Cleaning a Percussion Rifle
- Thread starter Effigy
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grey8833
40 Cal.
Effigy:
I have a Hawken and an English Target Rifle. Both have hooked breech systems where the barrel comes out from the stock.
Recommented cleaning:
Dismount the barrel. Take out the nipple, put the nipple end of the barrel into a bucket, put a funnel into the up end of the barrel, get a hot pad to hold barrel (do not forget this step :shocked2: or you will wind up dropping the barrel onto the floor, spilling the bucket - Yes it can happen :grin: ), pour boiling water from a tea pot into the funnel, let it run out the nipple hole (use a pots worth of water). That will do about 90% of the cleaning. Use a pipe cleaner on the nipple to barrel channel (patent breechs on my guns), run a wadded patch to the breech with a worm until clean, pull patches with a jag until the rest of the barrel is clean, oil the barrel and breech channel with a good gun oil.
Don't forget to clean the barrel with a solvent before you shoot. Oil and BP do not mix well at all. Pop a few caps to clear the breech channel and load.
Mike F
I have a Hawken and an English Target Rifle. Both have hooked breech systems where the barrel comes out from the stock.
Recommented cleaning:
Dismount the barrel. Take out the nipple, put the nipple end of the barrel into a bucket, put a funnel into the up end of the barrel, get a hot pad to hold barrel (do not forget this step :shocked2: or you will wind up dropping the barrel onto the floor, spilling the bucket - Yes it can happen :grin: ), pour boiling water from a tea pot into the funnel, let it run out the nipple hole (use a pots worth of water). That will do about 90% of the cleaning. Use a pipe cleaner on the nipple to barrel channel (patent breechs on my guns), run a wadded patch to the breech with a worm until clean, pull patches with a jag until the rest of the barrel is clean, oil the barrel and breech channel with a good gun oil.
Don't forget to clean the barrel with a solvent before you shoot. Oil and BP do not mix well at all. Pop a few caps to clear the breech channel and load.
Mike F
Little Wattsy
69 Cal.
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I have used Formula 409 (good stuff), warm NOT hot soapy water (cheap stuff), and Butch's Bore Shine (My personal FAVORITE stuff). Take the barrel off and saturate a cleaning patch and stroke (short strokes) working to the bottom of the barrel...Repeat untill clean (usually 7 to 10 patches worth) oil and done. Use a Q-top to clean the nipples and reattach that. Wipe down the stock and hammer (Q-tip out the inside of the hammer cup) all done. ALL you need is a ram rod (suggest the longer range rod) a proper size cleanin jag, and the cheapest bulk cleaning patches you can find. :thumbsup:
tv_racin_fan
40 Cal.
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It kinda depends on the style of rifle.
Myself I prefer the plains or Hawken style in the half stocked version so I can take the barrel off and clean in the bath tub. I have a two liter soda bottle with the top cut off and a couple of drops of dish washing liquid and the hottest water I can get out of the faucet does a fine job. I have a handle that mounts on the ram rod and a jag and I just run as many dry patches as I need to get the barrel dry then I run a patch or two with lube to lube up the bore and I am generally done. Now I am ex military so I generally clean my firearms three times before I am satisified they are clean. So on the second and third times I generally use a BP solvent and do without the water and bucket treatment and I generally do the second and third cleanings with the barrel on the stock.
With a full stocked rifle I would forgo the water treatment and just use a windex soaked patch for cleaning or a commercial BP solvent.
As for a cleaning kit...
I use TC #13 solvent and TC #17 saturated patches and TC bore butter. You need the appropriate jag and I like the TC T Handle.
Myself I prefer the plains or Hawken style in the half stocked version so I can take the barrel off and clean in the bath tub. I have a two liter soda bottle with the top cut off and a couple of drops of dish washing liquid and the hottest water I can get out of the faucet does a fine job. I have a handle that mounts on the ram rod and a jag and I just run as many dry patches as I need to get the barrel dry then I run a patch or two with lube to lube up the bore and I am generally done. Now I am ex military so I generally clean my firearms three times before I am satisified they are clean. So on the second and third times I generally use a BP solvent and do without the water and bucket treatment and I generally do the second and third cleanings with the barrel on the stock.
