Managing traditional rifles on extended hunts

[Brokennock]

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.

I believe our friend @Britsmoothy
shoots, reloads, and doesn't worry about it if he doesn't get another shot that day. Goes out the next day and kills a pheasant or two and a big rabbit. No rust or corrosion issues reported.

 

[Grenadier1758]

If you use real black powder, you can get away with minimal cleaning. You can run a lubricated patch after loading to protect the bore for a few days. If you are shooting Pyrodex or a substitute black powder that leaves a layer of corrosive fouling, then cleaning would be necessary.

 

[CapPopper]

If you use real black powder, you can get away with minimal cleaning. You can run a lubricated patch after loading to protect the bore for a few days. If you are shooting Pyrodex or a substitute black powder that leaves a layer of corrosive fouling, then cleaning would be necessary.

That's what I was going to add...... Shot a deer on Tuesday night cleaned gun till white patches...... Oiled wake up check and it's rusting..... Scrub again oil and guess what? Today it's rusting....... I hate pyrodex

 

[Britsmoothy]

That's what I was going to add...... Shot a deer on Tuesday night cleaned gun till white patches...... Oiled wake up check and it's rusting..... Scrub again oil and guess what? Today it's rusting....... I hate pyrodex

What oil?

 

[CapPopper]

Any doesn't matter..... Usually use an acid neutralizing preventative we get at work that we use in very expensive surfaces...... But it doesn't matter what oil rem oil barricade or anything..... You name it still rusts...... Unless I take steel wool or scotch brite to the bore and then sometimes it will still rust anyways..... It gets old but if I use real black or cleans right up easy no problem..... Its just hard to get here all the time and spending 80-100 on an order is simply not feasible

 

[CapPopper]

I've also used almost a whole t shirt cleaning it 3 times..... Only fired it once this last time

 

[tenngun]

Dry cleaning patches.

Folks around 1840 did not haul alcohol around with them.

I’m thinking they did, they just didn’t use it on their guns

 

[longcruise]

I spent two weeks on a float hunt in AK and made it a point to discharge my rifle every three or four days. It fired with complete reliability every time. If I were doing it over again I would have discharged it only for a shot at game. But, your question was about cleaning gear so here goes.

I took my normal hunting/shooting gear that would typically be in my shooting bag: nipple wrench, stopper for the nipple so the barrel could be filled with water, spare jag (a jag also on the rod with the rifle), patch retriever, patches, balls, a tin of caps, a three ball ball block, short starter, a handle with a 10/32 fitting (my rods have threaded tips on both ends), Lots of cleaning patches, powder measure and capper on a lanyard

So that's the stuff that's always in the bag. In addition, there was a 10/32 nylon bore brush a small bottle of denatured alcohol and a small bottle of 3 n 1 oil.

Thats it. I cleaned using river or pond water.

The most important thing is to be thorough with every cleaning.

I never pop caps before loading.

Of course I had back up gear an supplies that were stored in a separate place and stayed in a dry bag unless needed.

 

[pchwcf50110]

That's what I was going to add...... Shot a deer on Tuesday night cleaned gun till white patches...... Oiled wake up check and it's rusting..... Scrub again oil and guess what? Today it's rusting....... I hate pyrodex

Try adding some white vinegar to your cleaning solution. It helps balance the pH of the fouling. That's what Hodgdon recommends you add to your soap/water mix to clean brass cartridge cases that have been fired with Pyrodex.

 

[SDSmlf]

Try adding some white vinegar to your cleaning solution. It helps balance the pH of the fouling. That's what Hodgdon recommends you add to your soap/water mix to clean brass cartridge cases that have been fired with Pyrodex.

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.

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

What my multi day hunts look like generally is similar to your US western style hunts where im parking the car and packing in 2 to 10 miles. I can probably take in minimal gear to clean but it's not full tented or cabin type stuff by any means so what goes in and comes out is on my back.

