waterless flintlock cleaning

[Spikebuck]

do not wash the lock with water

I've been shooting flintlocks since 1983 and after every shoot, without fail, I've taken out the lock, run it under hot water while scrubbing with an old toothbrush, shaken it, dried it with a towel then sprayed it generously with WD40 and set it aside for the excess WD40 to seep out while cleaning the rest of the rifle. Never had a speck of rust on any of my locks, internal and external.

I haven't been shooting that long, but for years I've been scrubbing my lock with a toothbrush and lots of water, drying what I can, then liberally spraying it down with WD40 or Barricade. Nary ever a speck of rust.

Being able to clean with water is great, as others here have noted. In the field in the winter, if I need to swab after shooting several squirrels, I just take a cleaning patch in hand, grab snow and let it melt in my hand into the patch, and down the barrel she goes. Better than carrying around a bottle of anything. :thumbsup:

 

[Rick Boylan]

Pardon my ignorance, but does the Pedersoli flintlocks use a patent breech in their Kentucky models?

I ask because I used a method of cleaning that just had me use wet patches to clean until they came out white. I then followed up with a few dry patches that also came out white. I finished up with some gun oil spray on a patch and ran that down the barrel to coat and protect it.

If my gun has the patent breach then I should probably run water through it and let it flush out the breach area and come out the flash hole, correct?

 

[bpd303]

Yes they do have a patent breech and yes it would be wise to flush out the chamber & flash hole.

On mine I use a worn out .22 caliber brush with a thin patch wrapped around the end to clean & oil the chamber. Be sure to use some alcohol to clean out the oil before firing it after cleaning.

 

[Rick Boylan]

OK. Here's what I did. First I poured some room temp water down the barrel and ran some patches Dow to make sure the barrel was rust free. It was. Then I took off the lock assembly, removed the flash hole,and used a small .22 rod with some patches to clean out the breech area. I looked into it with a light and it is rust free too. I put some gun oil metal protection on patches and wiped both the barrel and breech. Cleaned off any water on all surfaces and oiled the inner workings of the lock. Then i reassembled the gun and wiped it down once more. All appears rust free and dry. I'll inspect it again in a couple of days to make sure it's still rust free.

Anything else anyone would suggest? Am I not doing enough or am I doing it wrong?

I want this gun to keep shooting as great as it did the first time I took it out.

All suggestions welcome. Other than telling me to get a better gun. :stir:

 

[dikman]

It doesn't really matter how you do it and what you use, if you check it again in a few days and it's still clean then you're on a winner!

I pump water through mine, as those patent breeches are a pain!! (Pedersoli and CVA's peculiar breeching system). Trying to clean them without flushing something through (and water is cheap) can be a problem.

 

[bpd303]

I'd say you have it covered. :thumbsup:

 

[Spikebuck]

All suggestions welcome.

I use a .32 or .36 bore mop to clean out a patent breech. They are reuseable as you just wash them off.

Herb on this forum sent me a neat picture of a "double jag" he made by drilling and tapping the end of the bore-sized jag and screwing on a smaller jag of appropriate diameter/length for the patent breech so that all could be done at the same time. I thought that was a pretty neat deal.

 

[Rick Boylan]

Please share that picture. I'd like to see that setup.

To everyone, what is the best way to clean the chamber that joins the patent breach to the main charge chamber? Should I use a q-tip or a pipe cleaner? Or will flushing water through it do the job?

I'm just wanting to keep my gun in fine shooting order. :v

 

[bpd303]

I flush with water then use a pipe cleaner.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

I flush with water then use a pipe cleaner.

There ya go.

 

[Rick Boylan]

That's exactly what I was thinking of using. Thanks for confirming it for me. :haha:

 

[Turtle Creek]

First shooting day after a the cleaning change.
Fired a string of 12 shots without any in between wiping and it loaded easily each shot.
I do not think this is because of the no water...I believe this to be finishing with WD40 after my cleaning agent and then the Barricade.
It's never loaded so easily.
I cleaned with water first this time, then the Hoppes/WD40 and Barricade.
We'll see how the next shoot goes.

