weather protection for barrel channel

[Coot]

Ok, I remember some discussion on the forum re protecting the barrel & stock from water (as in out in the rain) entering the barrel channel. Was the use of a paste wax (like bowling alley wax) to act as a seal the consensus? It would seem that wax would both seal the tiny gap between the barrel & stock and fill any voids between the stock and barrel where water might collect if you are in the rain for any length of time. Suggestions will be appreciated as I want to be better prepared next time!

 

[Parzifal]

I have been using high pressure grease.
First I seal the wood real good, then just cake the grease on , install the barell pop in the pins and whammo.

All safe from the evils of water.

 

[renovato]

I just make sure that the wood is very well sealed and the metal protected. I don't seal the gap as I figure that's a way for water to drain out, and it allows some ventilation. I haven't had any wood or metal issues using this method.

 

[Old40Rod]

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/215997/post/512712

Seems like there are a few votes against grease. I can't see why paste wax would be a problem.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Coot: Seal the stock's barrel channel well with stock finish( staining if you want, first). Then consider using some kind of non-petroleum grease to fill in the channel when the barrel is put in. You want the grease to ooze out the top. I would also put the grease on the underside flats of the barrel, since you are basically trying to add a rust inhibitor to the barrel, rather than being concerned totally with sealing the wood. The stock finish should do that. By All Means, go ahead and put a good coat of wax on the stock finish before using the grease on the barrel.

There are all kinds of synthetic lubes now available with a wide temperature range. The draw-back to petroleum products is that the temperature range where they remain stable is limited, both heat and cold. Oils do evaporate out of grease, and when the grease hardens, you lose its sealing characteristics. If you decide to use a grease in the barrel channel, stick to the synthetics. Oh, I have been using " Wonderlube " to protect my barrels during storage, and use. I am impressed with its ability to leave a slightly greasy coating on the barrel, even after heavy use, making clean-up of fingerprints, dirt, and debris from powder much easier.

The only petroleum based grease I have found that seems to defy normal functions, is Water Pump Grease. But, I would not want to leave a gun out in the Texas sun on a 95+ degree day with even water pump grease in the barrel channel, for fear I would have a real mess running out the barrel mortise.

Look for synthetic lubes designed for use in airplane engines, as they require the widest range of temperature tolerance . Temperatures range from very hot, because of the heat from the engines, to -60 degrees, and colder, at altitudes.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Seal the barrel channel with the stock finish. Wax the underside of your barrel with paste wax. Any kind of grease will eventually soak into your wood and ruin your stock. I have seen 3 stocks ruined with grease and oil. the wood goes punky and the gun will no longer shoot a consistent group.

 

[William Joy]

Definitive no grease. Oil and grease ruins wood stocks!! Wax paste will guard against rust. I was always worried about rust on my hunting gun. But in the last few years, after I fired the gun, I swabbed the barrel with ballistol/ water mix untill"fairly" clean and then wiped the outside with a damp ( balistil) rag. Once a year I take the gun apart and never a problem....

 

[brubincam]

-----my gun maker uses vaseline-----

 

[Longsmoke]

Like Mike said, I seal the channel with stock sealer. I try to get it down in all the little crevices as good as I can. That’s my first concern when I start the finish on a gun stock. I also get all inlets at this time paying attention to any hidden end grain like under the butt plate and as far as I can get in the ramrod hole.

Before I do the finial install of the barrel (and all iron parts) I heat it with a heat gun and apply bees wax and get it hot enough to melt. I make sure to get some in the back side of the breech threads too. As it starts to cool I wipe any that will stop the barrel from seating.

After assembly I Ballistol all exposed iron parts. Bees wax and Ballistol are good for both wood and iron.

Bruce Everhart

 

[Parzifal]

Seal the barrel channel with the stock finish. Wax the underside of your barrel with paste wax. Any kind of grease will eventually soak into your wood and ruin your stock. I have seen 3 stocks ruined with grease and oil. the wood goes punky and the gun will no longer shoot a consistent group.

What is "punky"....warped,bumpy or what not??

Lynseed oil Is a oil and I heavily use that for my stocks a few times a year

I havent had any problem so far..Though I used alot of varnish in the barell channel as a sealer.

I havent had any problem with groups so far ...Should It be wiped off and replaced with plain ol paste wax???

