Trumpetman
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2005
- Messages
- 43
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I can tell you about my cleaning experience. It may or may not square with other people's techniques, but it worked for me. If it sounds too simplistic for you, I apologize. But it's because there might be some new shooters (or some who are new to black powder) who may read this.
If yours is a T/C Hawken, like mine, you can easily remove the barrel and the nipple. That's where to start. If your breech is really crudded up, getting it clean might be a big job to start with, but it will be a snap after you finish that intial cleaning.
To prepare my barrel for a really good cleaning when it was in its worst shape ever, I started by removing the barrel completely. Mine come off by tapping out the wedge keeper pin and pulling up on the barrel. Then I ran some hot water in the tub and added some dish washing detergent. I put the barrel in the tub and let it soak for several hours -- might have been 4-5 hours. I believe that softened some of the stuff inside, at least a little.
I had a small, curved brass probe that I had bought at a gun show. I ran it down through the nipple hole, digging and scraping the whole way. I also used a piece of coat hanger, a bobbie pin, a paper clip, and a tightly twisted linen patch. At some point I could actually see some rusty looking crud and small chunks started coming out. Next, I used Liquid Wrench, Hoppes 9, Marvel's Mystery oil, and Kroil to penetrate and loosen up the rest of the crud. I'm sure it was overkill. Lots of elbow grease, and eventually it was clean.
CAUTION: I did have the benefit of having removed that little screw/plug thing at the breech end that you're not really supposed to remove. It allowed me to be able to go straight in with different sized half-worn cleaning brushes. If your gun has this plugged hole, I don't recommend removing it. As others have commented, you can booger the threads or otherwise mess things up badly. I got lucky. You do NOT want to take a chance on creating a weak link in the system and risk blowing smoke out the wrong end of the pole!
Now that I have all that gunk out, regular cleaning is just a matter of removing the nipple and the barrel after shooting, and sticking the breech end into soapy water. Then I take a patch-wrapped cleaning jag to it, pulling the soapy water up through the bore, and then pushing it back out throught the nipple hole. I also use a patch-wrapped cleaning brush to get into the rifling. After running several patches down the bore until they come out clean, I figure I've done a pretty good job of cleaning. I end up with very hot water, so it will evaporate quickly.
After cleaning, I run a lightly oiled patch (RemOil or your favorite) down the bore, and lightly wipe down the exterior of the barrel with oil too. It's important to use good thread lube when you replace your freshly cleaned nipple. When you're sure the rest of the rifle is clean, you're ready to replace the barrel, wipe off any finger prints, and store your rifle. I hang mine on a horizontal three-gun rack in our bedroom, right above my lever rifle and my Winchester model 67 single-shot .22.
Before shooting again, I run a couple of dry patches down the bore and snap a cap before loading powder and ball. When I snap the cap, I try to find a leaf or a few blades of grass to aim at from a few inches. If the grass moves when I set off the cap, I know the breech and bore are clear. Hopefully they are dry too.
Good luck.
If yours is a T/C Hawken, like mine, you can easily remove the barrel and the nipple. That's where to start. If your breech is really crudded up, getting it clean might be a big job to start with, but it will be a snap after you finish that intial cleaning.
To prepare my barrel for a really good cleaning when it was in its worst shape ever, I started by removing the barrel completely. Mine come off by tapping out the wedge keeper pin and pulling up on the barrel. Then I ran some hot water in the tub and added some dish washing detergent. I put the barrel in the tub and let it soak for several hours -- might have been 4-5 hours. I believe that softened some of the stuff inside, at least a little.
I had a small, curved brass probe that I had bought at a gun show. I ran it down through the nipple hole, digging and scraping the whole way. I also used a piece of coat hanger, a bobbie pin, a paper clip, and a tightly twisted linen patch. At some point I could actually see some rusty looking crud and small chunks started coming out. Next, I used Liquid Wrench, Hoppes 9, Marvel's Mystery oil, and Kroil to penetrate and loosen up the rest of the crud. I'm sure it was overkill. Lots of elbow grease, and eventually it was clean.
CAUTION: I did have the benefit of having removed that little screw/plug thing at the breech end that you're not really supposed to remove. It allowed me to be able to go straight in with different sized half-worn cleaning brushes. If your gun has this plugged hole, I don't recommend removing it. As others have commented, you can booger the threads or otherwise mess things up badly. I got lucky. You do NOT want to take a chance on creating a weak link in the system and risk blowing smoke out the wrong end of the pole!
Now that I have all that gunk out, regular cleaning is just a matter of removing the nipple and the barrel after shooting, and sticking the breech end into soapy water. Then I take a patch-wrapped cleaning jag to it, pulling the soapy water up through the bore, and then pushing it back out throught the nipple hole. I also use a patch-wrapped cleaning brush to get into the rifling. After running several patches down the bore until they come out clean, I figure I've done a pretty good job of cleaning. I end up with very hot water, so it will evaporate quickly.
After cleaning, I run a lightly oiled patch (RemOil or your favorite) down the bore, and lightly wipe down the exterior of the barrel with oil too. It's important to use good thread lube when you replace your freshly cleaned nipple. When you're sure the rest of the rifle is clean, you're ready to replace the barrel, wipe off any finger prints, and store your rifle. I hang mine on a horizontal three-gun rack in our bedroom, right above my lever rifle and my Winchester model 67 single-shot .22.
Before shooting again, I run a couple of dry patches down the bore and snap a cap before loading powder and ball. When I snap the cap, I try to find a leaf or a few blades of grass to aim at from a few inches. If the grass moves when I set off the cap, I know the breech and bore are clear. Hopefully they are dry too.
Good luck.
