I often wonder how much snuff actually makes it to the target, and how much ends up on the front of my shirt and on the floor. 

At my current rate of 5 grams per day (+/-) I think that an average of 30% actually ends up in my snoot, depending on my BAC at the time.

The last time I was drinking was around Thanksgiving, anyway I was so full of turkey and hadn’t hit dessert yet but wanted something sweet so I started laying into some tube rose like a champ. Anyway I hadn’t had any vitamin n prior to this and so I was pinching it every few seconds for maybe 10 minutes before I started feeling right and I got up to go relieve myself. Looking in the mirror I noticed why it took so long to get enough snuff, it looked like half the can was on my shirt lol.

I was just thinking of this myself after wiping down the steering column on my truck (again). I think that 30-50 percent spillage is probably accutate (also depending on BAC or bumpy roads). I was actually kind of upset about it, but at least I know it’s not just me.

I’m now feeling a sense of calm contentment knowing that it’s not just me, and that I am in fine company.  

I reckon that my laissez faire attitude comes with age.  I used to be very careful in my tootage.  Now I don’t much give a shit where it ends up as long as my nose is satisfied.  

When I pinch I lose 50%, easy.  When I take off the back of the hand, I’m actually pretty durn efficient.  Boxcar… I get snuff all over for some reason.

I take small pinches, but frequently, so I might lose less, but that’s usually with the fine snuffs.

There’s often a noticeable dusting of snuff on the floor at my side of the sofa at the end of the day. It’s a good thing I have hardwood floors, I imagine it would make quite the mess of a carpet.

I’m still pondering what a “small pinch” is.  I’m considering using a teaspoon instead of a snuff spoon…give me another year or two and I’ll likely just dump it from the tin onto my hand and let 'er rip…there’s probably a gram or two in my mustache.

I’m guessing it’s a 60/40 schnoz/shirt and pants ratio.

Talking about spillage, I was taking a pinch from my master tin while driving (not safe I know) and hit one of Minnesota’s legendary potholes and lost the whole darn tin on my lap! Of course this was on my way to work and had to be very careful to ration what was salvage able. I now keep an emergency tin at work

@chefdaniel, Ah yes I suppose my snuffcatcher does a pretty good job of keeping the dust off of my shirt but I’m not sure how that arrangment will work once it starts getting grey. I’m always amazed at the amount of snuff in there when I wash out the wax at night.

i have to be really careful with White Elephant and the car…That stuff is soooo powdery and weightless, it can get on everything.
Outside of that I must lose at least 20-30% to spillage or some mishap or other…but if I’m sitting at a desk where I can position myself exactly, I won’t spill any, but yeah those are with smaller pinches too.

Since I started using the pinch method those kind of thoughts appeared in my head as well.

Before, when I used only bullets, I would say that 90% was put to use. 

No that I use the pinch to better control the flow of super fine stuff, I wonder if even half ends up contributing for the nicotine/flavor/smell addiction!

I spill snuff on the front of my shirt all the time. I’m rather absent-minded about where and when I snuff. If I’m in the company of people I’m careful, but by myself I’m pretty messy. I try to use bullets when I’m driving, but I sometimes open a tin with one hand, while steering with the other, then pinch quickly, usually spilling a lot on my shirt and car seat. In fact, theres a ring of snuff around the steering wheel of my old Land Cruiser. 

I must lose at least 50% to spillage. Far worse when I’m working since I work outdoors in North Dakota. The wind rarely stops blowing here. Probably lose about the same when in meetings and whatnot. Can’t grow a damned mustache to save my life so it all hits the shirt. No harm done though, everyone finds my snuff use entertaining and amusing on the white collar side and the regular folks enjoy partaking when available.

786  @crullers, it does.

I’m fairly careful with my snuff–straitened economic times make one thrifty–but there is still a cloud of it wherever I go.  One can tell where I’ve been just by looking for a fine dusting of good tobacco on…just about everything.

I remember an anecdote from the eighteenth or nineteenth century in which a vicar who was an inveterate snuff-taker ran out.  As he was laid up in bed unable to execute his responsibilities due to lack of vitamin N his servant, thinking quickly, ran to the pulpit and swept up all of the snuff he found lying on the floor there.  This saved the poor vicar from his predicament and he was again able to perform the duties of his office.

Whether or not the story itself is true, it does show that the author supposed that his readers would accept that a considerable amount of spillage would naturally be found in the vicinity of a snuff-taker.

@slobandtom  A very believable tale from my point of view. I can definitely see where someone who is used to partaking of this pastime would be considerable upset at it’s interruption.  As for me about 5-10%  hits the wind or the desk as the case may be. ive dusted my shirt off quite a few times to find a sizable portion hitting the floor…although in my case to try to pick it up to salvage it would be unseemly, but then again my house is not as clean as an 18th century pulpit.  ;-) 

I’m starting to get to the point where I look at the front of my sweatshirt in the morning and notice snuff all over it and sometimes my sleeves. One time I opened toque wild berry that I decanted into a round silver snuff tin. All the snuff was lumped onto one side and when opening, the snuff just poured all over the floor on my carpet. I hope the fleas didn’t like that… darn cat…

I’m glad all you people spoke up. I used to think I was just incompetent at snuffing. Especially with heavier coarse ground snuffs. I still lose 25-50% of those but have accepted that I just need to snuff those over a flat surface so I can recover some of it. Fine snuffs I lose less , until I get to Scotches. At least this thread lets those like me know we are not alone or particularly abnormal. (at least when talking about spillage.)  

786 @bigmick, yea for me heavier coarse snuffs tend to fall back out of my nose; I still snuff over a sheet of paper for NTSU.

@slobandtom It is quite the same for me. So i guess it is quite normal. Heavy and coarse snuffs tend to fall out my nose, a small portion of them. Since i take rather big pinches, that is quite ok. I guess 20% of overall usage hits
the wind.