I am stuck at home due to the virus and decided to make a simple cleaning tool I’d read about others using and that appears to be period. I’ve heard this called the “tow and toggle” and it is how it sounds. It is basically a wad of tow tied to a stick by a string the length of the barrel or so:
I used strong hemp string and played around with different sizes of wads and got one that is snug but not too tight in my .40 caliber bore. It is used thusly:
The wad is started into the bore with the fingers:
Next, it is pushed down to the breech with the ramrod, with the string trailing out the muzzle:
The ramrod withdrawn and using the “toggle” (AKA stick), the wad is pulled up and out of the barrel:
This practice run went very well. This appears to be a sort of 19th (and quite possibly 18th) century “bore snake” as it were. The tow can be cleaned with water and left to dry for reuse. I will be testing it in the field soon. Seems a good way to quickly remove some fouling from the bore during hunting or shooting.
Probably not a great way to clean the gun for storage but to wipe between a handful of shots I’m thinking it should work pretty well, and takes up virtually no space in the shooting pouch and is extremely cheap and easy to make. So long as some string or fishing line is handy, it could easily be made in the field from improvised materials.
Take care gang and I’ll report back with once I try it in the field.
-Smokey
