How do you clean your rifled barrel?

[CapPopper]

Clean it like your smoothbore. I don't treat mine any differently. Don't even have to plug the vent and soak if you don't want to. I've done that and if I'm somewhere without easy access to water I'll just swab with ballistol mixed like the can says until patches are clean (takes a few more without the soak) turn it vent down and put a little alcohol in the muzzle to clear it any moisture in the breech. Then a single alcohol swab followed by one generously sprayed with barricade. Don't need any brushes or anything (search stuck brush and you'll see why lol) rifles and smoothbores get the same treatment. Though one thing I don't see mentioned here enough is after the gun is clean however you get it there a GOOD rust preventative is nearly more important than a squeaky clean gun. I've got a .50 I struggled with keeping the rust off of no matter how clean it was. Started using barricade instead of gun oils and that problem vanished.

 

[Relic shooter]

Cleaning Tips For Newcomers;
Some 40+ years ago an old timer at a Friendship shoot was kind enough to provide me with a combination bore cleaner & patch lube that has served me well & kept the bores & breeches of my original & custom bp firearms spotless & over the years since at shoots in many states this formula has a large & faithfull following.

Add a 1/3 each mixture of Murphys Oil Soap, Hydrogen Peroxide & Rubbing Alcohol into a larger plastic container & you'll enjoy years of easy loading & a shiny bores.
I carry a small plastic flip-top container in my hunting bag for patch lube & field cleaning & another in my range box. The mixture also does a great job removing bp crud off of my hands while revolver shooting at the range.

I've gotten spotless cleaning results with this solution without removing barrels on rifles & pistols that lack a hooked breech,. With flat-faced breeches I use the proper caliber of breech scraper by Treso to knock-loose any fowling after numerous shots prior to swabbing with wet patches of the solution. On rifles & pistols with a recessed breech I contour a Treso breech scraper to fit the recess to remove any fowling & also add a little taper to the ends of my cleaning jags to assure they get thoroughly cleaned prior to drying & adding a little lube.
TIP; In most cases you can easily taper the ends of your cleaning jags by chucking them up in a hand drill & use a file to remove excess metal.
Happy shooting
relic shooter

 

[hanshi]

Tapwater, sometimes with a drop of Dawn, I first pour water into the bore with a toothpick in the touch hole. After a bit I slosh the water around then pour it out. Then comes swabbing the bore with patches alternating wet & dry. The lock comes off and is cleaned & oiled. When the patches start to come out clean I wipe the bore with alcohol followed by a WD40 patch then a final bore wipe with alcohol. The bore is then patched with Barricade, outside wiped down and that's it.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Cleaning Tips For Newcomers;
Some 40+ years ago an old timer at a Friendship shoot was kind enough to provide me with a combination bore cleaner & patch lube that has served me well & kept the bores & breeches of my original & custom bp firearms spotless & over the years since at shoots in many states this formula has a large & faithfull following.

Add a 1/3 each mixture of Murphys Oil Soap, Hydrogen Peroxide & Rubbing Alcohol into a larger plastic container & you'll enjoy years of easy loading & a shiny bores.
I carry a small plastic flip-top container in my hunting bag for patch lube & field cleaning & another in my range box. The mixture also does a great job removing bp crud off of my hands while revolver shooting at the range.

I've gotten spotless cleaning results with this solution without removing barrels on rifles & pistols that lack a hooked breech,. With flat-faced breeches I use the proper caliber of breech scraper by Treso to knock-loose any fowling after numerous shots prior to swabbing with wet patches of the solution. On rifles & pistols with a recessed breech I contour a Treso breech scraper to fit the recess to remove any fowling & also add a little taper to the ends of my cleaning jags to assure they get thoroughly cleaned prior to drying & adding a little lube.
TIP; In most cases you can easily taper the ends of your cleaning jags by chucking them up in a hand drill & use a file to remove excess metal.
Happy shooting
relic shooter

That mix of soap, alcohol and H2O2 is often called MAP on the site without the detailed recipe.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Put a toothpick in the touch hole, pour some water down the barrel and pour out, repeat, not hot water, no soap...I then turn the gun so the touch hole is pointed to the ground and run 2-3 patches through...Next step is plug the touch hole again and pour a little rubbing alcohol down barrel, swab again...I then spray some WD-40 down the barrel and swab...Finally, put a touch of gun oil on a patch and swab with this...I store my flintlocks with the wiping rod and oiled patch inside the barrel..

Interesting method, reminds me of the union army instructions on how to clean a Remington .58. Do you have any issues with BP residue caked up on the breech plug?

 

[earlwb]

Hot soapy water works great with black powder. Black powder residue is water soluble. When I was in the military we used water to clean our rifles too. No way you are going to get all of the dirt and sand out of it after a training session in the military without water.

Not sure about the BP substitutes though I assume the same for them.

Anyway just dry and oil it up afterwards. WD-40 is a water displacement oil mix. But it evaporates over time. So using it after drying you gun and then using a more permanent gun oil is the way to go.

 

[cynthialee]

hot soapy water, followed with a 99% alcohol flush then dry the barrel out with my hair dryer by pointing it down the muzzle for a few minutes

then oil the barrel with a patch on a jag, store it muzzle down in the safe

works great

 

[Archer 756]

WD -40 JUNK

 

[brushblind]

Guess I thought the black powder/rifling required something special. I see I was mistaken!

You'll need a .54 brush, don't get the brushes that are crimped on, you want the twisted wire that is wound through the threaded piece.

