Questions about cleaning?

[MDIvancic]

A couple of questions after my first shooting session (ArmiSport 1861 Springfield). I cleaned my rifle with soap and water after the shooting session, without taking the barrel off the rifle. I knew there was some junk around the lock and tang so as soon as I got a chance I took the barrel off the stock and did the water in the pail trick (as explained here). After soaking I got a lot more dirt out of the barrel. This surprised me a little so I got out some TC Bore Cleaner and ran patches down the barrel, about 50 actually, but I never got a clean patch. I always got a little brown on the patch if I used the Bore Cleaner. I finally gave up, sprayed some WD40 down the bore to get the water out. After it sat a while I ran some Bore Butter down the barrel. So, should I have been able to get white patch?

Also, there was some powder residue under the barrel so I cleaned the stock and waxed under the barrel. I used a Scotch Bright Pad to clean the barrel and lock the best I could, waxed and oiled before I put everything back together. Question two, what's the best way to keep the steel on the barrel, hardware and lock bright?

 

[DrLaw]

I'm going to hazard a guess here. You were getting brown out of the barrel. B/P will give you a black residue, not brown. My guess would be you were either getting a preservative out of the barrel or rust. Eventually, you will get a clean patch.
I would say run some oiled patches down the barrel followed by dry patches and see if that gets rid of the brown.
As for WD-40, bad idea. WD-40 is Water-dispersant formula 40, it really does not protect metal as well as a light oiling or storing in a dry place.

Now, for keeping the barrel shiney, others can probably help you on that one, but I would guess a light coating of oil.

The Doc is out now. :v

 

[MDIvancic]

I'm going to hazard a guess here. You were getting brown out of the barrel. B/P will give you a black residue, not brown. My guess would be you were either getting a preservative out of the barrel or rust. Eventually, you will get a clean patch.
I would say run some oiled patches down the barrel followed by dry patches and see if that gets rid of the brown.

Yes, the residue was brown. I figured it might be rust. I'll try the oiled patches.

As for WD-40, bad idea. WD-40 is Water-dispersant formula 40, it really does not protect metal as well as a light oiling or storing in a dry place.

The WD40 was just to make sure the water was out of the barrel. I ran a patch soaked in gun oil, followed by a patch covered in boar butter before I put the gun up.

Mike

 

[david50]

i own a .32 that you could clean and run 500 patches down and they would still come out with a little brown or light grey on them. i finally quit worrying about it,barrels as shiney as a new dime. just clean it good,oil it and dont frett on it. check it accasionaly if it's going to be stored away for any length of time.

 

[hanshi]

I've never gotten a perfectly clean patch from cleaning a muzzleloader or even a modern smokeless cartridge rifle for that matter. Weird but true. I often get slight gray or brownish stains on patches after giving an ml a good cleaning. I've also noticed that oil in the bore looks brownish when wiped with a clean, white patch. I've never noticed any sign of rust in my barrels even in the ones going back 40 plus years. What this means beats me. BP leaves black or gray behind! Maybe it has something to do with the soap in the cleaning water; I just don't know. I use WD40 as an end part of the cleaning process but don't trust it for metal protection. I always recommend following up with a good rust preventative oil after the barrel is clean and dry. I also recommend checking the bore & re-oiling periodically if the gun is not fired.

 

[nw_hunter]

I usually just finish with WD-40 and put away.
I very seldom even bother with gun oil anymore.
I check my barrels every couple of months if I don't use them, and haven't noticed any rust problem with the WD-40 lubed ones.

 

[blafen]

I use a spit patch followed by a dry patch to get BP fouling out between shots. After I shoot I use isopropyl alcohol soaked patches, maybe 3 to 4 with dry patches in between, and I will eventually have clean white patches coming out, at which point I run a patch with a beeswax based lube down the bore to protect it from rust.
Though I only do this if I plan on storing my gun for a while, if im shooting the next day I dont clean so well.

 

[rafterob]

Use a paste wax on the metal to keep it in the bright.

 

[Many Klatch]

One way to keep the barrel and lock bright is to coat it with varnish. I have seen records of English gentlemen taking their fowlers to a gunsmith yearly for a recoating with varnish. It is a lot easier to just let it turn steel gray. Don't let it rust, keep it oiled and in a few years it will turn a pewter color.

Many Klatch

 

[Billnpatti]

I'd say that you are spot on with your cleaning. WD-40 is a good thing to use to get the last bit of moisture out of your bore. I do that, too. I also run a few dry patches through the bore to remove all of the WD-40 before running the Bore Butter patches through your bore. All sounds good to me.

To protect your barrel and keep it bright, I suggest using paste floor wax. The wax won't stick properly if your barrel is oily so remove all traces of oil before waxing. Actually, my favorite wax is not a floor wax but a furniture wax. It is used by museums to preserve their displays. It is called Renaissance wax and is available from many fine furniture dealers or from such places as Brownells (www.brownells.com).

 

[WV MZL HUNTER]

Same here, I use WD-40 and I have not had any problems in the last 40 years. But I clean my guns every three months even if I don't shoot them. I take them out of the safe and run a patch down the barrel. I do use bore butter in the barrels after cleaning them and WD-40 on the outside,(Muzzleloader barrels). The long guns and pistols I just use WD-40.