A Question On Cleaning

[N.Y. Yankee]

What is your technique for cleaning and protecting the nipple threads and flash channel on guns like the Great Plains Rifle and T/C Hawken?

 

[ETipp]

I have both and the technique I use this on all my ML regardless of brand.

I always remove the nipple on the final cleaning of the day. I clean the ML well With soap and water, and put the nipple in a small water bottle cap full of Windex while doing so.

The threads and flash channel can be cleaned with water or whatever you choose to use. A toothbrush works well for cleaning the threads and around the flash hole area.

Personally, I most always pour a little carburetor cleaner or at least Windex through the flash channel after a good cleaning. Then I use compressed air from an air compressor to force the any build up out into the barrel/breech. Its amazing how much more fouling I find after doing so and then running a clean dry patch down the bore.

Last thing is I shoot some Ballistol down through the flash channel (which also lubes the threads) as well as the bore, before putting the ML away.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Remove the nipple and then I run a sturdy pipe cleaner from the nipple seat to the powder chamber. On the hooked breech guns, I remove the barrel to place the breech in a bucket of cleaning solution looking for a strong stream of fouling darkened water. Remove water from the breech with alcohol soaked patches, oil the barrel with rust inhibiting lube, use never seize lubricant on the nipple to install and store muzzle down,

 

[maillemaker]

I do as above. I also apply anti-seize to the threads before re-installing the nipple.

 

[kyron4]

I do as above. I also apply anti-seize to the threads before re-installing the nipple.

Same here.

 

[longcruise]

I dismount the barrel, put a seal on the nipple and pour the barrel full of hot water. Auto parts stores sell little rubber and plastic thingys for closing off vacuum lines. While that soaks I clean up the lock and the stock in the lock area.

Fill a plastic coffee container with tap water, pour the water out of the barrel, remove the nipple and drop it in the water container, dip the breech into the water container and scrub it good with a tooth brush, put a nylon bore brush on your rod and work it hard then switch to patches on a jag. Pump it long and hard. Then run a few dry patches. Put your finger over the nipple hole (not the nipple, that's still in your water container) pour half an Oz of alcohol down the bore, put a finger over the Muzzle and slosh the alcohol back and forth. Then some more dry patches. Set that aside and oil the lock and reassemble that. Fish the nipple out of the water container and wipe the crud of the outside Including the threads squirt a blast of wd40 through the nipple, put a tiny dab of spark plug antifreeze on the threads give the barrel a short blast of wd40 and a couple wipes with a clean patch, replace the nipple and remount the barrel.

I can do all that in about the same time it took to peck this out on a phone. 😀

 

[Frontstuffer3491]

Remove the nipple and then I run a sturdy pipe cleaner from the nipple seat to the powder chamber. On the hooked breech guns, I remove the barrel to place the breech in a bucket of cleaning solution looking for a strong stream of fouling darkened water. Remove water from the breech with alcohol soaked patches, oil the barrel with rust inhibiting lube, use never seize lubricant on the nipple to install and store muzzle down,

Remove the nipple and then I run a sturdy pipe cleaner from the nipple seat to the powder chamber. On the hooked breech guns, I remove the barrel to place the breech in a bucket of cleaning solution looking for a strong stream of fouling darkened water. Remove water from the breech with alcohol soaked patches, oil the barrel with rust inhibiting lube, use never seize lubricant on the nipple to install and store muzzle down,

Are you using isopropyl or ethyl alcohol? The reason I’m asking this is water does not mix with isopropyl but ethyl is readily soluble in water. So I’m looking for the rationale for using one or the other. ???

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Frontstuffer3491,

I just did a quick search and Isopropyl alcohol can be mixed with water. The following is quoted from Wikipedia.

Isopropyl alcohol is miscible in water, ethanol, and chloroform, as it is an organic polar molecule. It dissolves ethyl cellulose, polyvinyl butyral, many oils, alkaloids, and natural resins.[10] Unlike ethanol or methanol, isopropyl alcohol is not miscible with salt solutions and can be separated from aqueous solutions by adding a salt such as sodium chloride. The process is colloquially called salting out, and causes concentrated isopropyl alcohol to separate into a distinct layer.[11]​

​

Isopropyl alcohol forms an azeotrope with water, which gives a boiling point of 80.37 °C (176.67 °F) and a composition of 87.7% by mass (91% by volume) isopropyl alcohol. Alcohol mixtures have depressed melting points.[11] It has a slightly bitter taste, and is not safe to drink.​

Either alcohol will work, Just don't use it with salt water.

 

[Frontstuffer3491]

I dismount the barrel, put a seal on the nipple and pour the barrel full of hot water. Auto parts stores sell little rubber and plastic thingys for closing off vacuum lines. While that soaks I clean up the lock and the stock in the lock area.

Fill a plastic coffee container with tap water, pour the water out of the barrel, remove the nipple and drop it in the water container, dip the breech into the water container and scrub it good with a tooth brush, put a nylon bore brush on your rod and work it hard then switch to patches on a jag. Pump it long and hard. Then run a few dry patches. Put your finger over the nipple hole (not the nipple, that's still in your water container) pour half an Oz of alcohol down the bore, put a finger over the Muzzle and slosh the alcohol back and forth. Then some more dry patches. Set that aside and oil the lock and reassemble that. Fish the nipple out of the water container and wipe the crud of the outside Including the threads squirt a blast of wd40 through the nipple, put a tiny dab of spark plug antifreeze on the threads give the barrel a short blast of wd40 and a couple wipes with a clean patch, replace the nipple and remount the barrel.

I can do all that in about the same time it took to peck this out on a phone. 😀

Which alcohol, ethyl or isopropyl?

 

[Frontstuffer3491]

@Frontstuffer3491,

I just did a quick search and Isopropyl alcohol can be mixed with water. The following is quoted from Wikipedia.

Isopropyl alcohol is miscible in water, ethanol, and chloroform, as it is an organic polar molecule. It dissolves ethyl cellulose, polyvinyl butyral, many oils, alkaloids, and natural resins.[10] Unlike ethanol or methanol, isopropyl alcohol is not miscible with salt solutions and can be separated from aqueous solutions by adding a salt such as sodium chloride. The process is colloquially called salting out, and causes concentrated isopropyl alcohol to separate into a distinct layer.[11]​

​

Isopropyl alcohol forms an azeotrope with water, which gives a boiling point of 80.37 °C (176.67 °F) and a composition of 87.7% by mass (91% by volume) isopropyl alcohol. Alcohol mixtures have depressed melting points.[11] It has a slightly bitter taste, and is not safe to drink.​

Either alcohol will work, Just don't use it with salt water.

Thank you very much. What back ground do you have in chemistry?

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Frontstuffer3491, I stayed awake when I took chemistry in college.

 

[nhmoose]

 

[longcruise]

Which alcohol, ethyl or isopropyl?

Either works.