Cleaning Question

[Al Lapp]

I have fairly recently got serious about fullstock flintlocks. On cleaning I have one of tracks "Flint flush kits" that requires removing the lock and attaching this devise to the bbl. at the vent. I invariably end up with a very damp lock mortise. I have also tapped the pins out and removed the bbl. which I find a lot less messy. When I tap the pins from left to right I use a proper sized punch and only tap them far enough to get a grip with a pair of pliers to remove them the rest of the way. I also lay them out in the order that they were removed so  that they are put back in the same place that they were removed from. Also I clean my muzzle loaders the way that Taylor and Daryl recommend. My question is if I continue to clean them this way (Pulling the pins) will they eventually become loose? I could also treat the mortise with trueoil. As most of my previous guns have been hooked breach and wedges I have not had this problem. Also I don't remove my vent liner when cleaning as it bottomed out when installed and I found it very difficult to remove.  Thank for any help,  Al

[Dphariss]

Mine works good but I use it on a swivel breech.
Plug the vent with a round toothpick.
Pour in decent slug of COOL or TEPID water 1/4 or 1/3 the bore by guess. DO NOT USE HOT WATER. If you use soap rinse twice with clear water to get rid of the soap which is CORROSIVE.
Put your thumb over the  muzzle and upend the rifle 2-3 times to slosh the water around end to end then dump. Wipe with a loose patch and/or brush with a bronze brush maybe 2-3 passes nt need to change patches.
Pour in more water and repeat the process of wiping.  This wiping and/or brushing is just to stir things up and loosen fouling so it will flush away easier.
One more pour and slosh and it would be ready to wipe out and dry.
Use 2-3 wet patches first then dry it and oil. As the patches start to get dry pull the toothpick. Air flow through the vent will speed drying.

Dan

[chuck-ia]

I made a couple v blocks I put on a saw horse and set the rifle upside down in the v, and use a flush tube, don't seem to get any water in the lock mortice. I don't see anything wrong with removing the barrel either. I have put varnish in the pin hole and on the pin and push it through, or push it in and pull it out, (if you don't want to push the pin all the way through) and let the varnish cure before reinstalling the pin. I'm sure you will get other oppinions, thats just the way I do it. flinch

[roundball]

Thank for any help

I've tried a couple different flush kits...one that clamps over the vent, another that screws into the vent seat.
The one that screwed into the vent seat worked better but if you can't/don't want to remove your vent, then that's out...(not sure I understand why it can't come out though).
The clamp type never seems to be 100% leak proof for me, but I found laying the ML on its side in one of those Outers Gun Cleaning cradles at least let the drop(s) fall straight down away from the mortise;
 
But...even knowing I have to be extremely careful with removing/cleaning/reinstalling a barrel due to risk of marring the stock, it is without a doubt the quickest, simplist, and most satisfying to me in terms on 'knowing' that bore & breech are 100% squeaky clean, dried, and lubed...and the exterior is maintained completely clean/lubed/rust free as well.
Carpeted, waist high work bench is extremely helpful, just 3-4 pins depending, and a tang screw...reverse very slow and very carefully.  Have done each of 3 Flintlocks that way about a dozen times each and haven't noticed any loose pins, stock damage, yet...so far, so good.

[Pete G.]

I keep the barrel in the stock and plug the vent with a feather; use windshield washer fluid as a solvent and follow up with CLP. I suspect that very few 18th century rifles were ever dismounted from their stocks.

[Don Getz]

After shooting these crazy things for about 40 years I have never had a need to remove the barrel to clean it.........Don

[smylee grouch]

I used to remove pins every time I cleaned and they did get a little loose over the years, then I made new pins just big enough to tighten them up.    Gary

[mainiac]

I have a spring clamp,that i cut one of the jaws back about .250 inch,so the jaws are somewhat off-set. This clamp then fits between the barrell flats,at the breech end,and hits the ventliner really square. I use a small piece of rubber,from an old inner-tube,between clamp jaw,and vent.Very rare to have any leakage,using this.Fill the barrell with water,and let sit for hours,if ya want to. No leaks.....

[mvan52]

try going with a fatter o-ring on the flush clamp where it goes agin' the barrel, the one that  comes with it is kinda thin. It's probably bottoming out before the o-ring can seat tight against the barrel.

[cahil_2]

I also use the flush kit and I hardly every have leakage problems.  I am just careful to line it up correctly.  I only pull my pins if I get caught in a downpour.

[Al Lapp]

Thanks for the great advise. From what I've read I think they all will work. I never thought of making a cradle to hold the gun upside down while flushing. Also I will try plugging the vent and letting the water sit for a couple minutes then sloshing it back and forth, dumping and repeating a couple of times. As I usually only shoot about 25 shots during a session my rifle is seldom that dirty.(I use very wet patches) I will still remove the bbl. occasionally just to make sure everything is OK between bbl. and stock. Thanks again, much appreciated.   Al

[Gene Carrell]

I too use a flush clamp for cleaning and have little, if any leakage as long as I do not tighten it too tight and push the o-ring out of it's seat.

