Cleaning

[Flint62Smoothie]

Barricade (used to be called "Sheath", same stuff) by Birchwood Casey is dayum good, but if you need protection for years ... RIG gun grease is the only way to go.

I once did have some bore light rust from BW Sheath on a arm I don't shoot, but is a safe queen. Bronze wool and Breakfree/CLP cleaned it up with no damage, but I learned my lesson. FWIW there is and was a Goldern Rod in the safe too.

 

[floyd1350]

i suspect the drop or two is coming from your breath. with the right jag and patch fit dry is dry.

 

[Ron_T.]

What is the best way to clean my rifle.No matter how I clean I get rust a few days later.Just wanted to see how anyone else does it.

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After a day of shooting, I take the barrel outta my Hawken, remove the drum's "clean-out screw", put the breech-end of the barrel down in a pail of VERY hot water which is deep enough to cover the screw-hole in the drum, add a few drops of liquid soap, stir thoroughly and put a cleaning jag with a cloth patch on one end down the bore using a wooden ramrod I had especially built just for cleaning and run the jag up and down several times. drawing clean, soapy water up into the bore. I do this until until the water gets dirty.

When I had this cleaning ramrod built, I had the man put threaded, brass fittings on BOTH ends... and I have a cleaning jag on one end and a caliber-sized nylon brush on the other end. Don't use a BRASS brush, you'll have a hard time getting it out of the barrel once you push it down the barrel.

Then I empty the dirty water into the toilet, refill the pail with another load of VERY hot water (no soap this time), put the breech end of the barrel back down into the bucket again and run a new, clean patch on the jag up and down 15 or 20 times to rinse out the soapy-water and clean the barrel a little more.

THEN I turn the ramrod around and run the nylon brush up and down in the barrel 10-15 times... making SURE I clean both ends of the barrel equally.

THEN, I refill the pail with another load of clean, VERY hot water (no soap)and turn the ramrod around again and with another new, white cloth patch on the jag, I run the jag up and down in the pail of CLEAN WATER and if the patch and the water stays absolutely CLEAN, I remove the barrel from the water, hold it over the trash-bag lined trash can and immediately blow out all the water with compressed air from my inexpensive, little air-compressor (a small, blue Campbell-Hausfeld compressor with small, round, double air tanks I bought at Harbor Freight for less than $90). This is a very handy item to have if you shoot muzzle-loaders.

Be sure to not only blow down the barrel from the muzzle end, but blow down the nipple and blow into the empty screw-hole in the drum & up the barrel before you replace the screw and insure EVERYTHING is now dry!

I let the air compressor build up air pressure once again... and, again, blow the barrel, screw-hole in the drum and nipple (percussion cap nipple) out with 100 lbs of air-pressure to insure everything is dry.

Then I take a cloth patch very wet with BALLISTOL Multi-Purpose Sportsman's Oil and run it up and down the barrel, turning the ramrod a little after each "stroke" to insure all parts of the bore get a nice coating of BALLISTOL.

Then I take the (new on the market) small spray-can of BALLISTOL I recently found at the gun-store and spray BALLISTOL into the screw-hole in the drum.

Then I blow a quick "shot" of compressed air down the barrel, then blow compressed air into the screw-hole in the drum, then into the patch to insure the interior of the rifle is covered with BALLISTOL.

Then I store all my muzzleloaders MUZZLE DOWN... with the muzzle sitting on several layers of soft paper towels so that any excess BALLISTOL drains out onto the layers of paper towel rather than INTO the carpet.

Then, when I want to go shooting again, I fired up the air-compressor and blow out any remaining BALLISTOL and clean out the nipple before leaving for the range.

Once at the range, I fire at least TWO percussion caps in the empty rifle BEFORE loading it with powder, over-powder wad and patched lead rifle ball.

The reason I'm totally "sold" on BALLISTOL is due to the fact I saw the results of a test at this site wherein s photo was taken of about 50 or 60 small strips of clean steel plates which each individual plate was then coated with a single, individual brand of lubricate and and allowed to sit out in the weather (unprotected) for 3 months, then a photo of each of the plates was taken again and a comparison was made... and ONLY TWO PLATES were still totally RUST-FREE at the end of 3 months... one coated with a very, very expensive lubricant and the other coated with just plain BALLISTOL!!!

In fact, this "test" was done by two members of THIS SITE and reported on one of the threads in either the percussion cap forum or the flint-lock forum... I don't recall which.

The "results" of that test convinced me to use BALLISTOL on all my firearms or on any metal that I didn't want to get rusty.

Since I began this method of cleaning and lubrication, rust has never been a "problem"! :v

Good luck in whatever you decide to do... :thumbsup:


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

After trying all the methods talked about here so far this is what I have found to get my rifles clean and keep them rust free. The others also worked but this method is effective and convenient for me.

After I finish shooting, I use moose milk patch (my moose milk is Ballistol, Pine Sol, and water combo) to wipe the fouling of the external surfaces. Then I run three moose milk wet patches down the bore. This gets out the caked up fouling at the breach. Case the rifle and go home.

When I get home I take the lock off, plug the touch hole with a toothpick, and pour cold to tepid water( it depends on how I feel) with dish soap down the bore, about half full. I slosh the solution around several times and pour it out. Repeat until the solution comes out clear, usually two more repetitions. I repeat with clear water to flush any of the soap out. Pull the toothpick out and stand the rifle muzzle down on a rag for about 5 to 10 minutes. I clean and oil the lock during this time. I then run about 3 dry patches down the bore to dry it. Then I run one patch with WD40 down to the bore to get any bits of moisture out.

I then reinstall the lock and go over all the metal parts with a Ballistol patch. Next day I run an alcohol patch down the bore followed by dry patches to get the WD40 out and then I run a patch with Balistol down the bore and I am done. The secret to cleaning is a well fitted jag and good patches.