After Cleaning Question...

[Quirt Evans]

I've read and re-read the cleaning post a few times and have the actual "cleaning" part down now...but what do you all recommend for "after" cleaning...for storage?

Once I cleaned and dried my rifle...I just lightly lubed a patch with some Oxyoke Wonder Lube and ran it up/down the bore and then wiped down the exterior...I didn't want to use 'traditional' oil or BreakFree or anything else and that is all I had.

Is this acceptable or should I do something else?

 

[longfowler]

I know alot of guys don't like it, but my favorite is good ol' wd-40. spray liberaly inside & out, swab bore & wipe down the outside. done!
been using it for years and store my guns in the basement, never have rust.

 

[Quirt Evans]

Well, that certainly is an option...how do you clean it up before you shoot? Does wiping the bore with a dry patch remove it adequately?

I assume you just pop a cap or two and it burns it up inside the nipple.

~Q

 

[Johnny Tremain]

What you did, is what Ive been doing for many years.

Nothing more, nothing less.

No petrolium based oil is a good thing

 

[jtmattison]

I use Rem-Oil inside and out. Before shooting I snap a cap and wipe the bore.

HD

 

[longfowler]

yup, just pop a cap & your ready. I store the guns horizontaly, bore tipped down slightly so residual oil doesn't collect in the breech. wd40 seems to be light enough to not cause a contamination problem.

 

[bob308]

hot soapy water then a patch or two to dry the wd40 come back 2-3 days later run a patch with wd40 through barrel. never had a problem with rust. just snap a cap before you load. been doing it that way for 20+ years.

i think wd40 works so good is because that is what its name means water displacement formula 40.

 

[bwhoffman]

Well, that certainly is an option...how do you clean it up before you shoot? Does wiping the bore with a dry patch remove it adequately?

I assume you just pop a cap or two and it burns it up inside the nipple.

~Q

I store with wd40 also, seems to work well for ME.

Prior to shooting, I wipe the barrel inards with an alcohol soaked patch, allow to air dry, then run a prelubed shooting patch up and down, mostly to verify that my fire channel is open and dry! you can see wet blow out the nipple and/or hear the air being pushed through it. :wink:

 

[Regulis7]

I clean with hot water and Murphys Oil Soap, hot water flush, then dry well. One my TC's I use can air to blow the moisture out from around the adjustable rear sight and from between the under lug rail and barrel.

With the barrel still warm I lube the bore with TC Natural Lube, then wipe the outside down with the same. If the gun is being stored for a while I shoot a bit of Ballistol or Olive Oil in the firing channel. Prior to a shoot I flush the firing channel with denatured alcohol to remove the liquid lube.

 

[MikeChapin]

...

Once I cleaned and dried my rifle...I just lightly lubed a patch with some Oxyoke Wonder Lube and ran it up/down the bore and then wiped down the exterior...I didn't want to use 'traditional' oil or BreakFree or anything else and that is all I had.

Is this acceptable or should I do something else?

Run a patch down the barrel in a couple of days and see if you are getting any rust. That will tell you if it is enough.

Over the years I have used a lot of stuff from 10 wgt motor oil, WD-40 and various gun oils. All of them prevented rust which is the primary goal. About two years ago I started using Balistol as a barrel preservative. It also prevents rust but has the added benefit of keeping the barrel cleaner while shooting. Barrels that used to gunk up in 5 or 6 shots will now go all day without a cleaning patch.

 

[Jerry Coffee]

I quit using WD-40 20 years ago on anything but squeeking car door hinges. That stuff will give you a false sense of security against rust. It evaporates in a few days and rust begins. Many years ago I used WD-40 on my freshly machined automobile crankshafts and cylinder heads and in a few days the WD-40 was gone and rust began so I quit using it on anything as a rust preventative.

Anyway, I use Ballistol on my P53 Enfield rifle in the bore and on the outside including the brass and stock. I then store the rifle musket in a closet with the barrel down, inside a sail-cloth (canvas) gun sock. Some say a canvas sock is not good for storage but I have never received a satisfactory answer why they are not good for storage. The canvas gun socks are good when you carry the musket in public. I carried my P53 Enfield into a fully occupied resturant while it was inside my canvas gun sock and no one suspected what it was.

