Question about powder

[Trooper]

You’ll get a million opinions as to your cleaning regime, weed through them carefully as some will be downright rude! I see nothing wrong with what you are doing, and if you are satisfied with the results, that’s all that counts. Only change it if you need to, but it very closely matches mine. Only difference is I use bear oil rather than wonderlube or bore butter. Mink oil works great too.
Walk

I've ordered some mink oil from the good people at Track of the wolf last week. I remove the nipples and let them soak in that hot water until I'm done with the barrels, then they get a good cleaning.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Everybody removes the nipple. You can't see down the whole channel on all guns. A clean out screw helps to get in it and scrub. Also, letting a cleaner soak in the channel before flushing helps too. Just flushing will get you at some point.

Hasn't yet brother but it has only been thirty years i guess

 

[user 36911]

Hasn't yet brother but it has only been thirty years i guess

Ok, a quick question. Do you use a scraper to clean the face of the breech channel? What doesn't flushing get rid of that? If you get that hard carbon on the face of the breech channel. Why wouldn't you get the same thing in the breech channel? The face of the channel shows that flushing doesn't get rid of it.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Ok, a quick question. Do you use a scraper to clean the face of the breech channel? What doesn't flushing get rid of that? If you get that hard carbon on the face of the breech channel. Why wouldn't you get the same thing in the breech channel? The face of the channel shows that flushing doesn't get rid of it.

Nope, I don't.

I use to. I use to get all worked up about cleaning but now I don't. Sometimes I will leave it a week before I clean but usually its under 24 hours.
I have learnt that by not using petroleum products I don't seem to get hard to remove carbon build up. Everything seems to stay easily dissolved with water.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I shoot T7 and it cleans up easy. Only shot Pyro once and it cleaned up fine with hot water but it seemed to leave more fouling in barrel during my range session. Had to swab more. With T7 I can shoot 8 or 10 times with no swab. Pyro was like 4 max.
Trying real BP for the first time this coming weekend! T7 shoots great though.

 

[Trooper]

I shoot T7 and it cleans up easy. Only shot Pyro once and it cleaned up fine with hot water but it seemed to leave more fouling in barrel during my range session. Had to swab more. With T7 I can shoot 8 or 10 times with no swab. Pyro was like 4 max.
Trying real BP for the first time this coming weekend! T7 shoots great though.

I'll give BP a try too at some point. Someone mentioned that the small plug on the side of your nipple barrel shouldn't be removed as it was drilled as part of the fabrication process. Is this right?

 

[Omahkapi'si]

No idea on that one.

 

[Trooper]

No idea on that one.

I find even attempting removal could damage that small screw head, so we dont even try.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I only remove the nipple for cleaning.

Hot water and bore mop
Hot water flush
Alcohol flush to displace water
Dry patch
Pump a little more alcohol thru the flash hole
Dry everything
Lube with Ballistol

20 minutes and done. Works for me so far. Only had rifle 6 months. Good luck.

 

[SDSmlf]

Is triple 7 and pyrodex as corrosive as black powder? What are your thoughts?

Personally have found Pyrodex residue to be the most corrosive, even pitting stainless steel relatively fast if not cleaned properly. Black powder and Triple 7 not so much, but still requires proper cleaning. Triple 7 can leave behind a hard residue in the bore near where it ignites, often referred to as the crud ring. Have found blackpowder will leave a bit of a carbon ring after heavy charges under conicals, but nothing like Triple 7, which can actually make seating your projectile to the same depth difficult, at least in my experience.

 

[user 49399]

I've used Swiss, Goex, Pyrodex, Pyrodex Select, American Powder and 777. Any black powder firearm should be cleaned thoroughly after firing no matter what powder is used. The only real difference I've found between real BP and substitutes is subs don’t work well in flintlocks. There are as many different methods to clean as there are shooters it seems. No need to over think it, just do what works for you.

 

[Longrifle]

I used to use pyrodex with crappy results in accuracy. Switched to Goex BP and all was solved. I haven't had any issues as I clean my rifles when I come back from the field. Issues usually only arise if a person doesn't clean their gear.

 

[Walkingeagle]

I'll give BP a try too at some point. Someone mentioned that the small plug on the side of your nipple barrel shouldn't be removed as it was drilled as part of the fabrication process. Is this right?

Don’t remove that screw as there is no need. It was put there to plug a drilling channel through the manufacturing process. Can you remove it? Absolutely, but every time you run the risk of damaging is all. There is no need to.
Walk

 

[Walkingeagle]

Nope, I don't.

I use to. I use to get all worked up about cleaning but now I don't. Sometimes I will leave it a week before I clean but usually its under 24 hours.
I have learnt that by not using petroleum products I don't seem to get hard to remove carbon build up. Everything seems to stay easily dissolved with water.

I’m with Britt on this. Maybe it does slowly build up, but it must take more than 25 years and thousands upon thousands of shots!
Walk

 

[user 36911]

I’m with Britt on this. Maybe it does slowly build up, but it must take more than 25 years and thousands upon thousands of shots!
Walk

Yes, it depends on breech design, lube, and caps.

 

[Crow-Feather]

The propellant in tank shells was cordite. Once the shell was fired, the air inside the tank turret stunk when that breech was opened. the fume extractor on the tank's barrel helped.

I think cordite was used by the British in their SMLE's. It was very hot when fired and tended to erode the bores.

 

[azmntman]

I wouldn't know if ones more corrosive than the other cuz I clean right away and live where 30% humidity is uncomfortable. Bore butter for sealing revolvers and patch lube only here.

 

[towgunner11h]

Your cleaning regimen seems good- I would just add “Go back with bore brush and lubed patches a week or do later and see what you find”.

 

[Sam squanch]

If I am looking at a used gun , and the seller states they used pyrodex and bore butter, I just walk.

 

[SDSmlf]

Here is a photograph of a breech plug removed from a TC with a bore that was in what I would call rough condition. Channel from bore to nipple was quite clean, with little if any of the dreaded carrion buildup, although the threads for the nipple were about rotted away. The owner said he never used a scraper, never worried about the fire channel, and didn’t remove the nipple for fear of wearing out the threads.