Cleaning a BP Muzzleloading Rifle

[Birddog6]

 Here ya go. Several asked so here it is.   You can get a flushing kit from Dunlap Woodcrafts & several other vendors. I do modify mine & take a flat faucet washer like one you use on a outside
faucet. Drill the hole out slightly in the rubber washer, remove the "O"Ring on the
flushing kit & push that washer on there & it seals allot better. I file the U on the cleaning
jig to accept a larger barrel too.

Note:  Once you learn this procedure, take ? 20 min to have it clean & done. A Few initial times it will take a lil longer.

Keith


Here goes:

Probably 101 different ways of doing it. Main thing is it be CLEAN & DRY before ya lube it for storage.. Here is how I do it & have done so for many years with success:

I have shot BP for over 40 years & I started shooting flintlocks about 25 years ago & now all my ML rifles but one are flintlocks & all are long rifles but two.

Rifle has the Lock OFF & rifle is upside down in a cleaning cradle with Breech end slightly higher than the muzzle.

I use a good healthy squirt of Dawn dishwater liquid soap or about 2 oz of non-aerosol Ballistol in a gallon of Cold water for the flushing solution. I put the rifle upside down in a cradle & remove the lock & connect the "C" clamp type flush kit & wet a patch, put it on a jag & take it to the breech & back & forth several times to insure the barrel if Full of the solution & let the cleaning rod almost all the way out & let it hang there with the barrel full of the solution. (Make SURE it is all stable & won't fall)

While the barrel is soaking I & clean the lock asm. under faucet with a toothbrush, blow dry with air & or dry with a paper towel & take a tiny screwdriver & work the towel into the cracks & etc., then spray the lock down entirely including the flint, with Barricade Aerosol & pat dry with a paper towel & set aside.

Back to the rifle in the cradle, I go back to swabbing back & forth in full strokes to flush the barrel real good for about 20-30 strokes. Change patches every 5 strokes or so, & do it again, change patches and do it again til I am sure it is clean. Then I take the jag off & put on a breech scraper & check for any fouling. Scrape if necessary & if there is any fouling I put on a Breech Brush & brush the breech. Go back to the jag & wet patch & flush again. Then I swab with a dry patch a time or two.

Then I wad up 2 patches & put them in the bore & shove them to the breech with the jag & hold it there tight with the ramrod & then take a worm & pull it & check it for moisture & fouling. Then I do 2 more. And 2 more if necessary to be absolutely SURE the bore is dry. Use a patch worm on a rod & pull the patches out.

When dry, I squirt a lil Barricade Non-Aerosol in the barrel from a pump spray bottle into the bore, & wet a patch real wet with same non-aerosol Barricade & again swab & force some barricade out the vent hole.  (Best lay a rag over it or you may oil yer wifes car as I did)

When I am satisfied it is clean & lubed, I leave a patch wet with Barricade on a jag shoved in the bore, then I leave the rifle in the corner Inverted (Muzzle Down) resting on the cleaning rod.  Now I use a 3/8" brass or a 5/16" SS range rod for range & for cleaning. This is NOT a wood ramrod. 
I leave it for 3 days inverted in the corner.  2nd day & swab it a few times & put it back in corner. 3rd day I swab it & remove rod & patch.  Put the lock back on & close the hammer on a clean dry piece of Tee shirt, to absorb any oil if any is any excessive. Put the rifle away in the safe. (Always leave the frizzen open & the hammer Down)

You can use non-aerosol Barricade as a bore preservative. I used to use non-Aerosol Ballistol & it works good, but I think Barricade is better. (It used to be called Sheath)  I have been using the Barricade or Ballistol Non-Aerosol in the bore for about 20 years now on all my ML rifles and have had no problems at all with them. Also I have a Golden Rod in the bottom of the safe so keep humidity down & check it every 2-3 months.

(Also the Ballistol Aerosol is a real good wife repellant, she comes a snooping into the gun room wanting some "honey-do" stuff ?? When ya hear he coming your way just spray a lil of the Ballistol aerosol into the air toward the door & it will  ward her off !!)


Some tell me I go to too much detail, I don't know. I do know I don't have any rust in the bores of my rifles, so it must work. I do all the percussion & halfstocks the same way now, just use a different attachment at the nipple.

