I am a new member and I have a .50 Hawken side cap that I inhereted from my father in law about 6 years ago. I have decieded to get it ready to shoot. I have done some research on the TC web site and have printed the manual. I have ordered all the stuff to take it to the range and feel comfortable about shooting it. My question right now is about cleaning it. I have brushed the barrel and cleaned it with the cleaner. I ran patches until they are clean. I then ran a patch with bore butter on it. After I shoot it what do I do to clean? I have read comments about removing the barrell and cleaning with water and the WD-40. Can it just be cleaned with patches or does it need to be flushed with water and then oiled? Any help with proper cleaning methods would be appreciated. Thanks, R Brewer.
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.50 Hawken side cap
- Thread starter R Brewer
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Speed Trap
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Have you done a search in the forum? Check in General ML'n, there is a post in there about cleaning that has some information.
Welcome to the Forum. 
I'm not sure what cleaner your using but if it is made for modern smokeless powder guns it will not dissolve the fouling and the salts that are in it.
The black powder bore solvents or cleaners are about 98+ percent water and expensive.
I've had very bad luck with TC #13 black powder solvent causing almost instant surface rust in the bore so I do not recommend it.
Dish washing soap with water does an excellent job.
So do some of the windshield washer fluids although Windex has ammonia in it and that can cause rust to form.
As for the need to remove the barrel, no it isn't manditory however because it is so easy to remove from most of the halfstock rifles with a hooked breech I see no reason not to do it.
Your gun very likely has a chambered breech on it.
That means there is a chamber in the breech that is smaller than the bore diameter.
Intersecting this chamber is an angular hole that connects the rear of the chamber with the hole the nipple screws into.
These little holes also need to be cleaned and one of the easiest ways to do it is to remove the barrel and the nipple.
Place the breech into a bucket of water.
Apply some soap and water to a patch and run it down the bore.
Then pull it back almost to the muzzle.
This will pump water thru the smaller holes into the bore.
Pushing down on the cleaning rod will forcefully blow water back thru the small holes and blow away any fouling that has accumulated there.
Do this several times. Then repeat with a clean wet patch.
Run dry patches down the bore to dry it and then lubricate the bore with a good rust preventative gun oil. I like Birchwood Casey Barricade.
The Bore Butter and similar lubes are meant for lubricating the patched ball or grooved bullet.
Although TC likes to say this is good for rust prevention we have found that it is actually rather poor.
As the others have mentioned, there are a number of posts about cleaning a muzzleloader with lots of suggestions of what our members have found to work well for them.
Again, Welcome to our site.
I'm not sure what cleaner your using but if it is made for modern smokeless powder guns it will not dissolve the fouling and the salts that are in it.
The black powder bore solvents or cleaners are about 98+ percent water and expensive.
I've had very bad luck with TC #13 black powder solvent causing almost instant surface rust in the bore so I do not recommend it.
Dish washing soap with water does an excellent job.
So do some of the windshield washer fluids although Windex has ammonia in it and that can cause rust to form.
As for the need to remove the barrel, no it isn't manditory however because it is so easy to remove from most of the halfstock rifles with a hooked breech I see no reason not to do it.
Your gun very likely has a chambered breech on it.
That means there is a chamber in the breech that is smaller than the bore diameter.
Intersecting this chamber is an angular hole that connects the rear of the chamber with the hole the nipple screws into.
These little holes also need to be cleaned and one of the easiest ways to do it is to remove the barrel and the nipple.
Place the breech into a bucket of water.
Apply some soap and water to a patch and run it down the bore.
Then pull it back almost to the muzzle.
This will pump water thru the smaller holes into the bore.
Pushing down on the cleaning rod will forcefully blow water back thru the small holes and blow away any fouling that has accumulated there.
Do this several times. Then repeat with a clean wet patch.
Run dry patches down the bore to dry it and then lubricate the bore with a good rust preventative gun oil. I like Birchwood Casey Barricade.