 

[DuncNZ]

Get yourself a breach fowling scraper of the correct caliber and rod thread size , I just started using these devices and am surprised how much crud they remove after I thought the barrel was clean . Also check your barrel 3 or so days after cleaning it . Fouling Scrapers for breech cleaning - Track of the Wolf

 

[Walkingeagle]

Well, you're on your way to 20,000 opinions and each one is correct. Lol
Hope you’ve made a decision by now and are ignoring anything else.
Walk

 

[TDM]

Cleaning Tips For Newcomers;
Some 40+ years ago an old timer at a Friendship shoot was kind enough to provide me with a combination bore cleaner & patch lube that has served me well & kept the bores & breeches of my original & custom bp firearms spotless & over the years since at shoots in many states this formula has a large & faithfull following.

Add a 1/3 each mixture of Murphys Oil Soap, Hydrogen Peroxide & Rubbing Alcohol into a larger plastic container & you'll enjoy years of easy loading & a shiny bores.
I carry a small plastic flip-top container in my hunting bag for patch lube & field cleaning & another in my range box. The mixture also does a great job removing bp crud off of my hands while revolver shooting at the range.

I've gotten spotless cleaning results with this solution without removing barrels on rifles & pistols that lack a hooked breech,. With flat-faced breeches I use the proper caliber of breech scraper by Treso to knock-loose any fowling after numerous shots prior to swabbing with wet patches of the solution. On rifles & pistols with a recessed breech I contour a Treso breech scraper to fit the recess to remove any fowling & also add a little taper to the ends of my cleaning jags to assure they get thoroughly cleaned prior to drying & adding a little lube.
TIP; In most cases you can easily taper the ends of your cleaning jags by chucking them up in a hand drill & use a file to remove excess metal.
Happy shooting
relic shooter

I know it’s in overload with different, but successful techniques. But this recipe, also know as “Witches Brew”, is a proven residue killer. I use it and still flush with warm/hot water, dry and oil.

 

[TDM]

Well, you're on your way to 20,000 opinions and each one is correct. Lol
Hope you’ve made a decision by now and are ignoring anything else.
Walk

Yep, only suggestion I haven’t seen is just throw the gun away after range day and buy a new one.

 

[sturmkatze]

Wow. Surprising that this hasn't gone to 25 pages yet.

 

[Robby]

I don't remember, but on a good day it involves beer, Hic!
Robby

 

[earlwb]

WD -40 JUNK

it is “water displacement formula 40”. Works great for that purpose.

For my hot soapy water I used a generous squirt of Dawn dishwashing detergent. After using it I follow with hit clean water. Then dry and oil well. I use WD40 when I need to dry out more complicated things like a revolver for example. You need to use a long term gun oil as WD40 evaporates over time.

 

[Buckskinn]

Add a 1/3 each mixture of Murphys Oil Soap, Hydrogen Peroxide & Rubbing Alcohol into a larger plastic container & you'll enjoy years of easy loading & a shiny bores.
I carry a small plastic flip-top container in my hunting bag for patch lube & field cleaning & another in my range box. The mixture also does a great job removing bp crud off of my hands while revolver shooting at the range.


relic shooter

Curious on what the peroxide does for this recipe. Peroxide is an oxidizer and will react with the soap, so the peroxide would have to cause some type of beneficial reaction to the mixture for it to be beneficial. Possibilities, acetone, ketones, formaldehyde among others.

 

[S.Kenton]

I know it’s in overload with different, but successful techniques. But this recipe, also know as “Witches Brew”, is a proven residue killer. I use it and still flush with warm/hot water, dry and oil.

I use that “ Witches Brew” to swab out my barrel after an event that I’ve shot alot in and have a long drive home, it’s sort of a pre-cleaning, I also use it for patch lube. Then the first thing I do when I get home is I’ll cut a small piece of leather and drop the hammer down on it placing the leather between nipple and hammer. If it’s a flintlock, I’ll stick a round toothpick in touch hole. Then I’ll dump a mixture that’s half cold water and half Simple Green or Awesome, down the barrel and let it soak for about 1/2 hour. Then I’ll swab that out and flush it with cold water and swab with a dry patch. Then I’ll scrub it with WD-40 and follow that with Fluid Film. I’ll recheck for rust in a week or two.. but never have found any.

 

[Longhunter7]

Cleaning Tips For Newcomers;
Some 40+ years ago an old timer at a Friendship shoot was kind enough to provide me with a combination bore cleaner & patch lube that has served me well & kept the bores & breeches of my original & custom bp firearms spotless & over the years since at shoots in many states this formula has a large & faithfull following.

Add a 1/3 each mixture of Murphys Oil Soap, Hydrogen Peroxide & Rubbing Alcohol into a larger plastic container & you'll enjoy years of easy loading & a shiny bores.
I carry a small plastic flip-top container in my hunting bag for patch lube & field cleaning & another in my range box. The mixture also does a great job removing bp crud off of my hands while revolver shooting at the range.

I've gotten spotless cleaning results with this solution without removing barrels on rifles & pistols that lack a hooked breech,. With flat-faced breeches I use the proper caliber of breech scraper by Treso to knock-loose any fowling after numerous shots prior to swabbing with wet patches of the solution. On rifles & pistols with a recessed breech I contour a Treso breech scraper to fit the recess to remove any fowling & also add a little taper to the ends of my cleaning jags to assure they get thoroughly cleaned prior to drying & adding a little lube.
TIP; In most cases you can easily taper the ends of your cleaning jags by chucking them up in a hand drill & use a file to remove excess metal.
Happy shooting
relic shooter

Relic Shooter,

I've been using that secret formula since the 80's, and it really works!

 

[FlinterNick]

I use a brass worm with a Brillo pad and warm water top get out the thick stuff. Then I jag with a sponge on the same brass worm, the sponge fills the lands and grooves and wipes out most of the fouling, then I oil and grease the bore. I use marine grease.