chamber and fire at least 5 rounds without blowtubing, either your lube is no good, or you're using crud for powder, or to lite of a powder charge causing excessive fouling. With a good lube and proper powder charge you should be able to go closer to 10 rounds with little loss of accuracy with no tube or wiping.

[ving-thorr]

During the CW I read some where they used an Ammonia/Water solution. Called Urine to field clean the Rifles & muskets.

I can offer some of this special solution for sale if anyone is interested!

[rbertalotto]

If you can't chamber and fire at least 5 rounds without blowtubing, either your lube is no good, or you're using crud for powder, or to lite of a powder charge causing excessive fouling. With a good lube and proper powder charge you should be able to go closer to 10 rounds with little loss of accuracy with no tube or wiping.

Only with a 'loosy goosy" chamber. With a match chamber like the Winchester 1885 BPCR, with zero free bore, and using a Lyman 457-125 bullet, you ain't chambering a second round without some way of softening the residue. And even if it did chamber, your accuracy will suffer.

[Pitchy]

If you can't chamber and fire at least 5 rounds without blowtubing, either your lube is no good, or you're using crud for powder, or to lite of a powder charge causing excessive fouling. With a good lube and proper powder charge you should be able to go closer to 10 rounds with little loss of accuracy with no tube or wiping.

Only with a 'loosy goosy" chamber. With a match chamber like the Winchester 1885 BPCR, with zero free bore, and using a Lyman 457-125 bullet, you ain't chambering a second round without some way of softening the residue. And even if it did chamber, your accuracy will suffer.

I think we are describing two different things , a ML and a rifle.

With the right patch and lube i can re-load my Blue Ridge rifle at least 20 times without a swipe. My point was they blow down the barrel to put out any burning remains that would light of the next load.
The rife is a whole different beast using a cartridge,new set of issues.

[Don McDowell]

If you can't chamber and fire at least 5 rounds without blowtubing, either your lube is no good, or you're using crud for powder, or to lite of a powder charge causing excessive fouling. With a good lube and proper powder charge you should be able to go closer to 10 rounds with little loss of accuracy with no tube or wiping.

Only with a 'loosy goosy" chamber. With a match chamber like the Winchester 1885 BPCR, with zero free bore, and using a Lyman 457-125 bullet, you ain't chambering a second round without some way of softening the residue. And even if it did chamber, your accuracy will suffer.

No you're wrong. I am talking about the winchester, and shiloh rifles, and even the C Sharps which has a more generous chamber than the other two, but not as sloppy as the Italian made guns.
That government bullet was designed to be fired dirty, do you honest to god believe that the army wanted their troppers to wipe the trapdoors between shots, and have you ever saw a government issued blowtube?
If you can't chamber the government bullet in a second shot, or even the postell, then it's likely you're either smucking the bullet nose during sizing, or not compresing the powder charge enough and smushing the bullet nose during seating.

[Moondawg]

[quote="Don McDowell"][quote="rbertalotto"][quote]That government bullet was designed to be fired dirty, do you honest to god believe that the army wanted their troppers to wipe the trapdoors between shots, and have you ever saw a government issued blowtube?

Never the less, the Army had its problems with cartridge cases getting stuck in the chambers of trapdoors, and having to be dug out with a knife. Archaeology at the Custer battlefield showed numerous 45-70 cases that had been dug out of the chamber using a knife. The Army also issued a long bayonet for use with it's trapdoor rifles. Was the bayonet for use when the rifle was jammed up with a fouled barrel and chamber? Was this due to poor quality cases, or was it due to chamber fouling? I shoot a Browning 1885 BPCR in 45-70 and on dry, non-humid days (admittedly rare in coastal Texas) I have problems with chambering after 4 or 5 rounds. I am using the Gov bullet, lots or Emmert's lube and Schuetzen BP. Using my blowtube, I have no problems.

[Don McDowell]

Most of the forensics from the hill's above the greasy grass indicate that the knife marks on cases were from hostile's trying to unjam battlefield pickups. Given the carbine load in the first place, the heat and lack of humidity, and the fact that the ammo in those troopers belts had been there for at least a month of filthy conditions, jamming problems come as no surprise. It wasn't the loading they had trouble with it was the extractor tearing the rims off of the fired cartridge.
If you quit the Emmerts, go to a really good lube, like Bullshops NASA, DGL, or White Lightning, you will find less fouling troubles with the Schuetzen. It's a good powder but it does leave a hard fouling, especially if you're loading to lower pressure levels. Also if you're using a magnum rifle primer those will make even soft fouling powders such as KIK foul much drier and harder.
As I said a person should be able to fire 4-5 rounds with no fouling control,without loosing much accuracy, and going to 10 should not be out of the question.
My wife shoots one of the Winchester BPCR's in 45-70 for her bpcr competiton, so I'm well versed in what makes those things tic..

[Don McDowell]

Also another point on the bullets at the Custer fight, the 500 gr bullet was still 5 years away from issuance. The bullet that would be used would be what we have today in the Lyman 457124, a real short nosed bullet. It does work rather well in most rifles today as a 300 yd offhand bullet.

[Griff]

And, IIRC, the main issue was the copper cases, storage in leather pouches & lack of practice due to budget constraints. Same issues that plague armies across times and locales.

But Don, did you mean to say "over-compressing" the powder causing smushed noses?

[Don McDowell]

Griff you will smuch the noses if you don't compress the powder and wad first.
Altho recently there's been a rash of bullets being sold to the CAS shooters by one of their popular casters, that have had the noses of the postel mashed about .006 larger and out of round during the sizing process, and making for accuracy and leading problems along with difficult chambering. Don't know if the same guy sells government bullet or not.