It is IMPERATIVE that you get ALL of the moisture out of the barrel and at the breech before you put the bore rust inhibitor in the bore, regardless of what you use here. (If you incur a rusting problem, it will be because you didn't get the moisture out & left it trapped under the oil.)

It is IMPERATIVE that you Reswab the bore the 2st day & the 3rd day after cleaning, just to be sure you got it all lubed good & etc.

Remember the rifle is UPSIDE DOWN in the cradle for a Reason.  So any water or cleaning solution will not get in under the tang, breech or barrel. It runs down off the barrel.

Good Luck !!

Keith Lisle

http://www.CustomMuzzleloaders.com

Custom Muzzleloaders by D.K. Lisle
 

[Bill in Md]

I stick a tooth pick in the vent hole, fill the barrel with room temperature water and dump it 3 or 4 times.....Run my patches down the barrel till clean and dry, add a touch of oil and done.....Never have hang fires,  and I never have had to run a patch done the barrel before loading or swab  a barrel in between shots .....b

[Hungry Horse]

That much fooling around to clean a muzzleloader would make me take up golf instead. I’m with Bill in Md. K.I.S.S.

Hungry Horse

[Birddog6]

Whatever floats yer boat.     Takes me bout 20 min.  But I have done it Hundreds of times.
Sounds hard but really simple.

[MuskratMike]

I have been doing this game now for well over 50 years. All that fussing around is not worth the trouble.
I remove the lock, insert a toothpick in the vent hole and fill it with tepid water. Drain and repeat 3 or 4 more times. A few wet patches then dry patches until clean. a soft old tooth brush under tepid water for the lock. When all are dry I oil and lube the lock original formula WD-40 on a patch down the barrel. Turn barrel upside down for an hour or two, the same WD-40 patch back down the barrel as it is now drier. Reassemble wipe down the outside and put away. Simple, quick and easy. Why are we always trying to reinvent the wheel.

[Scota4570]

I like to keep things simple too. 

Yesterday, I cleaned two guns after a club shoot.  After the Ballistol and water patches at the range I tried something new at home for the deep cleaning.  It is a water based foaming cleaner.  I made a rubber seal out of a grommet and filled the bores full up with the foam.  I let it sit a while then cleaned as usual.  The foam did get  a lot more fouling out.  The breech plug face did not require scraping.  I rinsed with ISO-propyl alcohol to remove all the water then oiled the bores as usual. 

I bought the foam stuff my mistake.  I wanted it for modern gun cleaning.  It is junk for that.  But, for BP it does work well.   


https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/1027924364?pid=328941&adlclid=e90c9eedcac314e95a84f64ffc2e713e&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=555043570&utm_content=ag-autoag0000_cmpn-555043570_sku-32894112345&utm_term=2333232393909751&adlclid=ADL-334f813f-87a9-4256-ac72-79514d90b702

[Birddog6]

I have been doing this game now for well over 50 years. All that fussing around is not worth the trouble.
I remove the lock, insert a toothpick in the vent hole and fill it with tepid water. Drain and repeat 3 or 4 more times. A few wet patches then dry patches until clean. a soft old tooth brush under tepid water for the lock. When all are dry I oil and lube the lock original formula WD-40 on a patch down the barrel. Turn barrel upside down for an hour or two, the same WD-40 patch back down the barrel as it is now drier. Reassemble wipe down the outside and put away. Simple, quick and easy. Why are we always trying to reinvent the wheel.

I'm not trying to reinvent nothin.  Someone asked how I did it & I told them.  I like the bores of my rifles to remain like new & they do.   It is YOUR rifle not mine.  Do as you want with it.

[Don Steele]

I enjoy reading other folk’s procedures and never take it as someone trying to “ tell me what to do”. This is a forum for gentlemen and ladies who come to share.
I’ve only been enjoying shooting black powder out of muzzleloading rifles for 50 years and figure I can always learn something new so… thanks to all who contribute.
Keith… I would appreciate a couple of photos of your modified Dunlap flushing attachment. I have one and use it but am always open to improvement.
FWIW… the Dunlap unit is the only one specifically for flintlocks that I’ve used that has been successful.
Thank you.

[Birddog6]

Thank you.  Here is the modified jig. Slight mod but it works. 

Screw out the threaded adjusting apart.  File a notch in the frame to accept the flat washer flat
againts the C frame. Prob going to take of 1/8" on that side, file 1/16" off other
side that goes against barrel. Make it nice & flat so it don't scratch the barrel. I sanded mine 220 grit as well.

