New Cleaning Technique

[NoJacketRequired]

Hi Folks,

Well, I had just about had enough of my T/C Renegade not firing reliably. The problem just had to be a buildup of gunk in the cone-shaped breach. Thanks to some wise counsel from experienced shooters here, I decided to give it a very thorough cleaning. After the cleaning it still wasn't firing reliably. Grrrrrrr!

In the middle of the night a brainwave came to me (ah, yeah, I was awake - couldn't sleep so was thinkin' about shooting - funny how that works...). I have an air compressor, and I have an engine sprayer attachment for it. The sprayer attachment is just an airgun with a fluid siphon hose attached, normally used for spraying solvents to clean the gunk from an engine. I began to think that the combination of a solvent and high pressure might work to remove the stubborn residues in my gun. Besides, with a scope mounted on it I'm no longer at liberty to leave the breach soaking in a pail of hot soapy water, unless I want to buy a new scope!

So the next day I took a pail of hot water and Dawn dish soap, dropped the siphon tube from the engine sprayer into it, set the regulator on my compressor to 90PSI (max recommended pressure for the sprayer) and started to hose down my rifle's interior. I alternated a shot or two in the nipple hole and a few good long squirts down from the muzzle. Wow - did this ever work! In about two minutes I was done and she was shiny-clean. There's very little mess associated with it, as long as you do it outdoors. And the best part? Well, my next session at the bench yielded 100% ignition reliability. Woohoo - dontcha love it when a plan works? ::

 

[musketman]

This should work with all types of muzzleloaders too...

Thanks for passing your idea along...

Dont have an air compressor, no problem, your car is sitting on four 32 psi compressors... :winking: :haha:

 

[JOHN L. HINNANT]

Greetings All,
The buildup of blackpowder residue in a patten breech powder chamber or drum & nipple will cause misfires and hang fires as previously noted. For the past 30+ years I have used a cleaner called Black Solve now manufactured for and distributed by DIXIE GUN WORKS who was not the original inventor and distributer.
At the end of a shooting session, I place a piece of 1/8" plastic tubing 36" long over the nipple and tie the ther end next to the muzzle with string. The rifle is of course standing in a vertical position. About 2-3" of the liquid is poured down the barrel and allowed to sit while I start putting away other gear and supplies. After several minutes, a patch is placed over the cleaning rod jag and the rod is run up and down the bore. This causes the Black Solve solution to surge in and out of the powder chamber and nipple. Untie the neoprene tubing from the muzzle, lay it on the ground and use the cleaning rod to push the cleaner out through the nipple. Tie the tubing back up and pour a second application of cleaner down the barrel and repeat the plunging and again drain through the nipple and tubing. Leave the tubing on the nipple. Use patches wet with Black Solve to clean the bore until the patches come out clean; usually 6-8 patches. Dry the barrel thoroughly with clean patches.
The powder chamber must also be wiped dry. Use a patch on the end of a worm or wrap the patch around a 22 caliber brass/bronze cleaning brush screwed into the end of the regular cleaning/loading jag.
When the powder chamber is dry, spray a good moisture inhibitor down the barrel to drive any remaining solution out of the breech plug and breech threads. This is vitally important. WD40 works well for this and elecrtical contact spray cleaners are good too. Failing to do this will allow
the water base cleaner to evaporate or leach out of the breech threads and cause a rust ring in the breech and up the bore.
Finish up by swabbing the bore with RIG gun grease. This is my favorite bore protection product and to date has never failed me, even for long term protection.
The outside of the barrel, breech, and lock can also be cleaned with Black Solve, but keep it off the stock. It will remove stock finish super quick and stain the stock. Wipe down the outside metal with RIG and put a folded cleaning patch over the nipple under the hammer to soak up any fluid that might leak out the patten breech/nipple or drum/nipple.
Black Solve sells for $3.00-$4.00 per 4 oz. bottle and is mixed with 28 ozs. of water to make 32 ozs. of cleaner.
The old timers used hot soapy water and bear grease because that was the best they had. Today, we have a better way. Besides, ever notice how rusty red your drying patches are when using hot soapy water. Thats because it is rust. Personally I would rather shoot my barrels out than rust them out.

Best Regards, John L. Hinnant

 

[bob1961]

good ol brake cleaner does the same thing without the set up of your air lines to blast it....just my .02 worth of info for ya all.......................bob

 

[Myra lou]

I use a cone scraper before I do the soap and hot water thing in the barrel......T/C has them for about 3.50....... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Birddog6]

I have used a flush tube for years cleaning my rifles & only take the halfstocks apart once a year to clean them as with a flush tub you don't need to take tha barrel off. I use cold water & some dish soap or some Ballistol in the solution & it disolves all the powder residue & etc. I
pull the barrel full of the liquid & let it soak while I am cleaning the lock assembly. That takes about 4-5 min & when I am completely done with the lock & I have it cleaned, dried & oiled, then I go back to the rifle & all the residue is loosened & you can easily flush & clean one. Takes about 15-20 minutes to completely clean a longrifle or halfstock with a flush tube & no mess on the stock or in the area & to me it's easier than taking the rifle off & using a bucket of water & all of that. Cleaned them for over 20 years with no problems this way.... Now they sell the tubes & clamps to do it with, when I started doing mine you had to make the lil connections.

Everyone has there own way tho... Main thing is ya get it CLEAN & DRY.

Custom Muzzleloaders & Custom Knives