Cleaning Hoppes gun oil from bore

[Boston123]

So, my trade gun came in a few weeks ago, and I realized when I handled it that I ordered the incorrect size of flints.

While I waited for the new flints to come in the mail, I oiled up the gun and hung it on my wall. New England is a rather humid place, and I didnt want my.new baby to get all rusty.

I used what I had available, Hoppes Lubricating Oil, in the orange bottle. Same stuff I use on my cartridge-guns

The flints came.in the other day, and I plan on taking the gun to the range tomorrow. However, i've been reading online that petroleum-based oils are no bueno with black.powder, and can make fouling especially-bad?

I have several questions:

1) what is the best way to remove this Hoppes oil.from.my barrel.prior to shooting?

2) any recommendations for a non-petroleum based oil? I've read of people using rendered fat mixed with beeswax. I have criso at home and can pick up beeswax from the store.

3) i can apparently clean the gun with just water? I dont need a solvent?

4) what would be your recommended powder charge for a 20 gauge gun? I have 5lbs of 2F Goex

Thanks!

 

[SDSmlf]

So, my trade gun came in a few weeks ago, and I realized when I handled it that I ordered the incorrect size of flints.

While I waited for the new flints to come in the mail, I oiled up the gun and hung it on my wall. New England is a rather humid place, and I didnt want my.new baby to get all rusty.

I used what I had available, Hoppes Lubricating Oil, in the orange bottle. Same stuff I use on my cartridge-guns

The flints came.in the other day, and I plan on taking the gun to the range tomorrow. However, i've been reading online that petroleum-based oils are no bueno with black.powder, and can make fouling especially-bad?

I have several questions:

1) what is the best way to remove this Hoppes oil.from.my barrel.prior to shooting?

2) any recommendations for a non-petroleum based oil? I've read of people using rendered fat mixed with beeswax. I have criso at home and can pick up beeswax from the store.

3) i can apparently clean the gun with just water? I dont need a solvent?

4) what would be your recommended powder charge for a 20 gauge gun? I have 5lbs of 2F Goex

Thanks!

Just a few thoughts. Store the gun with the muzzle pointed down and let gravity help clear the breech of excess oil. To get the oil out, most any solvent will work, acetone, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, etc. Best to remove the barrel from the stock to avoid damaging it’s finish. For bore protection, find one of the protectants that dry to a film like Barricade or Eezox.

 

[griffiga]

Barricade is my go to.

 

[Jaeger]

My opinion: Don't worry about a little oil in the bore of a gun. I'm assuming you will run a dry path down the barrel just to make sure it isn't sopping wet.

 

[Boston123]

Best to remove the barrel from the stock to avoid damaging it’s finish

I haven't removed the barrel from the gun yet, since it is pinned, and the builder from Sitting Fox Muzzleloaders recommends to not to remove the pins unless necessary

https://sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com/faq/
Would Hoppes lubricating oil damage the gun? I wiped down the external metal and wood of the gun, as well as the inside of the.bore, with the Hoppes oil

 

[SDSmlf]

My opinion: Don't worry about a little oil in the bore of a gun. I'm assuming you will run a dry path down the barrel just to make sure it isn't sopping wet.

A little oil in a chambered type breech will kill a powder charge. A patch down the bore won’t reach it. Constant topic for threads on this and other forums.

 

[SDSmlf]

I haven't removed the barrel from the gun yet, since it is pinned, and the builder from Sitting Fox Muzzleloaders recommends to not to remove the pins unless necessary

https://sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com/faq/
Would Hoppes lubricating oil damage the gun?

Then don’t remove the barrel from the stock, just be careful not to get solvents on the stock finish. And Hoppes Lubricating Oil will not harm your gun. Mostly mineral oil I believe.

 

[Boston123]

My opinion: Don't worry about a little oil in the bore of a gun. I'm assuming you will run a dry path down the barrel just to make sure it isn't sopping wet.

Im mainly concerned about gunking up the bore of my gun with "tar", which can happen when using petroleum-based oils as per this thread

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/oil-and-fouling.33827/
Hoppes lubricating oil is petroleum-based, apparently.

Im not concerned about the additonal ekbow grease required to clean up the gunk, but I would prefer to avoid it if possible, since I havent fired the gun yet

 

[Woody Morgan]

3) i can apparently clean the gun with just water? I dont need a solvent?

Warm water with a squirt of Dawn is your huckleberry.

