Non-Messy Soap and Water Wash – Now how do I stop rust without causing misfires!

[Bumpy Rhodes]

I’m a new guy, I have a total of 2 whole months experience with blackpowder. Please excuse my ignorance if you guys have seen this 1000 times.

Looking for an easier way to get the crud out of the patent chamber of my 2nd hand Traditions flintlock, I took a 5mm HSCS (hex socket cap screw), ran a 1/8 drill through it, put a nut and an o-ring on it, and pushed a vinyl tube over it. Screwed it into the threaded hole for the touchhole screw so the o-ring seals the breech and put a vinyl tube on it running to a cup of hot soapy water.

Then I ran a soapy mop up and down the bore, it pumped the soapy water back and forth through the chamber and bore. After washing, I run hot water from the sink into the breech to rinse everything, then dry. Seems to work very well without splashing water all over the gun.

Now my question: After it is all dry, what can I put in the patent chamber to prevent rust but won’t gunk up next time I shoot it?

First thing that comes to mind is a Teflon or silicone mold release agent, but I have no idea how blackpowder will react to it.

Does anyone have any suggestions on traditional or modern chemicals that will provide a rust preventative coating but will not gunk up the patent chamber? This stupid chamber seems to be the crux of my misfire problems and I need to keep it clear, but I don’t want it to rust either.

Thanks!!!

 

[Cabincritter]

WD 40. Works fine. Standard gun oil works fine. Before Flashing your pan in preparation for loading, clean you're bore with Alcohol, then poor a little down the barrel, enough to fill your patent breach. With your frizzed open, ram an alcohol soaked patch up and down forcefully. Caution, it will squirt clear across the room! Dry the bore. Flash your pan 2-3 times, and load.

 

[SDSmlf]

Does anyone have any suggestions on traditional or modern chemicals that will provide a rust preventative coating but will not gunk up the patent chamber?

I have used rust preventative products that leave a dry film instead of an oily or wet one, like Eezox or Baricade (currently using Eezox), as I suggested in your other thread. No matter what you use, less can be more, and store your gun muzzle down until the bore is completely dry to avoid any buildup of lube in its breech area.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I use ballistol, I run an alcohol patch down the bore before I shoot the next time after cleaning.

 

[Bumpy Rhodes]

Before Flashing your pan in preparation for loading, clean you're bore with Alcohol, then poor a little down the barrel, enough to fill your patent breach. With your frizzed open, ram an alcohol soaked patch up and down forcefully. Caution, it will squirt clear across the room! Dry the bore. Flash your pan 2-3 times, and load.

I LIKE this idea!!! Thanks!

 

[BoomStick]

Put a cleaning patch on a 25 (or so) caliber bore brush on your cleaning rod, swab the patent breech dry then follow with another patch with a bit of non-petroleum oil -not a lot, just a light amount.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

1) plain old water, flush or patch a few times until the water comes out fairly clear
2) flush with alcohol to displace any water
3) patches until dry
4) lube with Ballistol

I use a .22 cal brush to get into the patent breech on my Pedersolis but rarely see any fouling if I've done step 1 properly.

Don't overthink it. Thousands of lead balls later and my rifle bores look like new. Good luck and happy kabooming.

 

[Harry Marinakis]

After cleaning the bore, I swab it dry with cleaning patches and then liberally swab the bore with Fluid Film to prevent rust. Before I load the rifle again, I swab out the bore with dry patches.

I bought a borescope, and started looking closely at my bores. Even if I dry the bore with alcohol and lightly lube with a rust prevention agent, I am still finding rust in the bore. Therefore I started applying Fluid Film quite liberally before putting the rifle away.

Since you have a second-hand rifle, another thing you might want to try is scrubbing the bore a few dozen times with a tight wad of steel wool. You can even apply some valve grinding paste to the steel wool. Get that bore cleaned out well to reduce fouling.

 

[gustaf]

Your method works well. Be sure to use hot water soapy for the flush and then a clear rinse. Ballistol to wipe the bore down right away with a smaller patch on brush to get into the breech. 10% Ballistol and water mix in a spray bottle to wipe down the outside to remove residue. If the fowling won't easily come out of the patent breech find a brass scraper that fits on the rod and is the right diameter to fit in the breech.

Hawken hooked breech style I can pull the wedges, remove the nipple or flash hole and stick it in a bucket of hot soapy water and wrap a patch around the brush and pump. Follow up with Ballistol.

My 1853 Enfield it's not too easy to remove the barrel so I put a piece of inner tube between nipple and hammer and heat up dish detergent water mix and pour into the barrel first to get most of the fowling out. I then put a tube over the nipple and put that into a bucket of hot clear water and pump with brush and then dry patch following up with Ballistol.

I usually remove the flash hole or nipple to grease the threads and to make sure its clean. If you have an air compressor it makes it easy to blow the bore clear.
I personally wouldn't use any abrasive on the bore except for a bore paste made for it. Usually you don't need it in a good smooth bore that cleans easily.
Ballistol seems to work well with the patch lube and doesn't leave a gummy mess. It's also easier on the skin.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

1) plain old water, flush or patch a few times until the water comes out fairly clear
2) flush with alcohol to displace any water
3) patches until dry
4) lube with Ballistol

I use a .22 cal brush to get into the patent breech on my Pedersolis but rarely see any fouling if I've done step 1 properly.