[Rich]

I do not remove the barrel. With a thin forestock, that's asking for trouble. I remove the lock, put an earplug in the sear hole, fill the lock mortice with a paper towel. plug the vent with a toothpick, fill the barrel with a water and Ballsitol mixture so that with the cleaning rod in the barrel, the mixture is to the top of the barrel. I let it soak a few minutes, remove the rod, fill with water and with a patch on the rod, flush the mixture through the vent. Then a few patches until it comes out clean. Make sure the barrel is dry, then Ballistol to prevent rust.

[Roger Fisher]

I do not remove the barrel. With a thin forestock, that's asking for trouble. I remove the lock, put an earplug in the sear hole, fill the lock mortice with a paper towel. plug the vent with a toothpick, fill the barrel with a water and Ballsitol mixture so that with the cleaning rod in the barrel, the mixture is to the top of the barrel. I let it soak a few minutes, remove the rod, fill with water and with a patch on the rod, flush the mixture through the vent. Then a few patches until it comes out clean. Make sure the barrel is dry, then Ballistol to prevent rust.

Now then that is a concise response.  And runs along the same track I'm running on

[Ky-Flinter]

My question is if I continue to clean them this way (Pulling the pins) will they eventually become loose?

Yes, eventually.  I remove my barrel nearly every cleaning, full stock, over 20 years old, pins loosened up a few years ago. Now I put a little bees wax on each pin and shove it back in and they stay put.

-Ron

[Berks Liberty]

I use a mixture of warm water and windex.  Put a toothpick in the touch hole and flush the barrel a couple of times until the patch is as clean as you can get.  I'll use a bore brush while the water mix is in there.  I only pull the barrel off the stock when the rifle gets really wet while hunting or at least once a year to apply grease to the bottom of the barrel so no rust forms. 

Jason

[roundball]

I use strong rigid brass underbarrel ramrods...whenever I'm removing/reinstalling a barrel, I keep the ramrod in place as a spine for strength the full length of the forestock...the same could be accomplished using a strong proper fitting range rod

[Daryl]

I use strong rigid brass underbarrel ramrods...whenever I'm removing/reinstalling a barrel, I keep the ramrod in place as a spine for strength the full length of the forestock...the same could be accomplished using a strong proper fitting range rod

Yeah - I leave the rifle's hickory rods in the channel when removing the barrels, as well.  I use a cleaning rod for actual cleaning after a range shoot.

As Ron says, beeswax on the pins helps keep them in the rifle. A bit loose doesn't hurt.

[George Sutton]

I use the toothpick method with hot water.

Centershot

[Flinter]

The first time I tried a tooth pick, black powder fowling ran down the stock and turned the thumb piece black where the liquid was. Now, after I take the lock off, I tape the area around the touch hole. Next, the rifle is turned with the touch hole down, and I run two wet patches into the barrel. The rifle is moved to the bench seat with the stock on the shooting bench brace. Then, I hook the air nozzle to a water hose and fill the barrel three times with water. After doing that, the stock is tilted up to drain any fouling out the muzzle. Once this is done, I flush water out the touch hole for about one minute. The air nozzle is then quick coupled to the air compressor, and any water is blown out. I run two patches into the barrel. WF-40 is sprayed into the barrel for about three seconds. The excess WD-40 is blown out the touch hole, one more patch goes into the barrel, and that is followed by an oily patch.

I try to get all the black powder residue out of the barrel before anything goes through the touch hole. so… Do any of you guys think I am enlarging my touch hole by using this cleaning method?








Mike

[Leatherbelly]

   Mike,
 If you oil the bore, make sure to run a clean patch down the bore before you shoot it again.Maybe 2 or 3 patches.Get that oil out. Makes a freaking mess. Ask me how I know!

[nosrettap1958]

Same procedures as most have posted except I use hot soapy water first then hot water but I plug the vent hole with a pipe cleaner they seem to work better and cover the lock mortice with a paper towel. I remove the barrel from the stock only once a year to make sure it is clean.  I’m under the impression that if the barrel is removed I would have to sight the rifle back in at the range so it stays put for a year.  

[RonT]

I use a toothpick and room temp. windshield cleaner (AutoZone).  When clean patches emerge I run an "Ed's Red" patch down the bore followed by a dry patch.  Store barrel down.
R

[roundball]

I’m under the impression that if the barrel is removed I would have to sight the rifle back in at the range so it stays put for a year.  

Not to worry...both the sights are mounted on the barrel and don't lose their relationship to the bore.  For example, T/C's muzzleloader barrels are hooked breech barrels and are normally removed and reinstalled with every cleaning...all of them out there in the hands of hunter for the past 40+ years having been removed and reinstalled some number of millions of times without a problem...had several, its a fact.
As another example, Remington's 'cantilever' scope barrel removes and reinstalls on their shotgun receivers without a worry, because the scope is mounted on the barrel...had one, its a fact.
I've also removed & reinstalled my pinned barrels after every use with no problems.

All that is simply to put your mind at ease...whether or not you personally ever choose to remove a barrel or not...if you don't, at least it won't need to be because of some perceived accuracy / re-zeroing requirement if you did.

[Don Getz]

You can talk to 100 people on how they do it and will come up with 100  ways to do it.   You can't change my mind because my way is best...............Don