Is there a way to postpone cleaning a ml?

[wiscoaster]

Is there a way to postpone cleaning a ml?​

Yes, keep shooting it!

Hmmmmm, wish that applied to my cap 'n ball revolvers.

 

[IsMackinac North]

One would think that a country that put man on the moon would be able to formulate some product that would allow a ml shooter to postpone cleaning his gun until the next day. Perhaps you fired once, or a couple of times, and want to shoot again tomorrow. Surely there should be a way to swab the barrel once, give the lock and hammer a quick wipe, and then the next day either shoot some more or do a normal cleaning. Any thoughts? Anyone ever try this w/o harming the gun? If so, how did you do it? Please don't reply with "it only takes 15 min to clean", "never use petroleum products", "great grandpa used water and that's good enough for me", etc. I'm seriously trying to see if there could be a way to use something to achieve this. I'm thinking a vapor impregnated reusable bag, a magic corrosion nullifying powder or liquid, etc. Surely some smart chemist out there has experimented and has found a way. Come on you scientist/shooters, sound off.

In the old days men didn't clean their rifles after every use. They would, however, wipe the bore with a good grease a few times, and pick the touch hole or cone. Bore Butter is a good product for this. Just saturate a patch in bore butter and wipe the bore all the way down and back. Don't forget to wipe the pan and hammer a bit, too. It will keep for days that way.

 

[MSW]

One would think that a country that put man on the moon would be able to formulate some product that would allow a ml shooter to postpone cleaning his gun until the next day. Perhaps you fired once, or a couple of times, and want to shoot again tomorrow. Surely there should be a way to swab the barrel once, give the lock and hammer a quick wipe, and then the next day either shoot some more or do a normal cleaning. Any thoughts? Anyone ever try this w/o harming the gun? If so, how did you do it? Please don't reply with "it only takes 15 min to clean", "never use petroleum products", "great grandpa used water and that's good enough for me", etc. I'm seriously trying to see if there could be a way to use something to achieve this. I'm thinking a vapor impregnated reusable bag, a magic corrosion nullifying powder or liquid, etc. Surely some smart chemist out there has experimented and has found a way. Come on you scientist/shooters, sound off.

 

[MSW]

"a country that can put a man on the moon"
such a place would understand that national power, force projection and the intellectual infrastructure capable of going from running water to a man on the moon in a few generations might also have the humility to understand that we're not smart enough to change the basics of chemistry ...

uncleaned black powder residue will cause your barrel to start to rust, since it draws moisture from the atmosphere

it's part and parcel of the sport

 

[The Miner '49er]

"a country that can put a man on the moon"
such a place would understand that national power, force projection and the intellectual infrastructure capable of going from running water to a man on the moon in a few generations might also have the humility to understand that we're not smart enough to change the basics of chemistry ...

uncleaned black powder residue will cause your barrel to start to rust, since it draws moisture from the atmosphere

it's part and parcel of the sport

10-4. I don't know squat about the chemistry of what is created when BP sludge forms, so that's why I asked for chemists to weigh in on this topic. Blood letting and the use of leeches used to be cutting edge medicine, but somebody decided to experiment and what was once fact became derided. I hope you have the chemistry knowledge to know what is in that fired BP goo then perhaps you can help find "opposite" chemicals to temporarily neutralize it. Please sound off if you do.

 

[flntlokr]

One would think that a country that put man on the moon would be able to formulate some product that would allow a ml shooter to postpone cleaning his gun until the next day. Perhaps you fired once, or a couple of times, and want to shoot again tomorrow. Surely there should be a way to swab the barrel once, give the lock and hammer a quick wipe, and then the next day either shoot some more or do a normal cleaning. Any thoughts? Anyone ever try this w/o harming the gun? If so, how did you do it? Please don't reply with "it only takes 15 min to clean", "never use petroleum products", "great grandpa used water and that's good enough for me", etc. I'm seriously trying to see if there could be a way to use something to achieve this. I'm thinking a vapor impregnated reusable bag, a magic corrosion nullifying powder or liquid, etc. Surely some smart chemist out there has experimented and has found a way. Come on you scientist/shooters, sound off.

