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Rust protection.

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After a good and thorough cleaning, I fill all of my bores with molten beeswax to the muzzle. No air, no rust, right? A solid blast from the air nozzle to the fire hole pushes it all out like a missile. You gotta have a fast twist, though, if you want to stabilize it.
 
OK.
Hot water dissolves salts quicker and more thorough but heyho if it touches a nerve....
I normally use 70% Isopropyl Alcohol in the bore and around the lock with good results. After the alcohol evaporates I follow up with diluted Ballistol or Break Free or Hoppe’s #9.
I use plain water on occasion, but not very often. During a shooting session cotton patches soaked with saliva are quick and easy, and work superbly.
 
Yeah, I used hot water until about 2000, kept getting flash rusting. I switched to cool water and never had that problem again.
Flash rusting is a non issue compared to accidentally leaving some salts in there but if your good.
Recently I've taken to not even cleaning at all but I do keep the fouled gun warm and dry and it's shot using my lube.
 
Hot water to accelerate the dissolving of any salts.
Then cold water to cool the metal to slow the chemical reaction that is flash rusting.
Cold slow chemical reactions, heat speeds them up.
Patch out to dry the bulk of the water
Then swab with 99% alcohol to absorb any water left in micro scratches in the metal.
It must be 99% so you only adding 1% water.
The patch dry out the alcohol.
Oil with Synthetic it the best as it has an affinity for metal it likes to stick to metal.
But any oil will do like mineral oil AKA Ballistol
Use EEZOX it is a powerful rust proofer true. But not the best lubricant in my opinion.
Rig grease or Cosmoline for long term storage solution.
 
When I started shooting black powder in the late 60's, I was told (by people that presumably knew what they were talking about) that you cleaned with boiling water with a touch of soap. I never experienced flash rusting. I still use this method from time to time and haven't seen any flash rust in my rifles. Instead of soap, I put a touch of Ballistol on a wet patch as I swab the barrel. Maybe that helps?
 
LPS 3 is the best I found. In the bore and outside. Dries to a wax coating that is soft and easy to wipe
out. One dry patch is all I need.
 
After a good and thorough cleaning, I fill all of my bores with molten beeswax to the muzzle. No air, no rust, right? A solid blast from the air nozzle to the fire hole pushes it all out like a missile. You gotta have a fast twist, though, if you want to stabilize it.
That sounds like a very good way to protect the barrel.
 
That sounds like a very good way to protect the barrel.
😂😂 you know I try to be silly and sometimes it backfires.

Funny you say that. After I posted that, I thought to myself, you know, if one wished to store a muzzleloader indefinitely, that would be the way to do it. Plug the nipple and fill it to the brim with whatever @Britsmoothy is using. Keep it in a cool place and that bore is frozen in time.
 
Both barrels used today.
4 patches.

It's not shot allot of shots to be honest. 2 birds limit.

Is just a couple shots a day.. I take two shots a day. I took two shots this afternoon.
 

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The best metal protectant I found 40 years ago was RIG gun grease. Thete has bern many snake oil products created but nothing beats RIG period. I have never had one spot of rust inside or out using RIG.
 

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