Cleaning after firing

[milcol]

I have a Parker Hale 58 cal musketoon,would like to know is it necessary to field strip it every time after firing is finished for the day, thanks for any comments.

[Standing Bear]

I pull the lock to rinse and install a flushing nipple w hose. A few wet patches then go to the lock rinse then spray w WD40. Do some putting up then drop the hose (has a drilled out minie ball mold o keep from spraying everywhere) and flush w several patches. When clean pour a little alcohol down the muzzle and Then WD40. That's it. Been the same near 30 years.
TC

[waksupi]

WD-40 is NOT a good thing in guns.

[Standing Bear]

Old wives tales die hard.
TC

[oldracer]

I generally use the 3 part cleaner and use a drilled out nipple, tubing and small container to hold the goop until the liquid comes out clean as are the patches. I do have several patent breech rifles that are a bugger to get the very bottom cleaned. I noted a post a while back about a small hand held steam cleaner so I bought one and run a long enough piece or tube so the steam comes out at the very bottom of the barrel/breech. I found this really cleans the bottom very well and it only takes one or two patches and they are clean! I then wipe the internals down with CLP and let the gun sit a day and wipe it again with CLP. I store them nose down.

[rfd]

everyone has their own pet muzzy cleaning process. for full stocks, i never take off the barrel but will always punch the wedges and remove a half stock barrel. lock comes off first, remove the flint and dunk it in a pail of plain water, whilst the barrel's touch hole gets plugged and the barrel filled with plain water. while the water is softening the bp in the barrel, the lock gets scrubbed with a toothbrush, dried off, wiped down with an oily rag, all pivot points get a tiny drop of breakfree clp. barrel touch hole plug removed, gooky water drained, moose milk or LVL soaked patch 'n' jag wipes out the barrel (if a half stock, the barrel is removed and the ignition end stuck in a pail of water so the jagged patch pumps water in/out of the tube), when the patches come out clean, dry patches are used and the last patch is wet with breakfree clp. this is all simple, fast, effective.

[carbine]

MILCOL
Where in Mass. are you? We have a bunch of musket shooters in the area who would be glad to work with you.

[Hickok]

Take the barrel out of the stock, and coat the inside wood of the stock with tru-oil, to make sure the wood is sealed. Then take the barrel and put a good coat of Mobil Synthetic grease on the bottom. Set the barrel back in the stock. now you can shoot and don't need to take the barrel out of the stock to clean every time. The grease seals off the barrel from bp fowling, moisture and air.

I take a small hose like is used in fish tank pumps, put on the musket nipple, put in a bucket of water/soap etc, and use this to clean the bore. It keeps water from getting all over the musket. Becareful when swapping near the muzzle, as water can come out like a hydraulic piston. Pull the hose out of the water, and pump the water out of the barrel helps. I hold a terry cloth rag around the muzzle and ram rod when pulling the ram rod out. Or tip the barrel to the ground, out goes the water, and quickly jerk the ram rod out, no water on the rifle! Practice makes perfect!!!

A small bottle of Windex (No vinegar, it is hard on bluing) Straight or cut with water, and the hose will work great. I like to remove the lock and hammer and clean them up good with an old toothbrush and your favorite water/soap/windex concoction.

[rfd]

i pull the barrel and lock on all guns and wick in quality water thin CYA (hobby shop grade such as "hot stuff", "zap", etc) to the barrel channel and lock inlet/mortise - this hardens and seals the wood through capillary action, making a great barrier against bp residue getting into the wood grain. for new wood, this needs to be done after staining, never before. it'll cure in seconds and is ready for any kinda final finish.

[mooman76]

WD-40 is good, I've used it for years but I live in a very low humidity climate. Almost nonexistent. You can't depend on WD-40 alone, it has it's limitations. You also need a good oil after the cleaning regiment.

[pietro]

.

YMMV, of course...............................

IME, WD-40 is a Water Dispersant (not a real rust preventer) that leaves a gummy residue after the carrier evaporates - which residue can eventually either freeze (when used in Winter conditions) or gum up ( pun unintended ) the works, leading to lock part movement issues. (BT,DT )

Over the past 35-odd years, I've used the EASY button and simply flushed out the bore & ignition channel with Moose Milk (Ox-Bore/TC #10 Bore Cleaner) with special attention to the hammer nose/area & the outer face of the lockplate (which is usually fitted tight enough to resist powder fouling infringing upon the inside of the lock), then apply TC/Ox-Yoke Bore Butter 1000+ lube to the bore & outer surfaces of the barrel & lock - w/o any rust issues as yet.



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[Earlwb]

I pretty much do what the others do. I use hot water and Dawn dishwashing detergent. With a tube attached to the nipple or a tube/nipple insert. I can then use a thick patch and pump the cleaning rod up and down inside the barrel. I repeat to be sure it is clean, and use plain hot water for the last run. Then I dry and oil the barrel with gun oil. I am not averse to using WD-40 at first to ensure the moisture is removed either. But gun oil lasts much longer than WD-40 does. So WD-40 tends to be a temporary solution.

[waksupi]

Old wives tales die hard.
TC

Not an old wive's tale. There was a study done, showing that WD-40 can work into the barrel pores, carrying remaining fouling with it. I've also fixed lots of guns that the owner had used it on the lock or operating mechanism, coated with the brown varnish that forms from the WD-40. Modern shotgun owners seem to be the worst offenders.

[KCSO]

WD makes real good cutting oil for turning aluminium and sharpening knives, that's about it. I do not recommend it to any one who buys one of my guns and don't use it myself in any of my muzzleloaders. When I build a gun I seal the stock with finish and then coat the hot barrel with beeswax and set it in the stock moderate hot. Tis seals the stock from moisture. Then all you have to do is swab out the barrel and oil it topside. I pull the locks once a year and check and oil as between the tight inlet and the wax moisture can not seep in.

[bob208]

as with all things in life there is the proper way to use something and then there is the improper way. I have used wd-40 for 40 years with out a problem. I have seen some use it for one week and gum every thing up.

[bedbugbilly]

Like anything in life - to each their own.

Our hardware supplier used to run specials on WD-40 every once in a while. We had a good customer who would come in on the sales and stock up. He was a retired cop and had a bum knee. I asked him one time what he used so much WD-40 for and he told me that he sprayed his bad knee every morning with it and worked it in to his knee by rubbing it in. He swore that it helped with the pain and his buddy confirmed that it was true. As I saud -to each their own. YMMV

[copdills]

I like to clean Mine after every outing if i fire it, and if I dont it gets a good wipe down before it goes back in the safe

[mooman76]

When I went on a charter fishing the boat captain would spray the bait with WD-40. He said it attracted fish. We did do better than everyone else. I don't know if that was the WD or just that the captain knew good spots to fish.

[pietro]

When I went on a charter fishing the boat captain would spray the bait with WD-40.

He said it attracted fish.

We did do better than everyone else. I

don't know if that was the WD or just that the captain knew good spots to fish.

Did that captain mark the hot fishing spots with an "X" on the side of his boat ?



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[carbine]

Milcol
I sent you the contact info for somebody in your area. They are in Middlesex county and shoot at the Hopkinton Sportsman's assn