Take a 1/4" flat faucet washer & a really sharp drill bit & enlarge the hole slightly in the washer.
Pull the o'ring off the screw in piece. Screw it in the U frame & then wiggle & force the washer
on the end of the threaded part. Should look like mine when done.

I had 2 issues with the jig. 

#1. It always seeped.  The lil O'ring only sealed good on a straight barrel. I use mostly swamped barrels & it would leak or suck air. Flat washer is Much thicker & solved the issue.

#2:  Too small to fit a D swamped or Jaeger barrel.  So I filed it open enough to easily go on a
larger barrel & not scratch the browning on the barrel.

I use a pretzel jar for the solution. The lid hole in it is slightly smaller than the hose going it, so it seals off.  Also this keeps me from accidentally pulling it out & getting the solution all over.

Works for me.  Your mileage may vary.  It is HC/PC correct for 1990.

[bluenoser]

Thanks for that reply.  I tried to use one of those things probably 40 years ago and ditched it for exactly that No. 1 reason.  Unlikely the same brand.  Think I still have it somewhere and will try that modification, if I can find it.  Doubt I would go back to it, but willing to give it another try.

[HighUintas]

Thanks for posting this, birddog. I appreciate it and will probably try it sometime.

I think sometimes and more involved procedure is required. I tried so many different things to clean out my barrel and could never get all of the fouling out nor could I prevent rust from happening immediately when cleaning with water with one particular barrel. I do not know why, but I tried everything suggested I could find on this forum. With that one, I resorted to only cleaning it with hops black powder cleaner. That gets every bit of the fouling out and does not cause any rust to form.

[Daryl]

I think 7 or 8 minutes is all it takes to clean a barrel and lock, OK, maybe 10 min. Total, including removing and replacing the barrel - every time, whether pins or wedges.
Breech in a container with cold or cool water, pumping water into and out of the barrel, then drying, "flushing" with WD40, pumping the excess of that out the vent or nipple seat. Then wiping down the outside. I use a toothbrush and water first on the lock, then set it aside while cleaning the bl. After the barrel is cleaned and dried, I shake the lock off, blow off the excess water, spray it with WD40 all over, blow off the excess, wipe it off and reassemble the rifle.
Quick and easy, no rust - EVER.

[Birddog6]

I think 7 or 8 minutes is all it takes to clean a barrel and lock, OK, maybe 10 min. Total, including removing and repla ingredients the barrel - every time, whether pins or wedges.
Breech in a container with cold or cool water, pumping water into and out of the barrel, then drying, "flushing" with WD40, pumping the excess of that out the vent or nipple seat. Then wiping down the outside. I use a toothbrush and water first on the lock, then set it aside while cleaning the bl. After the barrel is cleaned and dried, I shake the lock off, blow off the excess water, spray it with WD40 all over, blow off the excess, wipe it off and reassemble the rifle.
Quick and easy, no rust - EVER.

You are a flash then.  Take me 10 min. work up the nerve & another 10 to do it & Carefully take one apart. But I am NOT unpinning a barrel & taking it off to clean the rifle, when I can turn it upside down & clean it by Not removing it.
 Every time you remove pins, you take a chance of messing up a forestock.  I have built dozens of rifles.  Once I pin that barrel into the stock, I am done with it.  Unless there is a major issue, I will never take it out again.
I grease the barrel good underside, seal barrel channel in the stock, put the barrel in & pin it, seal the barrel/wood fit with patchgrease I make. Barrel don't come out again.  My favorite deer rifle I built ?2001 or 2 ?  never had the barrel back out.  Don't need it out.

Back in the late 70's & early 80's I cleaned my halfstocks in the bathtub.  But I never pull a barrel in a fullstock to clean it.

Everyone has their "Druthers".  I druther do this or druther do that.  It don't mean one is right or wrong, it is just how dif. people do it.

[Maven]

I do pretty much as Daryl does..  Yeah, it takes ~10 minutes, but I also use Marvel Mystery Oil, ATF, and WD-40, sometimes all 3 and get no rust either.

[Hank*in*WV]

When I first started using the clamp, it would also leak on occasion. To make this short, I found out I was trying to make it too tight on the barrel.

