How long does it take you to clean your rifle/smoothbore?

[Magungo1066]

Just wondering how long you guys spend cleaning your flintlocks after each shooting session. -Larry

 

[Sun City]

Bout ten minutes!

 

[Magungo1066]

Bout ten minutes!

Ive gotten pretty quick/effecient but I am not quite there yet!

 

[Rató:rats]

If I don’t completely disassemble the lock internals about 20 minutes. Maintaining fine tools is part of the pleasure of owning them.

 

[tenngun]

How funny.
Just went shooting this last weekend and when I got home thought ‘I wonder how long it takes.’
Started my timer on my phone, turned on faucet water to get hot, got my tool kit open. Filled two quart cups with hot water, turned off faucet.
Pulled off lock, plugged vent and filled with water.
Cleaned lock, dumped water, refilled, dried lock, changed water, oiled lock, changed water again.
Then dumped and swabbed about five patches. Dried with five, ran one soaked oil patch then two dry ones down the bore.
Then wiped and dried outside.
Rubbed in stock oil on wood. Wiped down with towel. Put lock back in.
Picked up my stuff and put away, turned off timer.
28min 47 seconds

 

[Griz44Mag]

Depends on if the barrel comes off or not.
Dismounted barrel - about 15-20 minutes.
Barrel left on gun - have to take a little more care not to soak the wood, about 30 minutes.

 

[bang]

About 20 minutes.

 

[Dave Marsh]

I'd say 30 minutes.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I'm in the 25 to 30 minute cleaning procedure. Sometimes a bit longer if I go for a deep clean.

 

[BigSkyRambler]

I'm in the half hour crowd, if I apply myself. I take off lock get a sauce pot full of hot water and funnel. Run hot water down barrel. Let drain out nipple. Get a little suction going with patch on jag. More hot water. Take off nipple and drum cleanout screw. More hot water (gotta be quick with the jag!). Final drain. Dry patches in bore, followed by Ballistol patch. Wipe out drum and vent with Q Tips. A little Ballistol in vent and drum. Spray down and clean residue on lock. All back together, muzzle down in safe. Time to shoot? Alcohol down barrel and swish it about. Bore Butter patch down barrel. Pop a cap or two and rifle should go BANG! when time comes.

 

[Bob McBride]

10-15 minutes each, so usually an hour or so total on a range day...

 

[Bassdog1]

Takes me 30 minutes the day of shooting and then a few minutes a couple of days later to go over it again and run a fresh oil patch down the barrel. If I do not shoot the guns after that within 2-3 weeks I get them out and give a quick look over and run a lightly oiled patch down the barrel. I try to look over each of my cleaned guns modern and primitive once every month to make sure there are no signs of corrosion.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

20 Minutes from putting on the kettle to putting everything away.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[MountainSmoke]

I wish I could say ten minutes, heck even a half hour but it takes me a solid hour and more like an hour and a half to get it all cleaned, dried and oiled and put away. I have to be honest though I have always been a clean freak when it comes to guns,particularly muzzleloaders. If I know for sure that I will be using it again the next day I am not quite as meticulous and it takes me less time.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I think i'm around the 20 minute mark. But it's probably closer to 30. Ant time with firearms passes swiftly. ;-)

 

[Leadball loader]

Takes me 45min plus or minus depending on condition of fouling and shots fired.
In the 18th century I have a feeling cleaning was not as frequent as today if the gun was kept loaded.
LBL

 

[EC121]

Takes 2min. to clean the lock with a toothbrush at the well house faucet. Blow the lock dry with an air hose, spray it with G96, and set it aside. Fill the barrel with cold water and a drop of Dawn let it sit a minute then drain it. Breech brush the plug face. Maybe do that twice and then wipe it dry. Wipe the vent with a small pipe cleaner. The barrel is never removed. G96 or Barricade everything and put it away. I do the same with rifles from $500 to whatever. Never had one rust. Even a year later. On slow days I linger and take as long as I want. I usually grease the lock. If I apply myself, 20-30min.
I have also been known to hose the gun down with G96 and wait til the next day.

 

[oldwood]

Remove the lock and tooth brush it clean under hot water = one min.. Takes 'bout 2 min's to attach the tubing to the slop sink hot water faucet. Insert the tubing into the bore to the breach plug face, place finger over touch hole , w/ cleaning patch to prevent getting burnt. Turn hot tap water on and when barrel is too warm to touch , remove the tubing , .. Run a dry patch or two down the bore . Spray something like WD or whatever in the bore w/ couple more dry patches. Dry and lube lock and install on gun...5 min's . Looks like maybe 10 min. total. Time putting the tubing away and standing the rifle muzzle down wasn't counted. ................oldwood

 

[Magungo1066]

Impressive everyone. I am at about the half hour mark. I feel within that time that I can get my guns clean enough. (I baby them but realize that they are also tools)

 

[belld416]

I wish I could say ten minutes, heck even a half hour but it takes me a solid hour and more like an hour and a half to get it all cleaned, dried and oiled and put away. I have to be honest though I have always been a clean freak when it comes to guns,particularly muzzleloaders. If I know for sure that I will be using it again the next day I am not quite as meticulous and it takes me less time.

I agree 100%. I am a clean freak with my muzzle loaders. All my guns actually but my “smoke poles” get a little more attention.