What a Mess!!!!!

[Thunderchild]

What a Mess!!!!!


This my last reaction when I opened the fishing tackle box where I keep my cleaning stuff for my black powder rifles. All my stuff is mismatched and doesn’t interchange. I was trying to sort it all out and this is what I found.

I have a outers black powder cleaning kit. I bought this kit 20 years ago. The kit did not come with a bore brush so I got a 20 gauge shotgun brush to use. Of course the threads don’t match up and I can only get about three turns of the brush on to the cleaning rod. The brush falls of often in the bore. I tried to get something better and thought I would get some of those brushes and cleaning jags, bore mop, breach scrapers, bullet pullers, worms, etc”¦, that fit on civil war ram rods. Only one problem, I did not know at the time that there was four different size screws on civil war ram rods and cleaning equipment. Two in SAE and two in metric. Sooooooooo”¦”¦ My ram rod for my Zouave (Euro arms, .577 cal, S/N 500 something) has one thread type and my three banded Enfield (army sport, 58 cal) has another. Some of the accoutrements I have bought over the years has different threads from the ram rods I own. The bore scraper will only fit on one of the ram rods and the bore brush will fit one of the ram rods. The bullet puller don’t fit anything. The worm will fit down the 58 bore but not down the .577 bore. WHAT A MESS!!!!!

Well I broke down and ordered a black powder cleaning kit with all the goodies and was assured by the seller that they all have the same threads( no they were not laughing when they said it).

Now I have to decide which cleaning chemicals to use. I have TC no 13 cleaning solvent (ok but not great), Knights cleaning solvent (works good but caustic) and often times I use plane old hot soapy water in a bucket. I will probably stick with Hot soapy water with break free CLP for lube.

I use to use Crisco for lube for my bullets but lately I have been using TC bore butter on the bullets. I have noticed that the bore butter seems to congregate down in the breach. Making a crusty goo that is hard to clean up. I might go back to Crisco. Crisco comes out with the hot water easy.

Any of you guys have the same problems with mismatched cleaning rods.

 

[E Poffinbarger]

Thunderchild:

I know what your are saying, which is why I make all of my ramrods & jags, threaded to 10/32. Fortunatedly I found a 20ga brass brush threaded in 10/32 also.

I've never been fond of bore butter, as a storage lube for my rifles I use Wallyworld 10w30 oil.

As a patch lube I use a 50/50 mix of candle was and vaseline.

Osage

 

You actually left the sacred order of the CRISCO user and have gone over to the dark side? Well, I hope you see the error of you decission and come back to the fild soon :haha:

 

[Blizzard of '93]

you might try windsheild washer fluid to clean with. it has alcohol(get the winter mix has more of) and ammonia plus some sort of detergent. nuetralizes BP residue. I use it cold for wipe down or hot to soak. it will bring fouling out of thar. also I use Go-Jo white to wipe down with.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Spit for patches, water for cleaning.

For hunting or storing with a charge, lightly lubed with lard or Crisco works fine for the patch.

Sometimes, methinks we (meself included) tend to overly complicate things.



Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H.L. Mencken

 

[Pittsburghunter]

Hoppe's Elite BP Sovent is now my cleaner of choice for range and regular cleaning. I will still use up the @13 cleaner I have at the range it cuts the fouling enough to keep shooting but lacks real detergent power when cleaning a rifle to put it up.

A mistake many shooters make is to just clean with the bp cleaners and call it a day. When I get all the bp crud out I then clean the rifle again using modern solvents and oil. It might be overkill but I have a couple rifles that I have shot close too or over 1000 rounds through and the barrels are minty :wink:

As far as the cleaning kits go I have now made up tackle boxes for every calibur of rifle I have and also set some boxes up just for specific guns. I like to keep the stuff separate so I can just grab the box for the rifle I want to shoot that day.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Warm, soapy water until clean, alcohol patch to chase that and then a good wiping with Beechwood Casey Sheath. I wipe with alcohol to clear that out and pre-wipe with a lubed patch before the powder on the first load. Starting with a slick barrel seems to make clean up later much easier.

Lots of times I've used my Moose Juice solvent as a cleaning wipe when I didn't have hot soapy water on hand and that works, too.

 

[oldarmy]

You are right, it's the same for all my black powder guns.
brushes and rods are all messed up. metric, 10/32,8/32, shotgun sizes,etc. over and over.
It's just the nature of the beast..
I personly hate jags and will not use them in non-breach loading weapons.
Cleaning suppiles are easy.
cold water, cotton patches, and a very light mineral oil.