How Often Did Historic Muzzleloader Get Cleaned

[Splitear]

I recently read a converstation on social media regarding how long a ML shotgun can stay loaded without causing harm to the bore/breech. Someone suggested that "pioneers" only fired their guns when needed, and left them loaded in between. This made me curious about how often guns were fired/unloaded and then cleaned when they were the staple firearm for an individual. Does anyone have any insight?

 

[Sam squanch]

Of course they were all loaded. They were no good empty. It would depend on the time and place. Farmer Grover in Ohio in 1880? May have swabbed the bore, reloaded, and the gun may have sat until the next crow flew over. Buckskin bill the scout on the Great Plains in 1860 shot, cleaned, and reloaded carefully. His life depended on it. Same with gambler Jim and the lawmen back then.

 

[tenngun]

Joe Meek told how on his first trip to the mountains Sublett passed one of the other new hires and looked as his gun, it was dirty, and told the man to clean it.
Later Sublett passed and the gun was uncleaned, Sublett repeated his order. On a third pass the gun was still dirty, Sublett asked Meek if he could clean the gun for ten dollars. Meek jumped at it. The other guy laughed since he got out of cleaning the gun, and Meek made some cash.
It wasn’t so funny when he found that ten dollars came out of his wages
Guns were sold with worms and often ball screws.
Military knew the importance of cleaning. As battles were rare we find soldiers marched and cleaned guns for a living
Hitchcock cleaned his guns daily.
I see slobs at the range who only take their guns out of the closet at deer season. And guys with modern kit whose guns couldn’t be better cared for.
I’m sure there were slobs and careful men
And rich guy sport hunters and military officers had their servants to care for thier guns

 

[TDM]

Yep, and no harm leaving them loaded. Their guns were essential tools, life or death tools, so those that survived took good care of them.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

And they kept them clean with nothing but a little water. How they survived without some kind of moose milk is a mystery.

 

[bpd303]

Probably protected the bore with animal grease or oil after 1859 or whale oil prior. My grandfather who was born in1884 talked about his father using whale oil to protect his guns.

Edit for link:
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/historic-lubricants.107834/

 

[oldwood]

A lot could be written on this subject , because many things common knowledge , weren't written about. Have read hundreds of chapters in old history books written by folks that lived back in the old days , pre 1800 , and If they were to go under attack , their leader would tell each militia family , "get your guns in order. " So what does that mean? How were the guns "out of order?" Pages could be written suggesting what that meant. One common thing repeated , guns were left hanging in warm places in rafters where fire places were used for heat , and cooking. If on the march , every night , some fired their guns , wiped , and reloaded. Indians on the march , did the same as written in their records , fire the gun at the end of the day , reloaded for the next use. That's about all I've learned on the subject.

 

[Urban Coyote]

And they kept them clean with nothing but a little water. How they survived without some kind of moose milk is a mystery.

There were plenty of moose but they were hard to catch and even tougher to milk.

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.

 

[oldwood]

In my young life , I have had three moose encounters , all w/o a clean or dirty m/ler. Moose have one goal in life concerning humans , they want to kill us. Gotta be quick , or armed. I was quick.

 

[bpd303]

In my young life , I have had three moose encounters , all w/o a clean or dirty m/ler. Moose have one goal in life concerning humans , they want to kill us. Gotta be quick , or armed. I was quick.

Their favorite tactic is to stomp ya to death, or so a friend of mine in Alaska has said. No moose here in the Ozark mountains.

 

[Rendezvous Valley Trading]

In my young life , I have had three moose encounters , all w/o a clean or dirty m/ler. Moose have one goal in life concerning humans , they want to kill us. Gotta be quick , or armed. I was quick.

I have had many moose encounters. They have a poor sense of humor.

 

[Dark Angel]

Yep, and no harm leaving them loaded. Their guns were essential tools, life or death tools, so those that survived took good care of them.

When I first began my adventures into cap&ball revolvers, I had some self-acclaimed expert tell me that I shouldn't keep my c&b loaded as black powder was corrosive and would cause rust to form in my chambers. Didn't sound right to me, so I checked with an old man who at 90, at the time, grew up with and used black powder weapons. He told me that black powder only became corrosive when it had been fired. Thinking that he may know more than this 'expert,' I never worried about corrosion until I fired my weapon. Guess what?! After setting unfired for weeks, even months, NO corrosion upon inspection after I had fired them.

 

[SOLANCO]

I have had many moose encounters. They have a poor sense of humor.

Ages ago an acquaintance in Maine stole a Moose Crossing sign. The next day one of his employees hit a moose where the sign had been.

 

[tenngun]

Oh he is right on that, I’ve kept ml loaded in a clean barrel for a year without problems

 

[Sooty Scot]

Assuming that basic human nature hasn't changed a lot since then, I would guess that there were some, as now, who neglected them but, if hunting or protecting your life was important to you, you spend the time to be sure your gun would fie when needed.
Weapons were very expensive and only fools or those wealthy enough to replace one, or have a gunsmith repair it, neglected them.

 

[Urban Coyote]

As teens often do a friend's daughter sneaked out one night in her car. This probably would have gone unnoticed except just before making it back home she struck a moose. How many teens get busted like that. Lol

 

[Rebel bull]

I wondered about this and the rants of the uninformed about wonderlube, so after deer season I started shooting my CVA 50 cal mountain flint rifle 3-5 shots per day without a thorough cleaning. shoot then 1 damp patch down up turn over down up then 1 dry patch down up turn over down up, set in corner till the next day load and shoot and repeat. I did this for 40 + days absolutely no corrosion or fouling to be found. normally when we go to a shoot we shoot the entire match without cleaning unless we are shooting heavy loads then we have to wipe the bore after about 5 rounds. So my conclusion is this our forbearers didn't clean their guns every day they were left loaded at all times, maybe after a battle they might have cleaned them but all they used was plain water probably not even hot. for the most part they didn't waste powder and lead long time and distance to resupply ! in my humble opinion

 

[Kentuckyjed]

Moose will not bother you if you can sidetrack them by getting them to show you how they pull a rabbit out of their hat, unless something else comes out.

 

[Treetop]

Interesting topic, I would think that if it was a used daily rifle, it would get the typical swab and not a deep cleaning until the user had some boredom time on his hands. I imagine take'n it down to the clay bottom creek once in a while and rubbing a patch cloth down with mild clay & giving the bore a good scour'n could have been a used method.

 

[snakebit]

I think Oldwood hit it square on the head, as usual, that it wouldn't be a mentioned in text often because the ones who came before just did it. They knew a firearm was just as important to a family as a dutch oven, a sharp knife and a good dog. Think about it, a good rifle probably set them back pretty good in the wallet. They took care of what they had because there wasn't a gun shop just around the corner for most of them.