 

[roundball]

Once I cleaned and dried my rifle...I just lightly lubed a patch with some Oxyoke Wonder Lube and ran it up/down the bore and then wiped down the exterior...

I can't imagine anybody being more of a fan of Wonder lube or Natural Lube 1000 than I am but there are some things to be aware of using it, which you may already know.

NL1000 does not displace water so after cleaning & drying the bore I run a sloppy wet patch of WD40 up and down a couple times then dry patch that out.

Since NL1000 is a paste, it doesn't "run" or "migrate" around like a liquid does...essentially where you put it is where it stays so it's important to use plenty of it. I use extra lube out of a tube to get the lubing patch heavily coated with it, and do that 2-3 times while running the patch up and down the bore to ensure every square inch of the bore gets plastered and squeezed into all the 90* land/groove corners the full length of the bore, so every bit of surface is insulated from the air.

Then before shooting I run a dry patch down & up once before shooting to pull out any excess.

Note: Barrels with a patent breech need an extra step as the patent breech is too small to let the caliber size cleaning jag get down in there...for this I use a small diameter rifle brush (.22/.27/.30cal) brush and wrap the different patches around the bristles for cleaning, drying, and lubing.

 

[Jerry Coffee]

When firing black powder you should never use any lube that has any petroleum content. Those lubes have a reaction between the BP charcoal and the petroleum in the lube and will accumulate a thick tar-like substance. That crud will easily stop up a .028" nipple fire hole.

For example, never use Lee Liquid ALOX for BP bullet lube. It is convienient to apply, dries to a nice varnish like covering and does not melt when it is hot but it IS a petroleum product and will foul your rifle.

 

[Rat Trapper]

I clean my rifles with hot water and soap. Dry the barrel real well with clean patches and then wipe the barrel with Knight oil. Knight oil is a very light weight oil, but any light weight oil should work. I wipe the barrel with a patch and alchohol to remove the oil before loading. Works very well!

 

[playfarmers]

I too use Balistol and find it great for rust prevention, and for multiple shots. I have never seen a quicker clean up with anything else.

 

[Quirt Evans]

Hey guys this is extremely helpful!

I might try some Ballistol because I cannot get more than two shots out of my barrel without the need to do a quick clean or I cannot hardly get the RB/Patch down the barrel without it getting stuck!

 

[roundball]

Hey guys this is extremely helpful!

I might try some Ballistol because I cannot get more than two shots out of my barrel without the need to do a quick clean or I cannot hardly get the RB/Patch down the barrel without it getting stuck!

Yeah, that's no good...you should be able to shoot a 50 shot range session without ever wiping between shots...for the most part lube and humidity dictate that.

Natural Lube 1000 is fine as long as humidity is 60% or higher, but you'll need a wetter patch during times of low humidity...I use NL during the spring/summer here in NC, then Hoppes No9 PLUS BP during the winter months

 

[50cal.cliff]

I use the hot water and soap method usually in the kitchen sink. My wife usually shoots me one of the looks but ,she knows I am gonna do it anyway! :grin:
When I get done with that, I dry everything down including the bore using dry patches and then all the metal parts get a coat of gun-oil, and the excess is wiped down leaving just a thin film. The bore gets the same treatment.
When I store my rifle its stored in a horizontal position. I always patch barrel clean before reloading. Never had a problem.

 

[Many Klatch]

I have used a 50/50 mix of 2-stroke motor oil and kerosene to keep my guns rust free for years. I have never seen any tar in the barrels and I can shoot 30 or 40 rounds without having to run a patch down the barrel.

I did have a problem with Brakefree that some of my friends recommended. It messed up the accuracy something awful until I finally got the barrel cleaned out. That took three months of shooting and cleaning before the barrel finally got to shooting where it should.

Many Klatch

 

[E Poffinbarger]

Quirt:

Even though each person probably cleans and lubes their rifles for storage differently the end result may be same.

However, since I am a fanatic about a super clean, highly polished bore here's what I do, after cleaning for storage I swab the bore with a lubed patch(your choice of lube) once a day for a week, once a week for a month and once a month until I hunt again.

Osage