Cleaning a black powder gun.

[Pukka Bundook]

As you say Daryl, Cold water is best to cut fouling.  Works better than warm or hot, as these go greasy somehow.

I was told exactly the same way when I started shooting these guns about 1970, (Cold water) but we had "Young's .303" oil back then, and used that.
Very distinctive smell!

[Mike from OK]

Depends on how fast I need to get done... 10-30 minutes depending on my urgency to move on to something else.

I use tap water. Not hot. Not cold. Just a comfortable tepid temperature. I do a thorough job cleaning but I don't get psychotically meticulous about it.

Final rust prevention is a patch with either CLP or Outer's  gun oil, which gets swabbed out with an alcohol patch prior to the next shooting session.

Mike

[Nordnecker]

I use a method similar to Robby. One thing I do that hasn't been mentioned is I use compressed air to blow out the barrel and lock after the water and wd40. It sure helps to dry things. I generally check the bore the next day just to make sure. I had one gun that was left bright for 4 years before I browned the parts. It never did rust on it's own.

[Turtle]

 I don't use the fluid film after Lehigh valley if i'm going home that day or shooting again soon. because it has alcohol, a degreasing isn't necessary before shooting.  I'm surprised how well it protects from rust in the short term.

[Hungry Horse]

I notice one of those that responded to this tread uses hydrogen peroxide in his cleaning regimen. I must say I have seem more breechplug damage from this practice than I have from leaving the gun dirty. The introduction of oxygen to the already corrosive foulings can be disastrous.

  Hungry Horse

[OldMtnMan]

I get that WD-40 works good for you guys. I just can't bring myself to use it. I like to use methods more traditional. I'll use Flax Tow most of the time too. I know my using an electric burner to dry out the water isn't very traditional, but i'm not living in a tent and using a campfire for the drying. I do it that way when staying in the mountains for a few days. The important part is using heat to dry. Not how I get the heat. There's no way I can justify to myself if I use WD-40.

I am compromising when I use Ballistol. I believe it goes back to 1910 which isn't far enough. I'm not really re-enacting to an early era for eveything. I don't dress like they did. I dress more like I did in the 50's. RED and black plaid wool. You could say i'm a hunter from the 1950 era who uses a traditional gun and shooting and cleaning methods to match. Black hand has me thinking about the loading block and i'm going to stop using them. Especially, when I get the Isaac Haines. I'll be cutting at the muzzle with that gun. I wish I could eliminate the short starter, but I don't know how with a tight patch.

Maybe i'll work into the clothing too when I get the Isaac gun. I can't ride a mule/horse, but I did give away the top and doors on my Jeep for a more primitive form of transportation. Afterall, a mule doesn't have a top.

Sorry, I got way off topic.

[hanshi]

Years ago I bought a 2-speed hair dryer for $2.  It's like new and when I need to dry a lock or bore, it works like a charm.

[OldMtnMan]

Blasphemy!

[elk killer]

Remove the flintlock, plug touch hole with a tooth pick
Luke warm water in the bore, use old tooth brush for the lock,
dump water out of the barrel, run a few patches in it, until they
come out clean, use 3 in 1 oil for barrel and lock
10 to 15 minutes tops

[Nessmuck]

I put a wooden tooth pick in the touch hole.....then pour hot water with a couple drops of dish washing soap in it...put a patch on the jag and insert...then remove tooth pick and hammer that rod down the barrel....that water comes spraying out of the touch hole....then repeat . Then I use windshield washer solvent on patches ,until clean...then run an oil patch..then a clean patch..all done. Then just hot water and tooth brush to clean lock..inside and out.

[Leatherbark]

I shoot it every day.  No cleaning ever required. Just lying.  But if a guy could shoot it every day one could go a long time without cleaning, especially in the winter.  When I return from a match or the range I remove the lock and scrub in with a brush under the hot water in a sink in the garage.  Lay it in the sun to dry. I plug the bore with a tooth pick if I'm cleaning a flintlock and pour some lukewarm water down the bore.  I pull the toothpick with a jagged rod ready and force the warm water at high pressure out the touchhole.  I might some Le-high and swab the bore some more and reflush.  I dry it out as good as possible and spray WD40 down the bore and flush out the remaining moisture.  I then oil the bore with Break-free or synthetic motor oil and wipe down the outside.  Oil the lock and replace.  If i was timing this and was in a race I'd say 10 minutes but it usually takes me about 20 or so.

Bob

[OldMtnMan]

I'm close to shooting every day when it warms up. From spring to fall I shoot about 5 days a week. Sometimes every day of the week, but 5 days is a better average.

Fly fish in the morning. Hike in mountains with the pooch after lunch. Shoot late afternoon or evening.

[RonC]

Like Standing Bear, I start my cleaning at the range by plugging the flash hole with a toothpick and filling the barrel with water spiked with a few drops of dishwashing detergent. I let the water sit while gathering my equipment, allow some to discharge from the flash hole and the rest out the front of the barrel. Usually, I do that soaking a second time. Then I swab with cleaning patches until they come out clean. A spray of the bore with WD40 finishes the process until I get home.
At home, I do a second soaking with water and detergent and swab with a patch until it comes out clean. There always is a residual fouling when I get home. I also take out and clean the lock at home.
I complete the cleaning with a rust preventative like Barricade or EeZox.
Ron