Butch's Bore Shine

[Tom A Hawk]

BBS for BP is allegedly the solvent (elixir?) that the US Army cleans large howitzers with. All I know is that it is a phenomenal BP cleaner, if/when wanting 'more' than H2O, plus it smells much better than Ballistol!

I agree. It is a very efficient bore cleaner and I don't notice any smell at all. In my BP cartridge guns the third patch basically comes out clean.

 

[ppg1949]

I back my Howitzer into my pond for cleaning. Probably why all the fish died.

 

[lb94]

Anybody use Butch's Bore Shine as a patch lube or to wipe your barrel between shots at the range? Your opinions are greatly appreciated. I am also going to try Dutch's Moose Milk.

Always been a big fan of spit patches while shooting. Cleans after each shot and is cheap! When I shoot before hunting season with mink oil patch lubes just to make sure everything is on the bore gets dirty as heck after just 5 shots and I get annoyed. Shooting spit patches just for the heck of it the bore is pretty clean for 25+ shots.

I used to be skeptical of some of these simple tricks with muzzloading when I was new to this and learning on this forum almost 12 years ago and I'd try all the solvents etc. Was so scared to put water in my gun it made me cringe just thinking about how it "might rust". Took the plunge and have never found anything better than dawn dish soap and water for cleaning the guns.

 

[OldRust]

BBS for BP is allegedly the solvent (elixir?) that the US Army cleans large howitzers with. All I know is that it is a phenomenal BP cleaner, if/when wanting 'more' than H2O, plus it smells much better than Ballistol!

The BBS that I have tried for cleaning that has the nasty smell ( to me ) is straight Butches Bore Shine. I did not realize there was a Black Powder version. I'll make a point to try it. Thanks

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

There’s and endless parade of special concoctions, chemicals, potions, and poisons out there that somebody swears by.

All of them are supposedly “the best”.

I can’t begin to list off even a tiny fraction of the ones I’ve heard over the years. Generally speaking, I think when somebody thinks of something novel or expensive to use for this purpose, they feel clever and just know in there head they’ve found “the best”. The more expensive, exotic, or toxic, the better.

For me, it’s spit. It’s free and non poisonous. Once I switched to spit patches, my fouling issues disappeared. I can now shoot all day without wiping. No other mystery substance has done that for me.

 

[Dean2]

Spit works fine it your aren't leaving the gun loaded for a long time and if the weather is above freezing. If either is not true then some form of lube is a better choice. I use Hoppes patch lube because it is often -10 or colder when we are out hunting. Like so many others have said, for cleaning the gun, dish soap and water can't be beat. Dry, then patch well with WD40 to remove any left over water, then a good lube for storage. Lube removed with Alcohol before shooting.

 

[ugly old guy]

Only "chemical" cleaner I've ever used in a ML is dish soap. (Preferably DAWN or JOY)
At the range a damp with plain water patch after every 4 or so shots to wipe the bore.

 

[Brokennock]

Spit. Great. Lovely. Comes up every time patch lube is brought up. Is it really a lube, or just a temporary setting agent?
While it may be great for a patched round ball that is to be shot right away, that is all it is good for.
Lube wads to use in a smoothie for shooting roundball or shot? No. Lube patches for hunting with patched roundball? No.
So? Well, part of what makes modern guns so appealing to people without our passion for these old guns and ways is accuracy, and the ease of achieving it. Which, is created by consistency, repeatability. The gun is always loaded the same regardless of intent. Shooting practice at the range is done with the same load as in the field. Why would one not do the same here? (Obviously doesn't matter if one only informally punches paper or bangs steel plates)
Keeping this away from the practical modern firearm arena that instilled this thinking in me. When I decide to take the responsibility of shooting at a living creature, deer, turkey, even just a squirrel, I want to know that the gun is going to do exactly what it has done every time I squeezed the trigger on the range. Or, as close as is possible. Why would I use one practice on the range and a different one when things really count?

(Joking (kind of)) do the spit patch guys pee in their barrels to clean them too? Lol.

 

[Carbon 6]

(Joking (kind of)) do the spit patch guys pee in their barrels to clean them too? Lol.

No, pee contains a lot of salt, as high as .2 grams/liter equivalent. One would have to be in a desperate situation to resort to such measures.

 

[nagantino]

In his book Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy writes of the Comanche Wars and describes a group of pioneers driven onto a bare hill and fighting for their necks. Running low on powder they set about making a crude black powder. They pee on the rocks which evaporates in the sun leaving the crystals to make saltpetre. Good book, set on the Texas Mexico border in 1850.

 

[Zonie]

"They pee on the rocks which evaporates in the sun leaving the crystals to make saltpetre."

That's got to be one of the funniest things I've read in a long time.

It takes bacteria and wood ash along with a lot of urea from a lot of urine about 10 months to create saltpeter. Dried pee by itself won't do it.

If that is what the settlers were doing, I'll bet on the Indians.

 

[Mulebrain]

It just isn't needed, there is plenty of stuff laying around the house to do the job.

Fan of Dawn, and ballistol

 

[nagantino]

That’s Cormac McCarthy for ye. Can’t write for pee.

 

[DNS]

Doesn't anyone use black solve from dixie gun works? I've used since the 70's and never found the need to change.

 

[FishDFly]

Works fine, no use in using anything else.

 

[Dobegrant]

I use it between shots and it works very well