Daily Flintlock Rifle Maintenance

[olskool]

Yes please. I'd love to load like cream corn.

LOL! 50/50 dawn dish soap and water mixed. to clean, Stright Windex, try it before you judge, you will be amazed. when the lock is dirty you can spray on Windex and watch the powder melt off with no scrubbing at all, on a patch it comes out the barrel the same. the lube i put in a spray bottle and spray the patch. i use to shoot Swiss but did not like the way a hard ring formed 3in from the chamber after a few shots. but the dawn and water took care of that. i still mostly use goex though,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[olskool]

one other thing. with the dish soap you can literally shoot all day long and never swab, at all. my friend that showed me this shoot matches and shoots 2-3 days and never swabs or cleans the whole time,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Rangefogger]

i have a 100yd range at home and can shoot every day, but i clean my guns after shooting the same day. but i have a friend who cleans the next day or two with no ill effects. we both live in SC where humidity is high to say the least. but we both use the best patch lube i have ever tried that help clean your bore with every shot, the balls slide down like cream corn and the guns are accurate shot after shot. then i have a formula to clean my guns in 10 min. with a lot less cleaning patches. i do not put water on my guns either. if there is any interest in what i use i would be glad to share,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I like the sound of that. Will have to give it a try!

 

[smoothshooter]

Anyone here have the privilege of shooting your flint rifle every day? If so what do you do as far as maintenance goes on your rifle? Do you clean it every day, or Every other day? Do you notice a lot of rust? Does it take a toll on your rifle?

I’m planning on making a move to a new to me home where there is plenty of room for shooting and no one to complain about it, and I’ve always dreamt of being able to practice with my flinter every day after work. Just wondering what my maintenance will be!

I have some experience with this.
If you shoot at least one shot per day, but less than, save five or so, you can go for days without cleaning the bore, as the next shot allows a lubed patch to wipe the bore and prevent rust. For best results the gun should be loaded immediately after the previous shot while the bore is still warm and before any humidity can form inside. And kept loaded until the next shot is fired. Even if it means keeping the gun loaded for several hours or even overnight.
Wiping the pan and underside of the frizzen dry between shots is good to do. If no shooting is going to be done soon, cut out a small piece of dry cotton fabric, press it down into the pan and against the vent, and close the frizzen down on it. Make the piece of cotton large enough that the frizzen will not close all the way. That way you know you have enough. Run the vent pick in the vent prior to firing the next day or whenever you want to shoot the next shot.
I have used this routine more than once for 3 or 4 days straight with good results. It is still a good idea to wile off the exterior parts at the end of the day as normal.
My patch lube is a mix of beeswax and cooking oil ( olive oil preferred ).