Managing traditional rifles on extended hunts

[pchwcf50110]

Have you actually used vinegar to clean any of your guns? Vinegar is a good way to remove bluing from a gun. May not be a good idea to use for cleaning a barrel in my opinion.

I use multi surface cleaner with vinegar (that's what the label says) from the store on my patches when swabbing between shots. I mix it 50/50 with water and dampen patches with it. It has never damaged the finish. A lot of BPCR guys clean with store bought window cleaner plus vinegar. I never said clean your barrel in straight vinegar just that Hodgdon recommends adding a little vinegar to the soap and water solution to keep Pyrodex from destroying cartridge brass. If I was cleaning Pyrodex fouling out of a barrel I would have a second bucket of clean water for flushing out/diluting the now dirty water from the first swabbing.

 

[Art Caputo]

Have you actually used vinegar to clean any of your guns? Vinegar is a good way to remove bluing from a gun. May not be a good idea to use for cleaning a barrel in my opinion.

I have used Vinegar Windex cut 50% with water with excellent results. No rust inside or outside the barrel. It still involves scrubbing/repetition to clean all residue, including residual carbon/graphite. I also have found MAP to be the fastest and most effective of all the barrel cleaners I have used, and it has been my primary choice for over 20 years. Plug the flash hole, thumb over the bore and invert 2-3x, let it sit for 5 minutes, swab-dry, lube. Sometimes I’ll speed the swabbing/drying step with an Alcohol flush. NO rust, ever. That said, for extended trips/camping, a Water/Ballistol mix is more practical for me in the field and carries light if you have a water supply at hand.

 

[longcruise]

I'm sure that vinegar used carefully and judiciously is not a problem, but the way i make vinegaroon solution is to put nails or metal shavings in a jug of vinegar. The metal is dissolved by the vinegar.

Not the same thing but something to think about.

 

[Magungo1066]

I use HOT water. It removes black powder fouling and dries the bore. Not concerned about possibility of flash rust. Need a dry clean bore ready to shoot when the trigger is pulled. Barrels can be refreshed, rebored or replaced after the hunt. You may never get that shot over that you missed because of moisture in the breech or a blockage in your fire channel. The only misfire I ever had because of how I cleaned a gun while hunting was after using tepid water (because that’s what experts said to use) the night before to clean the gun. Never again. Have hunted in multiple states in the lower 48, Alaska and Africa. If your serious about hunting, your gun is a tool, not a slow piece. Keep it functional while in the field.

Thats the best description of what a "hunting rifle" is meant to be, that I have heard in a long time

 

[smoothshooter]

I may get yelled for this but if i shot my gun today and planned on hunting again tomorrow, I’d load it again then leave it loaded for tomorrow’s hunt. If you run the second load down with a good lubed patch it’ll clean the bore. Overnight seal off the nipple with a foam earplug between it and the hammer. Shouldn’t get enough moisture to hurt anything. If you’re adamant about cleaning finish off the cleaning with a good dose of alcohol or brake cleaner to get all the moisture out. I’ve never gotten a flash rust from not cleaning my guns immediately after shooting them.

Simply reloading the gun for the next day’s hunt works best if the reload is done IMMEDIATELY after firing the previous shot while the bore is still slightly warm and dry from the shot, especially in humid or damp conditions.
Letting several minutes or hours pass before reloading allows the fouling to absorb moisture from the air that would be pushed down the barrel ahead of the next bullet, or come in from the nipple or vent hole.