Muzzle loader cleaning

[jcat]

Could anyone provide me with some tips on cleaning muzzle loaders? I have been told that cleaning frequently is the key, but I am looking to see what solvents and procedures to use? I also have been told that dawn dish soap works??????


Thanks


J-cat

[biliff]

If you're talking about real BP in a traditional sidelock, then plain old hot water followed up with Ballistol works fine. The water cuts the fouling easily and heats the barrel up to promote drying. Take the lock off and run it under hot water, dry and lube with Ballistol. I usually crack the screws a few turns just to keep 'em freed up. You don't have to do it every time, maybe every third of fourth cleaning. If its a caplock, remove the nipple and clean with hot water and lube. If the barrel has a hooked breech, pull the barrel then run hot water down it (or stick the breech in a bucket of hot water and pump it up and down the barrel with a tight fitting bore mop). If a flintlock with a pinned barrel, just pour hot water down the bore and let it run out the vent. Run a few wet patches down the bore and repeat if necessary. Doesn't take much to knock all the fouling out. Dry with a couple of patches and then lube with ballistol. Put some anti-seize on the nipple threads and put it back on.

Not sure about the modern stuff. I'm sure somebody will chime in.

[jpfishmaster]

You might consider taking a look at E. Arthur Brown's site. They deal alot with the Encore and have a great write up on cleaning. I have adopted the same practice and have had excellent results. Take a look. Good luck.

[Olympus]

I've got an Encore and at the end of the season take it all apart and clean it. But for the barrel I first take the wire brush cleaner and run it through 2 or 3 times to get all the debri broke loss. Then I run some patches with Butch's Bore Shine through there as a solvent. Then I submerge the end of the barrel in warm soapy water and use the rod with a clean patch as a plunger and draw the water up in the barrel and let it sit for a couple seconds. Do that two or three times. Then I run clean patches through to get all the moisture out and make sure the patches come out as clean as they go went in. Then the last step I do is take some good bore butter and soak a patch in it then run it up and down the bore a few times. Let it sit like that during the off season, just remember to run a few clean patches through it before you start to shoot again the next year.

Everybody has different was that they feel like does the best job. Find one that works for you. But just make sure whatever system you use, you get the gun as clean as possible. And just about everyone I've ever talked to about it says to condition the inside of the barrel with bore butter during the off season to prevent rusting and pitting.

[tjen]

I have only used Tripple seven powder and with #13 solvent to clean with and bore butter as a cleaner and for storage. I use wet and dry patches with #13 solvent than bore butter wait say ten minute than a dry patch or two. If clean than lots of bore butter with a patch soaked with bore butter left in the bottum and at the top of the barrel for long trem storeage. Three years and NO ISSUES just like TC says to do.

[airborne]

I have cleaned the crap out of my barrels and coated them with bore butter only to find rust later. Now I oil the barrel all over and then wipe it down real good before shooting a test round out of it in the fall.

[sourdough44]

After cleaning with soapy water or whatever, wipe it out & put a light coat of gun oil in the bore for the off season. Check & recoat 6 months later. I plan to try that new Blackhorn 209 powder this Fall.

[WMU3A]

run a brush down the barrel a few times then follow that with WINDEX...yup the window cleaner...on a patch. you'll be surprised how slick it works, even takes the plastic residue from right in front of the breech plug out with ease.....then just run an oily patch down the barrel.
From start to finish my Omega including the breech plug is whistle clean in 3 minutes tops!!!!

[WECoyote]

I fill the sink with hot water and dawn dishwashing detergent. In goes the breech plug and bolt. I use 777 and my guns are stainless so cleanup is easy. I then put the barrel end on a wash rag in the sink and take the sprayer and shoot down the breech hole washing all the threads. The Triple 7 just washes away. I then run a couple dry patches down the barrel, dry and grease the breech plug. Dry the bolt and spray it with silicone. All blued screws and parts get a squirt of silicone spray when dry. It works great and I never get rust.

[greenshovel]

I myself will boil some water and use dish soap, some like a grease cutter like dawn or such. I will put the front of the barrel in the bucket (plastic) and swab up and down several times till the patch is clean. Then pull the barrel out run patches till your patches come out dry (boiled water dries faster) very light coat of oil let it sit. I do not use bore butter as I have heard and seen horror stories with this product. Bore butter is used for the older style muzzleloaders and does work well for them. I would also go with a powder that is not as corrosive and cleans easy? I use 777 myself. Ben doing this to my encore for two years an I have no rust at all, I do this after each time that I shoot the gun. If I store it for a few months I then put a heavy coat of oil on the gun. Hope this helps.

[Rich M]

I used to do the hot water bit.

Now I use 50% windshield washer fluid and 50% rubbing alcohol. It outcleans Hoppes and is so easy.

I run 6 or 8 or 10 patches thru, followed by 2 dry and 2 oiled. I'm done with the barrel. I do this on the range as well.

The breach plug/nipple gets rinsed and wiped and picked but I don't go overboard. Same solution, same results.

[oneshot 1]

If you are shooting Sabots T/C says not to use Bore Butter.

oneshot

[JohnM]

I used to do the hot water bit.

Now I use 50% windshield washer fluid and 50% rubbing alcohol. It outcleans Hoppes and is so easy.

I run 6 or 8 or 10 patches thru, followed by 2 dry and 2 oiled. I'm done with the barrel. I do this on the range as well.

The breach plug/nipple gets rinsed and wiped and picked but I don't go overboard. Same solution, same results.


Ditto


All the info you need on ML's look here:

www.modernmuzzleloader.com/phpBB/index.php?sid=905f69c63d9357e7a0d5f0c8efeebeaa

[greenshovel]

Ditto


All the info you need on ML's look here:

www.modernmuzzleloader.com/phpBB/index.php?sid=905f69c63d9357e7a0d5f0c8efeebeaa

Weird, I just tried to check out the link it's telling me "You have been banned from this forum.
Please contact the webmaster or board administrator for more information." I never heard of the site till just now, so that means I never had an account to be banned from, lol. Any one else have this problem?

[Rich M]

You can always do a search for "Modern muzzleloader" and get the link from google or yahoo. Chances are the message is just a response to trying to go inside a link...

It is a nice website but doesn't get much traffic. About 15-20 guys post regular and they know their stuff.

Enjoy!

[JimT]

Make sure you get every spec of crud out of the barrell, espicially between where the breech ends and the rifleing starts. I lost a mz due to rust once, and I now clean mine every three months. Actually, I take them apart and do not put them back togather until it is time to shoot them in for the season. Makes it alot easier for a quick off season cleaning.

[Biggame1]

For field cleaning t/c has a video on how to clean. Buy some solvient soaked patches and squeeze the water out of one. Use a small up and down stroke at first so the rod won't get stuck in the barrel. Turn the patch over after the first cleaning. Repeat this with clean solvient soaked patches until they come out clean. Be sure to squeeze the excess fluid out each time before using them. Then use dry patches until they come out clean. You are ready to shoot. After you get your gun sighted in with a clean barrel shoot another shot and see where it goes with a dirty barrel so you will know where your follow up shot will hit (if you need one). Hope this helped. If not I will watch the dvd again and pass on what they say about cleaning before storage.