What to do in between hunts....

[.36Rooster]

At the beginning of the season, give the gun a thorough cleaning, and a light coat of oil inside and out, followed by a dry swab of the barrel, and run a dry pipe cleaner through the flash channel. Load your gun with real black powder, and use an oil based lube on your patch (rather than water based).

After hunting, remove the percussion cap with a pair of needle noses, and throw it back in your tin (while pointing rifle in safe direction). Take the gun home.

Some guys keep their rifle in their garage, and let it ride in the back of their truck to go hunting to prevent condensation from forming when the gun is moved suddenly from a warm house/truck to the cold woods and causing ignition problems. This is good advice, and you would do well to follow it.

If at any time during season you do fire your gun, you will need to do a thorough cleaning before loading again. You do not want to ever leave a dirty rifle loaded, as black powder fouling is very corrosive and rapidly grows white oxides which will clog your flash channel and guarantee an ignition problem on your next shot.

 

[Nuthatch]

I have to hunt with lead-free balls & bullets. So I use a CO2 discharger or air compressor to blast it out. Keep it pointed in a safe direction. If using lead for an out-of-state hunt, I'm fine using a ball puller. My hunting patches are well-lubed with bear grease/beeswax so they usually come out without much fuss.

Personally, I don't like having a charge & ball in the barrel when storing at home. I'll put the ramrod in the barrel to remind me that it's still loaded. But I prefer to have a clean, empty barrel at home.

 

[Juice Jaws]

If you shoot it, CLEAN IT.

I never leave any of mine loaded more than a couple of weeks.



Well, it really helps for those who think that drowning the bore in oil is necessary.

Never thought of that

 

[CaptainKirk]

1) Clean it. Real good.
2) Oil it. Again, real good.
3) Play with it while watching Jeremiah Johnson and other mountain man movies. You'll thank me later.

 

[Century to late]

1) Clean it. Real good.
2) Oil it. Again, real good.
3) Play with it while watching Jeremiah Johnson and other mountain man movies. You'll thank me later.

Need to make a poster to hang in the shop with that.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Need to make a poster to hang in the shop with that.

"A fifty caliber Hawken..."

 

[stikshooter]

If you shoot it, CLEAN IT.

I never leave any of mine loaded more than a couple of weeks.



Well, it really helps for those who think that drowning the bore in oil is necessary.

Mine get loaded and stay outside tape muzzle shut and pc of leather under hammer from Sept to January 1st then have burgers and beer at the short range . Never failed to fire and if not to cold with a fire going make it an end of season shoot off . The Renegades all use Mag Sparks so weather is irrelevant !/Ed

 

[snakebit]

I should of known , I agree cleaning ML are easy but I do like the smell of Hoppes #9.

Second that

 

[Britsmoothy]

What do I do in between hunts

You mean like when the Mrs has enforced a lockdown on ya?
I just grit my teeth and repeat to myself " soon be over, soon be over, soon.....".