The Bore Butter and similar lubes are meant for lubricating the patched ball or grooved bullet.
Although TC likes to say this is good for rust prevention we have found that it is actually rather poor.
As the others have mentioned, there are a number of posts about cleaning a muzzleloader with lots of suggestions of what our members have found to work well for them.
Again, Welcome to our site.
cowpoke1955
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Welcome aboard :hatsoff: I agree with the others. There are several threads on cleaning. About cleaning, do you remember the term, "K.I.S.S."? It really applies here. As for that Bore Butter, save it for lube only. It will not protect your barrel. Read, learn, shoot and have fun :thumbsup:
Billnpatti
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I have a .50 T/C Hawken that I have had for many years. I hasve found from years of experience the best way to clean it is to use hot soapy water. Follow the following steps:
1. Remove the ram rod from under the barrel.
2. Place the hammer on hslf cock
3. Remove the barrel wedge pins and remove the barrel by lifting up on the muzzle.
4. Use a nipple wrench to remove the nipple.
5. Mix up some HOT water and dish soap in a bucket.
6. Remove the hammer by removing the retaining screw and tapping to loosen it. Aftger getting the hammer off, return the screw to where you removed it. Do this so you don't loose it.
7. Place the hammer and nipple in the bucket to soak.
8. Place the breach end of the barrel in the bucket. Wet a patch with the soapy water and, using your ramrod with the cleaning jag, run the wet patch down into your bore all the way to the breach.
9. Pump the ramrod up and down to flush water into and out of your barrel. Do this for several (more than 10) strokes.
10. Remove your barrel from teh bucket and lean it up someplace where it won't fall. Pour BOILING water iknto the muzzle and let it drain out flushing out all of the soapy water.
11. Use a rag to handle the hot barrel and spray WD-40 down the bore until it drips out the nipple hole.
12. Run two or three dry patches through the still hot bore to remove any residual WD-40.
13. Moisten a patch with a good preservative such as Break Free CLP and swab out the bore. By now you should be getting little to no color on your patch.
14. Turn your attention to the nipple in the bucket. Find it and scrub it with a toothbrush. Run a fine wire through the hole to be sure it is clean. Rinse it and spray with WD-40. Dry it and wipe it with some of the CLP or whatever preservative you like.
15. Clean the nose of the hammer with the toothbrush and give it the same treatment as you did the nipple.
16. Apply a TINY bit of high temperature grease to the nipple threads and return it to the barrel
17. Clean any dirt or burned powder residue from your stock paying careful attention to the area around the lock.
18. Return your barrel to the stock and replace the wedge pins.
19. Replace the hammer and gently tighten the screw.
20. Replace the ramrod under the barrel
21. Look over your work and be sure that you have gotten all of the dirt and powder residue from all of the hiding places.
22. Once you are satisfied with your work, go over your stock with a light coat of paste floor wax. Let it dry a few minutes and buff with a dry soft rag. You are done and ready to put your gun up until the next trip to the range or woods.
1. Remove the ram rod from under the barrel.
2. Place the hammer on hslf cock
3. Remove the barrel wedge pins and remove the barrel by lifting up on the muzzle.
4. Use a nipple wrench to remove the nipple.
5. Mix up some HOT water and dish soap in a bucket.
6. Remove the hammer by removing the retaining screw and tapping to loosen it. Aftger getting the hammer off, return the screw to where you removed it. Do this so you don't loose it.
7. Place the hammer and nipple in the bucket to soak.
8. Place the breach end of the barrel in the bucket. Wet a patch with the soapy water and, using your ramrod with the cleaning jag, run the wet patch down into your bore all the way to the breach.
9. Pump the ramrod up and down to flush water into and out of your barrel. Do this for several (more than 10) strokes.
10. Remove your barrel from teh bucket and lean it up someplace where it won't fall. Pour BOILING water iknto the muzzle and let it drain out flushing out all of the soapy water.
