cleaning?

[Claude Mathis]

Why, necchi, is WD40 taboo?

Pretty simple for me.
WD is a water displacement.

Most folks don't realize that WD40 is made for spraying on electrical contacts to disperse moisture. It's neither a lubricant nor preservative. It's not designed to be used in place of oil or a lubricant.

 

[Mike 56]

Is W-D 40 a lubricant yes and no if you spray it on some metal and let dry it will turn into a sticky mess. If you spray it on metal and remove most of it and let it dry you will have a dry lubed suffice. Brownells did a gun oil test it did pretty well for rust protection.

I also encourage you to check out the article “GUN CLEANING CLINIC: Knowing The Limits Of Rust Preventives” on the Brownells website. In this test, the following products were tested: Birchwood Casey Sheath, Boeshield T-9, Break-Free CLP, Break-Free Weapon Wipes, Brownells Cosmoline, Brownells Rust Preventive No. 2, Hoppe’s Lubricating Oil, Rig Universal Grease, Tetra Gun Lubricant, Valvoline 5W-30 motor oil, and WD-40. In the Brownells test, the samples were left in an outdoor environment for 72-hours, during which they experienced high temperatures and a rainstorm.
The best performers in the Brownells test were Boeshield T-9, Brownells Cosmoline, and Rig Universal Grease for long term storage, and Brownells RP2, Tetra Gun, and WD-40 for corrosion resistance that is usable on your daily carry guns.

 

[Ken Cormier]

I only use hot tap water and after drying with flannel patches I oil with bear oil. Has worked for me for many years.

 

[Sure Shot 2]

I prefer Ballistol when cleaning my B/P barrels. 50/50 mix with water dissolves powder fouling as well as anything else. I also use it full strength as a bore protectant afterwards. Something many other bore cleaners are not capable of.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Never accept a test from someone trying to sell you something. accept a test from someone wanting to buy the best.
I know what marketing is and how it works ...

 

[Mike 56]

While i agree with you if brownells was using their test as a sales ploy they would have been better off not giving W-D40 a good rating. People tend to buy W-D40 local stores not internet based business like Brownells Besides Brownells does not sell W-D40.

 

[Melnic]

Does anyone use a brush in their cleaning process?
Bronze or a Nylon brush?
BTW, who sells 50/54 cal nylon brushes or does it matter?
When doing the water pump method, I just feel like I have to do too many cycles of water to get it clean. Not sure I'm getting enough contact with the patch to dissolve all the crud.

I saw someone in a vid used their toilet as the water source for initial cleanings. Pump and flush.

 

[dikman]

I saw someone in a vid used their toilet as the water source for initial cleanings. Pump and flush.

That would be the end of my shooting if my wife caught me doing that!!

If you use a bronze brush, get the next size down for your calibre so it won't jam, and wrap a cleaning patch around it. I've found it actually does a pretty good job of dislodging the crud that builds up in the grooves (which repeated pumping with hot water doesn't always shift).

I should add that many on here DON'T recommend using bronze brushes in a longrifle, so it's at your own risk.

 

[Mike 56]

In the past i have used bushes for jags they work fine. I like to use jags i buy them two at a time when gets worn i have a new one in my box. A brush really isn't needed. You will find that if you are using good lube and swab in between shots or when needed Cleaning and loading will be very easy.

 

[Okie Hog]

When using blackpowder i'll sometimes brush the dry bore to loosen some of the crud.

Before leaving the firing range i run a patch saturated with Windex with vinegar and leave the bore wet. At home the bore is swabbed with dry patches. Then the bore is swabbed with a patch moist with Hoppe's #9 followed by dry patches. Lastly, a lightly oiled patch is run through the bore.

 

[Dr5x]

Grenadier.
I never said my meted was waterless. I have always called it 99.999% Waterless.

You wipe the barrel with wiping patches dampened (note Dampend) with Moosemilk My recipe. and to avoid any excess water .

I have long tried to avoid saturating the metal with water and filling it with the WD-40 to prevent any future space for BP residue or water.

This had ben my method for some years. If anyone prefers the hot soapy water method, I suggest that they stick with it. If after a few days after cleaning, and do not pull black schmutz or rust from the barrel, you are apparently doing something right. I never had that access.
I lived in a very old apartment with an old porous porcelain bathtub. I used to use my hot soapy cleaning routine there and noticed after a short while that the pores of the porcine had filled with the black schmutz and created an interesting grey level mark.
Fortunately I had already gotten my divorce which would otherwise have resulted from my 50 shades of grey in the tub.

Dutch

 

[Grenadier1758]

Dutch, your solution of water soluble oil and water is more like 15% waterless and all too many people interpret that solution as waterless.

mancill wrote in the original post

OK I have read about cleaning the rifle using soap and water and the waterless method. http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/wcs.html

The waterless seems easier but easy can cost you. So which is the best way?

Your method emphasizes what is important in that first a suitable solution of fouling dissolving cleaner is used to get the fouling out of the bore. Second that cleaning solution needs to be removed by either dry patches or water displacing solutions. Finally the bore needs to be protected with a rust inhibiting lubricant and checked up a few days later.

People need to be aware that your method is one of the best available for developing accuracy in a muzzleloader. They also need to be aware that proper cleaning and care which is also part of your system is equally vital to developing accurate loads.

 

[huntsman247]

Thats good right there.....

 

[dikman]

One problem with a "waterless" cleaning system is if the rifle has some sort of patent breech. The only way I know of to clean that area is to flush something through it (with water being the cheapest to use).