How To ? - Rust Prevention in Flash Hole and Hard to Reach Bore Areas

[Dave in the Desert]

I have a question on how some of you adequately coat the flash channel and hard to reach areas of the bore with a rust preventative, oil or paste, on a percussion rifle without removing the cleanout screw. I have Hoppes gun oil, Ballistol, and Frog Lube. I know all have their own following. I want to see what works best for me. I live in Gilbert, AZ so humidity is not an issue.

My apologies if this has been covered previously. I did a quick search and review but did not see it specifically addressed.

The rifles I own are all hooked breech so the barrels can be removed. I used to clean them using boiling hot water and a squirt of dish soap. I used boiling hot water in the hope of heating up the barrel so it would dry quicker. Hate to admit it but I was using Bore Butter to ‘oil’ the bore and it would render because the barrel was very warm/hot. I thought that was a good thing because it was getting into the nooks and crannies. After time I used warm water and dish soap but would ‘dry’ my barrels in the oven at approximately 120 to 140 degrees after preheating my oven and shutting it off. Letting a 28” barrel sit on heating pads for 15 to 30 minutes seemed to do the trick.

As I am getting back into muzzleloaders I want to employ different cleaning and rust prevention techniques and products. I am thinking that Q-Tips and pipe cleaner helps. After doing some research, it seems high % alcohol is my friend to get the oil/paste out prior to shooting.

Dave

 

[Sam squanch]

I just use a pipe cleaner with oil on it. But I exclusively shoot real black powder, it cleans up great with water.

 

[Fastleo]

Any oil works well, I like mineral oil for no special reason. Don’t over complicate this. Just clean, dry and oil and you will be fine.
Andy

 

[WALT53]

I just use a pipe cleaner with oil on it. But I exclusively shoot real black powder, it cleans up great with water.

I lean and dry then a patch sopping with wd40 run in and out a couple times and leave it in over night.Next day run new patch down and then an oiled patch and set muzzle down .Check in day or two and your dune,and do the same with pipe cleaner in flash hole.

 

[ETipp]

Warm soapy water, rinse with straight water, dry patches, compressed air, then oil down the flash channel and bore. I do, however, ascertain there is no oil down the barrel or flash channel prior to loading the next time out.

You will be surprised how much more crud comes out of the flash channel after you "thought" you had it clean and then follow up with compressed air. A clean, white patch will tell the story.

 

[Daveboone]

I never have removed my clean out screw. I pump/clean with soapy water, dry patch to remove as much moisture as possible then give a squirt of WD 40 down the bore and in the nipple hole at the breech. Again, wipe until dry ( a few patches normally), then I run a patch of gun oil...whatever I have,. Ballistol, Remoil, or whatever the wife bought me for xmas. Before shooting I run a dry patch, and pop a primer or two. Never a miss fire, never any rust.

 

[Dave in the Desert]

Thank you all. It is a little tedious to clean and lubricate that area. No time to get lazy. I may have to give compressed air a try.

 

[Bad Karma]

Warm or cold water, a good flush with Eezox or Frog lube after you’ve dried it and then store it muzzle down…

 

[Blitz]

I lean and dry then a patch sopping with wd40 run in and out a couple times and leave it in over night.Next day run new patch down and then an oiled patch and set muzzle down .Check in day or two and your dune,and do the same with pipe cleaner in flash hole.

WD40 great stuff for Water displacement , it gums up badly if not removed, use paint thiner or birchwood casey. Then a good rust preventative petro based or other wise. I have found good products designed for saly water fishing reels to be wxcelleni. Swab before loading. of course should be doing that anyway.

Blitz

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Once clean and DRY, I love Birchwood Casey's 'Barricade' product, essentially a liquid wax that seals/protects whatever it coats. ZERO issues since using it. Just be aware that the liquid color is amber, so if you pull a white patch out of the bore month later ... yeah, it might have a light tan color to it ...

 

[Steve Wagner]

After cleaning and drying however you like, with nipple removed, pour several generous drops of Breakfree CLP down the nipple threads and into the drum. Then blow down the nipple port with an air jack and compressed air and watch a fine mist of CLP exit the bore at the muzzle. Entire chamber is now coated. Put a small amount on a patch and jag and coat the clean barrel down to the breach. Same for exterior metals and you can use the air jack to get CLP into the lock mechanisms that can't be reached in any other way except for soaking, which IMO is a waste. It will leave a thin, protective film on all surfaces and I have had no fouling issues from this method.
A quick blow out before the next shooting session isn't a bad idea. Especially if the application was very recent.
Store vertically with the muzzle down. Don't store non-stainless steels horizontally. A real rust maker. And you won't get any lubricant pooling this way. The excess will drain out and coat evenly as it does.
I have been following this protocol for almost 40 years for guns and tools, lived very close to the ocean for many years and have no rusty implements of either kind. And it has never formed a gummy residue of any kind for me.
There is a real reason why carpenters and other tradesmen, that care about their tools, store steel tools hanging vertically and it's not just about convenience. It tends to deter rust formation. SW

 

[tallPercshooter]

I have stainless nipples in my guns, which I virtually never remove. I clean with a pipecleaner through the drum via the cleanout screw. Then oily pipecleaner, replace screw, done. Never had a problem (but I avoid patent breeches).

