Cleaning a black powder gun.

[mossyhorn]

How much time do most shooters spend on cleaning their guns. Seems to take me 45 minutes or more per gun and this seems like a long time. Usually pour water and swab bore several times until relatively clean and then remove lock and wash. Then dry and oil lock and do likewise with the barrel.

[Gary W.E.]

I installed a dedicated slop sink for cleaning my gun which cut down the time a LOT!

[Daryl]

Now that I think about it, I'd say 8 to 15 minutes depending on the gun.

[Scota4570]

I installed a dedicated slop sink for cleaning my gun which cut down the time a LOT!

Me too.  I also have a washing machine supply hose with a piece of 3/8" brass tube shoved in it.  I use it to flush barrels with hot water.  For hooked breech guns and modern stuff shooting corrosive it  works great.  I just let it run while I put my gear away.  In a few minuets any trace of salty substances if flushed out.  I then dry and oil. 

[Darkhorse]

Not me. It used to take me about 20 minutes tops. But in the last decade or so I think I've developed an OCD about cleaning my rifles. I unpin and remove my barrels and lock. I clean the barrel in a bucket of water and the lock in the sink with a toothbrush. I will go so far as to take a scribe and push a cleaning patch into the smallest crevice that might hold fouling. This doesn't bother me as I just like messing with my guns, I'm not in a race and the results are more important than the time spent. I'm retired too which gives me plenty of free time. It will take me up to an hour to clean and lube one rifle. About the same time if I'm doing 2 at a time.

[horsetrader]

If I am alone about 10 minutes. If the gang I shoot with is there, and the bull is being thrown, it could take a lot longer. I remove the lock and spray it down with a mixture of Ballistol and water. While the lock is soaking I put a toothpick in the touch hole and fill the the barrel with water. Let that soak while I cleanup and oil the lock. Then put a patch on the jag and pump the water out of the barrel through the touch hole. Replace the toothpick and fill the barrel with water again, then remove the toothpick and pump the water out through the touch hole. 2 or 3 clean patches and 1 with a little oil or WD 40 will finish it up. Put the lock back on and your good to go.

Ed Radzinski

[OldMtnMan]

Me too. About 10 min for Hawken style guns with a hooked breech. A long rifle a bit longer. I'm never in a rush though so I can see it taking 45 min if i'm just enjoying it.

Being retired and single. I'm not usually ever in a rush. Being a still hunter suits that perfectly.

Whatever you do. If you're enjoying it take your time and soak it in. If you're not enjoying it you should question why you're doing it. Unless you just don't have the time and then hurry up and get er done.

[smylee grouch]

It takes me about 15 min. if I plan on putting it away for some time but if I plan on shooting it the very next day I might get it done in less time.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I completely strip the barrel and lock on every rifle/gun each time I shoot and then clean it.  I use room temp water in a bucket and a cleaning jag with a tight cotton flannel patch(s).  I use a machinist's vise to hold the barrel for drying and oiling the bore, but hand hod for pumping water in and out through the touch hole.  A toothbrush, WD 40 and a air compressor does the lock...total elapsed time - around 20 minutes.  And I do not hurry anything.  My patches are pre-cut and everything is where I can find it without having to search.  I store my guns muzzle down in the lock-up.

[hanshi]

I've always been OCD and it shows when gun cleaning time comes around.  I never seem to have everything right where I can lay my hands on it.  I don't remove the
pinned barrel but do so with hooked breech barrels.  I do the bore soak, remove the lock and swab the bore.  I swab until the bore's clean then dry with alcohol  patches and and finish up with WD40.  The WD40 is removed with alcohol and replaced with Barricade.  I use a lot of Q Tips and pipe cleaners on the touch hole and the lock.  I'm slow so it can take me 20 minutes or an hour, just depends.  Hooked breech barrels are, of course, faster.

[retired fella]

It takes me 3 days to properly clean my rifles.  First, after shooting I unpin and remove the barrel and lock.  Using a bucket of warm water and Dawn dish soap the lock goes in alone with the barrel.  Plunge the barrel with ramrod until clean and rinse with a second bucket of clean warn water.  Dry patch and shoot with wd40 along with the lock.  Leaving the dry patch in the bore.  Day two, change the dry patch with another and let set overnight.  Day three put it away.  The dry patches draws any remaining moisture leaving only the wd40.  In 40 years, no problems, no rust.

[Jack Romanchock]

about 5 to 10 minutes, I use a mix 50% murphys 40% peroxide,10%alcohol. tooth pick in vent, squirt mix down barrel soak a patch in the mix. using a cleaning/range rod run the patch down barrel develop a little pressure pull the tooth pick. swab well. Switch to dry patches 2 will do. Then soak a patch in a non petroleum oil and swab barrel. I clean the lock every third or fourth shoot depending on the weather conditions. Rifle has over 7500 rounds, shows little to no wear ands shoots much better than these old eyes can.

