Trouble getting new fowler clean

[Buff1958]

Finished up my new fowler yesterday and fired it one time. cleaned the barrel the way I do my rifles several wet patches several dry patches then a patch soaked in bear grease. I always go back the next day with another grease patch just to be sure everything is good. I ran a patch through the fowler today and it cam out real dirty. I started running solvent patches through it and after 20 or 30 patches it is still not 100% clean. I finally gave up and ran a patch soaked in rem oil. It does not look like BP fouling and now I am wondering...... Does the lead shot leave a residue in the barrel? Maybe I will search for a 16 gauge brass brush. Looking down the barrel it looks clkean but I know it is not


HELP!

 

[tenngun]

In fifty years I’ve never got a patch to come out virgin white. I use fill the barrel and dump and repeat method. I’m OCD about cleaning, and check my guns regularly. And always get a little gray.
I use mink oil and gun oil mixed to oil my barrels and mink oil oxidizes brown looking like rust, spent years trying to get that out.
I learned not to sweat the small stuff,
Still hard, did I mention I was OCD about cleaning

 

[PathfinderNC]

That's a lot of cleaning patches!
I shoot my smoothbores a lot and yes they can take more work to clean than rifles. But not that much.
First remove the lock and ramrod. Then stick a toothpick in the touch hole, pour water (soapy warm if you wish) and thumb over the muzzle, turn upside down and back again, swishing a few times. Pour out and repeat a couple times. Turn it upside down and lean it against a wall or table, securely, and let it drain while you clean the lock.
Then go back to your fowler and use Windex on a few cleaning patches.
It takes twenty minutes max.
You will be happy.

 

[Buff1958]

That's a lot of cleaning patches!
I shoot my smoothbores a lot and yes they can take more work to clean than rifles. But not that much.
First remove the lock and ramrod. Then stick a toothpick in the touch hole, pour water (soapy warm if you wish) and thumb over the muzzle, turn upside down and back again, swishing a few times. Pour out and repeat a couple times. Turn it upside down and lean it against a wall or table, securely, and let it drain while you clean the lock.
Then go back to your fowler and use Windex on a few cleaning patches.
It takes twenty minutes max.
You will be happy.

Thanks

 

[PathfinderNC]

Thanks

Your welcome- oh and dont forget to oil it when you've finished cleaning it

 

[Brokennock]

As long as your cleaning process neutralized the acids of the burnt black powder residue, I wouldn't worry to much about it. Lube with animal fat (with no salts or additives) like 100% mink oil and don't worry too much about it.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Boiling water lifts the lead out but yeah don't worry about it.
Do get the rem oil out of you may get ignition issues!

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Use boiling water (carefully). A kettle and a proper funnel works well.

 

[jackpine54]

You're probably just getting some lead on your patches. I make sure the powder fouling is gone and neutralized and coat it with bear oil or barricade. 40+ years of doing it that way and never a problem. You can always get more grey out, it's just lead. Have fun with it.

 

[Siringo]

Finished up my new fowler yesterday and fired it one time. cleaned the barrel the way I do my rifles several wet patches several dry patches then a patch soaked in bear grease. I always go back the next day with another grease patch just to be sure everything is good. I ran a patch through the fowler today and it cam out real dirty. I started running solvent patches through it and after 20 or 30 patches it is still not 100% clean. I finally gave up and ran a patch soaked in rem oil. It does not look like BP fouling and now I am wondering...... Does the lead shot leave a residue in the barrel? Maybe I will search for a 16 gauge brass brush. Looking down the barrel it looks clkean but I know it is not


HELP!

Bare lead shot will lead the barrel. My black powder shells with no shot up lead my breech loading shotguns. I use hoppies and a brass brush on a shotgun cleaning rod. Do not use the ramrod.

This is my modified skychief muzzleloading load that has a 1/2 inch olive oil soaked wad on top of wad column.

 

[Juniata]

I have a harder time cleaning my smothbore than my rifle.. They get filthy.
Just clean it the best you can and call it good. I know it can drive some mad, but its just a gun....

 

[Tenring]

That's a lot of cleaning patches!
I shoot my smoothbores a lot and yes they can take more work to clean than rifles. But not that much.
First remove the lock and ramrod. Then stick a toothpick in the touch hole, pour water (soapy warm if you wish) and thumb over the muzzle, turn upside down and back again, swishing a few times. Pour out and repeat a couple times. Turn it upside down and lean it against a wall or table, securely, and let it drain while you clean the lock.
Then go back to your fowler and use Windex on a few cleaning patches.
It takes twenty minutes max.
You will be happy.

Have been using Windex for 25+ years, I just don’t know why other people don’t use it. In between shots at the range for a fast clean out works wonderfully.

 

[Clark Badgett]

The gray is graphite used to coat the powder these days. I use the water (cool) swish method referenced above. Never had leading issues EVER. I also use tow instead of patches. Lube with Ballistol.