Cleaning question

[mowolf]

I have been using either hot water and soap or TC13 to clean my
muzzleloaders, I clean and dry patch until patch comes out clean. I then
apply a liberal amount of TC Bore Butter (yellow crisco like stuff) and
swab out the barrell and the outside of the barrell. Have been doing this
for a long time on each of my MLs. Now the question is; After 1 day or 6
months in the gun safe, when I take the ML out and run a dry patch down
the barrel prior to loading, the patch comes out with reddish substnace on
it. Usually takes 1-2 patches and then it is clean again. The red stuff
appears to be Bore Butter, but is red instead of yellow. Am I doing
something wrong? Or does BB "oxidize" relatively quickly?
:huh:

 

[jtmattison]

It sounds to me like you are seeing flash rust caused by using hot water to clean with.
I had the same problem with mine but have since switched to cleaning with a black powder solvent instead of water.
You could be sealing the rust in with the bore butter.
Try cleaning with solvent and protecting the bore with oil instead of BB, might work for you.
I use Rem-oil in my bores and don't see a speck of rust even after they sit for a few weeks.
:m2c:

Huntin

 

[mowolf]

This also happens after I clean with TC #13 solvent or cold water. Maybe I will switch to oiling with Hoppes #9 gun oil. I am also going to start using Murphy's oil soap and cold water to see if it helps.

 

[roundball]

I've been using the same hot water cleaning and lubing regimen as you do in my TC Hawkens for years, and figured out early on as soon as I finished rinsing the barrel with hot water, I immediately had to dry it out with patches, then let the heat in the barrel work for just a couple minutes, then plaster the bore with natural lube 1000.

If you let it lay on the workbench more than just a couple minutes without drying it out with patches (or compressed air) it'll flash rust.

I literally use wooden swizzel sticks, popcicle sticks, etc, to reach in and pack some natural lube into the grooves as far as I can reach, then plaster it heavy on cleaning patches...and go through that a couple times until I'm confident the bore is completely coated...since I started doing that I've never experienced that flash rust again and I shoot / clean mine almost every week year round

 

[bulletman]

I been using hot water plunged in and out with barrel in a container, then WD40 and dry patches, no oil cuz I usually shoot every other day or so, have not seen anything in barrel at all, If I know I am not going to shoot soon, I use some home made mix, Eds Red mix found on the internet. For the outside of the gun I use lemon oil. For a quick clean between water cleanup, I use the same stuff I lube patches with, the oil soap mix.

 

[Whitesmoke]

I used to have the exact same routine as you, and experienced the same reddish brown color when swabbing out the bore before another trip to the range. I switched from water to another posters mix of winshield washer solvent and alcohol. I get it clean, dry patch it throughly, bore butter it, and put it away. No more brown color patches when pre shoot swabbing. This seems to verify the above opinion that your experiencing "flash rust". :imo:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I make no accusations, but when I did a rust test with various compounds on a steel plate flashed with black powder, the very first section to rust was the T/C #13 region. Before bare steel and steel wiped with water only. It was rusted in SEVERAL HOURS, instead of days or months. I'll never use the stuff again.

I recommend Lehigh Lube or a wax type lube with beeswax & Murphy's Oil Soap for a medium term prevention, and CLP Breakfree or Lehigh Lube for longer periods. I've had good results with Bore Butter as a preventer - I apply it while the barrel is still warm after a boiling water scrubdown, and reapply monthly as a good measure.