Black Powder Cleaning

[SWAMPFOX]

I have seen some recipes on here previously about cleaning solution concoction to use to clean a front stuffer. I got a Traditions in-line and I am struggling to get it squeaky clean after taking it to the range today. I am having trouble getting the crud out of the nooks and cranies. Anybody got any home made concoctions that they'd recommend?

Also in the directions, they talk about not using petroleum based solvents in the cleaning process...to use some sort of stuff that will "season" the barrel. What's that about? I figure a decent cleaning with some Butch's Bore Shine after hot soapy water would work.

I would appreciate any feed back. Thanks.

 

[dawg2]

A lot of folks use soapy water at a club I shoot at. I have a Traditions Flintlock and use a water based soapy solvent, i'll look it up, I can't remember what it is, but it works great.

There are some other folks that will have some good ideas too.

 

[killitgrillit]

lube

I use boiling hot water.
The reason behind the petroleum products is that it reacts with black powder and leaves alot of crud in the barrel.
I make my own patch lube and use the same lube to coat the barrel inside and out with when done cleaning.

64oz virgin olive oil
1 lb pure bees wax
Melt them togethor in a tin pan then pour it into a tupper ware container.
This will last a long time
This is the only thing I put on my front stuffers

 

[stevetarget]

mix you up 8 ozs of murphys oil soap with 4 oz of iso alcohol and scrub away. Light coat of gun oil when your done.

 

[Burl E.]

Here is some a Buddy of mine makes.
http://www.bearclawstradingpost.com/solvent.html

 

[01Foreman400]

I clean my M/L after every shot. I run 2 of the Thompson/Center T17 Pre-Saturated Cleaning Patches and then a dry patches after every shot. When I get it home I take the breech plug out and shine it up then let Sharp Shooter Wipeout Painless Black Powder Cleaner sit in the barrel for 20 minutes. Clean that up with some dry patches then add some Break Free CLP on the inside and outside and your done.

Darrell

 

[Hawken2222]

I shoot a TC Hawken 50 cal with triple f black powder. I also clean between shots with TC bore cleaner. When I get home, I boil water then add soap and swab the barrell with the hot soapy water. It really does the job. When I have finished with that,I swab the barrel with bore cleaner until I get apatch to come out completely clean. Then I lubricate the barrell with a very light coat of TC bore butter, and put the gun up until next time.

 

[SWAMPFOX]

01foreman

How do you plug your barrel so the solution can soak for 20 minutes? Thanks.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Swampfox,

Everybody has given you good advice. The only thing that I will add is that you do not, repeat DO NOT, want to use Butches Bore Shine or any other of the common smokeless cleaning chemicals in your barrel. The reason for that is that your barrel is seasoned and using those harsh chemicals will remove that seasoning. Think of it like a cast iron pot. Once you have it good and seasoned, the last thing you want to do is take a brillo pad to it.

 

[bearpugh]

i let mine soak in a tub of hot water

 

[01Foreman400]

How do you plug your barrel so the solution can soak for 20 minutes? Thanks.

I stick my finger in the breech hole to plug it up.

 

[7Mag Hunter]

I use Bore Butter as patch lube, as it is bees wax based instead
of petroleum based...Does not crud up as bad, and over time
helps to season the barrel, kinda like a cast iron skillet...
HOT soapy water to clean..Dry completely..and lube with more
Bore Butter as lube till next use...

 

[whitworth]

Moose Milk

Been using this homemade cleaner for decades on a black powder muzzleloader.
There is some variation. I use a couple oz. dish detergent (hand washing), a couple of ozs. of water soluble oil (last obtained at NAPA auto parts store) and water. Make it by the clothes detergent bottle. Will carry a smaller bottle to the range and an even smaller bottle of moose milk when hunting.

You can look it up on the internet. Moose Milk.

I always use, after cleaning, WD40 lightly, inside the barrel to reduce further the chance of rusting.

Seems to have worked good on one rifle for some thirty years.

Reminds me I need to get out for some shooting.

I've always cleaned mine the day I use it. I'll use the moose milk on the hunt and at the range.
On getting home, I take the barrel off the rifle. Get a cleaning rod, a brass brush, put the barrel in a bucket of warm water and soap. I start the cleaning. When it's gets pretty cleaned, I then move to the moose milk. Find it cheaper to save the moose milk for the final cleaning.

Since I do everything the day of the shoot, I never had a rust problem.

 

[Stan in SC]

I've always also used hot water with Dawn dishwashing detergent followed up with WD40.Since 1975 and no rust yet.
The other day I had a gent tell me that he used regular old hydrogen peroxide to clean his bore.I never heard of that.Anybody??

Stan

 

[tv_racin_fan]

I'm a hot water liquid dish soap, TC #13 and TC bore butter guy. (Mostly just becaause I can get TC products on sale end of season at Wal Mart) Mater of fact just cleaned our two 50's last evening. I use the bottom of a two liter coke bottle and as hot of water as I can get out of the faucet. Might be better to go even hotter on the rinse as that helps it dry without rusting. Black powder guns tend to begin to rust RIGHT NOW so I advise cleaning them the same day you shoot them. BUT a couple of days wont kill em. And I have left BP guns loaded for a week or three with no ill effects, but I wouldn't advise any longer than that.

Last night I actually scrubbed em with the soap water, rinsed then scrubbed em again with TC #13 ran three patches thru em then buttered em. I don't see much use in runnin patches until it comes dead clean because I generally clean em three times before putting em up for any length of time. And I always make sure to burnish every metal surface with the bore butter (really rub it in hard). After the initial cleaning I forgo the hot soap water and skip right to the TC #13 (end of last season I got some presoaked cleanin patches I have yet to try out good).

 

[Redleaf]

Pinesol and hot water will cut black powder fouling as good as anything out there. Clean, dry, oil. Nothin to it.

 

[bearpugh]

and smells good too