2 Questions - Does cleaning patch size matter? - When do you need to re-blue your barrel?

[laagamer]

Howdy! Just a couple questions for you guys.

Heads up, thank you all so much for your help! You guys not only fixed my problems, but I shot my .50 LGP over 30x at my last shoot without a single flash in the pan or misfire! It was awesome! And, with your guy's sighting help, I was MUCH improved for accuracy! So cool, and I really appreciate all your help. This community is awesome.

I've just got a couple more questions for you guys.

1) What's a good cleaning patch size for my .50 LGPR? I've got some given to me by helpful group members, but I'm running low and wanted to pick up some more.

2) After cleaning my rifle post-shoot, I noticed a couple rust spots the size of a maybe a pinhead on the barrel a few days later. I scrubbed them both out with a brass bristle brush until it looked like unfinished metal, and then put a coat of oil on it.

This is my second time cleaning the weapon. Did I just not dry it well enough? I go over everything with a damp cloth soaked in Simple Green cut with water, as I was told by my group mentors. Then I dry everything off with a rag, and apply generous amounts of gun oil over everything.

I do notice alot of spots (this old rifle was bought used online) where the blueing seems to have worn/ been wearing off. How do I reapply this? Should I even? Should I contact a gunsmith to do so?

Thank you so much for all your input! It's very much appreciated!

 

[Phil Coffins]

The bluing doesn’t affect the shooting so it’s up to you for Aesthetics.
You may have over done the soap part of cleaning, many use a few drops of soap in the water for cleaning with good results. Rubbing the rifle down with Simple Green and water would require a rinse after wards then oiling.

 

[Zimmerman]

For my .50 cal I usually use cleaning patches intended for a 12 gauge in a slotted jag. They're easy to find in local stores and seem to work well at pulling crud out.

 

[Gtrubicon]

My cleaning patches are cut from old t shirts, it’s clean when it’s clean. I don’t give a second thought to size of cleaning patch.

 

[Rob M.]

Howdy! Just a couple questions for you guys.

Heads up, thank you all so much for your help! You guys not only fixed my problems, but I shot my .50 LGP over 30x at my last shoot without a single flash in the pan or misfire! It was awesome! And, with your guy's sighting help, I was MUCH improved for accuracy! So cool, and I really appreciate all your help. This community is awesome.

I've just got a couple more questions for you guys.

1) What's a good cleaning patch size for my .50 LGPR? I've got some given to me by helpful group members, but I'm running low and wanted to pick up some more.

2) After cleaning my rifle post-shoot, I noticed a couple rust spots the size of a maybe a pinhead on the barrel a few days later. I scrubbed them both out with a brass bristle brush until it looked like unfinished metal, and then put a coat of oil on it.

This is my second time cleaning the weapon. Did I just not dry it well enough? I go over everything with a damp cloth soaked in Simple Green cut with water, as I was told by my group mentors. Then I dry everything off with a rag, and apply generous amounts of gun oil over everything.

I do notice alot of spots (this old rifle was bought used online) where the blueing seems to have worn/ been wearing off. How do I reapply this? Should I even? Should I contact a gunsmith to do so?

Thank you so much for all your input! It's very much appreciated!

Just get some old t shirts , cheap tobfree ! , and cut or rip them into strips . 2" wide approx ...when ready to clean or load cut those into 2" long approx . and you got a bunch of patches ....for cleaning and shooting ... Re bluing time ? Never , LOL ....just adds character to the firearm.

 

[oldwood]

Bluing on m/l rifle barrel can be freshened with Birchwood Casey cold blue. Follow the instructions , but don't use steel wool out of the package , 'cause steel wool has oil in it to act as a rust preventative. Wash the steel wool in acetone to remove oil preservative and dry it , before use. Brownells sells a cold blue that supposedly works very well , too.

 

[Cruzatte]

I use cotton flannel I buy at the local fabric store downtown. It's inexpensive. I use my index finger as a measuring device. The second knuckle is approximately 2" from the finger tip. I snip the fabric there, and tear off a strip. Cotton flannel tears right along the grain. These yard long 2" strips then get folded into halves, and cut, then halved again, & cut. Rinse & repeat. I end up with a stack of square cleaning patches about 2" X 2". This size does the job on all my muzzle loaders, from .54 cal. to 20 ga.

 

[The Appalachian]

Yep, cotton flannel by the yard or half yard from Joann Fabrics. WAY cheaper than buying precut ANYthing in the sporting goods Isle.

I don't use tee shirts because often the material is very elastic. When it stretches like elastic it can bind up in the bore on your jag and dang, stuck cleaning jag. Now your posting asking about how to get a stuck jag out.

Besides, in my experience cotton flannel scrubs better than any other material.

As far as patch size, with cotton flannel, if it'll start in the bore it'll go down and come back out. Trial, error, and a pair of scissors.