Don't overthink it. Thousands of lead balls later and my rifle bores look like new. Good luck and happy kabooming.

This is the way.

Great job with the flush setup; you nailed it.

Don't oversaturate your last patch with oil. Too much oil + a patent/chambered breech is asking for trouble. If you DO like to use a saturated patch, leave the gun muzzle down on a rag for a couple days.

I use a flush tube and a gallon milk jug for my cleaning.

Drilled a hole in the lid for the hose. Just a bit larger than the hose OD to allow for air displacement.

On the end of the flush tube down in the jug is a brass hose barb. This is simply a weight to keep it on the bottom, and from flailing around when cleaning.

When the water gets dirty, unscrew the jug lid, let hose drain, rinse and repeat...

Definitely get a quart of 99% isopropyl alcohol. It dries things out nicely.

Patent breeches can be a PIA. Quality of cleaning and storage will be directly related to how the gun runs....Learned from a .36 cal Pedersoli Frontier. After I saw a cutaway of a patent/chambered breech, it made sense.

Flush with water, dry with alcohol, lightly oil, muzzle down. See how the next shooting session goes after that.

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Bumpy Rhodes, your flushing procedure will remove the fouling. Follow the flushing with a few dry patches including one on the 25 caliber brush to dry the chambered breech. WD40 will displace any remaining water in the bore. It is a water displacement fluid with some lubricating properties. Its ability to prevent rust is questionable in high humidity regions. The rubbing alcohol flush will also displace water and dry very quickly. I like Barricade for the rust inhibiting properties. Fluid Film will work as well as Boeshield. They dry out leaving a thin film of rust inhibiting lubrication in the bore. Store the rifle muzzle down after cleaning and applying rust inhibiting lubrication. Before you go out to the range, do the alcohol flush to remove the lubricant and any oils that may still be in the breech. Unlikely if the rifle is stored muzzle down but do it anyway. The use of Ballistol will work, but I think Barricade or one of the filming lubricants are better for storage. WD40 has been known to build up a sludge so it is best not to use it for storage in high humidity regions of the country.

 

[French Colonial]

Clean as above, oil with Ballistol, Barricade or I have been experimenting with Hornady's One Shot gun cleaner and case lube...seems to work pretty good (Yeah, I don't care if it is petroleum based as long as it works)

After oiling, run a dry patch down the barrel and soak up the excess oil, there will still be plenty left to protect the bore, now, with a patent breach do as recommended above and store muzzle down.

 

[westrayer]

I have BoreTech BP cleaner that I use. After that I run alcohol followed by patches loaded with 1000+.
I only have production guns with hooked breeches so once I remove the nipple or touch hole line, I can flush with hot water and then the 1000+ patches while the barrel is still hot. The heat melts the 1000+ and helps to season the bore.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Org, modern rifle barrels made of steel are not seasoned. The 1000+ works for @westrayer as a bore lubricant. What passes for seasoning is merely a buildup of fouling and burnt grease. You are not shooting a cast iron skillet.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Hot water is enough to break down corrosive salts. A squirt of pblaster down the barrel is enough.
Like others said when you want to shoot after storage an alcohol patch works well to dry up any oils.
Have fun with it.

 

[French Colonial]

Org, modern rifle barrels made of steel are not seasoned. The 1000+ works for @westrayer as a bore lubricant. What passes for seasoning is merely a buildup of fouling and burnt grease. You are not shooting a cast iron skillet.

Most people want to pretend that barrels are made of different material..

It is just machined steel, anything that will keep steel from rusting will keep barrels from rusting.
There are some that use motor oil, I wouldn't but some do.

 

[Bumpy Rhodes]

I use ballistol, I run an alcohol patch down the bore before I shoot the next time after cleaning.

Help me understand. Petroleum is bad, but Balistol is ok? I know the BPCR guys all use it. Will isopropyl alcohol dissolve it and rinse it out?

And I can expect the alcohol to rinse it out of the patent chamber?

Thanks.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Help me understand. Petroleum is bad, but Balistol is ok? I know the BPCR guys all use it. Will isopropyl alcohol dissolve it and rinse it out? Thanks.

Usually some like myself touch off a small charge with no ball to prime the barrel for a shooting session

 

[Bumpy Rhodes]

1) plain old water, flush or patch a few times until the water comes out fairly clear
2) flush with alcohol to displace any water
3) patches until dry
4) lube with Ballistol

I use a .22 cal brush to get into the patent breech on my Pedersolis but rarely see any fouling if I've done step 1 properly.

Don't overthink it. Thousands of lead balls later and my rifle bores look like new. Good luck and happy kabooming.

Thanks, but cleaning is not my problem, I hope to protect the metal without gunking up the patent chamber.

Do you alcohol wipe/flush before shooting?

 

[Bumpy Rhodes]

Usually some like myself touch off a small charge with no ball to prime the barrel for a shooting session

Thanks, but again, I am trying to keep the patent chamber from getting gunked up.

I'm starting to think the easiest way to do that is to get a rifle with no patent chamber!