[Don Steele]

Thanks, Keith. The photos and description of how you made the modification really helps.
Hank… one of the first lessons I learned when I started using Dunlap’s flushing tool was to not use a lot of force on the ramrod when pushing the solution out. Taking it easy made a big difference in the leakage.

[elk killer]

 toothpick water wd-40 and done..

[HighUintas]

After shooting probably 40 rounds on a hot day through my percussion gun with patent breech, I went home and cleaned it. Looked in the bore and there was a hard cake of fouling at the bottom flush with the bottom of the cross channel.

It was HARD. No matter what I did.... Scrape, copper chore boy on brass brush, soak with ballistol, it seemed almost nothing would get it out. So I let it sit a couple days thinking about it. The rest of the bore was clean and oiled. Today, I poured a bit of hopes BP cleaner in, turned the barrel muzzle up and let it soak. After about 30 minutes, I patched it out. Nice and clean.

That hoppes cleaner really is magic. I love it. It is unfortunately not as fast as water pumping, but it gets it cleaner for me than water and dawn.

[Daryl]

Cold or cool (tepid) water dissolves the "cake" of fouling at the breech.
According to H&H(high end gun makers since 1850 & still making DR'S and shotguns) noted in a letter to never use hot water for cleaning, as it would "glaze" the built-up fouling in the breech instead of dissolving it. Use cold water only.
They also said to use a water displacing lubricant after drying and to FLUSH the bore with it to blast out any residual moisture.
I've been cleaning that way since 1976 and have NEVER rusted a bore, flash rusting, nor long term storage rust. I've lived on the left coast, as well as in the interior. No rust. I have heard of guys wetting a patch with WD40 and just using that. IMHO that is not going to remove the moisture at all.  I spray it into the muzzle until it runs out the vent or nipple seat. Then I patch that out spraying the excess out the vent or nipple seat. THAT removes any residual moisture. Wipe down the steel with that patch and reassemble.

[MuskratMike]

Listen to Daryl, he is wise beyond his years.
Cool water, patches (first wet then dry). Lots of original formula WD-40. Same procedure for the internals of the lock with the addition of RIG grease on the bearing and polished surfaces. More than 50 years of experience for me and probably more for Daryl. I to live on the far "left coast" in Oregon.

[Daryl]

I was shown the H&H letter that held the ML cleaning regime i noted. It was sent to a friend who sent an original SxS 6 bore ball and shot gun to H&H for "refurbishing".  That "shotgun" had 36" bls. He also had them build a "case" for the gun.
H&H also said to "dismantle" the gun and locks for cleaning.

[Birddog6]

AS I SAID:


Everyone has their "Druthers".  I druther do this or druther do that.  It don't mean one is right or wrong, it is just how dif. people do it.

Wish I had never started the dang thread now. 

[Bill in Md]

AS I SAID:


Everyone has their "Druthers".  I druther do this or druther do that.  It don't mean one is right or wrong, it is just how dif. people do it.

Wish I had never started the dang thread now. 

I agree....No right or wrong way. I like my way but far be it for me to think others should follow my way if theirs works for them.

[Bull Shannon]

Agree, no right or wrong way so this is a tip to speed along your preferred cleaning method.
(Stupid spell check!)
Go to your local fabric store and get a half yard of white cotton flannel. No need to wash and dry it before use either. Just 100% cotton flannel.. Cut it into squares just big enough to cover your cleaning jag. Use rubbing alcohol to barely dampen the squares. If you can squeeze a drop out with your fingers then it's too much. I liked to swab between shots but it's up to you if you do that, but before leaving the range, swab with these squares, down and up. The alcohol cuts the fouling and the flannel material grabs it up, removing a great deal of fouling. Then it evaporates quickly, having a much lower vapor point than water. Then take a clean dry patch and spray on Barricade. Down and up, evenly coating the bore. Repeat with another clean dry patch of flannel. You're done.

[Hungry Horse]

 I just think maybe you guys should not think about  every microscopic speck that you might find on your cleaning patch, but how many times you are running that cleaning rod up, and down the barrel. In my 50 odd years of muzzleloading I have seen basically two common ways to destroy a great barrel, not cleaning it, and cleaning it to death. Unfortunately I’ve seen many more of the over cleaned barrels. All the old boys that taught me to shoot turned their target rifles to smoothbores with cleaning rods.

Hungry Horse