 

[French Colonial]

OMG, "UNPIN THE BARREL"? French Colonial, you better get set for 500 (minimum) lashes with a brand new cat 'o nine tails!

Totally tongue in cheek, the idea that you should clean between every shot....

I was illustrating absurdity by being absurd.

Someone should go back and count the number of people on this thread who have went a day or so without cleaning (yes even here in the humid Midwest) and suffered no ill effects.

The number of people who say something must be so without any knowledge is amazing.

 

[Tenring]

It’s been said that you never let the sun go down on a Dirty ML but I can tell you first had that you never put off what you can do Tomorrow, He He. But sometimes if it’s to late the next day will do for sure..

 

[SDSmlf]

In winter I hunt with my muzzloaders. Sometimes I don't clean them and I don't get serious issues.
I do however use homemade lube from plant and animal fats.
Sometimes if I want a fouled gun to sit a week I will smother it in my lube inside and out and no harm happens.
No way did homesteaders get all worked up about cleaning how some do today and it was for good reason the gun lived above or near the hearth!
I did a test last year where upon I stored a fould shotgun for a period of time. I did a thread on it here.
So over a period of six weeks plus I think my lubed fould 10g became this.
View attachment 236212View attachment 236213
Then I cleaned it with boiled water and I got this.
View attachment 236211
There is a way to not have to clean immediately. Use a homemade vegetable and animal based lube, nothing fancy.
No need to worry at all.

Although I prefer to clean my guns at the end of the day, I have found with blackpowder residue you can let it sit for some time with out any real damage. The problem I have repeatedly seen over the years doesn’t occur with someone like @Britsmoothy and his guns, because if they sit for a while he doesn’t forget about them for months or even years, nor does he use a sub like Pyrodex for example.

Here are some photographs of a TC barrel that the previous owner claimed was shot once during hunting season (he got his deer) with Pyrodex, not reloaded and put up ‘for a while’, though I don’t know how long, maybe a few months…. maybe longer, I really don’t know. He asked me if I could help him clean it up…. I told him likely not, but he could start with EvapoRust, and see what there was to see. I wouldn’t call it a pretty.

The breech area.

Somewhere in the bore.

The nipple threads.

He ultimately told me to keep the barrel because he bought another one. Wished him luck. I will likely get it rebored at some point, just have to find a percussion breech plug at decent price. Doesn’t make sense to put over $100 into a aftermarket plug plus pay for a rebore. Then it needs refinishing….. I may make a flintlock out of it, as flintlock plugs seem easier to come by.

 

[The Miner '49er]

Although I prefer to clean my guns at the end of the day, I have found with blackpowder residue you can let it sit for some time with out any real damage. The problem I have repeatedly seen over the years doesn’t occur with someone like @Britsmoothy and his guns, because if they sit for a while he doesn’t forget about them for months or even years, nor does he use a sub like Pyrodex for example.

Here are some photographs of a TC barrel that the previous owner claimed was shot once during hunting season (he got his deer) with Pyrodex, not reloaded and put up ‘for a while’, though I don’t know how long, maybe a few months…. maybe longer, I really don’t know. He asked me if I could help him clean it up…. I told him likely not, but he could start with EvapoRust, and see what there was to see. I wouldn’t call it a pretty.

The breech area.
View attachment 236377
Somewhere in the bore.
View attachment 236379
The nipple threads.
View attachment 236381
He ultimately told me to keep the barrel because he bought another one. Wished him luck. I will likely get it rebored at some point, just have to find a percussion breech plug at decent price. Doesn’t make sense to put over $100 into a aftermarket plug plus pay for a rebore. Then it needs refinishing….. I may make a flintlock out of it, as flintlock plugs seem easier to come by.

