rusty duck

[jsams]

just checking your thoughts on cleaning muzzleloader barrels and nipples with rusty duck black off cleaning solvent. this is what i have used and it works well for me. not as good as soap and dawn detergent but it seems like i get a lot of water between the stock and barrel with the soap and water. i also swab the barrel with rusty duck after each shot followed by a dry patch. o the rifle is a full stock with the barrel pined to the wood.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Don't know the brand. However, if you cradle the gun in a rack so that the barrel is on the bottom and the stock is on the top, with the muzzle angled down somewhat( a few degrees from horizontal is all that is needed), you won't get any fluids, water, oil, etc. between the barrel and stock when cleaning.

I use a toothbrush and dish soap with water to clean the threads and the shoulders, of my nipples. A nipple wire run down through the nipple makes sure that the soap has cleaned out any carbon left there, and then assures me that no soap is clogging that small orifice. Use the toothbrush around the bolster, or drum where the nipple screws into the gun to work off the really cooked on BP residue around the lock and barrel. These areas, which are subject to both high pressure residue, and HEAT, often develop their own Patina, ( gray more than blue or brown)and you can either refinish the areas periodically, or let the patina stay to reflect your actual use of the gun. Just don't leave residue on the metal, or it will eat into the metal and leave serious rusting pits, which are not only unattractive, and reflect neglect, but may actually weaken these areas of a lock and barrel in time.

 

[renovato]

The one thing that any "solvent on a patch" type cleaning methods fail to do, is rinse out the salts and corrosives and actually pushes some of it back into the breech area where it's even harder to clean out.

An easy solution is to use a flush out nipple and hose. You can pick them up from about anywhere that sells black powder stuff. They even make a model for octagon barreled flintlocks. These let you hook up a hose to your nipple or vent and drop the hose down in a bucket of soapy water. Running a patch up and down in the bore not only gets it sparkly clean, but it swishes water all throughout the breech area and rinses out the crud hiding in the nooks and crannies.

 

[Birddog6]

Clean it upside down in a rifle cradle with a flushing kit & that will eliminate any water getting down into the barrel channel. Been doing them that way for many years with success... :thumbsup:

 

[blacksmithman64]

I used it once, didn't care for it.I just use good ol' warm water...its cheaper that way! I figger if the old timers didn't need all these new fangled cleaning solutions, neither do I. Kinda like going for a stroll down the fishing aisle. you really think a fish is gonna fall for 90% of the junk they got fer sale? :hmm: :haha:

 

[musketman]

Don't know the brand.

Paul, it's the third one down on the linked page.

Rusty Duck

 

[gbsclohn]

Glad someone likes Rusty Duck.
Didn't work very well for me even when I added plenty of elbow grease :rotf:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Thank you for the link. Still sounds like common soap. Soap " emulsifies" the stuff, too.

 

[MikeChapin]

I won some at a shoot a while back. I use it to soak the nipples when cleaning a percussion rifle. It works great for that. A little soak and the fouling comes right out.

I used it to clean a couple rifles. It worked alright but I prefer my TOW cleaner and water. The only gripe I had with it is the red color seems to stain everything it touches.

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I picked some up cheap at WalMart awhile ago. Works ok I guess. I prefer to flush my bores with soap & water for black powder clean-up though. I`d use a whole bottle of the stuff for one cleaning with my muzzleloaders. I`ve never been able to get them clean enough just by running solvent soaked patches up and down the bore. I do use black powder solvent to clean up my locks and nipples though.

 

[ronrryan]

I got some of it years ago and it worked fine, havent used any in years. Way back there was some sort of test of cleaners in, I think, Muzzle Blasts, and Rusty Duck was top rated at the time. But there have been a lot of changes since. Like most here, for many years I have been using water or TOW's version of water, but I always finish with 91% alcohol and then lube (ballistol or wonderlube). Sparkling bores so far. Good smoke, Ron

 

[jsams]

thanks for the info and pics, i have a cleaning tube and will try cleaning with the rifle upside down.

 

[pondoro]

I bought some cheap at Walmart and I love it. Seems to get the bore clean faster than pure water.

 

[smallmouth]

I'm a hot water guy. I do use a stiff bronze brissled brush (sort of life a mini paint brush) on my cleaning rod. This really does a number on the hidden cruddies at the bottom to the breach. I also like the advise to get a good flush out of the entire bore. Be compulsive about drying it out.

Sirjohn

 

[howdydoit]

Me too, hot water is the way to go. But i need to get me one of those hose gadgets. So many things to buy.

Howdy.