With a full stocked rifle I would forgo the water treatment and just use a windex soaked patch for cleaning or a commercial BP solvent.
As for a cleaning kit...
I use TC #13 solvent and TC #17 saturated patches and TC bore butter. You need the appropriate jag and I like the TC T Handle.
rafterob
62 Cal.
You don't need a cleaning kit. A good patch jag,bronze brush,and depending on the type of breech you have maybe a breech scraper. Some people do not even use the bore brush, only the jag with cloth patches. wash with warm to hot soapy water. Rinse with clean water,dry and oil.I had used old army surplus gun oil and finally ran out so I use olive oil now.
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I typically dismount the bbl, remove the nipple, and toss it into the cleaning bucket. Add around 4 inches of water. I then dunk the breech into the water, and using a swab on a cleaning rod, I draw the water in and out of the bbl about 10-15 times. I then drain the water, and brush it about the same amount with a brass brush. Then swab it a few more times, and dry with patches (paper towels torn in squares works really well). Once I'm done with that, I swab the heck out of the bore with rust preventative. squirt some WD-40 on the nipple and through the fire hole to remove water, and re-thread it back in. Now just wipe it down, and in the safe she goes. This takes all of about 20 minutes.
Temp can go either way based on preference. With cold water you'll have to dry the bore as soon as you're done, with hot you probably won't. in trying both, I didn't see an appreciable difference in cleaning capability.
Temp can go either way based on preference. With cold water you'll have to dry the bore as soon as you're done, with hot you probably won't. in trying both, I didn't see an appreciable difference in cleaning capability.
MikeChapin
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There are as many methods of cleaning a muzzleloader as there are people who shoot them.
I just clean by running patches with soapy water at room temperature until it is clean. I run a couple of Ballistol and water patches down to kill the soap and get the last of the graphite out, dry with some more patches and run a Ballistol soaked patch down to protect the barrel.
I used the hot water bucket method early on but I was getting flash rust in the barrel so stopped. I do have a few hooked breech rifles but the majority are solid breeches with pinned barrels that don't dismount from the stock easily.
Try all the methods mentioned and use the one that gives you the best results and stick with it.
I just clean by running patches with soapy water at room temperature until it is clean. I run a couple of Ballistol and water patches down to kill the soap and get the last of the graphite out, dry with some more patches and run a Ballistol soaked patch down to protect the barrel.
I used the hot water bucket method early on but I was getting flash rust in the barrel so stopped. I do have a few hooked breech rifles but the majority are solid breeches with pinned barrels that don't dismount from the stock easily.
Try all the methods mentioned and use the one that gives you the best results and stick with it.
eaglesnester
40 Cal.
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All of the methods mentioned so far work. You do not need to purchase any special commercial black powder cleaning compounds unless you enjoy spending your hard earned money. Plain soap and water works the best. A few drops of liquid dish soap in warm water and you are in business. I like to soak my barrel for a little while before I remove the touch hole liner or cap nipple. The warm water and soap cleans the crud away so they come away from the weapon without stripping threads etc. I am also x military and cleaning 3 times is a good idea as the steel barrel will sweat out salts and burned products of residue over a period of 3 days.
During the civil war in the US the boys in the south even used urine when water was not available. This is not a good idea as urine contains salts that will play hell with your barrel.
Cheers & Tighter Groups: Eaglesnester
During the civil war in the US the boys in the south even used urine when water was not available. This is not a good idea as urine contains salts that will play hell with your barrel.
Cheers & Tighter Groups: Eaglesnester
Dave Rosenthal
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A second vote here for Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine :thumbsup: ! It emulsifies black powder residue on contact, and is non-toxic (safe for kids to clean the guns), and has a built-in drying agent in it to prevent rust.