[Black Hand]

How much time do most shooters spend on cleaning their guns. Seems to take me 45 minutes or more per gun and this seems like a long time. Usually pour water and swab bore several times until relatively clean and then remove lock and wash. Then dry and oil lock and do likewise with the barrel.

Maybe 10-15 minutes, though most is spent waiting. I fill the barrel with water and wait for 3-5 minutes before dumping the dirty water and scrubbing with patches. Follow with dry patches and end with a greased patch.

[Standing Bear]

I carry a quart of water with me to get the range and hunting.  Run 2-3 wet patches then plug the touch hole w a tooth pick and fill w water.  Put up target frame and target dowse the lock w water and use old toothbrush, rinse and WD40. Pour out water 2-3 more wet patches fill again. Put up spotting scope and the rest of the gear pull pick and dump water. Couple of damp patches then one dry.  Pour an oz or so 91% alcohol down bore then alcohol swab.  Dry one patch then WD40 use the wd40 patch for exterior metal parts.  Gun, range rod and box in truck and go.  15-20 min but haven’t timed it.
TC

[Dave Patterson]

I enjoy cleaning guns, so I take my time; find it very relaxing.

Hooked breech doesn't seem to take much time at all:  maybe 15-30 minutes.

Pinned barrels, I take quite a bit more time with:  I've found some pretty interesting "hidden" jackpots, so tend to let my OCD take control here.  Honestly, I've never really timed myself, but could easily burn an hour on the initial cleaning.

[Pukka Bundook]

I'm a bit like you, Dave.

I start when it's mucky and end when it's clean.

Richard.

[Turtle]

 I usually clean twice. Once right after shooting, and once after getting home from camp or a shoot. Every month or so if i don't shoot the gun I look it over and run a patch down-it's usually OK.  I clean with Lehigh valley solvent and put no water in my barrel-then a fluid film soaked patch and rubdown.  5 min each. I don't remove the barrel ever  and remove the lock twice a year.

[hanshi]

It's not always that I clean and store in just one session.  Often, the gun will be cleaned, dried and left until the next day with WD40 in the bore.  Five minutes is about what it takes when the gun is wiped & dried and stored.  But sometimes a lot more time is taken and the exterior barrel and the stock are carefully taken care of. 

[Robby]

I could probably do it in about ten minutes but I like cleaning up after a good shooting session and might even crack a beer or two while I'm at it.
Robby

[Nate McKenzie]

10 to 15min. with linen tow using this method. You'll never use patches again.
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=24312.0

[Mike C]

Instead of plugging the vent with a toothpick, I first wipe the area around the vent clean, cover the vent with a small piece of masking tape then cover with a small rare earth magnet. It doesn't leak and I don't have to worry about snagging the toothpick with the cleaning patch. These small magnets are available at hardware stores.

Mike C

[Denny Ducet]

Oh my.  I spend quite a while.  I get lost in it.  I like to take my time and put her away just right.  Clean bore, clean lock, all dry and coat of oil inside and out.  On occasion a little oil for the stock just as the gunsmith ordered. 

[Daryl]

Oh my.  I spend quite a while.  I get lost in it.  I like to take my time and put her away just right.  Clean bore, clean lock, all dry and coat of oil inside and out. 

That's exactly how I do it. Take my time and it takes 5 to 15 minutes - likely close to 5 minutes for about all rifles and the smoothbore.  Locks off ans scrubbed first, then wiped off and set in the sun if there is one, then clean and dry then oil the barrel, dry and oil the lock. replace both on the gun and done - 5 to 15 minutes.

[OldMtnMan]

I do something I haven't heard anybody else doing. After flushing and drying with dry patches. I turn on a burner on the stove. (electric) I then hold the breech area over the burner to dry out any remaining moisture. I know a lot of you use WD-40, but that a petroleum product and I prefer to not use it. Holding over the burner seems to work ok. I never get any rust. Of course, I oil right after doing this. The metal is still warm when I oil. I'm not sure if that helps or not.

This took longer to type out then to do it.

[Daryl]

Holland and Holland, gunmakers of London, England since 1835, wrote a friend of mine in Smithers concerning his 6 bore SxS ball and shot gun of their make. They told him

to use cold tap water, then dry the bore, then flush the bore with WD40 or other water displacing lubricant, then patch the excess of that out.  They then noted, the gun may

or may not need any further rust proofing, depending on location.

Since I read that letter to Wil, back in 1976, I have cleaned my guns exactly like that.

The fact that WD 40 is a petroleum product had no basis in post cleaning application to me. The fouling is gone, I wanted it for the water displacing feature, just as H&H noted.

In our location, no further rust proofing has been necessary since those 1970's.  No rust.