cleaning patches

[pepperbelly]

I got some prelubed T/C cleaning patches, but forgot dry patches to dry the bore with before shooting.
Will old T-shirts cut to size work?
Jim

 

[Old40Rod]

Yup, the old T-shirt patches should work fine (mine do)...

 

[musketman]

Old underwear works too, Stumpkiller told me, although the jag slips through all the holes in his... (too much chili) :crackup:

Any light weight cotton cloth will work fine...

 

[pepperbelly]

Thanks. I use the old shirts when I forget to buy patches for my modern rifles, but I wanted to make sure that muzzleloaders aren't different.
And after cleaning my 6.5mm Swede Mauser this .50 caliber hole looks large.
Jim

 

[roundball]

I got some prelubed T/C cleaning patches.....

Just as an FYI...TC's "Cleaning & Seasoning" patches are prelubed with Natural Lube 1000 bore butter, and it's been an outstanding lube for me.

HOWEVER...some people mistakenly conclude that after cleaning & drying a bore, all that's required is to run one of these prelubed "Cleaning & Seasoning" patches down the bore and it'll be properly lubed...later they see a spot of rust somewhere, then conclude that bore butter is no good, trash the product, etc, etc, etc.

Actually bore butter as a lube works perfectly (used it for many, many years) but to use it as a bore lube, you need to pick up a tube of it, and smear it on patches to ensure you get liberal amounts of it downbore to ensure it coats all of the entire surface area. (after the bore is 100% clean, and 100% bone dry)...not just use one of those "Cleaning & Seasoning" patches that are half dried out from sitting on a store shelf, etc. (besides, they're expensive...you can melt NL1000 onto stacks of of cotton cleaning patches in the microwave)

Lubing with bore butter and using shooting patches prelubed with bore butter has the added benefit of letting you shoot repeatedly without wiping beteen shots, which is the main reason I use it.

So just remember, don't make the mistake of assuming one of those store bought, almost dry to the touch "Cleaning & Seasoning" patches will do the proper lube job...they can't, not enough lube on them...you need to use a larger amount of NL1000 lube from a tube for that purpose...then, before you're ready to shoot next time, just run a dry patch downbore to remove any excess and enjoy...my bores are still showroom ready after many years of use.
:thumbsup:

 

[Canuck Caster]

I have a 6.5X55 too and found that if I take my standard .50 Hawken cleaning patches and cut them diagonally, they are a pretty good fit in the Swede. For cleaning patches, I go to the local fabric store and buy a metre of plain white flannel. Then I cut it into strips approximately 2.5 inches wide, then cut the strips into 2.5 inches square. (sorry, I think in both metric and Imperial!)
Any left over little bits are used in the .22's. Don't worry about specific size. Yer not buildin' a pianey here. (but I never buy red flannel--it reminds me of Maggie's Drawers!!)

 

[pepperbelly]

Thanks.
Roundball I bought the pre lubed cleaning patches to have something with me at the range if I had a chance to shoot today. Before storing, after cleaning with hot water I will use Rem Oil. I know it's not period correct but it has never let me down. I used it on my old Colt .45acp when I was a cop, through creeks, in rain, etc. and never had rust.
I figure if I need to swab between shots the pre lubed would be OK, at least until I start "cooking my own". At least better than nothing.
Jim

 

[Tlukes]

pepperbelly

I believe this came out of Mr. Sam Fadala

 

[pepperbelly]

What I had in mind was after the final cleaning, before putting it in the safe, was to coat the bore with a thin film of Rem Oil, like all my other rifles.
Before going out to shoot it I would use denatured alcohol to clean out the oil and dry the bore.
Are the petroleum products still a problem after removing them with alcohol? If so I'll use Bore Butter or some other non petroleum oil.
Thanks,
Jim

 

[Tlukes]

pepperbelly

You might want to look at this web site http://www.blackpowderonline.com/Art3,managbp.htm
there is a section on seasoning the bore. If you use denatured alcohol to clean out the Barrel you could remove the seasoning.
I have used only used natural lubes in my flinter from the first time I fired it. One of the things I do is leave the Rod with a lubed patch on it and when ever I think about it run it up and down the bore. I have had this one for about 15 years, and no rust.
It works for me. :m2c:

 

[pepperbelly]

I ain't trying to sound smart, but how does a modern steel barrel like on my T/C Hawken get "seasoned"? I can understand the vintage iron barreled rifles from 150 years ago, but steel?
Like I said, I ain't trying to argue. If I ever post something, and it could be taken as a smart a** reply, I meant the other way. :>)
Jim

 

[Tlukes]

From what I have told by by people in the seel industry that all carbon steels have a grain structure. That you can see it if you look at the end of a broken off file. I really don't know. Why does a cast iron skillet and a sheet steel skillet take a seasoning?
Don't mean to start an argument on this. :m2c:

 

[Old Charlie]

Is Rem. oil a petroleum product? I see where a lot of guys use it.
Old Charlie

 