 

[Dphar]

Well I'm trying that waterless cleaning 'system' but using Hoppes BP solvent instead of moosemilk.
Then liberal WD40 and let it set a bit...then a dry one and a Barricade patch.
I'll give it a day or two and see if I get anything out rust wise.
I did use a breech scraper and that's really my only concern about not using water.
I used enough Hoppes so it squirt out the touch hole.
Cleaning the lock is samo samo really. I still remove it like doing a 'wet' clean.
Does that sound about right to you 'dry cleaners'?

I have not read the entire thread but you do realize that Hoppes BP Solvent is almost all water? Something in the 65-80% range according to the MSDS. Water is the actual solvent.

Dan

 

[Turtle Creek]

Yeah, what isn't...I get that. Just trying something diff.
This is where it stems from and lots here know about it....just another avenue is all, not some new idea I thought of.
http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/wcs.html

 

[S.Kenton]

I make my own "cleaner"...I scrub the barrel with that. Then I scrub it down with WD-40. I have no issues with rust or any gunk...

 

[Turtle Creek]

I think the WD40 is the key to the process to displace any residual water....I still have trouble not oiling a barrel after 53 years of doing so do the Barricade instead.
Reg gun oil doesn't work with BP well....
The loading process was exponentially better with the WD/Barricade.

 

[Dphar]

Yeah, what isn't...I get that. Just trying something diff.
This is where it stems from and lots here know about it....just another avenue is all, not some new idea I thought of.
http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/wcs.html[/quote]


Back in the early 70s there were people having trouble with corrosion with Moose Milk. I use water. I kwow how to use it.
I just wiped the bore of my 45-100 Sharps. It was shot in a match. Cleaned with a few wet patches. 2-3 max. Wiped dry then treated with G-96. Been in the safe for years. Maybe 10. Pull it put for to look at the forend and ran a patch through it. Clean. It was shot with PP bullets and 1.5F Swiss.
MLs I clean with water, lots of it. I dry the barrel and then oil the bore and stand it muzzle down over night. Its not unusual to get some color or one kind or another from the protectant running out. I have also tried the flooding the bore with WD40 and it just gets wd40 on and in the wood.
I checked my heavy match rifle, 50 cal ML, before taking it to our Guild Fair, no rust. It been stored for months.
Black can be fouling, if can be graphite if its a graphited powder or it can be iron oxide.
Since the solvent in Moose Milk is also water.....
Dan

 

[dikman]

When you look up the MSDS for a lot of these BP commercial cleaners you often find that the main component is water. (Must be very special water for the prices charged :hmm: ).

 

[Toomuch51]

do not wash the lock with water

I've been shooting flintlocks since 1983 and after every shoot, without fail, I've taken out the lock, run it under hot water while scrubbing with an old toothbrush, shaken it, dried it with a towel then sprayed it generously with WD40 and set it aside for the excess WD40 to seep out while cleaning the rest of the rifle. Never had a speck of rust on any of my locks, internal and external.

I haven't been shooting that long, but for years I've been scrubbing my lock with a toothbrush and lots of water, drying what I can, then liberally spraying it down with WD40 or Barricade. Nary ever a speck of rust.

Being able to clean with water is great, as others here have noted. In the field in the winter, if I need to swab after shooting several squirrels, I just take a cleaning patch in hand, grab snow and let it melt in my hand into the patch, and down the barrel she goes. Better than carrying around a bottle of anything. :thumbsup:

Holding the lock in your hand and just looking at it will not reveal the problem, this will be happening in behind the bridal and tumbler where moisture will be sequestered from drying and start to generate rust.
We see this problem on a regular basis at the shope, and for the same reasons.--"My buddy says this is the way its done".

Toomuch
..........
Shoot Flint

 

[Rick Boylan]

I use the G-96 as well. After I clean the gun I spay a little on a patch and run that down the barrel. I use it on all of my guns and where I used to have a little rust problem, I no longer have a rust problem. Not even surface rust.