Homemade Cleaning Fluid

[RBrooks]

Does anyone have a good recipe for cleaning
fluid to clean a barrel? One post I read mentioned using a combo of Murphy's Oil Soap and
water, since the soap is veggie oil based...but can't find the post? Help

lead487

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you are only shooting Black Powder in the barrel- not the subs-- then Water and Soap is all you need to clean the barrel. IN the winter time, when it might be below freezing ( 32 degrees F.) you don't want your cleaning fluid to freeze. In that case, use alcohol and a bit of soap to clean your gun.

Years ago, I took a formula out of Muzzle Blasts, for a cleaning compound, that consists of 2 fl. oz. of Water Soluble oil( NAPA oil ), 1 fl. oz. of liquid detergent( Lestoil) and 1 fl. oz. of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide( any drug store), added to 28 fluid ounces of water to make a quart of the fluid.

I found that I didn't need the hydrogen peroxide, and as it was unstable, it out-gassed, and blew my glass quart jar up in my garage one night. What a mess.

The Water soluble oil is really for using this for both a patch LUBE, and a barrel cleaner. I decided to use a different Patch lube, and keep my cleaning fluid SEPARATE. As it was, the oil tended to separate a bit from the rest of the fluid, and I had to remember to shake it up before opening the bottle to get some cleaning fluid out.

That results in using soap and water to clean the gun. Works fine- every time.

If you shoot bullets, rubbing lead off onto the bore, you will need to use a commercial lead solvent and bore brush to get the lead off the bore, as a separate operation. If you use the Substitutes, you may have to use Commercial Smokeless powder solvents to clean those powder residues from your gun. Try water, of course, but if it doesn't touch the substitute you are using, use a commercial solvent. If you have acetone in the house for stripping paint, it will also clean out the substitute powders and residue from your barrel. Just keep it off the stock finish, which it will also remove! And, any time you work with solvents, do it in a well ventilated area, and protect yourself from breathing in the fumes, Always. You only get issued two lungs. When they are damaged, you are DONE. :idunno: :thumbsup:

 

[Dave K]

I use to use all sorts of stuff mixed into a cleaning cocktail. Now I just use water. I after several cleaning patches of this, I use several patches of Ballistol till they are clean and that will protect the bore.

 

[necchi]

If you are only shooting Black Powder in the barrel- not the subs-- then Water and Soap is all you need to clean the barrel.

That's it, even the sub's. I do the barrel in a bucket and pump action thing.
About a gallon of tepid (room temp) water and two/three drops of dish soap. It's no mystical secret method. Nothing more is needed than soapy water, rinse and dry, then oil.
Everyones milage varies.

 

[Bill Hall]

What Necchi said. Black powder residue is very water soluable, so even though other solutions and concoctions will work, they aren't (in my opinion) going to work any better than a little soap and water. I like to rinse out the soapy water, just to make sure the bore is squeaky clean, and then dry the bore. You can use a little strong alcohal to help the drying, and then oil. Simple stuff. Bill

 

[Stumpkiller]

Maybe 1/2 teaspoon of Murphy's Oil Soap in a pint of water, or even less.

Pine-Sol and water works great, too.

I then wipe with solvent alcohol and follow with a coating of Barricade.

 

[ebiggs1]

Someone on the forum mentioned Windex, so I have been trying it and who wooda guessed, it works. That said, warm water works, too! So I think I'll just do the simplest and use warm water.

 

[boar]

I have used this formula for over 20 yrs. Equal parts of each. Murphy's oil soap,Peroxide, Alcohol. I usually make up a batch using 3oz of each. Pug nipple or vent and pour a little in your barrel, swish up and down dump out and rinse with some warm water, dry and oil, be sure to oil. People on here don't like the peroxide, says it is hard on the barrel. They are forgetting they just shot potassium nit-re down there barrel which will eat a barrel up. I use this in my long guns that don't have the hook breach. Never harmed my barrels. Dilly

 

[Black Hand]

Does anyone have a good recipe for cleaning
fluid to clean a barrel? One post I read mentioned using a combo of Murphy's Oil Soap and
water, since the soap is veggie oil based...but can't find the post? Help

lead487

You have a nearly unlimited supply of cleaning fluid coming out of your kitchen tap - WATER.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Hot water (not boiling ) is all you need. A little soap Murphy's or any other will speed things up. There was a movement years ago where people mixed Murphy's oil soap, alcohol and peroxide equal amounts. It foamed and looked good but wasn't much better than the soap and water in my personal opinion.

