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To clean or not clean??
- Thread starter Hesp
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Depends on humidity. I have left mine (accidentally) dirty for that long, and had no problem with rust, even here on Vancouver Island.
Mike in FL
50 Cal.
And it is good for nothing? Not even patch lube?
dang. reckon i will throw mine away
I know the BB debate is usually a heated one
. I have never had a problem with it. I have used it in hot weather and below freezing. It’s no amazing miracle lube. It doesn’t season barrels. It’s just a lube and works just fine me when I use it. Just like most other lubes. I have left a gun dirty after using it hunting and never had rust. Never. But I also live where it’s extremely dry. Almost no humidity. Other folks have nothing good to say about it and it sounds like that’s their experience. So many complain about it that it really must be true that it causes them problems. Must absolutely be a humidity thing. I have used it for many years as a patch lube for preseasoning hunting patches and it has never been an issue. I jump around trying different lubes just to try them. BB works just fine for me as does alot of different ones I have tried. I just usually make my own anymore anyway.
. I have never had a problem with it. I have used it in hot weather and below freezing. It’s no amazing miracle lube. It doesn’t season barrels. It’s just a lube and works just fine me when I use it. Just like most other lubes. I have left a gun dirty after using it hunting and never had rust. Never. But I also live where it’s extremely dry. Almost no humidity. Other folks have nothing good to say about it and it sounds like that’s their experience. So many complain about it that it really must be true that it causes them problems. Must absolutely be a humidity thing. I have used it for many years as a patch lube for preseasoning hunting patches and it has never been an issue. I jump around trying different lubes just to try them. BB works just fine for me as does alot of different ones I have tried. I just usually make my own anymore anyway.
Kind of depends on your local relative humidity. Here in the Carolina’s blackpowder residue will turn to soup in very short order on most days. When hunting with my flintlocks I carry a ‘cleaning’ kit to take care of things unless I plan on another shot within a few minutes. I cannot imagine the frustration of getting a load out of a bore after loading after a fouling shot while hunting, unless one enjoys such challenges. I have become a disciple of the clean dry bore after witnessing a few ugly failures at the worst possible times.
My buddy shot a doe and quickly reloaded. Two days later he shot at another doe and the rifle failed to fire. The first shot was with a clean barrel wiped with alcohol before loading. Obviously the second shot was fouling in the nipple/drum. We successfully unloaded the gun by adding 4f powder under the nipple and touching it off. Do those of you that hunt with a percussion rifle routinely do that after the barrel is fouled to ensure ignition?
If, you will listen to the old timers who have been shooting along time, you will learn a lot. Not to say a newbie will not teach you something, we can learn from them also. TAKE what works for you. Read all the stuff in the search form and you will learn alot.
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FYI, we had another newbie kid at our club shoot yesterday. Temperature around 25 degrees. After the second shot using Bore Butter lube, he found he couldn't get the next ball down the bore. With help he finally got it pounded in. Someone gave his some patches with GOOD lube on them, and he was able to continue shooting. Bore Butter is devil's spawn for cold weather.
As for those who say they put alcohol down the bore before shooting, unless the breech has been properly cleaned, all the alcohol is doing it setting the fouling harder.
As for those who say they put alcohol down the bore before shooting, unless the breech has been properly cleaned, all the alcohol is doing it setting the fouling harder.
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I wipe a clean bore with alcohol or brake cleaner to remove oil, leaving it dry prior to loading.
Mike in FL
50 Cal.
Me yoo, except alcohol does not interfere with black powder detonation, or so I've read. When swinging with alcohol before shooting for the day, I use enough that it squirts out the flash hole thereby clearing it of oil.
Bore butter is okay for a patch lubricant or to lubricate the grooves in a conical, but that is just about all it is good for. To be sure there are some who have figured out how to use Bore Butter but as I read their descriptions of how it was being used, it usually ended up being wiped out of the bore before any harm could be induced or they lived in a climate of fairly constant temperature. Since most everything from spit to some pretty exotic mixes can be an acceptable patch lubricant, I am sure Bore Butter can fit in the lineup somewhere.
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This may not be helpful but here goes. The GPR's I have worked with were not reliable. The breech plug has a narrow convoluted passage way. A hunting buddy is selling all of the GPRs because he is fed up. I pulled the plug on one of them an opened up the plug ante-chamber and polished everything inside. It did not help.
I had planned to hunt on a military base. They allow MLs in some areas not open to other hunters. I made a side hammer rifle of my own design. The nipple rests on the powder charge. I use musket caps in it. I have never once had a failure to fire with that rifle. I also made several under hammer Target pistols with the same result. I know side and under hammers guns are rare but my experience shows putting the nipple right on the main charge solves reliability issues.
For hunting I'd trust a quality flintlock with a liner over most percussion guns.
I had planned to hunt on a military base. They allow MLs in some areas not open to other hunters. I made a side hammer rifle of my own design. The nipple rests on the powder charge. I use musket caps in it. I have never once had a failure to fire with that rifle. I also made several under hammer Target pistols with the same result. I know side and under hammers guns are rare but my experience shows putting the nipple right on the main charge solves reliability issues.
For hunting I'd trust a quality flintlock with a liner over most percussion guns.
Mike in FL
50 Cal.
Thank you, sir. I was asking because not long ago I bought a tube of Wonderlube 1000 from Ox Yoke. Never opened it but I did since this thread came up. Yep, it is the same yellow stuff as Bore Butter T/C use to sell. Warm here now and the stuff looks quite messy. Instead of throwing it out, I'm wondering how it might still be useful mixed with beeswax, which I have plenty of.
Well, @Mike in FL, you will need to learn how to use a double boiler. The low heat of a double boiler is needed to properly mix the wax with the Wonderlube. You probably won't need much wax. I have had good results with one part of wax to 4 parts of olive oil, but that does get soft in hot weather, which you have in abundance. (I lived in Fort Walton Beach for a time.) I found the addition of wax to the lube resulted in a crusty build up and the burnt wax can be hard to clean from the bore. As a patch lubricant the Wonderlube can be lightly rubbed into the patch. You will have to try several levels of application to find the best lube for your rifle.
I think they are different. I just buy prelubed patches from ox yoke. However, I expect better coming as I recently bought a stash of Lehigh Valley patch lube. I never like t/c bore butter… from what I know, it was made for living their maxi balls.
I thought I would update the posting we hunted every day hard from the 25th of nov. until the 10th of dec. temps ranged from a negative 14 plus the wind chill to 45 degrees above shot a total of 3 deer with 3 different guns. all had been shot at least once during the season, and reloaded without cleaning. we unloaded our guns yesterday without any failure to ignite or hang fire. the comment was made earlier that we were going to have a ruined barrel because we hadn't cleaned after shooting or left or guns loaded for the entire season plus. so here is pictures of our barrels after cleaning with plain hot water and then running 1 wonder lubed patch this is the way we've been doing our guns since the day wonder lube/TC 1000 plus hit the market 30 some years ago
by the way that is 3 different guns that my son is holding
Mike in FL
50 Cal.
Might we conclude then that it is okay to not clean our black powder barrels for several days after firing? That can only mean you have discovered a truth that has lain dormant for many years. No one knew this until now.
Good heavens, I see pitting on every surface in the last photo! Good reason to not do it that way. If I was looking at a rifle to buy, that would be a pass.
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