The high pressure grease I have been using has been a really great product so far.

I even use it to protect the lock innards when I know Im going to be in the field for a couple of days, I cover all the lock internals with a big glob of the stuff.
Then all I have to worry about for days is the tube and the outers.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

"Punky" means soft or almost like rotted wood. Linseed oil most likely won't cause this condition. Usually takes petroleum based products and quite a lot of time for the problem to arise. I've sealed with bees wax for years and never had any trouble. For the barrel, I let it lie in the sun 'til it's good and warm and then rub on the beeswax and put it back in the sun for a while. Then I wipe off the excess. For the barrel channel, I heat it up a little with my wife's hair dryer and rub on the wax, which is also warm. Then I run the dryer over it to drive the wax into the wood some. Any excess is then wiped away. I do the same under the buttplate, too. It seems to get the job done. :thumbsup:

 

[Mike Brooks]

It's not just petroleum based grease and oils that are hard on wood and make it go punky. Two of the worst cases Ive seen were from bear oil and sperm whale oil. These products seem to go rancid and rapidly deteriorate the wood in as little as 5 to 10 years.Both guns were made of walnut and the owners of both wood apply liberal coatings of this stuff on the stocks after each shooting session. These to guns literally feel apart due to rot. It was an amazing thing to witness. I've seen several other guns with rotten wood in the lock and breech area due to excessive oils, both petroleum and organic. Once your wood goes punky in the breech you're screwed, accuracy goes all to hell and there's not much you can do about it. I've tried glass bedding as a fix , but it won't stick to the greasy rotten wood. The only fix is to dig out all the rotten wood and either glue in new wood or glass bed the area after you've chopped out all the rotten wood.
In my early days I used to glass bed all my barrels when I built the gun, figuring this would keep all the water out of the wood in the barrel channel. Well, it worked, but the water would lay between the barrel and the glass and rust the crapola out of the barrel....NASTY!
These days I lightly coat the barrel channel with finish and wax the bottom of the barrel. I've come to the conclusion that the wood getting wet in the barrel channel isn't a big deal for a properly made gun.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Mike, that makes sense. The bear oil or sperm oil is organic and decomposes itself and that would ruin the wood. There is a marine product used to treat rotted wood-- actually permeates the soft wood and bulks it up and returns the strength. I think it's called Git Rot or something like that. Might work on gunstocks too. 'Course it might look like hell too.

 

[Coot]

For what its worth, Git Rot is a two part mix that makes a clear liquid. Think thin epoxy glue & you are getting close. It is poured or brushed on rotten wood & fills the fibers/voids & dries hard & waterproof. Good stuff to stop decay & provide a solid surface for a repair material like Marine Tex epoxy/metal putty. An expensive but excellent repair for things like a hard to replace window sill that has a bit of rot. I would be real careful before trying Git Rot on a gun - its not reversible if you don't like the results, & the wood will be permanently sealed & not able to take anything like a touch up stain. Marine tex comes in grey and white - it won't take a stain either but you can drill & tap it! I hope to avoid these issues by preventative maintenance
& the stock finish on the wood & paste wax on the barrel seems like the way to go.

 

[bucktales]

I've used a very light coat of RIG in my barrel channels without any problems. BTW, I read that RIG is being discontinued and it's out of stock at some suppliers.

 

[renovato]

I'm with Mike on not worrying about water in the barrel channel. It's not going to hurt properly sealed wood and protected metal. Water getting trapped next to your metal will, however. That's why I don't pack anything in the channel. When it comes to taking a muzzleloader into the field, I treat it just like I would a modern gun. I don't know anyone who packs the barrel channel on a modern gun.

I haven't heard of Git Rot, but they make a thin 2 part epoxy specifically for strengthening punky and rotted wood on boats. I've used it, but not on guns. I got it from West Marine. It's strong enough to be used for a structural part on a boat. The problem is getting it to soak into the oil soaked wood. Surplus rifle collectors have come up with some pretty creative ideas for getting cosmoline and oil out of wood. Easy off oven cleaner, packing in kitty litter and setting in the sun, etc. I've used the easy off trick a couple times and it works better than the whiting I had been using. Perhaps a combination of that and the epoxy might be a way to salvage a punky section, or at least stabilize it enough to epoxy bed it without having to scrape it all out. Just tossing out ideas here.