 

[pa woods roamer]

Took me years, and a lot of wasted money, to figure out that just plain Water actually works. I`ll dry my Barrel with a dry Patch then saturate one with WD-40 ahd leave it and the Ramrod in the Bore.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Welcome to the forum!

I use a commercial solvent for BP, it's called Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine, distributed by Lyman in CT. I use it at the range so if something happens and I don't get a chance to use warm water & soap right away, my gun doesn't rust! The BP residue is chemically neutralized after about 4 sets of patches down the bore. Also makes the warm water pump method work even faster once I get home to the deep sink in the basement :wink: .

What ever you decide to try and make, you might want to test it on a piece of a stock from a "junker" before accidentally smearing it on your rifle's stock (and yes, no matter how careful you are, eventually you'll spill some onto the wood).

Good shooting!

Dave

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

Yes,I have used Windex with vineger,not the ammonia in it.Ammonia has salts that can cause rust.The Windex with vineger really cuts the crud ring fast.I also have a bottle mixed with Simple Green,alcohol and water for the rendezvous.

 

[Dphar]

Does anyone have a good recipe for cleaning
fluid to clean a barrel? One post I read mentioned using a combo of Murphy's Oil Soap and
water, since the soap is veggie oil based...but can't find the post? Help

lead487

Use tepid water. I used diluted windex with vinegar for a couple of decades with no problems. But the new "environmentally friendly" stuff even when diluted 2/3s water turns a barrel brown on contact with BP fouling. Don't know what in it but its nasty.

Dan

 

[leslie]

Warm water if possible,cold will work and a few drops of Murphys soap.If you must clean in freezing conditions use alcohol and Murphys.In fact if you examine the makeup of all the "magic elixers" sold at outrageous prices for cleaning barrels,water is the main ingredient.One caveat make absolutely sure you get everything DRY after cleaning before adding your anti rust preservative.

 

[David W.]

Yes, first take some corn mash, put it in a big pot with a lid on top and light a fire. You will begin to see little drops come out the end of a spiral tube. Most people catch this liquid in mason jars.

 

[Twice boom]

What ever you decide on and after cleaning your gun with it, do a test by running a wet patch of outer's Nitro solvent cleaner down the bore. That I promise will prove wheather what you used did it's job.
Twice.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Yes, first take some corn mash, put it in a big pot with a lid on top and light a fire. You will begin to see little drops come out the end of a spiral tube. Most people catch this liquid in mason jars.

Why waste such a good cleaning fluid on a dirty gun? Just drink it and then @#$%^ on the gun. Yes urine was used both as a cleaning fluild and sometimes as a patch lube. There was an article in muzzle blasts(Bevel brothers ) a couple of years ago where urine was tested as a patch lube and it did quite well! :idunno: :idunno:

 

[David W.]

Yes, first take some corn mash, put it in a big pot with a lid on top and light a fire. You will begin to see little drops come out the end of a spiral tube. Most people catch this liquid in mason jars.

Why waste such a good cleaning fluid on a dirty gun? Just drink it and then @#$%^ on the gun. Yes urine was used both as a cleaning fluild and sometimes as a patch lube. There was an article in muzzle blasts(Bevel brothers ) a couple of years ago where urine was tested as a patch lube and it did quite well! :idunno: :idunno:

I understand urine was used quite often. When one was out in the boonies, water was not always available.

I should have added a CAUTION to the cleaning fluid to say that there have been reports of accidental internal consumption.

 

[ebiggs1]

I love shooting muzzle loaders but not THAT much!