Cleaning while hunting

[BUERICH]

I've got a .54 hawken on order that i plan on using on some deer and hog hunting trips. if i'm in the woods for 2-3 days at a time (I'm on private land, i know you must unload at camp on public lands), is it ok to leave the rifle loaded during that time till i bag a deer or unlaod to go home? or should it be unloaded and cleaned? also does anyone have tips on cleaning one? can i clean it like a regular rifle or shotgun? i've got brushes and powder solvents i use on my centerfires, will have the jags and other attachments. i've seen some posts about flushing water through the barrel, is that neccessary? or will a good brushing and patching with solvent do the job?

Erich

 

[Big John]

Hawken rifles are easy, Remove the wedge pin,put your hammer on half cock,remove the ramrod and put the barrel breach first into soapy water and run a moist patch up and down several times, remove the nipple and do again, this time with hot water, (use glove) then run a few dry patches til they are clean, then run a patch down the barrel with your choice of lube, next replace the nipple and lube the exterior of the rifle. Also you could use a ball discharger only, then moist patches and dry patches for temporary cleaning. For extended storage use oil in your bore.

 

[jaybeach]

I have left my Hawken loaded for a number of days without removing the powder and projectile - just remove the cap.
I also do two additional things when I do this:
1. Put an old sock over the muzzle (everybody has one without a mate - "the washing machine ate it" :haha - I do this to remind me that it is ALREADY loaded. It's really easy to forget after a few days. With the sock over the muzzle, it reminds you right away. You could also put a large rubber band over the hammer and around the trigger guard -- anything to remind you.
2. Leave the gun in the garage, shed or whatever so it will remain at outdoor temperature. Taking it into the house will cause condensation and moisture getting into the powder and running the risk of a misfire. I've heard a number of guys who have had this problem. If you are going to transport the gun, most states require that it be unloaded - although some will allow you to just deprime or decap it :results:

ps - Erich - I PM'd you a few days ago - didja get it?

IM jaybe :thumbsup:

 

[freetrapper20]

When I first started, I unloaded every day. After doing that for awhile it went to unloading every couple days. At present I go 5-7 days without unloading. (Usually make some meat by then). I went as long as two weeks one time and didn't have a problem. Reading some of the posts on this forum tells me there are some that go much longer and do fine. As long as I'm careful, toothpick in the touch hole or nipple hole covered and don't get into any extreme temperature changes from cold to warm, I haven't had a problem with condensation. (But I still try to limit to 5-7 days). Sometimes less if I've been in the rain and high humidity. Also like mentioned above, don't forget that you have a loaded weapon lying around now.
You might end up cleaning both ways. With just some solution and patches in hunting camp or with soap and water when you want to give it a good one. You'll eventually discover which way you like best. Hope you enjoy your .54 when it arrives.

 

[cayugad]

If you have loaded the rifle and not had the oppertunity to shoot it during the day then you could leave it loaded without any problem. Just keep it dry and out of moisture. Also try not to put the rifle through temperature extremes such as very cold to comfortable warm. Condensation is your enemy.

If you do happen to get a shot during the day, I personally would clean the rifle that evening. If that meant discharging the round in the rifle at the end of the day, you still have only shot it a few times, so fowling should be at very little. They type of powder you use will also play a factor in the necessity to clean the rifle right away. All spent powders are going to attack the metal and cause it to rust, just that some are faster in this process then others.

An easy way to field clean the rifle is after your done with your evening meal, pour some of your camp coffee (no grounds please...) or water down the barrel of the rifle and let is run out after you have removed the nipple. Then put you thumb on the nipple port and pour a little more. Slosh that back and fourth and then dump out the fowling. After that some solvent patches and a few dry patches should get you through the cleaning. Just be sure that the rifle barrel is dry and oil free when loading the next day.

I would take a long a bottle of cleaning solvent, a small bottle of alcohol, a bag of patches, a bore brush, a cleaning jag, nipple wrench, extra nipple, nipple pick, screw driver, and a patch worm. That should get the rifle through until I could come home and really give it a good cleaning....

 

[Plains99]

Yes, you can do it with a #11 sidehammer system... but. I'd replace with a fresh cap every day. And if the gun misfires or hangfires when that hog or deer is in your sights, remember that you could have loaded a fresh load that morning. It would have cost you probably 50 cents and your deer or hog would now be heading for the freezer instead of the high lonesome. Been there, done that.

 

[Hoyt]

Last yr. I stayed in a tent for a month during spring gobbler season and I would leave my 12ga. sidelock loaded for a few days at the time. I uncaped it an left locked up inside my vehicle over night. After a few days I would shoot and clean. I heated water in coffee pot and cleaned as I would if at home.
This yr. will be doing the same thing with my new flintlock...except I will be shooting it more during the middle of day to check out new loads..etc.

 

[Tahquamenon]

If it's below freezeing temperatures or low humidity, I'll leave the charge for several days just remove the cap.

If it's in high humidity and moisture I'll discharge the rifle, clean and reload with fresh each day.

If fired, I always detail clean every evening.

For the field where I am going to be away from facilities, I'll take some: water, alcohol, natural lubed soaked patches along with some dry patches in individual sandwich bags. I also will take some pipe cleaners and q-tips. I realize that these items are not traditional, but you can do a very good field cleaning if needed. I'd rather be a little less traditional and not give rust the opportunity to ruin one of my rifles.

:m2c:

 

[Rat]

Oil, or leftover water or coffee, urine or whatever in the flash channel or breech will do more to spoil your hunt than any moisture "drawn from the air" will do. Cleaning a rifle by fire light, or poor light in general in camp is a good way to do a less than perfect job also.

