Curious, How do you clean your Pinned barrel Rifle or Smooth bore?

[Cruzatte]

I'm interested to know if you guys remove the barrel from your Pinned barreled rifle or smooth bore every time you clean it. ... I'm asking this because in the near future I'm going to get a Kibler rifle. Thoughts?

No, never. The forearm is too thin to sustain any sort of repetitive action like pin removal, and wood can easily be splintered away from the pin holes.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I took the barrel out ONCE from my flint longrifle. When I discovered how light and fragile that curly maple stock, especially the fore end, was it scared the bleep out of me. I don't know how the builders work on those without destroying that extremely delicate wood. Bottom line, don't remove. Clean as others have recommended.

 

[Jimbob]

I'm interested to know if you guys remove the barrel from your Pinned barreled rifle or smooth bore every time you clean it. With guns that have a wedge set up to hold the barrel in its simple to remove the barrel for cleaning which I prefer to do but with a pinned barrel its not so simple. With my Kentucky rifle I don't remove the barrel every time and I just swab it out until its clean. Granted its much more time consuming than pumping soapy water through it with the barrel removed. Driving the pins out of the stock makes me think I'm going to wear the pin holes out in the stock eventually. I'm asking this because in the near future I'm going to get a Kibler rifle. Thoughts?

You WILL loosen the pin holes if you take the pins in and out. I NEVER take a pinned barrel out of the stock. It is cleaned and well oiled when initially installed . I take off the lock then swab the bore with moose milk, dry patches, WD 40 to displace all moisture, coat with 3 in 1 oil. Clean and oil lock and ****. Put it all back together. Done.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I'm interested to know if you guys remove the barrel from your Pinned barreled rifle or smooth bore ...

Well, no one else directly addrssed WHEN a pinned musket or longrifle should perhaps be pulled from the stock ... so here goes. This is what I do, for any new build or any new-to-me musket or longrifle.

- Pull it CAREFULLY, noting pins are always put IN from Right to Left when mounting the arm in a shooting position, so they are removed by tapping from the Left to the Right as looking down the sights.
- I ensure the barrel channel is well sealed or I will seal it with my favorite finish. I then wax the barrel channel inlet heavily.
- This is the perfect opportunity to check that the builder made the tenon pin holes into slots, especially the one closest to the muzzle, which will move the most as the barrel heats up.
- The bottom of the barrel to above where shows is well cleaned and then coated with wax, and then a thin coat of RIG grease.
- Pined back together, pins re-inserted from R to L, with the pins waxed too, then clean the inlet/barrel interface. Done!

Cleaning and waxing/greasing as such prevents any water from your cleaning method fron getting under the barrel and potentially causing issues. I would pull one for cause, if was out hunting in a torrential downpour ...

 

[Brokennock]

I must confess....
After the last trip to the range with the CT crew, I didn't have much time to clean right when I got home, I had a dinner engagement with my folks to get to. I swabed the barrel with a couple patches sloppy wet with Simple Green, place a tooth pick in the touch-hole and squirted just wnough down the barrel to cover the breachface. I let that sit while I put other stuff away. Poured it out, stabbed again then ran a patch down that was damp with a little more Simple Green and went to dinner expecting to do a water rinse and more stabbing when I got home.
No need. Two more wet patches then a few to dry then some mink oil and the bore is bright when I shine a light down it.

I don't think I'll do this all the time. I had only fired about 5 or 6 shots, 7 at most. After a range session of more shooting I will probably go with my normal routine.

A former SF guy I know cleans his modern arms with Simple Green, says it works awesome for removing carbon without all the harsh and stinky chemicals and is easy to use. So, with it being non-petroleum and basically harmless, I figured I'd give it a try for this application. So that's where the idea came from.
I'll be trying it on my modern guns next.

 

[Togo]

I must confess....
After the last trip to the range with the CT crew, I didn't have much time to clean right when I got home, I had a dinner engagement with my folks to get to. I swabed the barrel with a couple patches sloppy wet with Simple Green, place a tooth pick in the touch-hole and squirted just wnough down the barrel to cover the breachface. I let that sit while I put other stuff away. Poured it out, stabbed again then ran a patch down that was damp with a little more Simple Green and went to dinner expecting to do a water rinse and more stabbing when I got home.
No need. Two more wet patches then a few to dry then some mink oil and the bore is bright when I shine a light down it.

I don't think I'll do this all the time. I had only fired about 5 or 6 shots, 7 at most. After a range session of more shooting I will probably go with my normal routine.

A former SF guy I know cleans his modern arms with Simple Green, says it works awesome for removing carbon without all the harsh and stinky chemicals and is easy to use. So, with it being non-petroleum and basically harmless, I figured I'd give it a try for this application. So that's where the idea came from.
I'll be trying it on my modern guns next.

I use simple green as my patch lube and cleaner, it's good stuff.

 

[George Andrix]

I have acquired rifles that looked very nice and had very good bores, but when I removed the barrel it looked as if it had never been taken off. The invisible part of the barrel was very rusty and otherwise crud covered. I am very much bothered by such rust even if you can't see it.

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

Pinned and glass bedded in, never coming out.
T/C No13 cleaner on patches until clean. A brush over the first patches.
Rinse and lube.

This is how I do it also. I lube with Barricade. Semper Fi.