 

[Archer 756]

Have left load in all my rifles for up to two months with NO PROBLEMS shooting Powder and ball cost $$$

 

[Britsmoothy]

Any doesn't matter..... Usually use an acid neutralizing preventative we get at work that we use in very expensive surfaces...... But it doesn't matter what oil rem oil barricade or anything..... You name it still rusts...... Unless I take steel wool or scotch brite to the bore and then sometimes it will still rust anyways..... It gets old but if I use real black or cleans right up easy no problem..... Its just hard to get here all the time and spending 80-100 on an order is simply not feasible

Yes it does matter!
DO NOT USE ANYTHING....NO MATTER HOW FANCY MINERAL OIL BASED...PERIOD.
Only animal or vegetable based .

Get this acid notion out your head and concentrate on controlling/absorbing salts. Oil out the ground can't absorb salts. They separate and hence the rapid returning of rust.

 

[CapPopper]

Yes it does matter!
DO NOT USE ANYTHING....NO MATTER HOW FANCY MINERAL OIL BASED...PERIOD.
Only animal or vegetable based .

Get this acid notion out your head and concentrate on controlling/absorbing salts. Oil out the ground can't absorb salts. They separate and hence the rapid returning of rust.

Im saying no matter what i have tried it doesn't seem to matter..... And I don't clean with it..... Dawn and water or plain water or MAP or simple green...... Clean till snow white patches then pick any kind of preventative could be barricade could be olive oil or whatever of any base and make sure it gets a good coat and it will still rust...... I've tried nearly everything and have come to the conclusion that it's just pyrodex being more corrosive....... Never had a problem cleaning real black

 

[Walkingeagle]

What do you clean it with?
Walk

 

[CapPopper]

What do you clean it with?
Walk

MAP seems to do best. Patches so tight I can barely get them started and can't get them out of I use the rod on the rifle without something to pull it..... Once patches come out clean I put some 99% iso through the gun to take moisture out and dry patch that out. Let it dry and use what amounts to super barricade on it...... Been having less trouble but I still usually have to scrub it at least once more time

 

[Walkingeagle]

I just use the soap/water method on mine. Have for 25+ years. Never any rust issues with Pyrodex.
Walk

 

[Britsmoothy]

MAP seems to do best. Patches so tight I can barely get them started and can't get them out of I use the rod on the rifle without something to pull it..... Once patches come out clean I put some 99% iso through the gun to take moisture out and dry patch that out. Let it dry and use what amounts to super barricade on it...... Been having less trouble but I still usually have to scrub it at least once more time

Cold or hot water?
It needs the energy in hot water to dissolve the salts. Cold water doesn't dissolve the salts.
And take no notice of the line " hot water causes flash rusting" blah blah.

 

[megasupermagnum]

My approach is the same way I approach anything I take seriously. I maintain the routine. I always clean in a manner I can do in the field. In the field, I clean the same way I do at home. It isn't like you need anything special. All my ramrods are threaded. All that is needed is a jag or worm. If you are going somewhere that long, you will have water, or likely access to it. However you clean at home, just do that in the field.

I'm speaking from personal experience here, not unfounded opinions. It is very common for me to go to our farm, where all I have is a fish house to sleep in, and shoot the day before a hunt. I'll then clean as I always do, except I get the water from a jug, not a faucet. I did it this year too. I shot the day before for practice, cleaned that night, and then proceeded to hunt 5 days, shot a deer, cleaned again, hunted the rest of the days, and fired the shot off the last night. I use nothing but room temperature water, patches, and oil. I do have the luxury of heat, so I dry my barrel over the heater. I've also used the sun on a early September bear hunt. I even used the dash heater of my truck one time when I was testing out clean bore shots at the range. I've never been anywhere I didn't have a stove, or at least could start a fire. If I was way out somewhere in the fall or winter, with only my small alcohol stove, didn't want to start a fire for some reason, I would seriously consider doing nothing but running a spit patch, followed by a dry patch, and trusting the patched ball to lube the barrel. I've done that too, and real blackpowder, especially in cold and dry weather, you can get away with it for at least a couple weeks.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention was that I'm speaking of caplock guns. I always, no matter what, remove the nipple and make sure that is good and clear. I make sure that the channel is completely dry before I thread it back in. I do not fire any caps before loading. If you really wanted to be anal, you could remove the nipple after loading. If there is powder there under the nipple, and if you can see the hole in the nipple is fully clear, then it will fire.

 

[Onojutta]