What is this in barrel? UPDATE NEW CLEANED IMAGE

[mtsage]

Picked up a used Cabala's Hawkin 50 cal a short time back. It went to the gun safe for storage. Drug it out last night to look down the barrel. And what might appear to be a mistake on my part I purchased a digital bore scope. If you think your barrels are clean you aught too peek down the bore with a scope. Anyway, what is this crud in the barrel. Worst towards the breech end. Appears to me a combo of some rust and bore lube? Anybody got any ideas on what this is. Either way I will attempt to clean it out. But some advice what to do here. Thanks.

UPDATE: I have added an image of about 1/2 hr of elbow grease and some JB Bore paste. Appears it is cleaning up. I see some pitting and more paste. Hope it all cleans up.

 

[Stykbow]

Looks like some rust to me. I’d scotch-brite or steel wool the heck out of it then follow with a thorough cleaning and bore protectant. Should be ok after that.

 

[2 shots]

might be best to clean it first. if its bore butter or something similar it might plug up the scotch bright pad. i have had t/c barrels looking worse than that clean up just fine. that bore butter stuff dries out and looks a lot nastier than it is. just a free 2 cents worth

 

[Okie Hog]

It's rust and powder residue. A failure to properly clean the bore.

 

[waksupi]

Pyrodex damage. Poor cleaning.

 

[SDSmlf]

I’d start with soap and HOT water to remove the easy stuff, then see what’s still left in there. Depending what is found, may move on to something like steel wool, Scotch-Brite or maybe Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner, the tried and true that I have on hand. Then see how it shoots and cleans up after a range session.

 

[springfield art]

Picked up a used Cabala's Hawkin 50 cal a short time back. It went to the gun safe for storage. Drug it out last night to look down the barrel. And what might appear to be a mistake on my part I purchased a digital bore scope. If you think your barrels are clean you aught too peek down the bore with a scope. Anyway, what is this crud in the barrel. Worst towards the breech end. Appears to me a combo of some rust and bore lube? Anybody got any ideas on what this is. Either way I will attempt to clean it out. But some advice what to do here. Thanks. View attachment 158692

Or bit of brake grinding paste on a cloth in your jag. Doesn't look too bad!

 

[mtsage]

What I know about the gun is it was put away abt 15-20 years ago and at the time the bore was cleaned with Hoppes #9 BP and bullet lube butter of some kind for patch lube. I did give it a little bit of elbow grease with a scotch pad and also a bore brush. It did come out a little better but it is still dirty. That being said I have never seen a really dirty barrel before so it is hard to equate this barrel. Maybe somebody can post an image of a really dirty barrel.

 

[SDSmlf]

cleaned with Hoppes #9 BP and bullet lube butter of some kind for patch lube.

Folks hate to hear it, but old bore butter in bore will gum things up. I have seen more than one ‘shot out’ barrel clogged with nothing more than hardened old bore butter (with varying degrees of rust under it) that was quickly removed with HOT soapy water. It melts the stuff away and it this then much easier to survey for corrosion damage. The stuff will also likely be in the chambered breech and fire channel of your Cabelas’ Hawken and you fight it for some time if you don’t get it out. You will see it in your container of hot water if you decide to use it. Good luck with your cleanup.

 

[NorthFork]

Once cleaned up, the gun will probably still shoot good groups.

 

[NorthFork]

Folks hate to hear it, but old bore butter in bore will gum things up. I have seen more than one ‘shot out’ barrel clogged with nothing more than hardened old bore butter (with varying degrees of rust under it) that was quickly removed with HOT soapy water. It melts the stuff away and it this then much easier to survey for corrosion damage. The stuff will also likely be in the chambered breech and fire channel of your Cabelas’ Hawken and you fight it for some time if you don’t get it out. You will see it in your container of hot water if you decide to use it. Good luck with your cleanup.

I've mentioned this here on this forum before and I swear every detail is the truth. I also DO NOT recommend anyone at anytime do this! I do not use much BoreButter at all, nor do I use much Pyrodex. I do use a tiny bit of each every year here and there but I'm not a fan of either. So I have no dog in the fight. But all that said here is an observation of mine.

I hunt at an exclusive hunting/shooting club here in IL. There is a gentleman who has been there every year since the club's inception. Roughly 20 or more years ago he purchased a Remington bolt action muzzleloading 'unmentionable'. It is a stainless steel action and barrel. I think some of the trigger components and springs are carbon steel. He fires maybe 10 shots per year. If the Mods can bear with me here with the mentioning of forbidden items it may be worth it.

He uses loose Pyrodex RS. It is all he has ever shot from this rifle. I think his load is 100grs. He also shoots a Hornady pistol bullet in another unmentionable component. He uses whatever 209 he can buy. After he is done with the rifle for the day, he uses the standard BoreButter on patches to swab the bore clean. He then uses the same cleaning technique on the parts of the action. Believe it or not there is NO rust or pitting anywhere. And I mean NO WHERE. The bore is spotless. I know cause I have questioned his thinking on this more than once and have examined the bore and action parts.

Before anyone says that "duh stainless is rust proof you blithering idiot", it is not! Stainless is only more rust and corrosion resistant due to a higher amount of chromium and less iron than normal carbon steel (that's the cliff notes version). Stainless steel WILL rust and WILL pit, it just takes a bit more abuse.

How he gets away with this, I'll never know. The gun shoots excellent groups and always has. He swears water (unless rain/snow) will NEVER touch the inside of his rifle. I've watched him clean his rifle at the end of firearm and muzzleloader seasons, every year. Year after year. And still no rust. And still a perfectly functioning and accurate arm. Go figure?

edit- @SDSmlf I'm not arguing with you. I actually agree with you, but this anomaly I witness every year is a sight to behold.