11. Use a rag to handle the hot barrel and spray WD-40 down the bore until it drips out the nipple hole.
12. Run two or three dry patches through the still hot bore to remove any residual WD-40.
13. Moisten a patch with a good preservative such as Break Free CLP and swab out the bore. By now you should be getting little to no color on your patch.
14. Turn your attention to the nipple in the bucket. Find it and scrub it with a toothbrush. Run a fine wire through the hole to be sure it is clean. Rinse it and spray with WD-40. Dry it and wipe it with some of the CLP or whatever preservative you like.
15. Clean the nose of the hammer with the toothbrush and give it the same treatment as you did the nipple.
16. Apply a TINY bit of high temperature grease to the nipple threads and return it to the barrel
17. Clean any dirt or burned powder residue from your stock paying careful attention to the area around the lock.
18. Return your barrel to the stock and replace the wedge pins.
19. Replace the hammer and gently tighten the screw.
20. Replace the ramrod under the barrel
21. Look over your work and be sure that you have gotten all of the dirt and powder residue from all of the hiding places.
22. Once you are satisfied with your work, go over your stock with a light coat of paste floor wax. Let it dry a few minutes and buff with a dry soft rag. You are done and ready to put your gun up until the next trip to the range or woods.
paulvallandigham
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Bill: I agree with most of what you say, but suggest trying to do it slightly different.
One: I don't remove the hammer from the tumbler.
Instead, I remove the entire lock from the stock, so that I can clean INSIDE THE LOCK, with that same toothbrush, and check all the screws to make sure nothing gets loose. I oil the lock with a good machine oil- like Rem Oil, or 3 in 1, etc. I clean the skirt and hammer face with the hammer still attached to the lock, but held upside down to give me access. Flush the soap out at the sink under the faucet, dry and lube the outside as you describe.
I do put a "witness mark", on the bolster under each lock bolt, with a corresponding witness mark on the screw slot, so I know where the lock bolt should be returned, and no further.
I don't use that very hot water.
Instead, I use skin temperature, ie. "tepid" water for cleaning. If you don't heat up that barrel, you don't burn your hand holding it, and you don't get flash rust when the hot water evaporates.
I don't have any problem with using WD40, provided that you use Alcohol to flush it out of the flash channel, and that small hole in the powder chamber that leads to the flash channel before taking the gun out shooting again. When WD40 dries, it leaves a thick gummy residue that can clog up small parts and holes.
To our New member: Welcome. As you can see there are several ways to do all these things involved in cleaning your gun. It gets more controversial when we get around to whether you should clean the barrel between shots! :rotf: Rather than repeat those arguments here, check out the cleaning my gun posts under General muzzleloading. :thumbsup:
One: I don't remove the hammer from the tumbler.
Instead, I remove the entire lock from the stock, so that I can clean INSIDE THE LOCK, with that same toothbrush, and check all the screws to make sure nothing gets loose. I oil the lock with a good machine oil- like Rem Oil, or 3 in 1, etc. I clean the skirt and hammer face with the hammer still attached to the lock, but held upside down to give me access. Flush the soap out at the sink under the faucet, dry and lube the outside as you describe.
I do put a "witness mark", on the bolster under each lock bolt, with a corresponding witness mark on the screw slot, so I know where the lock bolt should be returned, and no further.
I don't use that very hot water.
Instead, I use skin temperature, ie. "tepid" water for cleaning. If you don't heat up that barrel, you don't burn your hand holding it, and you don't get flash rust when the hot water evaporates.
I don't have any problem with using WD40, provided that you use Alcohol to flush it out of the flash channel, and that small hole in the powder chamber that leads to the flash channel before taking the gun out shooting again. When WD40 dries, it leaves a thick gummy residue that can clog up small parts and holes.
