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Thread: cleaning a .577 SNIDER?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    cleaning a .577 SNIDER?

    how should one clean a SNIDER? after shooting it i poured hot water down the barrel and ran patches down the bore till they came out clean. then coated it with BORE BUTTER. checked it a week later and the chamber was rusty and the breach block also, and the firing pin was froze up. what did i do wrong? i cleaned it as i do my muzzle loaders and have no problem with them.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

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    I use a 10/90 solution of ballistol and water to clean and then a light spray of remington gunoil. Its very dry in New Mexico so that helps also. Its pretty easy to remove the firing pin and grease it up. I have noticed the snider moving parts were all encased in grease originally. If you're shooting light loads or have an odd chamber the case may not seal well and you'll get a lot of blowback that cruds things up.

    good luck!

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    IDZ, yes when i extract the spent rounds they are covered in a kind of soot from blow back of the black powder. will give it a try thanks for the come back.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    jajajaja Try the BPCR guys. They all swear they can clean a BPCR rifle with only 3 or 4 patches and never have one rust.

    Many of the recipes for cleaning them include using Windex with vinegar. This is a premixed over the counter version of Windex that not all stores stock. Others recommend Ballistol.
    I would recommend cleaning it every day for 2 weeks until you find your own products and technique that works in your combination of temperature and humidity. My household humidity rarely goes above 55% RH and my house has air conditioning. In the heat and humidity of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico keeping the rust away could be a chore. In a high desert they might not be much of a problem.

    Quote Originally Posted by toot View Post
    how should one clean a SNIDER? after shooting it i poured hot water down the barrel and ran patches down the bore till they came out clean. then coated it with BORE BUTTER. checked it a week later and the chamber was rusty and the breach block also, and the firing pin was froze up. what did i do wrong? i cleaned it as i do my muzzle loaders and have no problem with them.
    EDG

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    Clean the barrel with hot water and dish soap, or Ballistol solution if you have it. I rinse with water as hot as I can get so it evaporates fast. The breech block needs taken apart and cleaned every now and then especially if you are storing it for a while. The firing pin channel can get grungy after a while. I coat the barrel inside and out with a good gun oil, but I think Ballistol works the best with BP. Bore Butter won't protect it from rusting....I found out the hard way years ago.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    EDG and reivertom, thanks for getting back to me. I learn't something from both of you. I can get WINDEX with vinegar in it at BENNY'S. and will try it for sure. also will try the old hot soapy water deal. I will also use the hot as you can stand it water treatment after i am done to drive out any rust! i thought that BORE BUTTER would take care of rust in a semi long term storage, one to six months, guess not?. i live in the NORTH EAST so high humidity is a big problem here! again i have learn't much from you guys, thanks for the come back. PS will let you know if it works.

  7. #7
    Boolit Man yulzari's Avatar
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    I must be doing something wrong with my Snider then. I went through various options and potions including steam but now simply wipe out the bore with baby wipes cut into patches until they come out faintly grey and then dried with folded patches of paper kitchen roll. Works fine. A final wipe through with a kitchen roll folded patch moistened with ATF keeps it free of rust but the same with vaseline when I am not expecting to use it for a few months. Morning before shooting a few of these paper patches wipes out the oil. In the field all they had was cold water (or warm almost water...) and a couple of pieces of rag washed out after the last cleaning.

    BP is nowhere near as hygroscopic as people fear. I have pulled hundred year old charges out with no corrosion. The old time primers left corrosive matter in the fouling but modern ones are fine.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    Toot, may I ask what propellant and primer you used for your cartridges?

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    There are many Recipes for Cleaning Black. some Home made some, various Home Brew. There Is Only One word to remember " KROIL"
    NRA Endowment Member
    International Ammunition Association
    New York, the Empire State Where Empires were Won and Lost

  10. #10
    Boolit Bub R. Dupraz's Avatar
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    Don't know about the Snider but if you are using real black powder, proper cleaning wouldn't be any different than any other black powder firearm. Dismantle all the exposed parts and clean completely.

    Disregard all the snake oil mixtures, commercial and otherwise and get some Ballistol. After trying many of them, I have been using it to clean and preserve all muzzle loading rifles, pistols, shotguns, black powder cartridge rifles and any other firearm that I use black in for over fifteen years with complete satisfaction. This is after using real black powder of course.

    50/50 water and Ballistol to clean. Straight to preserve.

    And when shooting black, the firearm should be checked each day after cleaning for three days.
    Last edited by R. Dupraz; 06-01-2017 at 09:20 PM.

  11. #11
    Boolit Man yulzari's Avatar
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    It is always worth remembering that it is said that more bores are worn through cleaning than ever were through firing. One is cleaning a rifle to keep it fit for use, not a surgical instrument that must be sterile. The only reason that I use baby wipes and not damp cloth is convenience and baby wipes are really cheap. Unlike any commercial cleaning product and double that last for a gun cleaning product and double again if it must be posted to you.

