Preventing bore rust

[Aggie1105]

Howdy all,

I am recently new to the forum. I’m sure this topic has been covered many times, but I’d appreciate it if anyone could spare info they find useful.

I have a Spanish .45cal Jukar rifle that I have shot once about a year ago after purchasing from a friend. It was swabbed thoroughly after shooting it until patches were coming out clean. I then swabbed with TC bore butter to protect the bore and put it in the safe. I pulled it out today to clean alongside some other guns, and the first cleaning patch came out very reddish-brown. I live in an area with high humidity, but the exterior had no rust and no other guns in the safe have any rust. This is the second time I have had this happen with this specific gun.

Does anyone have info on why this might happen? Does bore butter oxidize or look rust colored over time or is it legitimate rust? Open to any advice in case I am doing something wrong. Thanks in advance.

HP

 

[kyron4]

Are you cleaning with with water first ? If the bore is not 100% dry the bore butter can trap moisture and cause rusting. Bore butter does oxidizer and leaves a brownish residue that can look like rust.

Here's how I do it. Flush bore with water and pump a patch up and down the bore several times. Run several dry patches down the bore till clean and dry. Then wet patch of isopropyl alcohol to drive out any water followed by more dry patches. Then a patch soaked in CLP or your choice of gun oil. Never any issues with rust. Before I shoot I run an alcohol patch followed by a few dry patches to remove any oil in the bore.

Bore butter has it's place but preventing rust isn't what it's best at.

 

[J.D.]

Come back the following day, or two, after cleaning, and check for rust. IMHO, cleaning with a several spritzes of Windex, then a rinse with alcohol, or WD 40, though I like alcohol better, dry the bore, then grease the bore, liberally, with Vaseline. Vaseline is a wax, that is easily removed with an alcohol patch, or two, so it does not adversely affect powder or fouling. Also shoot real black powder. Some of the BP substitutes, especially Pyrodex, will rot out a bore in no time. IMHO, Pyrodex is cancer to steel.

 

[kyron4]

Come back the following day, or two, after cleaning, and check for rust. IMHO, cleaning with a several spritzes of Windex, then a rinse with alcohol, or WD 40, though I like alcohol better, dry the bore, then grease the bore, liberally, with Vaseline. Vaseline is a wax, that is easily removed with an alcohol patch, or two, so it does not adversely affect powder or fouling. Also shoot real black powder. Some of the BP substitutes, especially Pyrodex, will rot out a bore in no time. IMHO, Pyrodex is cancer to steel.

With a proper cleaning promptly after shooting Pyrodex is no more corrosive than BP ;although BP is a little more forgiving. Don't clean your gun properly or promptly after shooting you will get rust with either, though BP is a little more forgiving.

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Maybe NOT RUST, just the discoloration of whatever you mused to clean the barrel. Seen the same thing on mine and they are in a dry environment.

 

[French Colonial]

Agree with Mikie, it is probably just the discoloration of the bore butter, give it a good cleaning and drop a small AAA flashlight or similar down the barrel (or buy a $50.00 bore scope off the web) and see what it looks like.

Then ditch the bore butter and use something better, Barricade, R.I.G. or other known rust inhibitors.

 

[BS2366]

I clean the bore with ballistol/warm soapy water. Run dry patches. Run an alcohol patch a few passes. Then I run a patch with barricade to coat the bore. Store them barrel down.

 

[Eric Krewson]

We had an unusually wet spell that lasted for two months, I had used Barricad in all of my B/P guns, when I checked, the every one of them had some light rust in the barrels. Now I swab them with a patch with either Rig or 30wt non detergent motor oil to put them up and haven't seen a speck of rust since. My guns are stored in a gun safe out in the garage, not in my climate-controlled house, I do have a dehumidifier rod in the safe.

 

[Salty]

Flash rust happens.
I clean my gun immediately after shooting. I never use any water in my cleaners. Scrub and dry patch until clean. Dry the bore with alcohol. Let it evaporate. Then run a wet patch with Ballistol through the entire bore coating it. Then I leave my ramrod with a Ballistol wet patch remain in the bore while storing it. Never have rust. Of course before I shoot again, I run a dry patch to remove excess oil. No sign of rust.

 

[Okie Hog]

does not adversely affect powder or fouling. Also shoot real black powder. Some of the BP substitutes, especially Pyrodex, will rot out a bore in no time.

Not so!!!!

IME: The residue 0f Pyrodex is no more corrosive than the residue of unholy black powder. The residue of the other BP substitutes are much less corrosive than that of unholy black powder.

i won't use unholy black powder. IMO: It's for blasting rocks and stumps.

 

[rp77469]

Try the search function. Probably a thousand or more threads here on cleaning. LOTS of things work, but 95 percent like to think their way is the ONLY way to do things, and beat on those who disagree. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the coming tirades. Already at least one "My way or the highway" contribution in your replies.

