Cleaning Hoppes gun oil from bore

[Omahkapi'si]

I am new to muzzleloaders as of fall 2020. Experimented with Hoppes cuz that's what I use on all my other non-muzzleloaders. It does not get all the crud out. I was lubing with Hoppes Oil, dry patched to get the oil out and had a couple of compromised powder charges. So now, clean with room temp bottled water (hard water in the well), plunge the barrel with a bore mop, dump it out, flush with alcohol, dry with hot air, and lube with pure Ballistol. So far so good.

 

[Bent Sight]

I clean the barrel with hot soapy water after shooting, then apply a generous amount of Mobil 1 motor oil to the bore with sopping patches.

Before shooting, I place a toothpick in the nipple, then dump a couple of ounces of alcohol in the barrel and let it sit for a few minutes. I then take a patch soaked in alcohol and push it into the bore allowing the fluid to drive the alcohol out of the nipple. This is followed by a few dry patches and I leave the hammer on half cock to allow air in the nipple while traveling to the range.

I have been searching for a flintlock to add to the stable. The only difference in the way I will treat a barrel will be placing a toothpick in the flash hole while preparing the rifle for a trip to the range. I plan on storing the rifle without a flint and a patch against the flash hole to catch oil.

The suggestion to store the rifle muzzle down is a good idea. It allows gravity to work for you while the gun is being stored.

 

[Josephg]

Clean the bore with Hoppes solvent. Run a rag down to the breech and get it dry. Load and fire. All the stuff about petroleum products is neurotic innernet BS.

 

[Irish lad]

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

Yes!
that is what I use and the water in the 70% alcohol works just fine to remove corrosive residue.
Irish

 

[OhioHawkeye]

First congratulations on your new one.

As for the happiest, I often use it for the same reasons.

No issue in black powder gins. Just like modern propellants, swab the bore. If you think thete is to much, swab it again (dry patches) I sometimes use grain alcohol to assist, but only about half the time.

Rules
1 be safe
2 have fun
3 refer to rule 1

 

[Eric Krewson]

Some bad info had been added above a few posts back, don't pull your barrel to clean it, it isn't necessary. Heavy duty solvents aren't necessary to clean oil out of your bore, a dry patch should do it, soap and water will work just fine if a dry patch doesn't get it all. AND if your cleaning jag won't make to your breech face your gun has something seriously wrong going on in the way the liner was put in, I suspect your cleaning patch will clean to the breechplug without a problem.

WD-40 is a pretty good solvent as well if you want to run a patch or two down the bore to make sure you don't have any accumulated crud in the bore which I would bet that you don't.

I think you are over thinking this petroleum use stuff, oil is oil, a little isn't going to hurt anything.

I to am a Barricade fan for a final coat after I clean and dry the bore of my rifles, that stuff works, no little brown streaks on a first patch months later if you use it.

 

[FishDFly]

Factual and nicely worded.

 

[Woody Morgan]

I pull the barrel cuz it's easy and mine doesn't have a wooden stock. It's a synth. It mounts with a wedge and hook so not much to wear but I'll also try cleaning with the barrel mounted. I can't imagine BP cleaning being much easier than it is already.

wm

 

[flashpoint]

I have a double hammer, Damascus steel, 10 gauge Parker from my grandfather from the 1800s. In those days, Hoppes was used to protect the bore and many times was rubbed on the outside of the barrel as well as the stock. The result was over the years the walnut stock became virtually black from the oil seeping into the wood. When a gun is used a lot as this one definitely was, some of the finish eventually rubs off and any oil can get into the wood. So I would stay away from using Hoppes but I sure do love that smell.

 

[Bugtrucker]

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.

I am new to black powder, but to remove petroleum based oils I use Gun Blaster, carburetor or brake cleaner! Tell me if I am wrong! I got my New Uberti SS 1858 New Army and cleaned the cosmoline off with Gun Blaster and then ran Bore butter patches inside barrel and cylinder.

 

[SDSmlf]

I am new to black powder, but to remove petroleum based oils I use Gun Blaster, carburetor or brake cleaner! Tell me if I am wrong! I got my New Uberti SS 1858 New Army and cleaned the cosmoline off with Gun Blaster and then ran Bore butter patches inside barrel and cylinder.

Getting the bore of any gun clean is important. As preservative or something to stop rust, have personally found Borebutter less than useless, at least in my experience.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I did use break cleaner to clean some disgustingly dirty part lately, pretty sure it was gun part, probably an unmentionable, instant bare metal.

 

[S.Kenton]

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.

I do the same,

 

[user 34300]

Here is an interesting read on what is in commercial patch lubes. Bore Butter Muzzle Loader Myths-Just the Facts Man!

 

[Bighorserider]

I had never heard of the problem with petroleum products with black powder until I joined this forum, and I started shooting BP in 1979. I've used a lot of Hoppe's in the orange bottle with no problem. You don't pour it down the barrel. You just put a little on a patch and swab it. Then use a dry patch before shooting.

 

[JHB]

Run a dry patch down the bore dump a charge and seat a patch and ball. Shoot it and stop making a mountain out of a mole hill. Guaranteed the oil will be gone now read up on how to clean it. Remember the KISS principle it has worked longer they any of us have been around.

 

[SOLANCO]

Just wondering why the Dawn brand comes up so often in recommendations for using dish detergent. Do not recall another brand ever mentioned.
Is Dawn actually better for this?

 

[Woody Morgan]

The stuff just plain works great. Better than any other detergent I've used on grease and grime.

wm

 

[Bugtrucker]

Getting the bore of any gun clean is important. As preservative or something to stop rust, have personally found Borebutter less than useless, at least in my experience.

What do you use? On all my other firearms that aren’t black powder I use bal

Getting the bore of any gun clean is important. As preservative or something to stop rust, have personally found Borebutter less than useless, at least in my experience.

What do you recommend? For all my guns I use ballistol. But new to black powder!

 

[George]

One thing I've never been able to figure out in my almost 50 years of shooting black powder guns is why everyone is so afraid of a little oil in the bore. Any oil, doesn't seem to matter, it seems required that only bare metal in the bore is acceptable before loading, and if it takes alcohol, brake cleaner, acetone or who knows what other extreme solvent to get down to that, well OK, that's what it takes.

I've never done any of that with the many types of guns and loads I've shot over all those years, and if it has caused a single problem I'm too blind to see it.

Spence