one more gottbe bumb question

[ss1]

one more gottbe bumb question! I understand cleaning barrell [hot water and drying] and seasing with organic[ not petrolem base] OK, bore butter keeps barrel from rusting, what about the part from were patch stops to were the nipple starts ! What keeps that section from rusting???

 

[gmww]

Good question. The non-petrolium method vs the petrolium method has been a debate I've seen for years on numerous forums.

 

[Pittsburghunter]

I take a well lubed patch and stuff it in the bore. I then use my ramrod with a worm on it and run it all the way down into the breech area and turn it clockwize pull it out and use a second patch if needed. I then use a lubed pipe cleaner to lube the area inside the balister/ snail.

I go through one or two worms a year depending on how much shooting I do. I like the T/C ones with the offset spring steel tines.

 

[dek]

The only dumb questions are the ones that are never asked. :hmm: :hmm: As for what one uses is period correct or not is not an issue as far as I am concerned. After all, are you wanting to protect the investment you have in your firearm or other equipment that was made by modern methods with modern steels and tools or not? I use petrolium jelly (vasoline) and apply it when the metal is still hot. That way the jelly melts and gets into all of the cracks and crannys and protects the metal from rusting. That's the real reason for cleaning and protecting the metal surfaces of your equipment. But, if being period correct is your greatest concern then you must think in different channels and take your chances. :thumbsup: God Bless.

 

[Runner]

A qtip will work thru the side clean out if you keep twisting it the full time. If you try to take it out without twisting as you do, you will pull the cotton off in the breech.

 

[marwat06]

You can use pipe cleaner (put your lube on it) to clean and lube the fire channel. I use my .45 Cal Pistol Mop attached to my centerfire cleaning rod. The mop fits down into the breech area.

 

[boar]

SSI After I clean with the water&soap I take out nipple ,clean then use Qtip in nipple hole,then I blow air from nipple hole in to barrel,then run patch in barrel.,then oilly patch.never put any thing in (oil) nipple hole.Mine have been good over 20yrs.Have both, snail,drum . Dilly

 

Except for a few instances in which I failed in my duty to get right on my cleaning, I've never had a problem with using just Thompsons #13 bore cleaner or Tracks Best Bore Cleaner. After which I put a good coat of Thompsons Bore butter. Around the snail area I'll use some Break Free. As long as I keep right on top of it, I've never had any problems.

 

[ss1]

I have been using break free, after final cleaning[ in can that sorta foams when sprayed] down barrel and run patch back a couple of times [ some comes out the nipple hole, so I know it is well coated] run in dry patch to elemiate excess.Stand rifle barrel down over night.Day before going shooting, dry patch, followed with patch with bore butter. Have never had a problem; however it seem wrong [or a wast] putting organic over petrolem !? Not interested in PC, do not know alot about ML, can not shoot good, BUT there is NOT any body that has as much FUN and ENJOYMENT as I do shooting ML> I just shoot and have FUN> Placed 2nd one time in match[ only 2 of us shooting :grin:

 

Listen ss1, the responses you get from all the good folks on this forum are meant to help you. Do what works best for you. It's your firearm and your hard earned money spent on it. Do what works best for you! But I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the sport. It's great is'nt it? Hope you stick with it as well as this forum. Lot's of neat folks as well as some real neat info!!!!

 

[ss1]

Only some one like me, can truly APPRECIATE the value of this forun. Unbelivably indo and the most helpful people!!

 

[Swampman]

Olive oil is just as good as anything.

 

[RedFeather]

A lot of the newer metal treaments work well. You could try applying some Birchwood Casey Sheath in the breech/bolster area. One benefit is that it is "polarized" and will seek metal through a layer of moisture. I have never had a problem with it. On the outside I wipe down with a Rig Rag refreshed now and again with, you guessed it, a dab of RIG. Heck, RIG is so old tech it's practically original!

RedFeather

 

[AZ-Robert]

what about the part from were patch stops to were the nipple starts !

Are you talking about a patent breech here? A section that is narrower than your bore?

