Rusty

[panfish]

Ok. I know I'm going to get some bad replies but I'm going to say it first.. I have 3 muzzle loaders. That I have not used or cleaned in about 4 years.. I got the plugs out.. what is the best way to get the rust out?

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

If they ain’t too bad…load it up and bust one off. Shooting one knocks the top off the rust, then you can clean it good. On a side hammer, I stick a wooden toothpick in the nipple and put a good dose of PB blaster or Krow oil and let it set for a couple three hours. I have a scraper that’s screws on my ramroad to get the crud in the rear of the chamber. Ain’t nothing left but elbow grease, patches and bore butter till they come out clean. I always store mine with a thick coating of ore butter. You just gotta remember to swab them out and bust a couple caps before you go hunting. If your working on a in-line you can do the same or buy a bunch of chemicals. CVA and Thompson both make them. You mite be able to put some fine steel wool around your jag and save a few strokes on cleaning.

 

[kingfish]

Everything Mr. Hillbilly Stalker says right here. ^^^ Learned my lesson by ruining a beautiful CVA Hawken Mountain Rifle. Boiling water has worked for me too as far as loosening some of the crud up. When I get ready to hunt, I pop 3 caps, clean the gun and then after it is loaded up, I put a couple of grains of powder (or Pyrodex) straight into the nipple then put the cap on. Helps with misfires.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Yep shoot it (with a reduced load of powder,) then clean with boiling water and dawn.

 

[Railroader]

All of the above, and a buncha scrubbin'. Hope it still shoots good.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

While your into it, it would be a good ideal to take a brass brush to the threads on the nipple and or breech plug. Put you a dab of never seize on both threads, you will be glad you did later on.

 

[pacecars]

If too bad you can try Ballistol, Kroil or Windex w/Vinegar (NOT w/Ammonia)

 

[frankwright]

A friend of mine gave me a Percussion Lyman Trade rifle. He had loaned it to his brother who had shot it and not cleaned it in forever.
I scrubbed it out with hot soapy water and then used a tight fitting fore brush and several gun cleaning products. Been too long to say exactly but I am a big Ballistol user so that was probably part of it.
I got it clean and shined up but it had some pitting.
I decided to shoot it anyway and with patched round balls and T/C Maxi Hunters it still shot fine and was accurate.
I hunted with it for several years and passed it on to a new shooter with some on hand instructions o0n shooting and cleaning.
I always store my ML with a good coat of gun grease in the off season. A couple of patches with denatured alcohol and a couple of caps popped and it is ready to go.

 

[TarponStalker]

It’s best not to use a metal brush as they’re designed to go one way completely through a barrel. Many people get them stuck since they won’t back out. I always use a piece of Scotchbrite on your jag along with Kroil or other oil. You can also use steel wool.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I like the hot soap and water method for a more traditional ML.

Here is another way to skin the cat.

A would run a solvent patch in it a time or two followed by brushing and then dry swabbing.

Then use a foaming bore cleaner with a toothpick in the nipple/flash hole/breech plug primer hole and let it sit for a few hours.

Brush and swab again. Brush and swab until clean.

 

[bullethead]

A chunk of Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner twisted around a patch worm and good dose Kroil. Work it back and forth until satisfied then clean with your usual method to remove all the Kroil/Rust sludge. I have always coated the bore with T/C Bore Butter on a bore sized mop/swab for long term storage and have never had a problem with rust.

 

[Sargent]

I got a good deal on a TC Hawken several years back that was a little rusty. I used Ballistol, followed by hot and soapy water. Followed it up with bore butter. Shoots pretty good.

 

[01Foreman400]

A buddy brought me a pretty rusty muzzleloader to clean. Flitz and Kroil on the inside and outside got most of the rust off and reduced the pitted spots. I attached a bronze brush with a cleaning patch to a cleaning rod. Put the flitz/kroil on the patch then attached the rod to a drill. Made quick work of things and now shoots great again.

 

[mallardsx2]

If there is a LOT of rust and pitting, put a wine cork in the end of the barrel. Orient the barrel vertical.

Heat up a tub of petroleum jelly into a liquid and carefully pour it down the barrel and let it sit in there for a day....

Pull the wine cork (I plugged the vent hole with a toothpick...)

Wire brush.

Clean with patches.

Worked to restore the bore on an old Hawken I got at a yardsale for $25 one time, and it was in terrible shape....

 

[johnpoulan83]

Ok. I know I'm going to get some bad replies but I'm going to say it first.. I have 3 muzzle loaders. That I have not used or cleaned in about 4 years.. I got the plugs out.. what is the best way to get the rust out?

Get a pot of boiling water with Dawn dish soap and run the cleaning rod throuh it and put breech plug in there will get it spotless

 

[Darkhorse]

A guy brought me one to try and save once, he had been shooting in a mist, brought it home and forgot about it.
I didn't want to do it but I'd known him for a long time.
I ended up using Naval Jelly and brushes in my drill to finally get the out side cleaned up.
I also used Naval Jelly on the inside. It worked but it was so rusty most of the rifling was gone.
Bottomline is, take better care of your muzzleloaders.