 

[garypl]

I have a mixture of beeswax, lanolin and olive oil that is the consistency of peanut butter. I dab it along the barrel where it meets the wood especially at the muzzle and around the lock/breech area. Work it in to fill any tiny gaps and wipe off excess. Keeps cleaning fluids from seeping into the inside of the stock and helps keep fouling from getting into the lock area. The rifle I built in 1980 has a pinned barrel and I think I have had it out twice, but it’s been so long ago I can’t remember for certain. The barrel was heavily waxed underneath when installed and I don’t remember seeing any rust when I did remove it. I also put a dab of wax over the pin holes and rub excess off to seal the pins as well. And I always seal the barrel channel and lock mortise with lacquer or varnish when I finish the stock. Works for me!

 

[Daveboone]

I also was new to the pinned barrel routine with my Kibler Colonial. I bought one of the flush kits, and was less than in love with it. Much more simply, neater and reliable is the toothpick in the touchhole, water slosh and wipe. After initially drying with cotton patches, I give it a spray of good old Water Displacement formula 40 ( WD40), and swab the barrel. Before pinning my barrel on completion, thoroughly clean your barrel and grease/wax as is your preference. Many of us use good old Johnson Paste wax on the barrel to very good affect, then grease around the barrel/stock near the action/lock. After a years shooting this spring, I did pull the barrel to satisfy my curiosity, and the barrels underside was as clean as when I assembled it.

 

[Coinneach]

Come home from range, remove lock, insert toothpick, fill bore with soapy water (use small handy funnel and towel) and stand gun up on floor but clamped vertically in cabinet makers bench vise so I don’t knock it over. Get stuff out of car, go rest or something. When I feel like it go out and dump nasty water in yard and refill bore and let sit while I clean and lube the lock. Dump barrel and run moose milk soaked patches until satisfied followed by dry patches and finally Rem Oil or something on a patch. Take patch from barrel and wipe down exterior metal parts of gun including under the lock and reassemble. Done.

Simplified using boiling water, a small plastic funnel and the Barrel & Stock turned upside down while you hold the Barrel with a small towel, no need for Soaps, Detergent or any synthetic cleaners.
Slowly fill the Barrel on the first pour let it soak for around 2 minutes then pour it out; do again until the water comes out clean.
Then start swabbing out the remaining moisture, the heated barrel will help dry itself.
Once seems to be dry run an oiled patch through the bore and then use it to wipe over the Barrel etc.
The trick is to do everything with the barrel and Stock upside down and angled up, that way no moisture will seep in under the Stock.

 

[Frontstuffer070]

Thank you all again for the replies. That gives me alot of advice to follow when I do get my Kibler.

 

[hanshi]

I clean the guns in the stock. I remove the flint lock and nothing else. A toothpick goes in the vent liner and water is poured into the barrel. It soaks while I clean/oil the lock. After that I slosh the barrel and pour out the dirty water. From there it's wet patch followed by dry patch until it's clean. I use denatured alcohol and sometimes WD40 to dry out the bore. That's followed by a Barricade swab or maybe BreakFree CLP. The outside is cleaned last.

 

[Lippy984]

I didn’t think of it till now…I’ve seen it mentioned, but very little. I’m going to start using a small funnel for when I pour my hot soapy water. I’m usually not concerned about the small amount of water spilt, but why not use a funnel. One less thing to be paranoid about.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I found some small funnels in the craft section of a local Dollar Store. Three funnels for $1.25. But not in another Dollar General.

 

[Lippy984]

Really any automotive store should have small funnels just under 1/2”
.32/.36 could be a little harder to find

 

[Relic shooter]

For well over 40 years I've used a Treso breech scraper of the proper caliber on the end of my cleaning rod to break loose any BP fowling on the breech face.
I continue to have rust free bores by using a well known combo patch lube & bore cleaning formula given to me many years ago by an old fellow at Friendship. A few patches wet with this combo does a great job & followed by an oiled patch for storage.
The combo consists of a one-third mixture of; Murphy's oil soap, rubbing alcohol & hydrogen peroxide.
Try it, you'll like it !
Relic shooter

 

[Surfinator58]

I undo the through bolt at the Tang to release the tension on the stock pins! After that the pins come out easily then I can just put the barrel into a bucket of water breach first and pump very hot soapy water through it a couple of dozen times making sure every bit of residue is removed then oil and reassemble!

 

[The Miner '49er]

Looks like I will be in the minority, BUT here goes. I have a Traditions flintlock with 2 pins. I remove the barrel every time to clean using a finishing nail of the right diameter, with the point filed off. I carefully start driving the barrel pin by putting the concave head of the nail on the pin and lightly tap it with a small hammer. Once it is started it's easy to continue. I drive both pins just far enough to release the barrel, so not all the way out of the stock. Yes, on one of my early attempts I did chip out a small piece. I solved that by buying four brass ovals and inlet them around the holes. It's not perfect, but it is certainly acceptable for me, plus I learned something new and it was fun to do. FWIW I would rather do a thorough cleaning this way rather than going years wondering just how much rust is under that barrel, especially close to the lick. Besides, if the pins ever loosen, and that hasn't happened, I'll just find a couple pins/nails/drill bits slightly larger and will use them. I'm 76, and I bet that rifle will go to its next owner w/o new pins. Don't sweat the small stuff!

 

[tenngun]

I took the barrel out ONCE from my flint longrifle. When I discovered how light and fragile that curly maple stock, especially the fore end, was it scared the bleep out of me. I don't know how the builders work on those without destroying that extremely delicate wood. Bottom line, don't remove. Clean as others have recommended.

When doing a build I spend at least forty hours scared as can be pulling the barrel in and out.
I lay a dowel in the channel when doing work on it
I like to wax the channel well and leave that barrel in
I note on many seventeenth century guns the forestock was real thick. Makes you wonder how they started paper thin.