Barrel in rifle cleaning

[KNeilson]

In some posts Ive read you should always remove longrifle barrels to clean, others seem to feel that is totally unnecessary. With my first build(Lancaster) I found the barrel easy enough to remove and also found it cleaned up faster that way than just changing patches till they come out clean. Second build has a hooked breech and one wedge so the barrel comes out easy anyways. With my latest(Kibler rifle) I`m concerned about damage to the inlets or the tang from barrel removing so I made this device to allow "flushing" of the inside. I know I`m not the first with this particular tool, but I am interested to see what others do or have done to clean rifles with the barrel installed...

All the components and a close-up of the clamp to  connect small tube to the vent
 
Flanged 1/4 brass pipe and a cheap import c-clamp

A small block of wood and a leather pad on the opposite side hold modified c-clamp

all together

[Mike Brooks]

Dunlap used to sell one of those.

[smylee grouch]

I made one almost like yours but use a faucet washer to seal up the tube. It works but I would just as soon take the barrel out and flush even if it takes a little more time.

[Darkhorse]

I bought one from Dulaps about 10  tears ago, almost identical to yours. Mine never worked to my satisfaction. It leaked around the gasket. It marked up my wood some. All in all it became a pain to try and use it. It took less time to remove the barrel.

[David R. Pennington]

I just use a rod and wet patches

[EC121]

I tried the gadgets, but ended up like Dave R.  Cold water and a toothbrush for the lock.  G96 afterward for everything.

[nosrettap1958]

I bought a kit from TOW that threaded into my barrel after removing the touch hole liner that was attached to a hose and submerged into a bucket of water. I had to wrap the one end of the hose around a hammer, pretty good size hammer also, to keep the one hose end submerged in the bucket. Pumped away with a tight patch until the water started flowing through the barrel. Easy way to clean plus I didn't like taking the barrel off the stock.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/578/1

[hanshi]

A pinned barrel shouldn't be removed for routine cleaning, too many chances for damage and it's unnecessary.  If the barrel is held in with keys it won't hurt to remove the barrel on a regular basis.

[Hungry Horse]

 If you take the barrel out of your fullstock rifle to clean it, and don't worry about the fragile nature of the forearm, you are either nuts, or there is way too much wood on your forearm. And, as for removing the touch hole liner, that falls into the nuts category in my book as well. Sometimes it seems like some people are just looking for a way to disable their rifle.

  Hungry Horse

[Ky-Flinter]

If you take the barrel out of your fullstock rifle to clean it, and don't worry about the fragile nature of the forearm, you are either nuts, or there is way too much wood on your forearm.

HH,

That is your opinion and you are welcome to it.  I am not nuts and there is not too much wood left on my forearm.  And I will continue to pull the pins and remove my barrel for cleaning.  To each his own.  There is no reason for you to disparage me because our opinions differ.

-Ron

[KNeilson]

Thx for the replies on a most mundane topic, I was almost not going to post this because of the potential controversy about "how to" or "not to" clean your rifle, I was simply looking for how other people did it when leaving the barrel in.. Ive only seen one other similar device and it may be the one mentioned, it did look commercially produced. First time I tried this it was horrible, wouldn't stay put, leaked etc.. After several versions it works great, fast, no wiggles or leaks. The wood block, shaped to fit the off side parallel to the barrel flat was a big improvement. Also, I tried a rubber grommet for a washer..way too soft, the clamp wiggled and leaked. An O-ring worked a little better but still too soft, first time with the leather pad I was then happy and now have adopted its use as mentioned in the OP.
fwiw, I have broken a forearm before and do NOT want to go thru that again

[Frank]

Patches and cleaning jag or a worm and tow and water. Dry and oil. KISS, keep it simple stupid. Been doing it this way for almost 40 years.

[JoeG]

Patches and cleaning jag or a worm and tow and water. Dry and oil. KISS, keep it simple stupid. Been doing it this way for almost 40 years.

Thats is the way I do it. I've never removed a barrel to clean it unless it was a hooked breech.

[sqrldog]

As I have posted before, the only reason I would remove a barrel from a pinned fullstock rifle is to clean and dry the barrel if caught in a torrential rain or the rifle got dunked in water. I have a Bartlett rifle made in 1987. At the time it was made Frank shined the face of the breech plug. The plug still shines after all the shooting and cleanining w/o taking barrel out of the stock. The way you clean your rifle is your choice do it the way that suits you. You can do it but be careful of bent tangs, broke forearms and chipped pin holes. Your choice.