    British soldiers with Martini Henrys were issued two pieces of rag each year which were used to clean the guns and then washed for reuse again and again. My only exception is tow for my musket which I too wash and reuse as did troops in the period and muskets were expected to last 10 years in service in all conditions and climates. My musket was put away for well over 100 years not that well cleaned yet it was not corroded. Of course fired guns must be cleaned but people are too obsessive about it. A little cleaning is good, more is better but too much is not right.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    ogre, I use 2fg black powder not PYRODEX as it is UBER CORROSIVE, in my opinion, and WINCHESTER LR. primers.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    The Brit govt also had to rebarrel rifles that corroded from poor cleaning. The soldiers didn't.
    Those of us who do not want to pay for a new barrel are inclined to err on the side of thorough.

    Quote Originally Posted by yulzari View Post
    It is always worth remembering that it is said that more bores are worn through cleaning than ever were through firing. One is cleaning a rifle to keep it fit for use, not a surgical instrument that must be sterile. The only reason that I use baby wipes and not damp cloth is convenience and baby wipes are really cheap. Unlike any commercial cleaning product and double that last for a gun cleaning product and double again if it must be posted to you.

    British soldiers with Martini Henrys were issued two pieces of rag each year which were used to clean the guns and then washed for reuse again and again. My only exception is tow for my musket which I too wash and reuse as did troops in the period and muskets were expected to last 10 years in service in all conditions and climates. My musket was put away for well over 100 years not that well cleaned yet it was not corroded. Of course fired guns must be cleaned but people are too obsessive about it. A little cleaning is good, more is better but too much is not right.
    EDG

  14. #14
    Boolit Man yulzari's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by EDG View Post
    The Brit govt also had to rebarrel rifles that corroded from poor cleaning. The soldiers didn't.
    Those of us who do not want to pay for a new barrel are inclined to err on the side of thorough.
    Quite so but we don't use them under the same conditions nor carry them about in rain, snow, mud and in jungle humidity and desert dust day after day for weeks and months on end yet many not only survived first line service but went on to be issued to second line troops, police and prison guards then sold off to the civilian users for further years of use in similar conditions. A used Martini Henry was still the daily weapon of choice in Oman into the 1960's. Thorough cleaning indeed is required but many modern users of BP guns err on the obsessive side IMHO. Every time a cleaning rod goes down a barrel it causes some wear, however little, and I prefer a reasonable compromise between dirt and wear. But each to their own.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    It is no surprise that Oman would still be using Martini Henrys and didn't take care of them. Oman was one of the last countries to abolish slavery in 1970.
    It makes no difference what happened in the past to someone else's gun. That does not apply to mine in any way shape or form.
    There is no need to compromise between dirt and wear. Many BPCR competitive shooters wipe the bore between each and every shot for decades without damaging the bore.
    My cleaning rod is never allowed to touch the bore. The only things that contacts the bore other than bullets are the cleaning patches.
    If you can't clean your gun without damaging the bore find someone that can teach you how.




    Quote Originally Posted by yulzari View Post
    Quite so but we don't use them under the same conditions nor carry them about in rain, snow, mud and in jungle humidity and desert dust day after day for weeks and months on end yet many not only survived first line service but went on to be issued to second line troops, police and prison guards then sold off to the civilian users for further years of use in similar conditions. A used Martini Henry was still the daily weapon of choice in Oman into the 1960's. Thorough cleaning indeed is required but many modern users of BP guns err on the obsessive side IMHO. Every time a cleaning rod goes down a barrel it causes some wear, however little, and I prefer a reasonable compromise between dirt and wear. But each to their own.
    Last edited by EDG; 06-10-2017 at 11:32 AM.
    EDG

  16. #16
    Boolit Master omgb's Avatar
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    I would forget Bore Butter, it won't protect squat in damp conditions. To clean your Snyder I'd do this:

    Place the gun in a gun vice action down and sloping downward as well. Wet a cloth patch with Balistol (10%) and water. Wipe once catching the patch as it leaves the bore. Then brush the bore with a nylon brush dampened in the same mix. Now push three or four tight fitting patches down the bore. Finish the bore with a patch soaked in RemOil. Go back and wipe down the action with the same mix we started with and then dry and oil using the Remoil. If you need to or are going to store the gun long-term, disassemble the firing pin mechanism and clean.

    Use a bore guide to preserve your muzzle and do not used a jointed rod or one made of aluminum. Use a good quality steel rod, coated or uncoated, your choice.

    In the field for quick cleaning, use a mix of 50/50 distilled water and automotive antifreeze. It cleans well and the antifreeze has built in rust inhibiters that do not interact poorly with BP.
    R J Talley
    Teacher/James Madison Fellow

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    I always used lots of hot water and Dawn dishwashing detergent. Then I switch to just hot water to sort of rinse it good. I dry it and then oil it using gun oil. I never had problems with rust. Using a thick patch one can pump up and down in the barrel with the cleaning solution and it comes out squeaky clean. Then it is drying and oiling.

    Now bore butter I think is more for cap and ball revolvers or to lube muzzle loaders with patches. it does not protect against rust. But it softens the residue making it somewhat easier to clean later. Plus maybe give you a shot or two more in a muzzleloader before the bore gets too dirty to shoot from without cleaning.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check