4) what would be your recommended powder charge for a 20 gauge gun? I have 5lbs of 2F Goex

The recommended load for my 20 gauge Pedersoli SxS is 70 grains of FFg and one ounce of shot.

wm

 

[TreeMan]

I always plug my touch hole and clean the bore with brake cleaner. It’s a sure fire way to know it’s free of oil. Squirt some, dump it, squirt some more, dump it. Give it a few minutes to evaporate sitting muzzle down. Load and fire.

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Boston 123, you used oil in the bore. you need a solvent to remove the oil. The use of petroleum oil isn't going to ruin your new Trade Gun. But it is important to remove as much of the oil as possible. I use rubbing alcohol as the solvent.

When you clean the rifle after shooting, use a mix of water, temperature is not important, with a squirt of dish soap to remove any oily lubricant left in the barrel with the fouling. Lots of good information on the forum and a lot is conflicting.

Get the Hoppe's Black Powder lubricant as the version for cartridge guns doesn't protect muzzle loaders very well. Even though it is petroleum based, Ballistol is the best rust inhibiting lubricant for storage. Do store muzzle down after cleaning. Do wipe the bore with an alcohol patch before going to the range.

 

[hanshi]

Folks worry way too much about petroleum oils. I use denatured alcohol to remove any oil from a gun barrel. On top of that I use Barricade so there's no real need to wipe the bore as Barricade dries and protects. One can swab it out but it's not needed. I used to use Hoppes, 3 in One, Outers and others but when I discovered Barricade (Break Free CLP is also excellent) It is all I care to use. Don't use oil on the stock, however, as it can eventually soften the wood.

 

[Boston123]

Lots of good information on the forum and a lot is conflicting

Oh, I certainly have noticed. As someone that has just started to use blackpowder and muzzleloaders (and nobody to give 1-on-1 advice), i feel like a chicken with my head cut off.

I appreciate the advice everyone here is giving.

Do store muzzle down after cleaning

Any particular advice for this? I am imagining I pad the muzzle and wherever the stock leans up against something....

 

[pilot]

A little Dawn soap and hot water should do it.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Storing your gun muzzle down after cleaning allows any liquid oils to drain from the breech leaving that coating of oil to protect the bore rather than a puddle of jelled oily sludge in the breech and flash channel.

 

[Hawken]

@Boston123

Here's something to keep in mind that was never really explained to me or not widely shared anyway mumble mumble years ago that would have helped. They never explained why.

Modern cartridge firearms use smokeless powders and non-corrosive primers. People can and do just swab out the barrel once in a while with an oiled patch and call it good.

This will not work with blackpowder firearms. Cleaning the weapon with hot water and dishsoap (or a water based cleaner) is recommended because oil or petroleum solvents cannot dissolve or neutralize the corrosive salts inherent in blackpowder (or their ersatz substitutes) that will inevitably remain in the bore.

The weapon could be swabbed a gazillion times with Hoppes once fired, but it is likely some of the residue - corrosive salt residue - remain embedded deep in the pores of the metal or in the nooks and crannies. It has to be dissolved, and salts do not dissolve in oil. Only water. Even though there is a nice layer of oil or grease covering everything, it will become pitted or corrode and rust underneath. Very common.

 

[Boston123]

. I use rubbing alcohol as the solvent.

Could I use, say, 70% rubbing alcohol, or should it be a stronger solution?

 

[user 34300]

There is nothing wrong with using petroleum oil, it is actually far better than fat or veg oil. IF you use non petroleum oil or grease expect to see rust. Things we use often like Balistol are mostly petroleum. The bore tar idea is 99% bunk. I'd avoid wheel bearing grease on patches for instance. Vaseline, mineral oil, and such are fine. For range shooting whatever you use to clean is fine on shooting patches. I now use soapy water on shooting patches, it shoots great. Super slick stuff, like lanolin, do not shoot as accurately.

IF it makes you happy to avoid petroleum use Fluid Film, it is lanolin base. It is an excellent preservative an lubricant.

Washing out cleaning water? Use alcohol. Get 100% alcohol. I use HEET or Iso-HEET from the auto parts store. HEET is windshield deicer and is 100% alcohol in a handy package. Poke a pin hole in the foil seal, a bottle will last a long time. Your CO2 discharger is handy to blow out the breech before you load.

 

[NorthFork]

@Boston123

70% is just fine for swabbing or patching out excess oil from the bore. Won't damage most stock finishes either if you slop some.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Could I use, say, 70% rubbing alcohol, or should it be a stronger solution?

I see no advantage to using the higher percentage rubbing alcohol when cleaning oil from the barrel. There are others who worry about the fact that the 70% rubbing alcohol contains 30% water. Still it does a pretty good job of displacing water when using alcohol to dry a bore after cleaning with water.