How you clean pan & frizzen?

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

For those that hunt: after taking a shot, how do you clean the pan, frizzen, & vent?
I am curious if many people use those pan brushes you see sold with "flintlock tool kits", or if you use a damp rag, or some other tool.

 

[S.Kenton]

I simply wipe my pan with a clean cloth after each shot.

 

[Grimord]

I use a patch that is dampened with alcohol. Fast drying in case I need a second shot, tho it has never been required yet.

 

[reddogge]

I use this brush on the thong attached to my primer horn. If really bad I'll use a cleaning patch.

 

[nchawkeye]

After only one shot?? I reload, prime and am ready for a finishing shot if needed...

Go to the range, see how many shots you can take without doing anything different...Take a range rod just in case your final load is too tight to ram down with your ramrod...What I do is have the first 2 balls patched with .018 patching and a .530 ball...The 2nd two are .526 balls and .015 patches...Accuracy is fine for hunting or in case a 2nd or 3rd shot is needed to finish an animal...

 

[Mgbruch]

I wipe the face of the frizzen, and the pan, with my thumb and finger. Then I wipe my hand on my pants. Works every time! Or you can just add some more junk to your shooting bag.

 

[oldwood]

I keep a two " sq. , or so pc. of rag to wipe out the pan and frizzen when deer hunting. Or , if atmospheric conditions are damp , I brush the priming powder w/ brush , and reprime.

 

[waksupi]

I wipe the face of the frizzen, and the pan, with my thumb and finger. Then I wipe my hand on my pants. Works every time! Or you can just add some more junk to your shooting bag.

This is a time tested most sensible answer.

 

[Rob M.]

For those that hunt: after taking a shot, how do you clean the pan, frizzen, & vent?
I am curious if many people use those pan brushes you see sold with "flintlock tool kits", or if you use a damp rag, or some other tool.

You dont have to . Clean it later when you clean the whole firearm... I'll occasionally wipe the frizzen with my thumb when at the range ..., just a good second nature habit to get into ....works good .

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

You dont have to . Clean it later when you clean the whole firearm... I'll occasionally wipe the frizzen with my thumb when at the range ..., just a good second nature habit to get into ....works good .

at the range I don't have to. But hunting in humid conditions the fouling residue will draw water out of the air and contaminate the priming charge. This takes time, so when you're shooting within a few seconds after priming I don't need to clean. But when it can be hours before taking the next shot, such as while hunting, there will be plenty of time for the fouling to draw out the moisture.

 

[Rob M.]

Oke

at the range I don't have to. But hunting in humid conditions the fouling residue will draw water out of the air and contaminate the priming charge. This takes time, so when you're shooting within a few seconds after priming I don't need to clean. But when it can be hours before taking the next shot, such as while hunting, there will be plenty of time for the fouling to draw out the moisture.

Okeydoke ...just wipe out the pan with yer shirt or a piece of patching cloth then ....Ive never seen it a problem hunting but I guess ive never hunted in Florida before ! LOL ... Best of luck.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I use this brush on the thong attached to my primer horn. If really bad I'll use a cleaning patch.

Do you find that the softer bristle brush adequately cleans the pan?
I've tried lots of different things except a brush. I don't like using a cleaning patch because they are a pain to dig out of my bag with cold fingers. Plus I can never really get to all the nooks and crannies with my fat fingers.

I'm talking really cleaning the pan. As in, it is a very humid day and you just shot, now you reloaded but need a clean pan because you don't know how soon you'll be taking the next shot.

 

[TDM]

Yep, humidity is the killer. More often than not it’s very humid in my neck of woods. I use a patch with isopropyl alcohol to wipe the frizzen, flint, and pan. In dry air, it’s not a problem.

 

[oldwood]

Once you fire your gun , or sometimes in damp /humid conditions , I have changed priming powder once in an hour or two , as insurance the flint gun willfire perfectly. For a pan brush , cut a tooth brush handle to about 2 " , so it is a handy length in yur shot pouch. I always wipe the pan out with some dry cloth after the tooth brush , unless all is dry to start with. At the range , it's just the brush.

 

[8Ball]

With all my .62 I wipe the pan with the next .016"patch I will use and grease the clean side before ramming it down dirt facing the .595 bullet and like nshawkeye habit after a couple shots I will use a .570 ball. I pick the flash hole and load the pan. On a hunt there is no time to search at gizmos...

 

[tenngun]

I’m the thumb to the frizzen thing. High humidity can make it damp in the pan but most of the time fouling seems to blow clear. If gunky my pinky wipes it clean ‘nough

 

[Commodore Swab]

For those that hunt: after taking a shot, how do you clean the pan, frizzen, & vent?
I am curious if many people use those pan brushes you see sold with "flintlock tool kits", or if you use a damp rag, or some other tool.

Testing after 100 shots without cleaning. Clean after shooting provided you have a good lock.

 

[Brokennock]

Usually too humid,,, even when frigid cold,,, here to not wipe the pan clean after a shot. At the range I use an alcohol swab, in the field if I don't feel the need to be reloaded quickly I use the same, otherwise any bit of cloth, shirt tail, corner of sleeve, piece of rag tucked in my belt or tied to my shot pouch strap for the purpose.....
Having a bit of rag, even one of those small commercially available red "shop rags" handy is generally a good thing I find. Pan needs wiping, hands get dirty, knife blade needs wiping....

The only time I use a pan brush is when sweeping out dry unused priming powder when unloading if I didn't take a shot while out. I haven't found them sufficiently stiff and abrasive enough to do a good job cleaning burnt powder residue.
Fresh, commercially made, black powder (3f and coarser) doesn't absorb moisture from the air,,,, burnt powder residue does,,, a clean pan while in the field is a good thing.

 

[olskool]

i clean mine off when i clean the gun. with a good lock you can shoot a lot and never wipe it. but if it does fail to fire i just wipe with a loading patch and carry on,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[French Colonial]

We need to have an emoji for threads where people are trying very hard to just over complicate shooting a ML.

Every time someone comes up with these we could just post the emoji, I propose this one.


There was a time in our history when people actually lived and died depending upon whether their ML went off when it was supposed to or not and they did not wipe between shots with or without windshield wiper fluid or carry plastic bottles with alcohol wipes to wipe their frizzen.

If you try for simplicity, you might be surprised that you do not need half the stuff in your pouch and what your dragging to the range.

Rant over.