It seems a large number of the problems with muzzle loaders start from poor cleaning.
I know most of the people I talk with in the non cast boolits world really didn't know anything about cleaning a muzzle loader , and it is something we try to teach all of our 4H muzzle loader program kids
I myself am relatively new to muzzle loading compared to many of you here so I though I would start this thread and ask you to add in anything I may miss , then those new to muzzle loading will have a good reference
The supplies we use are ,
-A rod longer than the barrel by enough to get all the way to the bottom and still have enough to hold onto , with a caliber appropriate jag
-cotton patches , i cut mine from flannel scraps or .015 pillow ticking
-hot water , usually we heat water on the Coleman stove , hot near boiling in a old coffee pot with pour spout
-a bucket ,or can only needs to be a few quarts in size at most ice cream pails are fine
-dish soap , we use dawn original , the blue stuff
-nipple wrench , or breach plug tool for inline
-brush, a tooth brush is fine
-nipple pick or small brush to clean the nipple or flash hole
-oil , and a rag
1.we start by removing the barrel from the stock ,
on a inline remove the breach plug, on a side percussion lock remove the nipple
2.in your bucket add a squirt of dish soap , then a few inches of hot water
3 for side locks place the breach end in the bucket
or
for in-lines I typically place the muzzle in the bucket and clean it from the breach , much more often in lines will have a scope , or action at the breach end that i don't want to stick in a bucket of water.
4. with a patch or 2 on the jag to get a good tight fit and the opposite end in the hot soapy water scrub in long even strokes this pushes the air out and draws hot soapy water into the barrel then pushes it out , scrubbing till you think you have it clean changing patches as needed , scrub the area around the nipple hole with the tooth brush in the soapy water.
you could run a brass brush if you felt it needed it at this time , we primarily shoot patched round ball with "friendship speed juice" 1/3 rubbing alcohol , 1/3 hydrogen peroxide , 1/3 Murphy oil soap. it keeps the fouling rather soft
5. then i pour nearly boiling water down the barrel to flush it , i have a funnel with a long neck that is handy for some in-lines , this flushes the soap water from the barrel , it also gets very very hot so hold the barrel with the rag , but it dries very fast and very dry also rinse the outside of the barrel that was in the soapy water
6. while the barrel is cooling down and drying i scrub the , breech plug for inline , and the nipple for percussion then rinse , i hold the nipple or plug over the flame of the stove with a pliers to dry it completely then let it cool
7. by now the barrel is getting cool enough to touch it again , i run an oil patch and wipe down the outside with the oil rag also wiping down the lock and other metal
8. reassemble , always use a good anti seize on the breach plug
9. just for good measure look it over and run an oil patch the next day , it will be apparent if you missed something
if your gun is difficult to disassemble , i have seen and use once a threaded piece that replaces the nipple and has tubing attached to it , this lets you put the end of the tubing in the bucket of hot soapy water and not the end of the barrel, but occasionally it is still good to get some oil on the underside of the barrel , and in the lock
there are many right ways to get your gun clean , but must also be many wrong ways as well because so many muzzle loaders get so neglected. I hate to see any gun neglected , but i think many just don't understand the extent of the corrosiveness of black powder or even BP substitutes . or how to remove it.
so many people cringe the first time you suggest hot soapy water
and so many companies make products to clean back powder and subs , but seem to cost a lot in comparison and may or may not work as well , i think it confuses the user
how do you clean yours? , did i miss anything