What is the best way and products for cleaning a .50 caliber kentucky rifle from traditions. I use No.13 and then bore butter and have heard pros and cons about each. I am cleaning my gun alot because i shoot alot. Barrel seems to be clean so far. opinions?
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bets cleaning technique
- Thread starter leadball
- Start date
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I personally do not have one, but my friend that I shoot with has the same one your describing. I watched him numerous times clean his rifle. He has a chunk of clear plastic tube or hose, like you would find in a fish tank. That is glued to the end of a nipple that he replaces with the one he was shooting with/using that day. The other end of the tube he puts in a bucket. Into the bucket he puts VERY HOT water with some Dawn Dish soap. He then pumps that through the barrel like the rest of us, running patch after patch until they come clean.
After he is sure the barrel is clean, he cleans the nipple he was using that day. He then brushes the barrel with a brass brush. He then runs some solvent patches throught he barrel to make sure they are clean and to make sure there is no water in the barrel. After that he puts some denatured alcohol through the barrel and then dry patches until he is positive there is no water in the barrel.
After he scrubs the outside of the barrel and nipple area, he then oils the barrel and wipes the gun down and replaces the shooting nipple.
I am not sure why he never removes the barrel from the stock. I never asked him but I think the barrel is pinned or else it is too much of a pain in the ...... to do it.
I have a hooked breech, so I always pull the barrel and clean with out the stock in the way....
Hope this helped. I am sure there are others that actually know how to do this personally.... Good luck with your rifle. :winking:
After he is sure the barrel is clean, he cleans the nipple he was using that day. He then brushes the barrel with a brass brush. He then runs some solvent patches throught he barrel to make sure they are clean and to make sure there is no water in the barrel. After that he puts some denatured alcohol through the barrel and then dry patches until he is positive there is no water in the barrel.
After he scrubs the outside of the barrel and nipple area, he then oils the barrel and wipes the gun down and replaces the shooting nipple.
I am not sure why he never removes the barrel from the stock. I never asked him but I think the barrel is pinned or else it is too much of a pain in the ...... to do it.
I have a hooked breech, so I always pull the barrel and clean with out the stock in the way....
Hope this helped. I am sure there are others that actually know how to do this personally.... Good luck with your rifle. :winking:
Guest
If your barrel is pinned it's not a good idea to remove it as the pins will loosen.
The hose/nipple technique just described is a good idea.
The important thing to remember is that the fouling left in the barrel from PyroCrap or black powder is hygroscopic, that is to say it aborbs moisture which of course promotes RUST! :curse: I hate rust. :curse:
Water is a fine solvent for black powder and there are many substitues, as well as commercial solvents. The thing to do is get the fouling completely out, then be sure the bore is DRY before you oil it and put it away. Denatured or rubbing aclohol are both hydroscopic. They too absorb moisture so after you clean the thing, dry it with patches then run a couple of alcohol swabs downbore, then another dry patch then oil.
This seems like a bit of work and it is, but that's the nature of the beast. Never scimp on patches.
The hose/nipple technique just described is a good idea.
The important thing to remember is that the fouling left in the barrel from PyroCrap or black powder is hygroscopic, that is to say it aborbs moisture which of course promotes RUST! :curse: I hate rust. :curse:
Water is a fine solvent for black powder and there are many substitues, as well as commercial solvents. The thing to do is get the fouling completely out, then be sure the bore is DRY before you oil it and put it away. Denatured or rubbing aclohol are both hydroscopic. They too absorb moisture so after you clean the thing, dry it with patches then run a couple of alcohol swabs downbore, then another dry patch then oil.
This seems like a bit of work and it is, but that's the nature of the beast. Never scimp on patches.
Guest
Cayugad described it very well. I have the brassy sister rifle to yours (Shenandoah) and you very rarely want to take those pins out to keep "intact accuracy". You will also want to consider buying FFF or pistol powder AND a hotter nipple like Red Hot/Splitfire for that rifle. If not, then you are risking occasional hangfires. I own a few Traditions sidelocks.. believe me I know the manufacturer pretty darn good.
Also! Since you won't be removing the stock & you don't want nipple-area fouling to seep in between your stock & barrel, you must grease where the barrel meets that stock edge. Do the entire length of the barrel. I use round metal-cannistered Mink Oil.. found where all the shoe polish is at your neighborhood Wally World. Fill the two grooves (one on each side)... then wipe off & stroke it back & forth a few times like you're polishing it.
Also-again! Depending on your powder, charge & lead bullet softness, products like Dawn detergent & T/C-13 won't remove lead. Buy a solvent that will. Just because the solvent says it's good for blackpowder/muzzleloader weapons, it doesn't mean it cleans properly. You may have to venture over to the centerfire/shotgun/rimfire aisle in that hunting section to find solvents that remove lead.
Also-again-again! The open sights on the Kentucky, Shenandoah & Pennsylvania suck royally.. too 1860ish primitive for my current 2004 tastes.[url] RMCSports.com[/url] will take care of you for $34. My 52 year-old eyes now enjoys seeing those red & green dots lining-up down that long barrel.
To all the traditionalists reading this... :nolease don't reply with ...
.... "You Ruined That Stylish Rifle Putting On Fiber-Optic Sights" .... please... I don't want to read it here!:no:
Also! Since you won't be removing the stock & you don't want nipple-area fouling to seep in between your stock & barrel, you must grease where the barrel meets that stock edge. Do the entire length of the barrel. I use round metal-cannistered Mink Oil.. found where all the shoe polish is at your neighborhood Wally World. Fill the two grooves (one on each side)... then wipe off & stroke it back & forth a few times like you're polishing it.
