What Part Of Clean It Now Don't You Understand?

[Urban Coyote]

Okay, so I spend considerable time, and resources, prepping a muzzleloader for sale. I send my prospective buyer a copy of Sam Fadala's book on The Complete Backpowder Handbook then take the fellow out shooting, instruct him on loading, and after shooting, field cleaning with solvent. I explain the detailed cleaning technique using soapy water. I'm thinking, "good job" until I get a communication asking about fouling, using Pyrodex. I go over the importance of cleaning and he responds "yeah I'll do that tomorrow." How many "tomorrows" has there been since I sold him a pristine bore gun?

How long do you wait to clean your muzzleloader after shooting?

 

[Dave Marsh]

Range is 5 minutes away so 1/2 hour after a good swabbing before leaving the range. Real black powder only. Won't use pyrodex.

 

[SciAggie]

Until I get home/ to camp. Order of business is feed and tend to the animals 1st, 2nd clean and take care of your firearm - last thing is take care of yourself…

 

[Urban Coyote]

Range is 5 minutes away so 1/2 hour after a good swabbing before leaving the range. Real black powder only. Won't use pyrodex.

I rarely shoot Pyrodex. I'm a real blackpowder shooter. Unfortunately blackpowder is difficult to find over the counter in many places. I know that where I live it's a mail order proposition. Sometimes you just gotta dance with the girl that's available.

 

[Rob M.]

Okay, so I spend considerable time, and resources, prepping a muzzleloader for sale. I send my prospective buyer a copy of Sam Fadala's book on The Complete Backpowder Handbook then take the fellow out shooting, instruct him on loading, and after shooting, field cleaning with solvent. I explain the detailed cleaning technique using soapy water. I'm thinking, "good job" until I get a communication asking about fouling, using Pyrodex. I go over the importance of cleaning and he responds "yeah I'll do that tomorrow." How many "tomorrows" has there been since I sold him a pristine bore gun?

How long do you wait to clean your muzzleloader after shooting?

But ....all that cleaning time !!! He could lose SO much time to watch TV instead !! LOL ! Some folks ! I'll tell yeah ... Takes me 7-12 minutes to clean my trade gun .. Oh well , you can lead that horse to water but ya can't make him clean his gun when Night Court is on! An old saying ! LOL !!!

 

[deerstalkert]

I clean my rifles before i wash my hands after shooting. not sure which is the dirtier, but just the way i do it.

 

[Frontier's]

I'll clean when I'm good n ready. Couple be later that day or a few days later. They don't rust up that quick. Only time i really had a rust issue was when I used bore butter.

 

[waarp8nt]

I would say a lot would depend on where you live. I'm in Illinois and it's 86% humidity right now and was higher yesterday. I've had rust form quickly, within a matter of hours. If I left mine for a couple of days it would be rusted badly.

If I shoot at the range I do a quick swabbing before I leave, clean thoroughly when I get home. Otherwise, when I'm shooting at home I clean right away.

Edit = swabbing

 

[bud in pa]

I have left an uncleaned rifle in the hall closet for at least a month. (early stages of Alzheimer's) I had always used Lehigh Valley Lube which supposedly protected from corrosion, I guess they were right.

 

[MAPMFF]

If I'm live firing at the range I'll run the bore brush down it a few times to loosen up the heavy stuff and tap it out of the bore. I try to get it cleaned as soon as I get home, because if I don't I'm liable to get busy with work/life and neglect it for longer than I should,

In reenacting where it fouls up rather quickly (some scenarios will have us going through 40 or more rounds so it gets quite nasty) as soon as we get to camp and get our kit off we'll spend 15/20 minutes taking a breather and rehydrating and then we get into weapons maintenance. I take my time and give it a pretty thorough cleaning using water, brush, patches. Once I get home from an event I'll dive in deeper and with the cleaning chemicals etc within a couple of days.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Clean same day after shooting.

 

[Sam squanch]

If I shoot at the range I do a quick stabbing

 

[Dobegrant]

Before I leave the range numerous moose milk patches down the bore and then clean when I get home.

 

[nchawkeye]

I clean at the range, before I go home, then clean again at home, then check again every few days for rust...I like to leave a lightly oiled patch in the bore for a few days after use..

 

[oldwood]

It's all in "how" ya clean a m/l er. Im so lazy , I have a hookup to a laundry sink hot water faucet. 1 insert 1/4" tubing into bore completely to breech plug , hold finger over flint touch hole , turn on hot water faucet until the barrel exterior gets hot to the touch , turn off fawcet , commence with drying patches , w/shot of WD40 to prevent sticking. All in all , meby 7 to 10 mins.. Tooth brush the lock under hot water fawcet , dry , lube , and reinstall. Stand rifle in corner muzzle down , wipe once next day to catch any moisture frim around breech plug , and store gun away. When I go shooting with the neighbor , His gun gets cleaned right after mine. Beyond lazy man's , easy peasy. No Pyrodex.

 

[oldwood]

Please cancel this duplicate blank msg.

 

[JeffG]

Soon after I get home. No exceptions. Then again three days after, Again after three weeks, and if I haven't shot it, three months. Sometimes the later cleaning is just an oily patch check, but I don't like surprises.

 

[waarp8nt]

Swabbing my good man...swabbing...lol!

I swear my spell check is as aggressive as a badger. It auto corrects everything if I don't hit the check mark of approval.

 

[longcruise]

How long do you wait to clean your muzzleloader after shooting?

I often clean at the range before leaving. If not then, when I get home.....regardless of time of day or how tired I am for the most part.

On several occasions I have had to put cleaning off until tomorrow. When that happens I give the barrel a big shot of wd40 to prevent the fouling from pulling moisture and clean as soon as possible.

I rarely shoot Pyrodex. I'm a real blackpowder shooter. Unfortunately blackpowder is difficult to find over the counter in many places. I know that where I live it's a mail order proposition. Sometimes you just gotta dance with the girl that's available.

 

[Coot]

I was taught that "if you don't have time to clean, you don't have time to shoot".