[brushbuster]

pepperbelly
i have used rem oil in my barrels for years with no problems .i started useing stumpys moose milk,moose snot,and old thunder recently.now i just run a patch heavy with moose snot down my barrel several times before i put it up after cleaning.when i shoot i run a couple of dry patches down to remove the excess lube ,then load with drylubed moose milk patches.everybody kind of has thier own way of doing things .as long as you are protecting your bore and you feel comfortable with it use it.by the way i used to have a model 96. wish i still had it

 

[Dave K]

Don't be afraid to use the oil if it works for you. I used it for years also. Also, I will never buy into that seasoning idea. If you have a seasoned bore, you don't have a clean bore. I went to Ballistol about 3-4 yrs. ago and I think it is the best thing since sliced bread.Being that it is water soluable, it also picks up the moisture left behind in the pores after a cleaning. I have found oils and other types of lube can actually seal these wet pores in with their water in them and rust will show up in a few days when it erupts from the pores. Before Ballistol, I used WD-40. It worked well as a wated displacer and I never had problems with that either. I just like the Ballistol better.If using WD-40, I didn't use it as a rust preventitive measure, just as a water displacer. I used Rem. oil for rust maintenace. Now Ballistol does it all.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I'm between the two worlds. I don't go for a seasoning, but I do grease the pan before use.

I have used Rem Oil, Kroil and CLP Breakfree. For years I just wiped in Lehigh Valley Lube after a bath in hot soapy water, but with the latest bottle (since Ox-Yoke bought them out) I did get rust spots. :curse: First time was happenstance, second time was circumstance, last night was the third time and the third time is enemy action. I will no longer trust Lehigh Valley Lube as a rust preventative. :cry:

I also slather in my Moose Snot (as I did Nature Lube 1000 for years before I came up with that brew), but I try to remove as much as possible before loading after storage. The alcohol wipe, followed by a dry patch and then a lube dampened patch before loading was my routine. I'm going to go back to that system.

Steel may take a "season", but I noticed it coming off in flakes or scales as I tried that route, and I would get otherwise unexplainable fliers if I tried to extend the shooting between wiping out of the bore. I scrub the snot ( :winking out of my barrel with boiling hot soapy water, followed by boiling plain water, in an effort to remove EVERYTHING when I clean them.

You have to find what works for your barrel. T/C's and others have "stutter" marks where the cherry skips along that hold fouling. Some, like a Rice barrel, have a carbide swage pulled through that smooths the metal and also have a round groove rifling that holds much less crud. You still shouldn't be lazy in your cleaning, but I do think they clean up easier.

My T/C Renegade (with a very shot-in barrel . . . maybe 6,000 rounds) thrives on Moose Snot as both a lube and a bore treatment, as it did N.L.1K before that. My New Englander would not shoot well with it. You just have to find what works for you.

 

[Old40Rod]

PETROLEUM TYPE LUBES ANY WHY YOU SHOULD NOT USE THEM IN YOUR MUZZLE LOADER.

I am still using Hoppe's BP patch lube/solvent from the 50 gallon drum I bought when I started a few years ago... no ill effects, carbonizing, etc. In fact, the thirtieth shot from my .50 GPR loads and smoothly as the first. The balls generally go where I tell them to as long I have made up my mind to tell them :winking: Hoppes contains petroleum distillates, kerosene I believe. I would use Moose Snot but all the moose around here got their flu shots this season so supplies are short. :blah:

The other thing is I don't have to worry about ruining my "seasoning" during cleaning (like I did with my father-in-law's favorite cast iron skillet when I inadvertently washed and scrubbed it ).

I guess its all a matter of approach and what works for you. I have friends who do the seasoning thing. I shoot, strip and clean after each session. If you get in a routine it doesn't take too long. I like to clean down to the bare metal inside the bore using hot water and 409 or Dawn. I have trouble with the idea of leaving a coating of anything inside a bore that has been shot... whether you call it seasoning or something else, perhaps because its dark in there and I don't know what its up to :winking: I use Breakfree CLP for final storage oiling, it works the best for me after trying several different oils.

Whatever works for you, let it work for you. :imo:

 

[pepperbelly]

Thanks. Sooner or later I will start making my own stuff- moose milk, moose snot, and moose spit whatever that is.
I bought the pre lubed stuff Saturday thinking I would be able to go shooting Sunday. I didn't have time for anything else.
I didn't get a chance to go dangit!
There is usually some time between the trips I can make so I like to keep the metal protected as well as I can.
What do you all do when you do get rust in the bore? On my old C&R rifles I occaisionally get one with a little rust. I have used #0000 steel wool wrapped tight around a smaller bore brush and soaked in oil. It removes and polishes really well.
Jim

 

[brushbuster]

i've read in other posts using 0000 steel with no ill effects i used it before to remove surface rust etc.i see no reason why you shouldn't be able to. we all get caught with rust in our barrels once in awhile :what: :shocking:,but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure any day :winking: :winking:

 

[pepperbelly]

#0000 steel wool really polishes more than anything else.
I had read an article about removing surface rust on a barrel by rubbing light oil in with the steel wool. It floats the rust out and the oil gets into any pits.
I used it on an old Mosin Nagant barrel that looked bad. It really polished up the bore.
Jim