Remove Lock for Cleaning?

[Uncle Mike]

Hi,is it recommended to remove your lock after every shooting session for cleaning?Mike

 

[rabjr]

If it's not, it should be. I clean and lube my locks after everytime I shoot. :thumbsup:

 

[jtmattison]

If it's not, it should be. I clean and lube my locks after everytime I shoot. :thumbsup:

Me too. :thumbsup:

HD

 

[sidelock]

Not me. :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

I don't put a muzzleloader up without every square inch of it having been cleaned and lubed...my flint locks come out every time and that includes removing the frizzen and frizzen pivot screw

 

[Harddog]

With the vent hole on a flintlock rifle being where it is, if you don't remove the lock for cleaning you will find that water will get behind and under the lock while cleaning the barrel. Might as well remove the lock and give it a good cleaning while you are cleaning the barrel.

Randy Hedden

 

[ike]

When I have the gun in pieces, I lube it with Ballistoll then use the air compressor and blow all of the excess lube into a cloth. If at a rondi I use wd 40 and clean better when I get home. These guns are to valuable to not take care of. At least I think mine are.

 

[Semisane]

I find the handiest thing is a spray can of carburetor cleaner. I clean the lock with a toothbrush and soapy water, rinse it off, give it a blast with carb cleaner, then re-oil.

 

[mazo kid]

A lot depends on how tightly the lock fits to the barrel and whether you plug the vent while cleaning. I have a couple of guns where I only take the lock off for cleaning maybe a couple of times a year. Others I take off and clean each time I shoot as residue does find it's way into the innards.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

+1 mazo kid :thumbsup:

 

[billandbeaufort]

I use a cleaning tube so no water gets into the lock. Good cleaning after every shoot to the barrel and once a year remove barrel and lock. Removing machine screws and re-tightening over and over is not a good idea. Unnessesary cleaning just makes the owner feel better.

 

[Birddog6]

If they were not made to be removed, they would not have screws holding them in.

After every shooting session, I remove the lock & clean it under a faucet, then wipe it dry with a paper towel, the saturate the entire locks with aerosol Ballistol, wipe that dry, then install it back on the rifle after I have cleaned it. Have done it for Years this way with good success.
In another 3-400 years these screws may start to show some wear, but I will worry about that at that time.. :wink:

 

[Juice Jaws]

I shoot 2 or 3 times a month at least. Clean the guns after each shoot, but only take the lock out a couple of times a year. Ever thing seems to be fine. Been in this game for over 30 years. Works for me.

 

[BEP]

I don't put a muzzleloader up without every square inch of it having been cleaned and lubed...my flint locks come out every time and that includes removing the frizzen and frizzen pivot screw

Me too. There shouldn't be any worries about wearing machine screws excessively since I oil them before replacing the lock; this lubrication eliminates for me any concerns about wear.

sneezy

 

[paulvallandigham]

There seems to be an " URBAN?" myth out there that turning screws wears them out. I put oil on the threads of my screws, and on the threaded holes they screw into each time I do so, and I have seen NO wear at all.

I am with Roundball. I clean the lock every time I shoot. My gun is way to expensive and fine a tool to let rust attack it between shoots. I have bought and repaired enough used guns that were not taken care of by their owners to know what that kind of carelessness does to metal. Not only do I clean and oil the lock, but perhaps more important, I check all the screws to see that they have not begun to " back out " of their holes through use. This is a problem particularly with any screw or bolt that is being used for a pivot, but applies to all screws that mount any part that moves. I have had more locks presented to me to check that only needed their screws tightened back down to return them to normal functioning, than any other problem I have seen in locks.

The next two most common problems that gets locks not working right, is Failure to clean them, and then using the wrong lube on the lock.I find men putting heavy greases on the " fly " and wondering why the hammer drops into the half cock notch all the time.

 

[Uncle Mike]

Thanks,Regards,Mike

 

[billandbeaufort]

If they were not made to be removed, they would not have screws holding them in.

After every shooting session, I remove the lock & clean it under a faucet, then wipe it dry with a paper towel, the saturate the entire locks with aerosol Ballistol, wipe that dry, then install it back on the rifle after I have cleaned it. Have done it for Years this way with good success.
In another 3-400 years these screws may start to show some wear, but I will worry about that at that time.. :wink:

Birddog, If they were not meant to be removed they wouldn't have screws? Man I'm glad I'm not helping you change your oil! You know all those oil pan bolts, then all the crud scraping and then the gasket reseating! :rotf: My point was it will make you feel good to remove the lock every shoot, do it. Is it required? That's easy, remove lock after a known amount of shooting and inspect it for residue, I did this after 4 range sessions and found none. So I lubed with a lube that will last a year and tucked her in for the night. :grin: I just don't see cleaning something that is clean already, our wives do. Cest la vie :wink:

 

[smallmouth]

Sometimes when I remove the lock, there seems to be some real crud in need of cleaning, other times very, very little. But my regular eyes let alone my xray eyes are getting a little too old to see into the lock mechanism either the long way (through the wood) or the short way (through the lock plate). Bottom line I take it off and examine then take appropriate cleaning action either very mild or more aggressive. If the lock bolts do wear most of us could save up a few years to afford replacements!
Sirjohn

 

[tg]

I take the lock off after shooting as it is easier to clean it this way, it also makes the area around the vent more accesable, the barrel only comes out at the end of the season if I have been in a lot of foul weather, I find it easier to flush thebarrel thru the the vent with water and a wet patch with the lock off.As to whether you NEED to do this, tally the posts and consider the sources and decide for yourself.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Anyway you choose to do it will work, some ways just work better than others.