 

[2 shots]

north fork , didnt you say stainless steel? thats why

 

[ohio ramrod]

For cleaning fouled up bores I like the old standby alcohol/murphy's oil soap/hydrogen peroxide mixture . Plug the breech fill with mixture, let stand until the bubbling stops. Dump out. Repeat until the mixture comes out clean..Then use schotch brite or bronze bore brush to finish with.

 

[BoomStick]

Probably more than just the stainless, the removable bolt means **** doesn't accumulate around the breech or get left behind a withdrawing jag in the rifling.

The challenge with any traditional muzzleloader is getting all of the stuff we dump in the barrel back out. Powder leaves behind a residue, as can any cleaning solutions. Whatever goes in you have to get 99.9% back out of there will be some corrosion, or gooeyness or hardened carbon. Time and a little effort are the only thing required.

I also tend to think that if you're shooting a gun frequently, and cleaning frequently, it is less likely to have problems. Save yourselves the trouble and shoot more!

The OP's rifle that has sat idle for a few years I would expect to clean up just fine.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

A kerosene patch is a good starter for initial cleaning.

 

[SDSmlf]

…. There is a gentleman who has been there every year since the club's inception. Roughly 20 or more years ago he purchased a Remington bolt action muzzleloading 'unmentionable'. It is a stainless steel action and barrel….. He fires maybe 10 shots per year. ….. He uses loose Pyrodex RS. It is all he has ever shot from this rifle…… After he is done with the rifle for the day, he uses the standard BoreButter on patches to swab the bore clean. He then uses the same cleaning technique on the parts of the action. Believe it or not there is NO rust or pitting anywhere. And I mean NO WHERE. The bore is spotless.
Stainless is only more rust and corrosion resistant due to a higher amount of chromium and less iron than normal carbon steel…….. How he gets away with this, I'll never know. The gun shoots excellent groups and always has. He swears water (unless rain/snow) will NEVER touch the inside of his rifle. I've watched him clean his rifle at the end of firearm and muzzleloader seasons, every year. Year after year. And still no rust. And still a perfectly functioning and accurate arm. Go figure?

edit- @SDSmlf I'm not arguing with you. I actually agree with you, but this anomaly I witness every year is a sight to behold.

I never mentioned stainless or Pyrodex, so not sure why you would think you were arguing with me I don’t know.

You brought up a couple of topics in your post that I can comment on. Recently removed a stainless barrel from a modern muzzleloader for someone at a club I belong to. The gentleman only used Pyrodex with non-traditional projectiles. With a bore light everything looked perfect, however, his accuracy and loading ease recently went south. He ask me to take a look. My borescope showed a few miles of bad road in his barrel, kind of like a corn cob. I removed it for him and will install his new $500 plus barrel when it arrives. Guessing the new barrel will rot like the original, as he will continue to use Pyrodex and clean with original formula Hoppe’s 9.

Point is, without a borescope, this STAINLESS STEEL barrel appears shiny and in great condition, but with a borescope……. The barrel now sits in my collection of tomato stake candidates, though I may make use of it as a gun barrel, but not without some serious bore work.

 

[NorthFork]

north fork , didnt you say stainless steel? thats why

But ss only gives you a modicum of extra protection against rust. And the type typically used for gun barrels is not really very good. It is 416. Which is considered to be a 'free machining' type stainless. Where have we all heard 'free machining' before..........12L14. And we all know the controversy there. There are stainless steels that offer an extremely high resistance to rust, corrosion, erosion, and pitting but they are not used in gun barrels. Some have the wrong properties for barrels and all of them are stupidly expensive.

 

[NorthFork]

I never mentioned stainless or Pyrodex, so not sure why you would think you were arguing with me I don’t know.

You brought up a couple of topics in your post that I can comment on. Recently removed a stainless barrel from a modern muzzleloader for someone at a club I belong to. The gentleman only used Pyrodex with non-traditional projectiles. With a bore light everything looked perfect, however, his accuracy and loading ease recently went south. He ask me to take a look. My borescope showed a few miles of bad road in his barrel, kind of like a corn cob. I removed it for him and will install his new $500 plus barrel when it arrives. Guessing the new barrel will rot like the original, as he will continue to use Pyrodex and clean with original formula Hoppe’s 9.

Point is, without a borescope, this STAINLESS STEEL barrel appears shiny and in great condition, but with a borescope……. The barrel now sits in my collection of tomato stake candidates, though I may make use of it as a gun barrel, but not without some serious bore work.
View attachment 158811View attachment 158812
View attachment 158813

My point was not really about Pyrodex, it was more about the BoreButter you mentioned. However several here claim Pyrodex will harm a barrel faster than real black. In your pics, it appears as though your gentleman has a Remington that he cleaned with Hoppes. My gentleman only cleaned with BoreButter. I'm sure if you used a borescope it would show some pitting. However it has to be minimal as the rifle still shoots great. And whatever build of BoreButter does not seem to be hurting anything. I would never recommend that anyone do what he does, but maybe T/C knew something with all those commercials that claimed 1000 shots without cleaning if you used BoreButter.

edit- I should add that I think what he does with Pyrodex and BoreButter is beyond dumb. And I'm sure the ss barrel has helped in this regard SOME, but he has gotten away with it so far.

 

[toot]

could it be what is commonly called FROSTING?

 

[Leroy Jemken]

Looks like some rust to me. I’d scotch-brite or steel wool the heck out of it then follow with a thorough cleaning and bore protectant. Should be ok after that.

Yep.