Water

[Marshhawk]

I've always used hot tap water and some dish soap. Then plain hot water followed by patches to dry. Then aim a hair dryer down the bore with touchhole plug removed. Dries it out. Coat with Bore Butter. Thirty-seven-year-old flinter. No rust.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Like a lot of products WD-40 has good & bad properties. The bad one that keeps me from putting on it any firearm is that when it dries it leaves a hard varnish like coating on metal. This becomes apparent if used on guns left in storage. I've seen triggers that wouldn't function because someone sprayed it into the mechanism. Needed a soaking in a strong solvent just to disassemble. There are dozens of better oils to use on your firearms, IMHO. Like I said before, it works great on door hinges!!

 

[old ugly]

wash with dish soap (whatever kind is at the sink) and hot water and patches, then blow dry with compressed air, run a dry patch into it to see no moisture left behind, then oil it with whatever i have, engine oil , tranny fluid, air tool oil, just whatever oil is on the shelf. the gun is stored nice and dry in the house so i see no need for fancy oils. been doing that way for 35 years with no rusty guns, my gun knows no difference and it shoots good. Way too much effort goes into trying to build a better mouse trap.

 

[SOLANCO]

More and more, I use Ballistol. That said, a SEAL once told me all his team used was CLP Break Free, which I did not notice mentioned here.
He gave me a quart of it which I've long since used up. I was quite happy with it, but found it virtually unavailable around here.

 

[flntlokr]

What do you use to get the bore dry before oiling? I've been using WD-40 and then oiling with Knight gun oil. I'm just looking some more options.

Dry patches, then a blow from the muzzle of compressed air if I have it. A squirt of G96 or a few drops of CLP, Then a dry patch on a fairly loose jag to spread the product thoroughly down the bore. Use that patch (wet with product) to wipe down all of the exterior iron, then put it away muzzle down for storage. No need to get fancy. In the cold, wet winter months, I sometimes heat the barrel by a fire to get the last moisture out.

 

[Carbon 6]

A squirt of G96

Good stuff.

 

[Josephg]

I used WD 40 for a couple years at Colorado. Moved to the PNW. Cleaned and WD 40d two rifles at springfield OR. Put them in a hard case and drove home to Tacoma. The guns were rusted terribly. Never used it again.

 

[DUNKS]

It's an excellent water dispersant. It's not a very good lubricant and it's not a good rust proofer; Having said that I would hate to be without a can!
Do you guys get ACF50? Now there's an excellent rust proofer Although I am sure petroleum based.

 

[bore_butter]

after cleaning with the nipple out i push 180lbs compressed air down the barrel. use a clean patch and then use the oil of the day.
i've never used bore butter as a lube for the barrel, i've seen the bore butter set up like concrete in the lands of the maxi-balls if not used for a while.

 

[Pete G]

More and more, I use Ballistol. That said, a SEAL once told me all his team used was CLP Break Free, which I did not notice mentioned here.
He gave me a quart of it which I've long since used up. I was quite happy with it, but found it virtually unavailable around here.

Amazon will deliver to your door.

 

[wb78963]

I clean all my black powder guns with moose milk ( ballistol & distilled water 1:10). The water dries and the Ballistol is left a nice complete coat of preservative.
Guns shot with smokessomewhatless powder is another thing no mentioned here.
Bunk

 

[tenngun]

Bore butter , tallow or lard, mink oil, bear grease ect. will brown as it ages. This looks like you have rust brown on your patch.
move had my own sphincter moment drawing a brown patch from a bore.
Umph!
Clean and scrub no rust found, just browned grease the barrel is just as clean as I put it up

 

[wb78963]

Exactly why I use Ballistol. Tallow rendered from beef kidney fat does not get rancid with age. I have a couple of pound blocks of it that was rendered by boiling three years ago, stored in a fruit cake can on the shelf in my shop. Still good as new, pure white.
Some will get mixed with beeswax in the next few days to make felt lube wads for my revolvers.
That same mix lubes the bullets for the Sharps.
Hold Center
Bunk

 

[steamjohn248]

Interested to read the above re tallow. We use it in the Boatyard on traditional Yacht rigging and it seems to keep forever. I use it mixed with beeswax in my g g lead rounds in my Sharps 45/70. Good to know I'm not the only one. Shoot Black and Not Black, seems to work with both.
Steamjohn

 

[kje54]

More and more, I use Ballistol. That said, a SEAL once told me all his team used was CLP Break Free, which I did not notice mentioned here.
He gave me a quart of it which I've long since used up. I was quite happy with it, but found it virtually unavailable around here.

Learned from a couple of friends about CLP, still have a can of it in my cleaning box. Don't use it alone as it has it's own problems, one of which is being a debris magnet.

 

[torpedo]

Warm soapy water, dry patches, liberal use of WD-40, then CLP. Works great for me.