If you have a patent breech with an opening narrower than the bore, your cleaning jag will fail to get your lube (of whatever type) in there. You can spray it in through the nipple or vent, or use a pipe cleaner... but those methods may not get all the nooks and crannies. You can wrap a lube soaked patch around the undersized bore brush you use to clean down in there. The bristles will hold the patch in place on the way down. Work it around when you get into the breech area. If it falls off, go after it with your patch worm.

If I remember what I read in the Lyman manual, they recommend a 36 cal brush to get into the patent breech area of their 50 and 54 cal rifles. I know guys with those guns who also use a 36ish cal scraper to get down in there.

 

[Zonie]

I remove my barrel to clean it.
After it is washed, I heat the breech over my gas kitchen stove to dry the water out of the threads.
Following this, I spray some Birchwood Casey "Sheath" down the bore while holding the barrel so that the Sheath can run down into any theads in the area.
I then run a dry patch down the bore to distribute the fluid and remove the excess.

Although Sheath is a petroleum product, it evaporates leaving a rust preventing film.
I have done this for years and I have never seen the hard black fouling which other petroleum oils and Black Powder can create.

 

[gmww]

SS1, I went away from the non-petrolium route and now clean using standard modern rifle cleaning methods and a little ML cleaning methods too. When I finish up I usually use a water displacing product such as WD40 for the nipple hole and channel. Of course I've taken the nipple out and cleaned thoroughly with a pipe cleaner.

Before I put my gun up, I'll use Kroil in the barrel and nipple area.

 

[WV MZL HUNTER]

I put enough bore butter on the patch to make it come out of the mipple, I remove the nipple and push bore butter down into the threads if it does not come out from the inside of the barrel. When I store my guns I take the patch with bore butter on it and lower the hammer down on the patch that is covering the nipple. I put bore butter all over the area around the nipple and up inside the hammer. :yakyak:

 

[Chiefs50]

Speaking of patent breeches, there are flat end breech scrapers and rounded end scrapers. Does anyone know which one is required to scrape the fouling from the patent breech on the Lyman Trade Rifle; i.e. is the breeched end flat or concave?

 

[ryoung14]

One thing hasn't been mentioned, ss1. The dangerous part of the fouling is the salts. They dissolve readily in water. So if you flush the barrel with water (hot or cold, soapy or not) drawing water into the breech through the nipple hole & flash channel using jag and patch with a pumping action, those salts will be flushed out.

What remains is mostly harmless carbon. Yeah, it looks bad on a clean white patch and yes, we usually go after it with more elbow grease; but, for the most part, it does no harm. Quite possibly the extra scrubbing harms the barrel more than a little carbon. Like most here, I run a pipe cleaner up and down the flash channel to get the heavy stuff and give extra attention to the nipple threads, but beyond that I don't worry about it.

The breechplug's a casting anyway with thick wall dimensions and no exposed finely machined surfaces (other than the nipple threads which get cleaned). A modest amount of surface rust really won't have much impact on it.

I've had good luck with bore butter as a rust preventative and go along the bore seasoning regimen. But I question how long the bore stays seasoned when soapy solutions and/or alcohol are used for cleaning. T/C compares the seasoned bore to a seasoned iron frying pan. I know from experience that a seasoned frying pan loses its seasoning when washed in hot soapy water. So is the seasoning only good 'til the next cleanup? Will swabbing the bore with windshield washer/isopropyl alcohol mix prior to shooting remove the seasoning? It seems like seasoning is just another variable that's hard to control.

One man's 'seasoning' might be another man's 'Bore Butter buildup'. I do recall a T/C tech remarking that people tend to go overboard with Bore Butter.

On a couple of barrels, I've shifted away from Bore Butter as a final protectant and am using LPS2 and LPS3. They leave a waxy protective film. I'm sure they'll do a good job protecting the steel, but the jury is still out on whether the hard asphalt-like petroleum fouling will appear. Hopefully swabbing with ws-washer/alcohol before shooting will clear all this away.

The comments about olive oil and petroleum jelly being good for rust prevention are interesting. I'm a bit wary because I got into trouble once experimenting with common cooking oil as a protectant. Got a barrel with a rough section in the bore to show for it. Would petroleum jelly be a 'natural' seasoning?
FWIW
Bob