Help with cleaning between rounds

[Pete Gaimari]

I still like my way. It may be overkill and time consuming, but I never misfire, and I can load tight patches easily.

Like I already said. I'm finicky.


That's my story and i'm sticking to it.

 

[hanshi]

When I get all wrapped up in shooting I don't usually think about it. I will swab out the bore on an "as needed" basis from time to time. I'll either run a brush down the bore followed by a dry patch or run a patch damp with DGWs Black Solve followed by a couple of dry patches. I don't do this every time but it's not unusual for me to do this every dozen or two shots.

 

[contenderfan]

Plain old Windex in a small spray bottle, 2-3 spritz on a cleaning patch then run the patch down and pull it out one time. I do this between shots for bench work.
My wife buys those little body spray bottles at Wally world for $1 each, they are perfect size for a range box. Just fill one or two up with Windex and your set. Add a little alcohol to keep it from freezing in the winter.

 

[StewartLeach]

The only time I shoot round balls is in competition. [54 cal Lee Improved Minie is used for hunting] Through experimentation from the bench I learned this drill gives me best long run results. Same drill is used for 40, 50 and 58 cal rifles.

Before loading first shot swab barrel out with patch wet with 100% alcohol to remove the Ballistol or WD40 rust protection. Load and fire one round to foul barrel.

From then on, clean between shots with both sides of one patch dampish (not wet, just damp) with a simple version of Moose Milk. Two cycles up and down on each side. Then dry with both sides of a second patch. Drying patch is saved to be the damp patch for next round. Load and go.

Simple Moose Milk recipe is 2 fluid ounces of Ballistol, 2 ounces of Murphy's Oil Soap, water to fill the reused liter pop bottle.

I cut my 2x2" cleaning patches from Osnaburg fabric. I think the coarse weave has some scrubbing action.

White Fox, in the People's Republic of Boulder

 

[Dphar]

Any suggestions on cleaning between rounds. I tried some T/C lubed cleaning patches but they are too gooey and get stuck when I pull them up and out of the barrel. What size patch should I use for a .50? What should I use as a cleaner/lubricant in between shots?

You could try water or spit. It actually works.
Most of the lubes on the market are made to sell to people who think they need to buy stuff from the store.
But I would not use it with pyrodex.
If you have good patch lube and good powder you should be able to shoot a fairly long string of shots without wiping.
If I blow through the bore I can shoot 1/2 pound of powder though my 50 with no wiping using pillow ticking lubed on one side with refined (boiled in water) beef tallow and 75 to 90 grains of FFF Swiss with good accuracy.
No, its not offhand its off a "chunk", practice for string measure chunk matches. Out here I can shoot my swivel breech in chunk matches.
Dan

 

[Dphar]

Plain old Windex in a small spray bottle, 2-3 spritz on a cleaning patch then run the patch down and pull it out one time. I do this between shots for bench work.
My wife buys those little body spray bottles at Wally world for $1 each, they are perfect size for a range box. Just fill one or two up with Windex and your set. Add a little alcohol to keep it from freezing in the winter.

I used window cleaners for years but the newer formulas seem to promote rust. So I reluctantly gave up on them.
Some of the "green" formulas are very aggressive in my experience.

Dan

 

[John Shortell]

Thanks for all the answers and ideas. Before I got a chance to check your suggestions I came up with the idea of using alcohol. I filled a little squirt bottle full of denatured alcohol and soaked a patch. It evaporates instantly and does a great job of cleaning the barrel. As for the difficulty starting the ball into the barrel, I crowned the muzzle and polished it. That made a huge difference. I also went from a .020 patch to a .015. But now with the crowned muzzle the .020 works fine.