To our New member: Welcome. As you can see there are several ways to do all these things involved in cleaning your gun. It gets more controversial when we get around to whether you should clean the barrel between shots! :rotf: Rather than repeat those arguments here, check out the cleaning my gun posts under General muzzleloading. :thumbsup:
Billnpatti
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Paul,
I've not had a problem with flash rust in my many years of using hot water but I usually work pretty fast and hit it with the WD-40 immediately aftger scalding it with the boiling water. Using the hot water seems to get it cleaner than cold water. I do agree that the lock shold be removed and cleaned also. I just forgot to include that in my listing. Anyway, you are right, there are many ways to clean your black powder guns. The important thing is to clean them right away and use good products to clean and oil them. :thumbsup:
I've not had a problem with flash rust in my many years of using hot water but I usually work pretty fast and hit it with the WD-40 immediately aftger scalding it with the boiling water. Using the hot water seems to get it cleaner than cold water. I do agree that the lock shold be removed and cleaned also. I just forgot to include that in my listing. Anyway, you are right, there are many ways to clean your black powder guns. The important thing is to clean them right away and use good products to clean and oil them. :thumbsup:
paulvallandigham
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Bill: I used hot water for years, and burned my hand for years, too.( Yeow! Hot,Hot,Hot!) :cursing:
I found the only real way to get the Gray out of the barrel- which I believe is graphite worked into the pores-- is by using alcohol on patches down the barrel. But, of course, alcohol evaporates even FASTER than does Hot water! :shocked2: So, Yeah, you have to be pretty darn quick with whatever oil or lube you intend to use in the barrel to prevent rust. :hmm:
Now, I flush my barrel before it goes out to shoot, with alcohol, to remove oils, congealed oil, and lube. I learned that lesson the hard way, when I let WD40 sit too long in a percussion rifle, and had congealed oil residue, that is more like Lacquer than grease, clog up the works. :cursing: I now know that WD40 acts as its own solvent, but at the time, I was at the range, and my WD40 was back home in the garage! :surrender:
I then run a greased cleaning patch down the barrel, fast, to coat it for the time its transported to the range. A Clean, dry, cleaning patch is then run down the barrel at the range, to remove any excess lube, and the gun is ready to fire.
In winter shooting, the air outside is so dry I don't have to worry about rusting on the trip to the range. I could simply flush the barrel at home, and drive the gun to the range or hunting ground without concern. But, out of habit, I grease the bore anyway.
:thumbsup: Greasing the barrel ahead of loading helps in seating that patched round ball, and in removing BP residue between shots. :hmm:
I found the only real way to get the Gray out of the barrel- which I believe is graphite worked into the pores-- is by using alcohol on patches down the barrel. But, of course, alcohol evaporates even FASTER than does Hot water! :shocked2: So, Yeah, you have to be pretty darn quick with whatever oil or lube you intend to use in the barrel to prevent rust. :hmm:
Now, I flush my barrel before it goes out to shoot, with alcohol, to remove oils, congealed oil, and lube. I learned that lesson the hard way, when I let WD40 sit too long in a percussion rifle, and had congealed oil residue, that is more like Lacquer than grease, clog up the works. :cursing: I now know that WD40 acts as its own solvent, but at the time, I was at the range, and my WD40 was back home in the garage! :surrender:
I then run a greased cleaning patch down the barrel, fast, to coat it for the time its transported to the range. A Clean, dry, cleaning patch is then run down the barrel at the range, to remove any excess lube, and the gun is ready to fire.
In winter shooting, the air outside is so dry I don't have to worry about rusting on the trip to the range. I could simply flush the barrel at home, and drive the gun to the range or hunting ground without concern. But, out of habit, I grease the bore anyway.
:thumbsup: Greasing the barrel ahead of loading helps in seating that patched round ball, and in removing BP residue between shots. :hmm:
Living in NW Nevada I am lucky that the air is so dry rust is a non-issue... I recently was looking at a guys rifle that hadn't been cleaned in a year and a half and is shot occasionally. Not a sign of rust. I have left mine for a couple days after shooting, no rust at all.