 

[Hawk54]

12 gauge shotgun size cleaning patch woks fine in a .50 cal.

 

[hanshi]

I pay no mind to cleaning patch size. As long as it will go down and come back up I use it. I also use flannel much of the time for cleaning. I clean thoroughly after every shooting session and wipe down the exterior with either a silicon cloth, or more likely a cloth dampened with TYPE "F" tranny fluid.

 

[Winterhawk]

Cotton flannel from Joanne's? My wife keeps me in flannel when she wears out her nighties!

 

[wiscoaster]

I pay no mind to cleaning patch size. As long as it will go down and come back up I use it. ...

Ditto that.

Though ... my preference for cleaning bores, both black powder muzzle loader and smokeless center fire bores (using the appropriate cleaning solution for each), is Hoppe's two-inch square patches ... NOT the ones in the bulk bag, but the ones in the yellow cardboard blister packs of 40 ... because: the fabric is strong, has a rough texture, and can be doubled up so as to squeeze into grooves like flannel can't (the bulk bag patches are not the same material), and they do a really good job of picking up any crud down in those grooves and carrying it back out, also like flannel doesn't.

There's one store in town that sells these, and when I go in there I usually strip the peg of product. Well, not to be a hoarder, I suppose I might leave one or two hanging on the peg. But I go through these like they were Kleenex tissues if I had a bad cold.

More expensive than cutting up old nighties, but a whole lot more convenient, and effective IMO.

... and there's no nighties to be found anywhere in my house anyway ...

 

[The Appalachian]

Cotton flannel from Joanne's? My wife keeps me in flannel when she wears out her nighties!

Booted the "wife" many moons ago, best move I ever made.

WAY cheaper than keepin' 'er.

Besides, she turned out to be Satan's sister, so there's that......

 

[The Appalachian]

......so as to squeeze into grooves like flannel can't......

......picking up any crud down in those grooves and carrying it back out, also like flannel doesn't......

You use whatever tickles your fancy for whatever reason coddles your senses but you're flat wrong about that......

 

[oldwood]

I use cotton tee shirt material , cut to size needed. It's worked for 1/2 century + , w/o any trouble.

 

[wiscoaster]

You use whatever tickles your fancy for whatever reason coddles your senses but you're flat wrong about that......

I don't use it because it tickles my fancy; I use it because it works as I described, known from long experience with the product. Sorry, but you're the one that's flat wrong and you offer no evidence or experience and only opinion to the contrary. I stand by my opinion and my experience.

As a matter of fact, I used the mentioned patch product, along with both poly and brass brushes, using hot water, moose milk, and Ballistol, to thoroughly clean the bore of my SMR just few hours ago, after it had been sitting it my gun closet for several days since last shooting it. Lock, touch hole, breech, bore, lands and grooves, nice and clean, bright and shiny as new.

Yes, I could have done the same with scrap flannel or cotton, but it would have take twice as long using twice as many pieces and pumping twice as many ramrod strokes. Been there, done that and tried that, too. Anything saves me time and effort I'm all for. You're free to go your own way, but don't knock someone who's found a better way, and just wants to share it. You're also free to just plain ignore it.

 

[The Appalachian]

I don't use it because it tickles my fancy; I use it because it works as I described, known from long experience with the product. Sorry, but you're the one that's flat wrong and you offer no evidence or experience and only opinion to the contrary. I stand by my opinion and my experience.

As a matter of fact, I used the mentioned patch product, along with both poly and brass brushes, using hot water, moose milk, and Ballistol, to thoroughly clean the bore of my SMR just few hours ago, after it had been sitting it my gun closet for several days since last shooting it. Lock, touch hole, breech, bore, lands and grooves, nice and clean, bright and shiny as new.

Yes, I could have done the same with scrap flannel or cotton, but it would have take twice as long using twice as many pieces and pumping twice as many ramrod strokes. Been there, done that and tried that, too. Anything saves me time and effort I'm all for. You're free to go your own way, but don't knock someone who's found a better way, and just wants to share it. You're also free to just plain ignore it.

Well, if you're going to let your guns sit around for days before cleaning them then it's no wonder you would look for a "better way". Just sayin'.

Carry on.......

 

[Eutycus]

Tee shirts are a great source of cotton cloth. But old blue jeans could be as well. Not the denim that the jeans are made of but the inside front pockets. It's a little on the thin side but still works.

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Eutycus, you have identified the real purpose for weaving the #40 drill cloth. That targeted purpose is to line the pockets of pants with a durable weave to stand up to the wear caused by the objects we carry in our pockets. The other name for drill cloth is pocket drill to identify the purpose. Yup, #40 Pocket Drill Cloth, my favorite patching material.

 

[Fitzhugh Williams]

Best way to clean is with a worm and tow, like they did 250 years ago. You can even wash the tow and re-use it. However, when not at an event, I generally use the blue paper shop towels as they are strong enough and readily available in the garage.