I've been using water with a drop or two of Dawn or equivalent for 40+ years. Works for me. Plenty of other ways work as well too. I just don't see a need to make cleaning overly complicated.

 

[gunpa]

IME Pyrodex is worse than black powder at rusting up your barrel and bore butter helps it grow!

 

[Salty]

Try the search function. Probably a thousand or more threads here on cleaning. LOTS of things work, but 95 percent like to think their way is the ONLY way to do things, and beat on those who disagree. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the coming tirades. Already at least one "My way or the highway" contribution in your replies.

I've been using water with a drop or two of Dawn or equivalent for 40+ years. Works for me. Plenty of other ways work as well too. I just don't see a need to make cleaning overly complicated.

Most have given a method that works for them. Most do not say that theirs is the only way. Take a look at his question. I think his question was preventing RUST.

 

[Aggie1105]

Thanks to all for the replies. I have been hesitant to use water for cleaning because I don't want to induce rust myself. I usually use TC bore cleaner. I do shoot T7 in all my guns since it was what was available when I began getting interested with muzzleloaders. I definitely want to try Goex soon. I plan on giving it a thorough scrub soon and using barricade as a preventative instead.

 

[Aggie1105]

Try the search function. Probably a thousand or more threads here on cleaning. LOTS of things work, but 95 percent like to think their way is the ONLY way to do things, and beat on those who disagree. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the coming tirades. Already at least one "My way or the highway" contribution in your replies.

I've been using water with a drop or two of Dawn or equivalent for 40+ years. Works for me. Plenty of other ways work as well too. I just don't see a need to make cleaning overly complicated.

Quick clarification question: Are you mixing Dawn with water to clean or just using Dawn by itself on a cleaning patch? Thanks

 

[rp77469]

Quick clarification question: Are you mixing Dawn with water to clean or just using Dawn by itself on a cleaning patch? Thanks

Cleaning...I lube with bear grease. A drop or two of Dawn in a cup of water for pinned barrels. A squirt in a bucket if pumping water through a hook breech (remove and clean in a bucket) type. I have just cleaned with spit or creek water at a doin's too. Dry Very Well!!, Oil or Grease. My cleaning regime at home is more stringent for longer term storage, but this works for me at a week of shooting at rendezvous.

Rust prevention begins with removing fouling, powder residue and assorted crud. Lots of good advice in older threads here. What works for some does not always work for others though. You have to experiment to find what works best for you.

 

[wiscoaster]

I'm guessing OP didn't get the bore as clean as he thought it was. Also, that the bore surfaces may be slightly pitted. This situation is a breeding ground for new rust. Polish that bore, scrub it absolutely clean, then protect with a light coat of gun oil.

 

[French Colonial]

Thanks to all for the replies. I have been hesitant to use water for cleaning because I don't want to induce rust myself. I usually use TC bore cleaner. I do shoot T7 in all my guns since it was what was available when I began getting interested with muzzleloaders. I definitely want to try Goex soon. I plan on giving it a thorough scrub soon and using barricade as a preventative instead.

You should read some of the cleaning threads on this forum........

WATER is one of THE best products for cleaning ML barrels and not using it may be one of your problems.

Clean with water or maybe water with a little squirt of Dawn dishwashing detergent, your going to wipe the water out after you get the water soluble stuff out.

Then a good rust preventative............. again, read the thousands of posts on the subject by hitting the search button in the upper right corner.

 

[Big Tom 52]

I was having trouble with my barrel, long story, short, I make sure my barrel is completely dry after cleaning then run a patch soaked with Ballistol in the barrel. When I store it between trips to the range, I put a rag around the end of the barrel and store the gun barrel down so any excess oil won't lay in the breech. then like the other said, alcohol patch and dry patches and shoot off a cap or two before loading. no rust or miss fires, so far!

 

[FlinterNick]

Howdy all,

I am recently new to the forum. I’m sure this topic has been covered many times, but I’d appreciate it if anyone could spare info they find useful.

I have a Spanish .45cal Jukar rifle that I have shot once about a year ago after purchasing from a friend. It was swabbed thoroughly after shooting it until patches were coming out clean. I then swabbed with TC bore butter to protect the bore and put it in the safe. I pulled it out today to clean alongside some other guns, and the first cleaning patch came out very reddish-brown. I live in an area with high humidity, but the exterior had no rust and no other guns in the safe have any rust. This is the second time I have had this happen with this specific gun.

Does anyone have info on why this might happen? Does bore butter oxidize or look rust colored over time or is it legitimate rust? Open to any advice in case I am doing something wrong. Thanks in advance.

HP

After cleaning the bore, i use marine grease, it’s a blue lithium based grease, its pretty good stuff.