[nosrettap1958]

If you take the barrel out of your fullstock rifle to clean it, and don't worry about the fragile nature of the forearm, you are either nuts, or there is way too much wood on your forearm. And, as for removing the touch hole liner, that falls into the nuts category in my book as well. Sometimes it seems like some people are just looking for a way to disable their rifle.

  Hungry Horse

What's wrong with that because I remove the touch hole liner every time I clean the rifle. Its just threaded in there.

[smylee grouch]

I don't remove the touch hole liner when I clean but that don't mean that I'm sane. I always worry about the liner going in and out would wear the threads and they would create a loose liner, but maybe i'm nuts and worry too much.

[oldtravler61]

I never remove the barrel on a full stock. Only on guns with a hooked breech. As long as your satisfied with the end results. If there's no damage to the gun does it really matter. Just my thoughts.

[EC121]

None of my rifles have liners with screwdriver slots. 

[nosrettap1958]

I always saw it as similar to removing the nipples on my black powder revolvers during cleaning. They always come off but I never saw it that way before. Interesting.

I tried running patches over and over again ad nauseam, but the bucket treatment gets my barrel clean with just a couple patches. I do not like taking the barrel off the stock on any rifle unless it has a hooked breech.

[Mike Brooks]

I have been shooting ML,s since 1980. I have never (with exceptions) taken the barrel out to clean. I just patch them out, no big deal, easier than cleaning a modern gun barrel. I used to use that nifty C clamp thingy with good results but strayed away from it, don't know why. I have been doing alot of ML shooting this year, just shot and cleaned a rifle yesterday. Probably took 15 minutes or so to clean with the barrel in the stock. I have never had a liner with a screw driver slot and if I did I wouldn't take it out, don't see the point. I used to shoot C&B revolvers in cowboy action shoots 3 weekends a month. Never had the nipples out of them to clean, never had a problem.
 The exception to my method..... When I was shooting alot of  flint skeet at Friendship and elsewhere I was shooting 1/2 stock guns with hooked breeches. I always removed the barrels and pumped them out in a bucket.
 I believe you should clean the way you want, it's your gun. But, if someone buys a gun from me and removes the barrel for routine cleaning and worbles out the pin holes, bends the tang, or breaks the forestock they're on their own.

[bones92]

I've been considering buying a hand-held steamer and adapting a hollow tube to reach all the way up into the breech area.  Then just plug the vent, decline the barrel and use hot steam to wash and rinse out the powder residue.  While the barrel is still heated from the steam, run dry patches up to absorb any water, then let it dry.   Then, lube with Ballistol, and be done.

I did remove the barrel this past weekend, mainly because I wanted to get powder residue off the underside of the barrel, which seems to attract moisture and hence, rust.  I did not flush with hot water, but rather, just soaked with Ballistol, used a scraper and some patches, and the patches started coming out clean fairly quickly.  I do think just removing the lock may be sufficient, though, wiping the barrel under the vent, and giving a shot of Ballistol before putting the lock back on.

[axelp]

I only take my pinned barrel out of the stock when I come home from a particularly wet outing. Otherwise I clean it with a rod and patches pushing tepid water out the vent. I will tie a rag around the vent hole and hold the gun with a rag at the muzzle to help keep the water from running out all over. Dry and then liberally lube with wd-40 or Ballistiol. Its easy, fast and cheap.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Bones:  use tepid - NOT HOT - water to clean your rifle.  You will flash rust your barrel with hot water.  Rust is iron cancer.  If it flash rusts just once, it must be CUT AWAY, just like cancer, to kill it.  Use cool or tepid water.  It cleans just fine.

[bones92]

Taylor,

I have used hot water on C&B revolvers, but I literally dry and oil them immediately.  In reality, I don't think there's a lot of advantage in really hot water.   Ballistol, patches, jag and scraper seem to be doing just fine.

[Majorjoel]

I am a bit surprised that no one has mentioned the all mighty "TOOTH PICK" in this cleaning discussion!

With my fullstock longrifles, I always pull the lock and fill the open mortise with paper towel. Plug the vent hole with a fresh tooth pick and partially fill the barrel with soapy water.  I also have a special type of brass brush that is used to clean the breech plug face.

The barrel is always left spotless and bright and then lubed well for storage.

The only time barrel removal is needed is like many have mentioned above under special circumstances.