RSW wrote on Jan 2^nd, 2017 at 2:58pm:

Don't forget that this little Halford book is what we would call nowadays 'Rifle shooting for dummies', so a book to introduce novices to rifle shooting.  And novices wouldn't be aware of even the things that were common between shooters.  Which is why this little book is so nice, it states the obvious.
As to cleaning between shots, the NRA (UK) rules specifically prohibited such as from the mid-1880's I believe, so no cleaning rods, patches etc.  Metford actually doesn't talk about a blowtube, he specifically mentions it is not required for fouling control - he considers breathing down the bore good enough. He also warned that without fouling management accuracy would suffer, and (paper) patches could be stripped. 

The 'no cleaning rule' was pretty clear actually - you shot in competition, you couldn't clean between shots.

Boats
The Schuetzen game, c.1900, was different than it is conducted today. Back then, loading was done at a table behind the firing line. Shooters would seat their bullet, breech seated or muzzle loaded, leaving the chamber empty. Then carry their rifle to the firing line, give their shooting ticket to the score keeper or rack the rifle if the lane was busy and wait their turn. In turn, each shooter would move to the line, load a charged cartridge and take their shot. After taking a shot, shooter returned to the loading table and started the process over for their next shot. Actually it worked quite smoothly and rapidly as the loading tables were generally, immediately behind the firing line.
If Strecker was shooting dirty, with a handful of fixed ammo in his pocket, all he had to do after taking a shot was get back in line. With, let’s say 3-5 shooters at a lane, he could probably get a shot off every couple of minutes. If the lane was not busy, he could just stand there and fire shot after shot using fixed ammo. Such as situation could well account for the story relating that his rifle’s metal got so hot it could not be touched with bare hands.

I've been shooting BPCR for about 15 years. I only make the more local matches but the setup is the same everywhere.  I did make Raton back in 2004. I have to say that I have never, and I do mean never, seen anyone wiping between shots. I am truly puzzled by this thread and the concept of accuracy falling off because of a dirty barrel. Everyone I know and have seen at these matches uses a blow tube but I have never seen anyone wipe between shots. The fact that everything except chickens is shot from the prone or sitting position makes the concept of wiping seem unduly difficult.  Getting up and down isn't so easy as it was when I was a young man to say nothing of the time involved. As far as accuracy is concerned I have seen no loss of same as I shoot through a match. Either my shooting process is drastically different than many who have replied to this thread or I am missing something here.

Robert L wrote on Jan 5^th, 2017 at 5:43pm:


I shoot more BPTR than silhouette, but I almost never see anyone ever do anything but wipe between shots.  I shoot sihouette that way too and am faster than most of the blow tubers I see. 

In the original days of long range shooting, complete cleaning of the bore between shots seems to have been the norm.

Chris.

I made those bore mops 20 years ago.  Push one through followed by a dry patch. They are finally catching on? 

I think there are two different subjects being discussed here.  Long range BPCR shooting, or even Mid-Range shooting, is not "forty-rod" Shuetzen shooting, even with black powder.  The smaller charge, even in a smaller caliber, was a big advantage at the shorter range.

Mattern mentioned that the .32-20 was once the most popular caliber for reloading, because more shots could be fired before the bore fouled than with other calibers.  A .32-35, especially when loaded fixed in an Everlasting case, would perhaps have some of this advantage, because it might have a lower than nominal powder charge.

A lot of discussion in the Good Old Days was connected to which brand of black powder burned "moister" than others. Such "moist burning" would keep the fouling soft, even without a blow tube.  I don't remember who wrote about it, maybe Roberts or Donaldson, but somebody mentioned keeping his powder in a cigar humidor to maintain this moist burning.

Such storage under constant humidity could be tested scientifically nowadays.  The CRC Handbook lists a number of saturated solutions of certain salts which maintain a constant humidity over the solution.  We used to make up such solutions in the bottom of dessicators and store materials therein which needed to be "conditioned" under constant humidities.  A sample of black powder could be conditioned in this way, and then sealing it into a fixed cartridge would ensure the moisture content, and the "moist burning," at least through the time of the match.  This would, ideally, obviate the need for blowing, wiping or cleaning, especially in an offhand match at 200 yards, where other factors would certainly influence scores.  It might have been "common knowledge," or, like early duplexing, might have been a secret shooter's edge, and not revealed by the winners.

I shoot monthly in a BPCR silhouette match, and I am the only one who uses a blow tube any more.  Everybody else wipes their bores, shooting prone or offhand. I've started trying paper patch loads, and wiping between shots, and it is a fair amount of frantic activity, even when sitting.  (I am also the only sitting position shooter at the matches.) The other guys are like the old frontiersmen; they don't move fast, but cover a lot of ground.  They get their shots off, even with wiping, with plenty of time to spare.

And, of course, there is the luck factor.  Mr. Strecker might have just gotten lucky.  Did he win multiple matches this way?

Bent_Ramrod
Strecker was a consistent match winner from the late 1870s through about 1905 or perhaps even later. He shot muzzle loaders until the early or mid 1890s, then switched to a 32-40 Winchester HighWall.
The match referenced in my original post was the 1st National Schuetzen Bund Festival of 1895, held at the old Glendale Schuetzen Park on Long Island, NY.

I used to shot with feller in the BPCR game that shot a 45-70 Shilo I believe using the Lyman Government bullet. He made his own lube and would shoot the full match the only time that he would use a blow tube would be between relays where the rifle would set for an extended time. He never used a blow tube while shooting at the bank of animals. No leading and he shot OK, AA class I think but he never wanted out of that class. I asked him three different times how he made his lube and got three different answers? And I never did make it work as well for me but if any is interested I could see if I find that recipe and post it?

RB