 

[flntlokr]

I have a question on how some of you adequately coat the flash channel and hard to reach areas of the bore with a rust preventative, oil or paste, on a percussion rifle without removing the cleanout screw. I have Hoppes gun oil, Ballistol, and Frog Lube. I know all have their own following. I want to see what works best for me. I live in Gilbert, AZ so humidity is not an issue.

My apologies if this has been covered previously. I did a quick search and review but did not see it specifically addressed.

The rifles I own are all hooked breech so the barrels can be removed. I used to clean them using boiling hot water and a squirt of dish soap. I used boiling hot water in the hope of heating up the barrel so it would dry quicker. Hate to admit it but I was using Bore Butter to ‘oil’ the bore and it would render because the barrel was very warm/hot. I thought that was a good thing because it was getting into the nooks and crannies. After time I used warm water and dish soap but would ‘dry’ my barrels in the oven at approximately 120 to 140 degrees after preheating my oven and shutting it off. Letting a 28” barrel sit on heating pads for 15 to 30 minutes seemed to do the trick.

As I am getting back into muzzleloaders I want to employ different cleaning and rust prevention techniques and products. I am thinking that Q-Tips and pipe cleaner helps. After doing some research, it seems high % alcohol is my friend to get the oil/paste out prior to shooting.

Dave

I wash the barrel out with hot tap water and dish detergent, pumping the water back and forth from a can in which the breech end is immersed (nipple in for the first few, then out for a lot more). The high pressure developed power washes the breech and flash channel, and pumping with progressively longer strokes scrubs out the rest of the barrel. Then I drain it, and dry the bore with a few tight, dry patches, and lastly blow compressed air down the barrel to blow dry the chamber/flash channel. I follow all that with a couple of squirts of G96, and run a loose patch down and up to spread it evenly. I use the g96 wetted patch to wipe down all of the exterior metal afterwards. Store the gun muzzle down so that any oily residue gets out, and it's good to go. 35 years of this stuff, and never a rust issue, even up here on rainy Vancouver Island.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Did you see this method posted, to at least help POLISH it and/or clean it out?

What I would do ... take some parachute cord, remove the lining strands and insert and tie in a length of the pipe cleaner with metal bristles in it and then use lapping(light grit) or polishing compound on the cord, akin to one of those pull-through barrel cleaning 'snakes' you see sold.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...the-flash-channel-of-tcs-patent-breech.174352

 

[Steve Wagner]

I wash the barrel out with hot tap water and dish detergent, pumping the water back and forth from a can in which the breech end is immersed (nipple in for the first few, then out for a lot more). The high pressure developed power washes the breech and flash channel, and pumping with progressively longer strokes scrubs out the rest of the barrel. Then I drain it, and dry the bore with a few tight, dry patches, and lastly blow compressed air down the barrel to blow dry the chamber/flash channel. I follow all that with a couple of squirts of G96, and run a loose patch down and up to spread it evenly. I use the g96 wetted patch to wipe down all of the exterior metal afterwards. Store the gun muzzle down so that any oily residue gets out, and it's good to go. 35 years of this stuff, and never a rust issue, even up here on rainy Vancouver Island.

flnt, I do almost all, exactly as you describe, except I use CLP and never have rust anywhere. Never heard of G96 but it must be good. Does it go by other names ? I looked it up and it appears to be the same thing as Breakfree CLP. Living by the ocean sure teaches a guy what works. Where I live now in MT, rust does actually sleep a bit. Much slower here.
I also squirt a bit in the nipple and clean out openings and blow it into the chamber and bore with compressed air so it penetrates everything. SW

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Never heard of G96 but it must be good. Does it go by other names ? I looked it up and it appears to be the same thing as Breakfree CLP.

It's just another brand, generic 'CLP'-type synthetic lube or oil - Clean Lubricate Protect. Says US Govt approved ... so its gotta be good, LOL ... c'mon man! I use the same Breakfree brand as you do, works for me!