I do a range cleaning of my rifle ( a cap lock) by pulling the hammer back to full-cock, and squirting some Bore Shine into the bore, then wetting a couple of patches and using my range rod with WORM, I pump the worm to make suds. Repeat this about 3-4 times depending upon how long it takes for the patches to come out white. The cleaner squirts out the nipple and cleans the entire ignition path when you pump the range rod. Then I take the white used patches and soak a little more Bore Shine in them and give the entire nipple area a good wipe to remove the black powder residue. I also wipe the hammer and the lock and any wood with powder residue. I've come back a week or so later to that cased gun and did my usual thorough cleaning job ( the usual water, pumping warm water through the bore, dry, oil, remove nipple and clean, etc.) without a bit of rust anywhere! In fact, since I belong to more than one club that shoots black powder, I've just did the range clean, and a week later I've shot and WON the match at the other club. You can't do that with water!
Just remember after oiling the rifle to store it MUZZLE DOWN on a piece of paper towel, rag, etc., so that oil won't lay in the breech or flash channel and cause an ignition problem the next time you put the gun into service. A dry patch to remove any excess oil, a couple of snapped caps at the firing line, and "Load'em up Cowboy" cause you're ready to make smoke!
Have fun and make smoke!
Dave
I do a range cleaning of my rifle ( a cap lock) by pulling the hammer back to full-cock, and squirting some Bore Shine into the bore, then wetting a couple of patches and using my range rod with WORM, I pump the worm to make suds. Repeat this about 3-4 times depending upon how long it takes for the patches to come out white. The cleaner squirts out the nipple and cleans the entire ignition path when you pump the range rod. Then I take the white used patches and soak a little more Bore Shine in them and give the entire nipple area a good wipe to remove the black powder residue. I also wipe the hammer and the lock and any wood with powder residue. I've come back a week or so later to that cased gun and did my usual thorough cleaning job ( the usual water, pumping warm water through the bore, dry, oil, remove nipple and clean, etc.) without a bit of rust anywhere! In fact, since I belong to more than one club that shoots black powder, I've just did the range clean, and a week later I've shot and WON the match at the other club. You can't do that with water!
Just remember after oiling the rifle to store it MUZZLE DOWN on a piece of paper towel, rag, etc., so that oil won't lay in the breech or flash channel and cause an ignition problem the next time you put the gun into service. A dry patch to remove any excess oil, a couple of snapped caps at the firing line, and "Load'em up Cowboy" cause you're ready to make smoke!
Have fun and make smoke!
Dave
hanshi
Cannon
I agree. No matter how pristine my patches come out, the next day a patch put down the barrel comes out dirty. I think the bore does sweat out gunk otherwise how could that happen. I too run patches a third time just in case. After that I swab the bore every week or two. I don't think it's rust coming out either.
tv_racin_fan
40 Cal.
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All I really know is when I first started playin with BP firearms if I cleaned them really well and then left em alone for a couple months I could run a patch down em and get dirt or rust. Now when I clean em and clean em three times over a week I can leave em be for several months and a patch will come out nice and clean.
When I clean I generally clean with soap and water the first time and I oil em up with some sort of BP oil (bore butter or similar) and I really burnish it in (rub very hard)barrel off the stock. The second and third cleanings will be either with windex or some sort of BP solvent (I wont be buying any more unless I get it real cheap at Wal Mart at the end of the season) barrel on the stock and I don't need to really burnish in the oil just a general wipe down.
I love the looks I get when I tell people I cleaned my revolvers in the kitchen sink...
When I clean I generally clean with soap and water the first time and I oil em up with some sort of BP oil (bore butter or similar) and I really burnish it in (rub very hard)barrel off the stock. The second and third cleanings will be either with windex or some sort of BP solvent (I wont be buying any more unless I get it real cheap at Wal Mart at the end of the season) barrel on the stock and I don't need to really burnish in the oil just a general wipe down.
I love the looks I get when I tell people I cleaned my revolvers in the kitchen sink...
hanshi
Cannon
If you really want to check a barrel, run a patch soaked with WD40 down the bore. That's what I do rather than actually "clean" a barrel over and over. After that I just make sure it stays well oiled. Even with all my complaints I have well used barrels dating back to the 1960s with perfect bores.