Wow, that looks like it came from my "barrels for sale" post in #41 on this thread!




'

 

[user 16256]

One would think that a country that put man on the moon would be able to formulate some product that would allow a ml shooter to postpone cleaning his gun until the next day. Perhaps you fired once, or a couple of times, and want to shoot again tomorrow. Surely there should be a way to swab the barrel once, give the lock and hammer a quick wipe, and then the next day either shoot some more or do a normal cleaning. Any thoughts? Anyone ever try this w/o harming the gun? If so, how did you do it? Please don't reply with "it only takes 15 min to clean", "never use petroleum products", "great grandpa used water and that's good enough for me", etc. I'm seriously trying to see if there could be a way to use something to achieve this. I'm thinking a vapor impregnated reusable bag, a magic corrosion nullifying powder or liquid, etc. Surely some smart chemist out there has experimented and has found a way. Come on you scientist/shooters, sound off.

#1 If you can't clean your muzzleloader don't use black powder, the sulfur is the corrosive ingredient. Use triple seven. If Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett knew about 777 they would have been using it. Its a propellant, thats all black powder is, using a better cleaner one doesn't make you a sinner. Btw, they didn't clean after shooting either, but as soon as they could get around to it I'm sure they swabbed the barrel a few times.
#2 plug the bore and the nipple until you can clean it. An oily piece of cloth works great for me.
#3 living in a dry climate helps.

This method worked for a cheap plastic stocked bp rifle bought at Walmart by a friend of mine. We did a test to sacrifice it to the corrosion gods years ago. Shot the heck out of it using triple seven one day, and loaded'er up and cap'd with a rag full of bore butter. I put it in my closet and left it there till the next summer. When I pulled it out the bore was coated with some white powderery residue. After cleaning the grease out the nipple she fired that round almost a year later. Once cleaned, everything looked fine. No pitting, rust or noticeable corrosion.

We did this with goex, and it was a giant pia just to get the thing to work again. Pyrodex wasn't much better.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Although I prefer to clean my guns at the end of the day, I have found with blackpowder residue you can let it sit for some time with out any real damage. The problem I have repeatedly seen over the years doesn’t occur with someone like @Britsmoothy and his guns, because if they sit for a while he doesn’t forget about them for months or even years, nor does he use a sub like Pyrodex for example.

Here are some photographs of a TC barrel that the previous owner claimed was shot once during hunting season (he got his deer) with Pyrodex, not reloaded and put up ‘for a while’, though I don’t know how long, maybe a few months…. maybe longer, I really don’t know. He asked me if I could help him clean it up…. I told him likely not, but he could start with EvapoRust, and see what there was to see. I wouldn’t call it a pretty.

The breech area.
View attachment 236377
Somewhere in the bore.
View attachment 236379
The nipple threads.
View attachment 236381
He ultimately told me to keep the barrel because he bought another one. Wished him luck. I will likely get it rebored at some point, just have to find a percussion breech plug at decent price. Doesn’t make sense to put over $100 into a aftermarket plug plus pay for a rebore. Then it needs refinishing….. I may make a flintlock out of it, as flintlock plugs seem easier to come by.

You make good points. I guess there is a balanced view. You don't need to panic and you can't leave them indefinitely.

Today I didn't use any lube during shooting and the rain soaked everything.
So I cleaned the gun when I got home after feeding my dog and eating supper with my wife.

 

[The Miner '49er]

#1 If you can't clean your muzzleloader don't use black powder, the sulfur is the corrosive ingredient. Use triple seven. If Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett knew about 777 they would have been using it. Its a propellant, thats all black powder is, using a better cleaner one doesn't make you a sinner. Btw, they didn't clean after shooting either, but as soon as they could get around to it I'm sure they swabbed the barrel a few times.
#2 plug the bore and the nipple until you can clean it. An oily piece of cloth works great for me.
#3 living in a dry climate helps.

