Green goop in barrel when cleaning?

[Stubert]

I just purchased a used 62 cal. flinter and upon cleaning after shooting it my first time, I got ALOT of greenish black goopy fouling out of the barrel. I have been shooting blackpowder for 30 years and have never seen this. Whats the green from? the guy I bought it from told me all he ever shot were round balls. It is a real pain to get out. any ideas what its from and how to clean it? Thanks, Stubert

 

[trent/OH]

Wild hunch here only, but I think it's the result of some combination of an odd lube or cleaning solution and a synthetic patch material. When I accidently used a polyester blend for cleaning patches, it would leave a grey or brown colored smudge on every patch.
I don't know how you can clean it out except to do what you've been doing, which seems to be working.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Don't figger he used some sort of plastic grains as filler over powder do ye? Or to 'cushion' the PRB?

 

He's probably using Stumpy's Moose Snot again!! :rotf:

 

[paulvallandigham]

The only thing I have every had come out of a barrel that was green was copper residue. Long time copper residue. Sounds like you just need to use a bore brush on that barrel- something the prior owner never did, and just get it thoroughly cleaned. I am willing to bet it will shoot better after the cleaning than it has for years.

 

I get this green stuff too but only under certain conditions. If I amy ask: are you using GOEX as a charge and Buthch's Bore Shine as a cleaning agent? I have a always thought that there was some sort of chemical reaction between Butch's and the GOEX residue that caused the green / black gunk. Also, for a while I thought that the bronze sulphur brush I use to break up residue may have had something to do with it. But, now I use a synthetic brush and still get the green crud.

 

[bob1961]

i get the same green stuff out of my T/C hawken using PRB and right now i'm using goex and wipe between shots with T/C #13 bore cleaner then a dry patch with both sides then load and shoot again....but have no trouble cleaning with just hot water and patched jag at home then hopp's gun oil patch to store my flintlock with no build up ever and never needed to use a bore brush :v ..........bob

 

[MikeFromON]

It probably comes from your patch lube reacting with the black powder residue. I had green stuff too until I stopped lubing my patches and now the fouling is all black.

 

[No Deer]

Whenever I use borebutter or wonderlube for patch lube I get greenish black fouling. I don't believe you have anything to worry about. It may have been cleaned and then lubed with borebutter before you bought it. Wait until the next time you shoot it if you don't use borebutter, it will probably be just plain black fouling that come out when you clean it.

 

[Dalton]

The fowling from my barrel has a green tint to it as well. I'm using Goex FFg and my lube is Ballistol. I mix a 6:1 batch of De-Mineralized water to Ballistol, soak the patches and then let them dry completely.

 

[Stubert]

Thanks for the info guys. I don't know what he used before me. I use ox-yoke pre lubed patches and clean with no.13 or hot water.

 

[renovato]

I'm with Paul. The only green I've ever seen is copper residue and I can't figure that in a muzzleloader unless he was experimenting with jacketed bullets. From what the others have said, it doesn't seem to be anything to worry about though. Scrub it out and go shoot!

 

[barebackjack]

What kind of cleaning patches do you use. I noticed the green goop when I use the military style square patches, they are off white color, I dont notice it when I use the round, white patches.

 

[Hunter300sav]

If I had to make a guess I'd say it was pine flavored bore butter or regular bore butter! My New Englander gets a few green colored patches after the initial cleaning and black stuff goes away and all I have ever used in it for a preservative is bore butter/ wonderlube 1,000+! Have you smelled the patches to see if they had that wintergreen or pine scent to them? I bet they do! If you want to see whats going on down the bore try this> make sure the rifle is unloaded, drop a nickel plated 45acp casing down the barrelspent primer side up, and shine a bright flashlight down the bore! It may not tell you much other than if their is any pitting but I like doing this once in a while just to make sure the barrel is getting clean!I like bore butter but since I've been using it I've never got a white patch out of the barrel no matter how much scrubbing I do! Sometimes I wonder if you can "Over Season" a rifle barrel :hmm: Hope I helped some! Wes :v

 

[paulvallandigham]

WES: WADR, YOu can't SEASON a steel barrel. Only iron barrels could be seasoned, and the industry stopped making barrels out of iron more than 100 years ago. So, DON'T TRY.

Clean that barrel with soap and water. Maybe used boiling water, to get all the built up crud out of it, if you have been " seasoning " the barrel for any length of time. After the bore is clean- giving you clean dry patches, and you cool the barrel down with cold water in the process, Then you can put that bore butter in the gun. This is a temporary lube, and has to be renewed every couple of days, or you will get rusting. You would be better served using ballistoil in the barrel for rust protection, or some of the better rust preventative products, like Break Free.

 

[Hunter300sav]

Thanks for the advice Paul! I figured since they originally told us to season the bore that it ment forever but like you said there seems to be a build up in my barrel and not only that its hard as heck to get out :cursing: I've brushed it used rubbing alcohol and hot soapy water and I'm still getting stuff out of the barrel! There does seem to be a small amount of light pitting midway up the barrel But the more I've cleaned it the better that looks so maybe its just build up! I know I'll never use Bore Butter as a primary barrel preservative again! I am very good about my cleaning methods and I know its nothing I've done wrong I'm wondering if some Hoppe's #9 will cut some of the crud ? :hmm: Thanks again for your advice Paul! Wes

 

[tom hargrove]

do as paul says he solved my problem and it was almost like yours.. :thumbsup: