bp gun cleaning

[bigted]

first i gotta say that i have impressed myself with a fact that i really like about me...this is that when faced with something that crosses my path more then 2 or 3 times i will look hard at whatever this thing is even tho im pretty sure i got it figured out all along.

this is the case with my cleaning methods with my bp cart guns. i use t/c bore butter for almost all my cleaning needs except for my muzzleloaders where there are places near the breech that i simply cant get to sucessfully with the bore butter for a "for certain" clean and these i use hot soapy water in to make sure ive gotten ALL the fouling out for sure.

in my single shots and levers i use a simple method of shoving a heavy ladden patch saturated with borebutter thru the bore and repeat with a new saturated patch 2 or 3 times till the yellow comes out yellow instead of black then i follow this up with dry patches till they come clean...then another borebutter followed with a clean to be assured that the bore is clean and looks mirror bright. after this i spray the remaining action and outside with rem oil and wipe before i put it away

recently i have been faced with the uncertain thought [ brought on by the comments of others] that maybe...just maybe my method is not suficient to completly clean ALL the salts and crud outta the bore. being a half reasonable man....easy now [smilie=1:... i decided to double check my methods to be assured that im not doing my barrels a great dis-service. so i dug out the butch's bore shine...the origanal with amonia and put my hiwall in the gun cradle and went to swabbing to saturate the bore...let this set for 5 min to attack whatever might be left in this pristine bore. then i took clean tight patches and ran the first thru with a small bit of aprehension to be sure...[ knowing and proving can be quiet different at times ]. the first patch came out completly white...nothing on it but the leftover bore shine that had been soaking the bore for 5 minutes. the next clean patch came out the same with less leftover shine on it...the last clean patch came out as clean n new as when i started it thru the bore.

all in all after doing this to my sharps as well with the same results im pretty sure that my methods have been succesfull in guarding my barrels from any harm. im not shoving this in anybodys face nor am i being a "told u so" but want to be sure of my methods and also assure anybody else that does not want to use water in any form if they dont have to[[ like myself]] that there is another way to "properly" clean these barrels and remain confident that they are not being a ticking timebomb.

i also want to thank ALL who have made me stutter with this and to doublecheck my methods so as to be assured that im not all wet like ive been in the past with other "things". i need the nudge every once in awhile to revisit myself and the things that i do to make sure that im not stumbling along in ignorance

[bigted]

also i understand the firestorm im starting here so iv gotten my seatbelt tightly fastened and think that i have my mind rite for whatever might come here....please just dont call me stupid tho...this i have a very real problem with...its cool to dissagree but be constructive pls?

[Don McDowell]

Well said Ted.
There's about as many ways to clean these things as there are folks to do it.
If it's working for you that's great, let the nonbelievers scream, it matters not.
Keep on shooting and having fun.

[iron mule]

hey ted
how has it been going with you up there in the cold
as to cleaning black powder firearms
i have been using hot soapy water for more years than i can remember
after finishing with the soapy water i blow all the moisture out with compressed air then use balistol for storage
after the burro and i finish a cowboy shoot i have 8 guns to clean and it only takes me about an hour to clean them all in this manner i have never had a problem with any of them
if the way you clean works for you no problem just telling you how i do it to relieve some of your fears if you would like to try it
mule

[Calamity Jake]

60/40 mix of Ballistol and water works for me.

[Dragoon 45]

first i gotta say that i have impressed myself with a fact that i really like about me...this is that when faced with something that crosses my path more then 2 or 3 times i will look hard at whatever this thing is even tho im pretty sure i got it figured out all along.

this is the case with my cleaning methods with my bp cart guns. i use t/c bore butter for almost all my cleaning needs except for my muzzleloaders where there are places near the breech that i simply cant get to sucessfully with the bore butter for a "for certain" clean and these i use hot soapy water in to make sure ive gotten ALL the fouling out for sure.

in my single shots and levers i use a simple method of shoving a heavy ladden patch saturated with borebutter thru the bore and repeat with a new saturated patch 2 or 3 times till the yellow comes out yellow instead of black then i follow this up with dry patches till they come clean...then another borebutter followed with a clean to be assured that the bore is clean and looks mirror bright. after this i spray the remaining action and outside with rem oil and wipe before i put it away

recently i have been faced with the uncertain thought [ brought on by the comments of others] that maybe...just maybe my method is not suficient to completly clean ALL the salts and crud outta the bore. being a half reasonable man....easy now [smilie=1:... i decided to double check my methods to be assured that im not doing my barrels a great dis-service. so i dug out the butch's bore shine...the origanal with amonia and put my hiwall in the gun cradle and went to swabbing to saturate the bore...let this set for 5 min to attack whatever might be left in this pristine bore. then i took clean tight patches and ran the first thru with a small bit of aprehension to be sure...[ knowing and proving can be quiet different at times ]. the first patch came out completly white...nothing on it but the leftover bore shine that had been soaking the bore for 5 minutes. the next clean patch came out the same with less leftover shine on it...the last clean patch came out as clean n new as when i started it thru the bore.

all in all after doing this to my sharps as well with the same results im pretty sure that my methods have been succesfull in guarding my barrels from any harm. im not shoving this in anybodys face nor am i being a "told u so" but want to be sure of my methods and also assure anybody else that does not want to use water in any form if they dont have to[[ like myself]] that there is another way to "properly" clean these barrels and remain confident that they are not being a ticking timebomb.

i also want to thank ALL who have made me stutter with this and to doublecheck my methods so as to be assured that im not all wet like ive been in the past with other "things". i need the nudge every once in awhile to revisit myself and the things that i do to make sure that im not stumbling along in ignorance

Ted,

Your method seems reasonable to me and as others have stated there are as many methods for cleaning as there are shooters. Personally, I like either Hoppes BP Solvent or Ballistol with the first punch of the bore using a tight cotton ball instead of a patch. To me it seems a tight cotton ball soaked in solvent pushed through with a jag removes more fouling in one go than a patch, but that is what works for me. I really liked the Bore Butter when shooting and cleaning Cap and Ball revolvers. Haven't tried it on my single shots but may give it a try.

One thing I have always liked about this forum, is the exchange of ideas. Some one comes up with a method that works for them and then tells us their results. Some one else may find that does not work for them but others find out that it does. I freely admit that I regularly take ideas from this forum and try them, which most times, the results turn out pretty well. When we stop exchanging ideas, knowledge, and reporting results, this forum will be a poorer place.

[mustanggt]

I use Hoppe's BP solvent and bore butter. I pre moisten some patches and put it in a plastic container to take to the range. They are just moist enough but not too much. I will shoot and blow. Then at the end of a 10 shot string I'll wipe. When I'm all finished I run a couple patches through and it is almost clean. I finsish it off at home with a couple more then wipe it inside and out with bore butter then wipe down the excess. It seems funny that I will clean and clean my smokeless firearms but the BP cleans up much quicker.

[bigted]

this bp thing is so addictive i cant beleive it. more n more im leaning toward just converting to it exclusively...wow cant believe i spelled that lol

just found a hiwall gouged out for the 120 case and alowed it to follow me home so HAD to load 120gr of 2f last nite in these 3.250 cases behind a 400 lyman style boolit...gotta smoke it at frist lite...what a hoot!!!

i dont think anything in the gun world has so infiltrated my being like this has...a couple short mounths ago i was ready to round file all this **** about the bp loaded cartridges and then something went click inside and away i go...how does this happen im askin???

[mustanggt]

It's an addiction like any other. It is just a better addiction than gambling or drinking. I have the same addiction and don't ever plan to stop. My wife is on board with this which amazes the boys at work. They are very jealous. I love it.

[Hip's Ax]

I clean my CPA 45-70 and 45-90 by first using moose milk patches until they come out clean then I clean the rifle with patches and a bronze brush and Shooters Choice just like I do any other rifle. I do oil the heck out of the bore after with Butch's Gun Oil and then I wipe the outside down with a large patch and Rem Oil.

My black powder cartridge target mentor taught me this method and I have never questioned it. I'm pretty anal about cleaning and this method is comfortable for me.

We do wipe every shot with moose milk (10 to 1 Tru Sol machinists oil and water) so clean up at the end of the day is easy.

Hope this helps.

[semtav]

just found a hiwall gouged out for the 120 case and alowed it to follow me home so HAD to load 120gr of 2f last nite in these 3.250 cases behind a 400 lyman style boolit...gotta smoke it at frist lite...what a hoot!!!



I just checked my guncase to see if you didn't run off with mine, cause I have the same thing.
Switch to FG and you will get great accuracy.

[cajun shooter]

They have been using hot water and soap since the advent of BP firearms. I was taught that way by my BP mentor when I first started shooting BP revolvers and rifles. I now use Moose milk and the reason is that after the water is gone you have the protective oil left behind. This is not so with the hot water and soap method. I know I found rust more than once when I first started. I realize that it was caused by me missing a spot that needed lube but like all humans we make mistakes. My feeling is why not use a product that will help stop those mental let downs.

[montana_charlie]

I now use Moose milk and the reason is that after the water is gone you have the protective oil left behind.
I hope you'll forgive me for seeming to ambush you, but I have heard that...and believed it...for quite a while.
I have been waiting for somebody to 'say the words' in order to provide context for this...

Since I started shooting paper patch, I have been wiping between shots with moose milk made with 80% water and 20% NAPA Cutting Oil.
I run a wet patch through the bore to 'precondition' it before loading the first round of the session.
I generally run two wets (damp patch) after a shot, and dry the chamber with a short rod and paper toweling.

After firing the last shot for a session, I run those same two wets and put the rifle in the pickup to carry back to the house.
I will usually thoroughly clean the bore within four hours...certainly before going to bed.

Back in November we had some decent snowbanks build up, so I went out to put some bullets in them for later recovery.
I double-wiped the bore (as usual) and took the rifle back inside.

That evening, I decided that I wanted to try a few with a slightly different paper patch. Knowing the bore was protected by that residual oil I left the gun uncleaned overnight, and went out to fire the last few the following day.

When I ran the priliminary wet patch through the bore to precondition it, the patch came out ORANGE. It took about six more wet patches to get a fairly clean one, and then I shot my test rounds.

But, a look with a borescope (back in the house) showed me that my previously perfect bore (which I have been treating like royalty for five years) now did show some signs of rust.


I will continue to follow the same procedures that I have used in the past, but I will never again assume that the residual oil from moose milk is sufficient to protect anything.

CM

[GMW]

60/40 mix of Ballistol and water works for me.
Ballistol is a wonder oil! I use 5:1 water/ballistol for my custom flinters, Shilo Sharps and all my smokeless powder guns also. If you don't get all the mixture out of the action, it's no big deal. The water will evaporate and leave behind the oil. I spray down the entire gun while I let the bore soak. Ballistol is EXCELLENT for wood and leather too! There aren't too many products that I feel this strongly about.:smile:

[cajun shooter]

CM, I don't feel you were ambushing me at all. I will have to say that I have no idea what happened that day with your rifle. At this time I have 4 guns, 2 revolvers, a rifle and a SXS shotgun that were fired in a SASS match this past Saturday. Today is Monday and they are still not cleaned. This is regular practice with me. I will clean them today and the bores will be clean,shiny, and rust free as they have been since my first BP shots in 1970. I believe that it is possible that maybe your rifle being fired with PP could be the culprit. I don't clean my barrels any during my firing as I shoot 44-40 with 36 grs of 2F and 70 in my SXS. I was using loads that were loaded with the Diamondback powder. With the rifle it only requires one wet patch and maybe two dry for the barrel. I do use another product after cleaning to treat my guns and that is EEZOX. I have come to like it as well as Ballistol. I have a paper I would like to send you and I am not up to date with all the PC moves. If you would PM me your e-mail I could send it. Many Thanks David

[montana_charlie]

I do use another product after cleaning to treat my guns and that is EEZOX. I have come to like it as well as Ballistol. I have a paper I would like to send you and I am not up to date with all the PC moves. If you would PM me your e-mail I could send it. Many Thanks David
I am familiar with EEZOX...if that is what the paper is about.
They make some fancy claims, and John Boy (especially) says their claims are justified.

I haven't felt the need for that degree of rust protection up here in dry Montana.
I never oil bullet moulds unless they are to be 'permanently' stored...and those which are unoiled may not see use for a year, or more.

It was in this same room (same environment) that the rust formed in my rifle...and it is a whole bunch more dryer than Red Stick, Loosyana.

If you still think I need that paper, you can use my throw-away email address. Just remove the asterisks.
*cmmontana*@*gmail*.*com*

CM

[Kenny Wasserburger]

I use Butch's BP Bore shine for cleaning my BPCR's. It does have MP7 in it which will remove Carbon in the barrel. Water does not touch Carbon. Doc Lay had terrible carbon build up at Phoenix last year and then leading on top of that. In his wet climes where he lives, this ended up pitting the barrel under the lead and carbon.

The hot water thing and soap, yeah works well the old timers used it all right, for Patched round ball guns. However they were always a year or so later going in and having a rifle freshed out many were rebored oftern. The method they used sure did not keep them from ruining a barrel.

TC Bore butter is nothing but chap stick ask the Mad Monk. I have seen one Cartridge rifle that had this used in it for years that had so much build up of the stuff seasoning the barrel????? it quit shooting and the guy had the barrel removed and rebarreled. That was a local BP shooter here in Gillette Wyoming. I think with good aggressive cleaner that barrel could be brought back to life.

Poor Old Big Ted is using Short brass in his 120 and it is leading the **** out of the chamber, and some idiots on the shooters forum are cheering him on to use the same short brass and a bigger Boolit???

There is a lot of bad advice going out on the net. From so-called shooters that do not have a clue what they are talking about.


I use Butch's to clean, then Kroil, to check for leading and to protect the barrel. This gets wipped out before the next shooting be it a match or load workup.

I had my old Hell-B--h Rifle Rebarreled in 2005 thinking it was shot, after 19,500 plus rounds down the old tube. It did under a bore scope after being pulled show some signs of very slight eroison in front of the chamber and some very small stress checking in the barrel steel. Remember this is a 2-7/8ths Sharps running 3 times the chamber pressures a BP Loaded 45-70 does. Most likely the Cratered Breech Block was the real cause of my accuracy issues. However Shiloh did rebarrel and put in a new breech block and lock parts and stuff with so many rounds on the rifle. Under Waranty also at no charge to me.

KW
The Lunger

[montana_charlie]

Poor Old Big Ted is using Short brass in his 120 and it is leading the **** out of the chamber, and some idiots on the shooters forum are cheering him on to use the same short brass and a bigger Boolit???

Semtav gave him a link to a guy who had some full length Basic brass, but wanted 2 7/8ths stuff.
Looked like a natural situation for a trade.

I told him it's possible to stretch what he has and make it fit his chamber.

To my knowledge, he ignored both suggestions.

CM

[bigted]

hello??? this is me again and yes ive been away for the duration of my work schedule...not even almost there yet for awhile to not have to work from time to time.

i am NOT using the short cases for my 120 and i didnt get the opertunity to contact the other fella for a trade yet as this dang work thing keeps getting in the way. my job is such that during my screwed up schedule all i have time for is eating and sleeping for the 16+ hours im away from the house. [ not sniveling here as im lucky to have such a great job] but the hours stop everything else till my days off arrive.

this 120 has taken me to the woodshed as for all my concieved notions concerning bp n shells tho. i was used to my 45-70 winchester 85 with its purrrrrfect barrel. it was so easy to clean that i got blinded by the eas of care it required. this 120 is a big horse of a diff color tho. the bore is a diff size therefore needs diff size boolits. the chamber needs to be cast so i can see what is going on for sure and the stuborn lead that i couldnt get out still hasnt been figured out as to what is the root cause but im norrowing down on it a little at a time. weather turned winter afterall here and shooting in 30+ below is no fun so im going slow for sure.

as for shooting short cases...i have done so for 7 i think shots and maybe...just maybe this is in part the cause for my lead mining problems. i think also that this is NOT a proper way to shoot cast in this... maybe its just a rough bore and i dont have a borescope so im gonna have to take it to the smith that does so as to determine exactly what im dealing with. also i now check with amonia style barrel cleaner to double check my self for making sure im getting everything CLEAN and keeping it so...thanks to this poat for that little bit of wisdom.

hate to give up on this super hoot for a shooter but maybe this will be required...barrel wise but...not to this point yet ... am gonna keep you updated...when n if tho i will be chambering it for the 110 chamber and a decent leed cut in. as for the stretching thing...im not sure how to proceed with this and rest assured i havnt "ignored" ANYBODY!

[Kenny Wasserburger]

QUOTE:also i now check with ammonia style barrel cleaner to double check my self for making sure im getting everything CLEAN and keeping it so...thanks to this poat for that little bit of wisdom. End Of QUOTE.

What on earth for? Ammonia Cleaners are for Copper Fouling?

Good old Kroil or even better is Turpentine, pulls lead like crazy.

As for a rechamber? you plan on cutting off the threads and then ??

Good luck you got a long row to Hoe.

KW
The Lunger

[cajun shooter]

Big Ted, I have yet to find any firearm that is leaded that a barrel plugged with Kroil inside won't help. I wish you had someone who was close enough to help out first hand. AS KW said there are so many people that don't even shoot BP that will give advise. I have had several jump in on the SASS and Cas City forums that are telling BP shooters that they only need the soap and water all the time. It was done over a hundred years ago and we have better things to use in this day and time. I think you should try the Kroil if you have not done that yet. The big cases are totally different and that is where I will step away as I have no time with them. KW has years of experience in that area and would be one of my first people to seek out. You might not like his answers but they will the truth.

[bigted]

i could certainly use the truth and i dont see that ive been turned away from it on this forum...unlike others where i have gone to solicite info. im still kinda sound in the head so i take with a grain of salt the advice on other forums that begin with "i dont have" or "ive never shot" or "if it were me even tho i dont" ...these kinda posts just cause me to flick past without reading the whole thing as they are full of armchair advise without any experience to back up their theory.

at least when charlie [ who seems to like to UN-CANDY-COAT his advise] and don mcd as with kenny wasser and doc hiwall write something i can take it for real and think that these and people like em have been down the road before me will not steer me down a bumpy road.

i bounce around some but it all comes back somehow for the education im recieving here. i have experimented with stuff that peeks my interest and just plain sounded like fun with payoffs that are huge for me. the "patched ball" thing was informative and i did come away with the kind of accuracy i was looking for [minute of rabbit head at 25 to 35 or so yards] and had a blast doing it...maybe the ball shooting can be simpler but now i know firsthand that a patched roundball inside a 45-70 case will work well without any lead touching the barrel or case.

i also recieved a ruger #1 [also 45-70] with the 45-120 trade but it will set for awhile till i get some bag made with this 120 beast. i also have ashamedly shot the j-words thru this hiwall 120 with mingled interest and this is why sir i used the amonia cleaner to swab out all the leftover copper for sure.

a question here is about the "butches bp cleaner" tho. ive never used this in anything so am wondering if the potion in it takes the lead n burnt powder out like is advertised? also "kroil"? this is the first place ive heard of its use....yes im under a rock...tyvm.

[montana_charlie]

also "kroil"? this is the first place ive heard of its use....yes im under a rock...
Kroil is "Krano Kroil" and it is primarily a penetrating fluid. It is also found in spray cans, and that is called AreoKroil.
http://www.kanolabs.com/

As a penetrant, it is believed to have the ability to work under leading...getting between the lead and the steel...to help in pushing the lead fouling out of the bore with a tight patch.

Pure gum turpentine has a similar ability, so some use that instead of Kroil when deleading a bore...and sometimes it's easier to find locally.

The thing about removing lead with 'tight patches' is that the patch/jag combination is so tight it has to be driven through the bore with a mallet...or pounding the rod on the floor using the rifle as the hammer.

The mental image of that is truly frightening, but the method works and there is no damage to the gun.
It does require a quality cleaning rod...that's for sure.

CM

[bigted]

well i did finally discover what the cause is for the lead mining with this 120 barrel.

to begin it has a chamber that is some .100 of an inch too long. then the cases that started out as around .120 inch too short now are for sure .220 inch short in the existing chamber. the chamber is also around .0045 too large at the mouth of the chamber [rite behind the leed area]. so this poor barrel has seen its better days and its to the dumpster with the barrel to be replaced with either the 38-55 green mountain barrel or the 45 cal badger barrel that ill chamber for the 110 cartridge with a more "proper" chamber.

so i say ho hum and lessons learned. ill stop the passing along of this *** and "fix it" before it ever leaves my hot hands.

also thanks Charlie for the tip about the turpentine. ill find some to keep on hand and ill also find some "kroil" to keep on hand as well.

[smoked turkey]

bigted:
Just want to say that I have read and reread your posts and those replies to the various situations you found yourself in. This whole topic on proper cleaning was very informative to me. My reason for jumping in was that I wanted to compliment you on the way you responded to the other posts. I thought everyone did a great job of passing on information. I wanted to say this because on some posts big egos seem to get in the way of the discussion and I didn't see that here. I have no experience in this area so I'm just reading to learn.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I bought a new Winchester Mod 1885 BPCR rifle in 50-90 Sharps two years ago.

The firs cleaning revealed orange on the patch and less as I went along. I had never fired the rifle. Apparently the factory did but did not do such a great cleaning job on the bore.