This method worked for a cheap plastic stocked bp rifle bought at Walmart by a friend of mine. We did a test to sacrifice it to the corrosion gods years ago. Shot the heck out of it using triple seven one day, and loaded'er up and cap'd with a rag full of bore butter. I put it in my closet and left it there till the next summer. When I pulled it out the bore was coated with some white powderery residue. After cleaning the grease out the nipple she fired that round almost a year later. Once cleaned, everything looked fine. No pitting, rust or noticeable corrosion.

We did this with goex, and it was a giant pia just to get the thing to work again. Pyrodex wasn't much better.

Thank you -- that was another informative reply that lays it out w/o conjecture.

 

[The Miner '49er]

I just reread the Ross Seyfried article that jimbob attached in post #60 and the experiment by firemedicntx in #60. Now if I can just get the cojones to try it with BP and with 777 . . . Thanks to all thus far. I still hope to hear from those chemist/shooters out there.

 

[NorthFork]

Yup. Amazing how folks can post a bunch of opinions that are light on back up and heavy on conjecture and myth,,,, but when someone posts real experience they get ignored or ridiculed. And how many go to great pains to cultivate that 200 year old looking well worn and weathered look to their guns and gear only to have a complete breakdown over even the thought of some possible flash-rust if the cleaning water is too hot

I seriously doubt "great-grandpa," or more likely, great-great-great-grandpa obsessed over cleaning his gun thoroughly every time he got home and had fired a shot.
But then I also have very strong doubts about the "15 minutes to clean" crowd.

AMEN!!

 

[bronko220002]

My memory fails me at times, but I believe it was @deerstalkert that had some dehydrated water to sell that was a true cure all for BP.

Just remembered, @azmntman had the dehydrated water!

I have several packets of it but I lost the directions and I don't know what to add.

 

[64Springer]

Although I prefer to clean my guns at the end of the day, I have found with blackpowder residue you can let it sit for some time with out any real damage. The problem I have repeatedly seen over the years doesn’t occur with someone like @Britsmoothy and his guns, because if they sit for a while he doesn’t forget about them for months or even years, nor does he use a sub like Pyrodex for example.

Here are some photographs of a TC barrel that the previous owner claimed was shot once during hunting season (he got his deer) with Pyrodex, not reloaded and put up ‘for a while’, though I don’t know how long, maybe a few months…. maybe longer, I really don’t know. He asked me if I could help him clean it up…. I told him likely not, but he could start with EvapoRust, and see what there was to see. I wouldn’t call it a pretty.

The breech area.
View attachment 236377
Somewhere in the bore.
View attachment 236379
The nipple threads.
View attachment 236381
He ultimately told me to keep the barrel because he bought another one. Wished him luck. I will likely get it rebored at some point, just have to find a percussion breech plug at decent price. Doesn’t make sense to put over $100 into a aftermarket plug plus pay for a rebore. Then it needs refinishing….. I may make a flintlock out of it, as flintlock plugs seem easier to come by.

I see nothing wrong with that barrel.

It's just a little bit of life getting in the way and other priorities.

As is stated in almost every bore description of every dirty firearm ever sold.....IT SHOULD CLEAN UP OK.

 

[TDM]

I have several packets of it but I lost the directions and I don't know what to add.

Dang it!

 

[IanH]

Add Di-Hydrogen Monoxide, 100:0 ratio. Bam.

 

[SDSmlf]

I see nothing wrong with that barrel.

It's just a little bit of life getting in the way and other priorities.

As is stated in almost every bore description of every dirty firearm ever sold.....IT SHOULD CLEAN UP OK.

I’m guessing you’re joking…. but if not, the bore was filled with Evapo-Rust and soaked for 24 hours or so a couple of times and followed up with some heavy bronze brushing. There is no apparent rifling visible at the muzzle and the bore is as rough as a corncob in my opinion. But if it meets your criteria for nothing being wrong with it, great, though I believe most would be be upset purchasing a barrel in that condition described as nothing being wrong with it. Maybe I’m overly picky and expect too much?