So I wonder now if I'll ever get it 'clean' :) Spot check of barrel, patches look rough

[RyanGeiler]

Have a good method of cleaning my flint, usually I shoot enough I don't have time between shoots to take a look at the barrel. This last time it's been a good 3-4 weeks since I shot and decided to run a patch down the barrel as a check. Brown, brown brown! I ended up cleaning it, take a look at the pics:

Dry patches were the first patches I ran, the others are with bore cleaner. I don't get it. My cleaning method is:

Warm water and soap , flush until water runs clean
Clean with patches/jag bore cleaner/water until patches run clean
Clean with alcohol patches until they come clean
Run dry patches
Run Ballistol patch

This is the exact method I did last time and it ran clean. I come back...and see this. I can't tell if that's Ballistol running brown or that's actual rust? Thoughts?

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[Sean E Bug]

I would recommend not using soap. it will remove any residual oil under the fowling. I just use water to flush and then for wet patches. dry patches then two patches wet with ballistol. could be that all of the oil is squeezed out of the patch before you got to the end of the barrel. did any part of your bore feel rougher??

 

[Phil Coffins]

I never had brown patches till I used Ballistol, now I always get brown patches although I haven’t used it for a couple of years.

 

[RyanGeiler]

@Sean E Bug

I misspoke. I don’t use straight soap, it’s a mixture of warm water and bore cleaner 13. It’s a Kibler rifle if that matters. No, it felt the same when I swabbed as before, no different.

@Phil Coffins

I’m really wondering if it is the ballistol.I did formerly use rem oil. I honestly cleaned the hell out of it last time like I always do and patches come out dry/clean, so I’m really stumped.

 

[RyanGeiler]

Ok just an update--so I took a bright light and shone it down the barrel. The rifling/barrel looks shiny new and as perfect as the day I got it. I tried getting a photo but that proved impossible, especially with 5 feet of rifle to move around. So really stumped now . Assuming this must be Ballistol grabbing oil/ambient dust/grease?

 

[Okie Hog]

IME: It ain't rust. The three small patches have crud from powder residue on them. It's sometimes hard to remove powder residue from the bottom sides of the grooves.

About every third cleaning i run a brush to remove that residue.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I trusted Rem oil on my first flintlock build not knowing better. I put the gun up for a few months and found a red potato patch in the bore when I checked it. I tried Balistol, same result, Baracade worked unless we had a long wet spell of over a month, my gunsafe is in an unheated garage with humidity fluctuations, it does have two humidity rods in it now.

I use Rig or 30 weight motor oil now, so far so good

Rem oil doesn't pass any of the product rust tests when compared to other products and I have the barrel pitting to prove it.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

If the patches smell like Ballistol I wouldn’t worry about it. Mine do too but my barrel is shiny and clean.

 

[jackpine54]

My smoothbore does the same thing. Like others, I think it's the ballistiol. My bore is shiny and smooth.

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

I've got the same thing. The "brown" in the barrels is one of the reasons I've considered getting rid of my Muzzleloaders.
Fired, cleaned, put away (for a long time) and when inspected, BROWN shows up.
In the same room/location of my center fire rigs and they have NO PROBLEMS.
Thinking it has something to do with black powder?
Cleaned after firing and scrubbed with hot soapy water, shot with WD 40 to drive out and moisture then well oiled. Could have been Rem Oil? Been too long aqo to remember for sure.
Pulled them all out and got after the "brown". Rigs each may have only 5 or 6 shots fired. So the barrels are as new? That's the reason I think it has something to do with the black powder or oil used? I'am use to seeing clean well oiled patches when I scrub the bores. I referred to the "brown" as "FUZZ" (rust) but after reading this thread, probably not that at all. THAT'S a relief.

 

[Jaeger]

I've never cleaned my guns to the point where my patches came out completely clean. In spite of that, I've never had any pitting or frank rusting going on between shooting events. After my guns have been inactive a while, I sometimes run a patch soaked with WD 40 down the bore. Often the patch comes out somewhat brown, but i'm thinking that it's really not a problem. What say ye?

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I lube with Ballistol and have not had any issues with rust. The brown is the lube. Freaked me out at first too. But my bores are squeaky clean and shiny.

 

[tenngun]

Ok just an update--so I took a bright light and shone it down the barrel. The rifling/barrel looks shiny new and as perfect as the day I got it. I tried getting a photo but that proved impossible, especially with 5 feet of rifle to move around. So really stumped now . Assuming this must be Ballistol grabbing oil/ambient dust/grease?

I used to freak out thinking my barrels were rusting, but I use a lot of animal far or gun oils to protect the barrel, I found many oils brown after exposure to air.
I don’t have a bore light, but have barrels in the white. They have no rust but seem to have a brown grease that rubs off on a clean patch.

 

[oldwood]

Loose the soap in the cleaning process. Warm to hot water from the tap is good enough. Nothing like phosphorous on steel , to crank up the rust from the git go. If asked , I recommend checking a rifle bore every six weeks or so , even w/ Rig in side.

 

[Freedom]

Ballistol is total trash, useless, and garbage!!!!!!!!!!

Ballistol does NOT prevent rust.
Ballistol does Gum-up after a while
Ballistol stinks to high heaven. No self respecting game animal would allow you within seeing distance, let alone within range of a shot.

What you are seeing on your patches is Oxidation(!).. Otherwise known as RUST!!
Its not oil, or some fantasy notion from internet know-how. It is metal corrosion, plain and simple.

Ballistol is water-soluble(!) so it cannot prevent long term corrosion because atmospheric moister will easily dilute and pernitrate through the Ballistiol barrier to attack your metal.

If you are shooting Mercuric primers in a WWI Mosin, then Ballistol works (mediocre at best) for neutralizing corrosive primer residue. And it still needs followed up with good quality oil or grease.

 

[deerstalkert]

i stopped using Ballistol for this exact reason as a protectant. still use it to clean but mostly just use water and elbow grease.
for a storage protectant i have started using Marvel Mystery Oil. only because the missus got me a gallon of it by mistake. lucky mistake cause it works.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Whatever method you land on as long as it works for ya, happy shooting.

All I can say is my guns are clean and shiny.

 

[deerstalkert]

Whatever method you land on as long as it works for ya, happy shooting.

All I can say it my guns are clean and shiny.

true that! some like blondes, some like redheads!

 

[Omahkapi'si]

At the range right now. First patch down the barrel after a week of Ballistol in the bore. Smells like Ballistol and zero rust. Good luck with what you choose to do.

 

[French Colonial]

I love Ballistol.
Started using it for BPCRS because it was the only lube I ever tried that would not change point of impact when cleaning between relays, switching banks of targets and right back on the money, kept using it because I have never had any rust after using it and storing the guns for extended periods (Although RIG is the best for this IMHO)

AND, when something works that well, the smell grows on you until I actually find it quite pleasant, brings fond memories like Hoppes.