Examination of the bore with a bore scope shows nothing now.

I use a blow tube here in the dry desert air. Upon firing 8 or 10 shots I run a patch with windex/vinegar thru the bore. It takes at least two patches to get out most of the crud. The third patch comes out reasonably clean and then I run a dry patch thru.

Then it is back to burning powder. Upon completion of the firing sequence I again clean the bore with windex/vinegar patches but I usually run about 5 wet patches thru the bore to enure major cleaning. Then I run thru a dry patch or two just to make sure it is clean. Then I soak a patch with Ballistrol and about 50% water and run that patch through the bore. Then I take a patch soaked in the same solution and wipe down the whole gun. Stock and all exposed metal.

The next day I run a dry patch through the bore and then a lightly REM OIL patch to protect the bore.

This rifle is only two years old but it looks as good as the day I got it.

[bigted]

charlie...wanted to thankyou again for the turpentine tip. recieved unto myself a can from the hardware store and as we speak the stuff is soaking in the barrel over the leaded breech area of my prize. i started to scrub the bore with patchs and got most out ... but not the stuborn hunks out this way. gave up on the scrubbing till later to allow the turpentine time to work under the lead deposites.

smells kinda good as well [ reminds me of my grandpas workshop used to smell like ] being better then shooters choice or any other amonia based cleaner.

read about the 50/50 mix [last post here] of windex/vinegar for swabbing bp out while shooting...does this clean down into the tight crevises of the rifling ? also does this affect the slight lead deposites ? these are the kind of tips that are dynamite for home doers like myself...keep em coming.

[bigted]

just wanted to revisit this post as i recently ran into a situation that has me grinning and a bit flabbergasted!

went to the one n only gunsmith in my area that is doing work in a bonified shop to inquire about a project im having built...low n behold there on the shelf was a shiloh 50-2.5 rifle with a new pricetag on it. i handled it then handed it back with butterflies swarming.

after thinking about how i didnt need this rifle i promptly phoned the smith to inquire if there was a way to shoot it before a purchase...he allowed that NO WAY but that maybe he had some downloaded shells for his own private owned rifle and he would look for them...i told him that im only interested in bp loading when out of his mouth came this strange sentence;

"after having to clean so many guns...i dont want the headacke of messing with bp fouling"

now if this were 2 or 3 years ago i would have comiserated with him and let it drop...however this is NOT 3 years ago and my education is rather larger then back then. i now understand that a properly loaded bp shell shot in a quality rifle will clean up so much faster then any smokless that there is just no comparisson.

this coming from a supposed gunsmith kinda stalled me so thought id repeat it here...

another thing that further imposed this 'truth' is that i recently did a breakin of a newer barrel on a rifle with jacketed and smokless and this JOB further convinces me that im on the rite track...wowww what a mess to clean...dirty powder [3031] and the rather stuborn brass in the barrel to scrub out with each shot...glad when those 20 were done. nearly ran outta cleaning patches before this 'job' was done...but what a nice mirror bright shine afterwards in this bore...worth every agonizing sceond...now on to the bp rounds for this shooter.

just an update is all.

[Chas]

I cleaned my blued, Iver Johnson Safety Automatic, break top, .38 S&W last night after firing some black powder loads through it. The bullets I had cast in an old Winchester mold, lubed them with DGL lube, charged the cases with Goex. At the range after firing it, I had sprayed it with Ballistol and put it in a ziplock bag.
At home, I took off the grips and screwed off the cylinder. Rinsed it off with hot water from the kitchen tap and then sprayed it down with the dish detergent and water mixture in a spray bottle that I keep at the kitchen sink. Scrubbed the exterior where it needed it with an old toothbrush. Used a few strokes of a bronze bore brush on the bore with the dish detergent. I held on tight to it and swung it hard to get the excess water out of it, and then dried it as much as possible with paper towels (twisted one up from one corner and pulled through to dry the bore and chambers). It would be nice to have compressed air to get the excess water out. A few minutes in the toaster oven with it set at 150 degrees took care of the remaining moisture.
I put some silicone spray on the hard rubber grips and sprayed Ballistol on the rest of it. Then reassembled and put it back into its vented ziplock bag with its packet of desiccant. My usual wipedown cloth has a mix of pure liquid silicone and mineral oil. Old Mr. Johnson is 105 years old and he still looks good. I hope to keep him that way.