Plugging TH

[Vaino]

My hunting LRs have wedges so the bbls are always removed for cleaning. From the many responses on this subject, most clean the bbl w/o removing the bbl. If so, what is used to plug the TH and that won't pop out when swabbing the bore. Do any of you use that clamp-on w/ the tubing and how does it work and from where is it sold? Thanks for any info......Fred

 

[BrownBear]

I'm using a round toothpick. I'm such a klutz though, that I cut them down to about 3/4" long so there's less sticking out for me to hang stuff on. I'm pretty gosh darned good at snapping the tips off inside the TH if too much sticks out.

I've never found happiness with the flush tubes on FL's. They always seem to leak and I get as much water down in the stock recesses as in the bore.

 

[Leatherbelly]

Hey Fred,
I take the lock off, just poke a round toothpick in the TH,fill the barrel with COLD water.Let it sit for 1/2 hour. I plug the lock mortice with paper towel.After sitting a spell, I take a wet cleaning patch,lay it over the muzzle and pull the toothpick out.With cleaning rod in hand ,I push the patch down the barrel and hydraulic the remaining water out the vent with force.I then just dry patch it out.
Here's a little trick I learned to check that I got all the fouling out. After my second or third dry patch(when all looks clean),I run a Lehigh Valley Patch lube/cleaner patch down the bore. If there are any residuals in there,this patch lets me know.I then continue to dry patch the bore out. One last step.I shoot a 5 second burst of WD40 down the bore and with a patch sprayed with the same, I push all the WD out the vent,then a dry loose patch to clean out the WD40,then reassemble.
I do this method because my rifle and smoothie have those hard to see lil pins. I come unglued when I mangle the wood around them with my pin pusher(with crappy in-close eye sight)so I've got comfortable doing it this way. Cheers, Roy

 

[Stubert]

I put my rifle in a cleaning vise upside down, and the end of the barrel lower than the breech. That way any leakage does't get into the stock.

 

[jdkerstetter]

That's the way I try to do it too. Not just on ML either. Upside down or vent side down when practicle so as to let the manure drop from the gun instead of in/on the gun.

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[Bob J]

The E Z Cleaner flush kit works great for me. This is where I purchased it: www.dunlapwoodcrafts.com

I do use a Ballistol/water mixture, then thoroughly dry the bore, then a couple of patches with straight Ballistol for bore protection.

 

[Dean2]

I bought the flush kit from TOW becuase my flintlock has the small pins. Tried it, didn't like it.Looks good, nicely made but way to big a pain to keep from leaking.

I now also do the muzzle down, lock off upside down in cradle and touch hole plugged with a toothpick. Like others posted, I first fill it standing with cold soapy water, let sit half hour, dump in sink, then clean from there.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Yep, round tootpicks are just the thing. To get a better seal I heat some beeswax and just dip the toothpicks in the beeswax. It doesn't take much, just a quick dip. Lay the dipped toothpicks on plain wax paper to let cool. You can do about a hundred in fifteen minutes. The time consuming part is getting them laid out to cool with out sticking together. Once they have cooled you can just bundle them up and have a good supply. Unless you leave your bundle on the truck seat in the hot sun with the windows up they won't stick together too hard to let you pull them apart as needed.(How do I know this ???)

 

[stormcrow]

Same experience as Dean 2 with the flush kit. It's made well but it doesn't quite clamp or seal on my guns the way I had hoped when I bought it, so I went back to toothpicks. If you would like to give it a try send me a pm and I'll mail it to you. Otherwise it will just sit in the bottom of a cleaning supplies box until I forget it was there.

 

[Bob J]

The flush kit can be a little tricky getting it to tighten up "just right" over the touch hole, but I find it very usable. A lot of people use toothpicks to seal the touch hole, but personally I have found the quill of a small feather to work better (of course, this isn't needed with a flush kit).

 

[Pigslayer]

I take the barrel out on my flinters. Yea, I know, the lock has to come out too. But that way I can thoroughly clean the lock too. With the barrel out, I don't plug the flashole. With gloves on I pour boiling hot soapy water down the barrel & work a cleaning patch on the end of a jag back & forth. Much of the dirt & manure go out the open flashole. The barrel gets so hot that it dries immediatly. Then I put a little gun oil to the inside of the bore and outside of the barrel.
Works for me.

 

[Leatherbelly]

Try cold water.You risk the chance of flash rusting with hot water.Soap has salt in it.Do what works for you.I stay clear of hot water and soap.I use a tad of soap when cleaning after using a oiled patch for hunting.Cold water works just as good as hot without the risk of flash rust and pitting. I've seen a buddy's gun barrel rot out from boiling water and soap combination. Just a heads up.

 

[hanshi]

I use round toothpicks and wrap the lock area with paper towels because there's frequently a bit of "weeping" from the touch hole. The coating of the toothpicks does help. The only time I remove the barrel from my longrifles is when I do work either on the barrel or the stock. The bottom of all my barrels is coated with heavy gun grease.

 

[Dphar]

My hunting LRs have wedges so the bbls are always removed for cleaning. From the many responses on this subject, most clean the bbl w/o removing the bbl. If so, what is used to plug the TH and that won't pop out when swabbing the bore. Do any of you use that clamp-on w/ the tubing and how does it work and from where is it sold? Thanks for any info......Fred

I use round toothpicks.
I use the clamp on thingy on my swivel breech by removing the front locks. They won't work on my conventional long rifles.

Dan

 

[Pigslayer]

Try cold water.You risk the chance of flash rusting with hot water.Soap has salt in it.Do what works for you.I stay clear of hot water and soap.I use a tad of soap when cleaning after using a oiled patch for hunting.Cold water works just as good as hot without the risk of flash rust and pitting. I've seen a buddy's gun barrel rot out from boiling water and soap combination. Just a heads up.

Wow!! Thank you . . . I didn't know that! That is a definite plus in that I didn't like handling a scalding hot barrel. I will definitly do that next time!!

 

[CrackStock]

I also like cold water. I generally used creek water where i hunted, but must say that a drop of Dawn soap will not hurt your ML.

CS

 

[Leatherbelly]

For an oiled(grease)patch,I use cold water and a drop or two of Dawn.Spit and water based lube,just cold water.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'm using a round toothpick. I'm such a klutz though, that I cut them down to about 3/4" long so there's less sticking out for me to hang stuff on. I'm pretty gosh darned good at snapping the tips off inside the TH if too much sticks out.

You're not a klutz..., [strike]you're[/strike] ...we're normal!

Wood toothpick works fine.

LD

 

[majg1234]

I've found hot water better because I use beeswax in my lubes cold water doesn't "cut it" as well I had some staining in my smoothy from cold water and my SMTN almost did the same YMMV however. for me its hot water Dawn dishwashing liquid and oil in the barrel after

 

[kodiakmarine]

I also use a lube with beeswax and clean with hot water and a little dish soap. I finish by running a patch saturated with synthetic sperm whale oil down the barrel. It works for me. I'm planning on trying the SSWO as a patch lube on my next rip to the range . - John