Also-again! Depending on your powder, charge & lead bullet softness, products like Dawn detergent & T/C-13 won't remove lead. Buy a solvent that will. Just because the solvent says it's good for blackpowder/muzzleloader weapons, it doesn't mean it cleans properly. You may have to venture over to the centerfire/shotgun/rimfire aisle in that hunting section to find solvents that remove lead.
Also-again-again! The open sights on the Kentucky, Shenandoah & Pennsylvania suck royally.. too 1860ish primitive for my current 2004 tastes.[url] RMCSports.com[/url] will take care of you for $34. My 52 year-old eyes now enjoys seeing those red & green dots lining-up down that long barrel.
To all the traditionalists reading this... :no
lease don't reply with ....... "You Ruined That Stylish Rifle Putting On Fiber-Optic Sights" .... please... I don't want to read it here!:no:
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Guest
TRIP! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT!!
Ask us NOT to say anything that is. :haha: :haha:
And miss a wide open shot like that, oooooooh nooooooooo, that's asking way too much. ::
Just kidding. I'M 5 years older than you and I like sights I can see too. :shocking:
Wonder how a Leupold would look on a period correct 1730 Jeager rock lock?
O.K. o.k., birddog6, down boy, don't get your blood up I'm just funnin'.
Ask us NOT to say anything that is. :haha: :haha:
And miss a wide open shot like that, oooooooh nooooooooo, that's asking way too much. ::
Just kidding. I'M 5 years older than you and I like sights I can see too. :shocking:
Wonder how a Leupold would look on a period correct 1730 Jeager rock lock?
O.K. o.k., birddog6, down boy, don't get your blood up I'm just funnin'.
A couple of weeks ago I got barrel flushing tool for my flintlocks from Track. As Birddog said before, this thing works so good and fast I don't see myself pulling the barrel on a hooked breech again, much less my pinned longrifles.
But the point I'm getting to is this; The instructions said after cleaning the rifle to drain it and then to dry it with WD40 (waterdisplacing 40). Then oil it. I thought about it and decided to try it. It seems to work fine. Anybody ever tried this?
I am also using Jim Chambers fine oil on the internals of my locks and his Rust preventative oil in the bore. This is a thick oil and seems to work real well. Before I browned the barrel, I cleaned it well, coated it with this oil then breeched it and sealed the end and vent with wooden pins. When I was done and pulled the wood plugs the bore was perfect.
About the fiber optics, my GPR flinter has a set of Tru Glos fitted to the dovetails. They give me at least 30 minutes of prime time hunting in the deep swamp bottoms down here that I was missing out on with the open sights. Before hunting season I will be fitting a set to the Isacc Haines. The good thing about these type sights are they come right out and the old ones go right back on. If you have witness marks on your sights and barrel, they will come almost right back to point of aim.
But the point I'm getting to is this; The instructions said after cleaning the rifle to drain it and then to dry it with WD40 (waterdisplacing 40). Then oil it. I thought about it and decided to try it. It seems to work fine. Anybody ever tried this?
I am also using Jim Chambers fine oil on the internals of my locks and his Rust preventative oil in the bore. This is a thick oil and seems to work real well. Before I browned the barrel, I cleaned it well, coated it with this oil then breeched it and sealed the end and vent with wooden pins. When I was done and pulled the wood plugs the bore was perfect.
About the fiber optics, my GPR flinter has a set of Tru Glos fitted to the dovetails. They give me at least 30 minutes of prime time hunting in the deep swamp bottoms down here that I was missing out on with the open sights. Before hunting season I will be fitting a set to the Isacc Haines. The good thing about these type sights are they come right out and the old ones go right back on. If you have witness marks on your sights and barrel, they will come almost right back to point of aim.
NoJacketRequired
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Good point about the witness marks on the sights and barrel. I'm going to be putting fibre optic sights on my Traditions Hawken and will remember your advice before I remove the old sights. Thanks for the good tip!
Guest
I have been cleaning my rifles for many years, exactly how Holland & Holland wrote to a good friend of mine about cleaning his BP double rifles. That is - cold water only, then dry with patches, then water displacing lubricant. A fine gun oil after than if they are going to be stored. I've never rusted a bore, even when not using the oil afterwords. In this reasonably dry cimate where I live, the oil thats in WD40 or Amsoil MP seems to do the trick for preservation.
Daryl
Daryl
leadball, if your getting your rifle clean then your doing it right. All of us develope our own special cleaning technique that works for us... Personally I have used cold water, hot water, water based concoctions with alcohol, equal parts of Murphy's oil soap - alcohol - peroxide, they all work. As long as your pulling clean patches and getting your bore dry your doing good. I clean my lock and lock area with the same fluids using a soft toothbrush making sure this is also dry before oiling. For oil, I like "Birchwood Casey Sheath Rust Preventive" that comes in the 4 1/2 oz can. A little goes a long way. This works for me and I might add that I only shoot the patched roundball so leading is not a consideration during my cleaning. I might also add that I do not remove the barrel from the stock no matter if it is wedged and easily removed. I never remove a pinned barrel. I feel removing a barrel only opens you up to not getting it seated exactly in the same place you had it previously no matter how little difference there is. I feel point of impact will change on your next trip to the range if you do remove the barrel for cleaning. Maybe not always, but it can happen.