I NEVER clean my BP firearms with water, and never have...so I think you would be fine cleaning the gun like any other in camp if you had to, without the rubber-ducky treatment. Yes, BP rifles and shotguns can be cleaned just like "regular" rifles and shotguns. Water cleaning is NOT required or "best", it's just how many/most prefer to do it. I've been cleaning mine like "regular" rifles and shotguns for around 30 years...NO PROBLEMS.

But again, if your rifle is TOTALLY free of moisture and oil when you put in your hunting load, and you keep the nipple capped, and change caps often, your load will stay good. When the gun is uncapped overnight (legally a BP firearm is technically UNLOADED when uncapped or unprimed...unless things are REALLY different in Texas)keep a piece of leather or something between the nipple and hammer to seal it.

What is easy to do at night is to just remove the nipple, make sure it is clean and clear and dry, and look into the flash channel and double check that. Some guns you can see, pick and poke right into the main charge and check it too.

By the way, BP fouling does not in it's self attack the steel, it attracts moisture, which then will rust the steel.

But again, it cannot be stressed enough, the gun, breech, nipple, and flash channel must be TOTALLY oil, solvent, and water free when you initially load it with your hunting load. If so, it will fire normally YEARS after being loaded, let alone a three or four day, or longer hunting trip.

Good luck.

Rat

 

[Tahquamenon]

Oil, or leftover water or coffee, urine or whatever in the flash channel or breech will do more to spoil your hunt than any moisture "drawn from the air" will do.
Rat

Just wondering why anyone would allow urine in or on their rifle? Even if I did not like someone, I would not urinate on someone's rifle? I'd be most unhappy if someone urinated on my rifle.

Then again, I have heard of rogue does marking/scenting a hunter's rifle while he was either asleep or not paying attention so the buck that the rogue did not like would approach the hunter first. :hmm: ::

My comment had nothing to do with fouled shot versus the hydroscopic aspects of powder that promotes corrosion.

 

[roundball]

Oil, or leftover water or coffee, urine or whatever in the flash channel or breech will do more to spoil your hunt than any moisture "drawn from the air" will do.
Rat

Just wondering why anyone would allow urine in or on their rifle? Even if I did not like someone, I would not urinate on someone's rifle? I'd be most unhappy if someone urinated on my rifle.

Then again, I have heard of rogue does marking/scenting a hunter's rifle while he was either asleep or not paying attention so the buck that the rogue did not like would approach the hunter first. :hmm: ::

My comment had nothing to do with fouled shot versus the hydroscopic aspects of powder that promotes corrosion.

You'll probably laugh when I tell you what I do after a shot while hunting...but believe me, you'll have zero risk if you were to ever consider buying one of my muzzleloaders.

I carry a half dozen "cleaning pacs" in my hunting pouch.
Each "cleaning pac" is self contained in a pint sized ziploc bag including the following items:

4-Wet cleaning patches
4-Dry cleaning patches
1-heavily lubed patch
1-Alcohol wipe
1-Pipe-cleaner
1-Q-Tip

After a shot and before going near the deer, I thoroughly clean the bore and lock assembly, put everything back into the ziploc bag so there's no littering or smell, stick it back in the pouch, toss it in the trash when I get home.

No fuss, no muss, and the rifle is so clean there will be no question it'll go off perfectly if I get another shot that day, and I don't have to worry about any residue no matter how much longer it'll be until I get home to give it it's normal cleaning.

:redthumb:

 

[Rebel]

"After a shot and before going near the deer,"
Roundball, what do you plan to do if you ever walk up to one that isn't dead, and jumps up just as you get to him with a nice, clean, EMPTY rifle?

 

[Rat]

Well I mentioned urine because sometimes the old timers used that when there was nothing else...as did soldiers during the civil war.

Hey...it's "traditional". !!!

:blah:

Sorry. But seriously sometimes it was used to clean a rifle, or pistol. Probably pays to carefully smell any used ML you are thinking about buying.

Reb, I think RB was saying he reloads after cleaning it...??

Rat

 

[roundball]

"After a shot and before going near the deer,"
Roundball, what do you plan to do if you ever walk up to one that isn't dead, and jumps up just as you get to him with a nice, clean, EMPTY rifle?

You're making a bad assumption...the thread was about cleaning guns...didn't think it was necessary to state the obvious
:winking:

 

[Rebel]

Wasn't trying to cause any problems here. Maybe i misunderstood your post. Sorry if i offended you. Didn't mean to.

 

[roundball]

Wasn't trying to cause any problems here. Maybe i misunderstood your post. Sorry if i offended you. Didn't mean to.

Wasn't offended at all

 

[Tahquamenon]

I knew about urine being used for cleaning, I was just poking some fun. ::

I doubt anyone other than the hardcore PC traditionalists and those rogue deer I mentioned are pee'ing in/on their rilfes. ::
:crackup:

 

[crockett]

About a hundred and fifty years after Andrew Jackson died someone found one of his old flintlock pistols up in the rafters of the log cabin in back of the Hermitage, his Nashville home. Using the ramrod it was found the gun was still loaded. The party repaired to the side yard and cremoniously cocked and fired the gun. Went off fine. I think leaving your gun loaded a day or two should be okay. The biggest worry is danger. May sure you remove the cap if it is a percussion. On a flintlock stick a plug in the flash hole, taking powder out of the pan isn't enough.
P.S. Sort of the same thing happened with Robert E. Lee. Seven years after his death someone found his still loaded Colt Navy and fired all six shots without a problem.