Recipe for Mike Venturino's bore cleaner: Windex + ?

[Maven]

All, Two questions: First what are the exact proportions of Mike V's. BP bore cleaner. I know it's Windex, but is it Windex WITH vinegar or does Mike add white vinegar and isopropyl alcohol to the [plain] Windex. Second, can this mixture also be used in ML rifles (with BP naturally!)? Thanks in advance for your help!

[Don McDowell]

His windex bore cleaner is off the shelf comes inthe bottle Windex with vinegar. Problem is finding the stuff not all stores carry it.Probably wouldn't recommend the plain windex with ammoniad.
You can also mix half simple green and half water, that combo makes a really good bp cleaner, both for use on patches cleaning the bore and to soak fired cases in to loosen the crud.

[Circuit Rider]

Maven, I used to hate cleanup after shooting my 45/70 Pedersoli Sharps. No longer, in Mike's book, Shooting Buffalo Rifles of the Old West, he explains. 1- 22 ounce bottle of Windex that says "With Vinegar" in a gallon jug and fill with water. Usually a couple of soaked patches does the job. I've used it for the last 3 years and cleanup is a breeze. Just make sure it says With Vinegar on the label. Circuit Rider

[13Echo]

Windex with Vinegar, which in fact does not contain vinegar, works great out of the bottle. There are other window cleaners on the market that do contain vinegar that also work a treat. Do not use a cleaner with ammonia, especially if you are shooting Pyrodex or other BP subs. It seems it is a recipe for instant corrosion.

Jerry Liles

[montana_charlie]

I use water straight from the tap.
A wet patch followed by a dry one...then do it again.
Four patches is usually enough.

Afterward, I always run a Kroil patch both ways, and let that soak for fifteen minutes (while depriming cases). Then, a very tight patch...just to examine for leading.

If nothing further is required, an oiled patch for rust prevention...and done.

I use Dawn, Kroil, citrus, and other products for a variety of chores...but straight water has always been enough for the barrel.

CM

[PatMarlin]

Water- then Ballistol for me. I love Ballistol.

Now I'm using it for way lube, turn- drill- tap machining oil full strength, and water mix flood coolant in my coolant system on my Hardinge.

The Mobil oils and Rustlick soluble was starting to make me sic, burn my sinuses, and making my skin break out. Ballistol has ended all that and it's working as well and better than the toxic oil in the shop.

[Maven]

All, I usually use "Friendship Speed Juice" (equal amounts of isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and Murphy's Oil Soap) in my muzzle loaders and my Marlin #336 when I use BP loads. (I don't leave it in any bbl. for more than a few minutes though.); Winchester Sutler's "Moose Milk"; or that white, opaque liquid that T/C sells (got several bottles on closeout) and was looking for something at least as effective as these, but couldn't recall or find via Google the exact recipe that Mike V. uses. Have any of you tried antifreeze diluted 50:50 with water as either a preservative or bbl. cleaner?

[hiram]

Do NOT mix your own water - vinegar solution. I made a solution with too much vinegar and removed blue from tjhe muzzle.

[Lead pot]

hydrogen peroxide is a sure bet for a rust bucket.

[Dale53]

hydrogen peroxide is a sure bet for a rust bucket.

I know several hundred black powder shooters a the Friendship Indiana Nationals that will dispute that with you. I have used it for YEARS with nothing but success.

After you clean with Friendship Speed Juice, run a couple of dry patches through. Then I use Ed's Red as a preservative.

Friendship Speed Juice has NO preservative in it. I can only speculate that those that have had problems with it didn't realize that and didn't use a preservative afterwards.

I had the Black Powder Wizard, Bill Knight, Consultant to the Black Powder Industry and an Organic Chemist run a test with it and it came out with a "thumbs up". It has a real advantage over water - water will flush out black powder fouling but will NOT dissolve the "clinkers". The Hydrogen Peroxide flat out dissolves the clinkers.

I had occasion to remove the breechplug in my caplock muzzle loader that had been used with Speed Juice for many years of competition. The firechannel through the patent breech still had it's original bluing intact and NO evidence of rust or pitting in any way. It was just CLEAN.

That is the best test I can think of and was done here in the humid Midwest.

Dale53

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Water works great, but by it's self wont do the whole job.

After cleaning real well with water, Try a patch soaked with Butch's BP Bore shine the carbon left behind that water will not touch comes out in light grayblack. Butch's has MP-7 in it the same stuff uncle same uses to clean the carbon out of barrels of Chain guns on the varrious weapons systems our military uses.

MLV's solvent of Windex with Vinager is good stuff also.

I Also use Kroil oil for checking for Lead or Shiloh Creek sold by Shiloh Rifle that will pull lead!

The friendship speed juice Dale and others mention works very well also, but as Dale said you have to oil afterwords the Oxidizing of the Hydo P will ruin a barrel.
KW
The Lunger

[keeper89]

Just to weigh in here, a few years ago I bought a roller in 38-55 from a fellow in Saratoga who specializes in bp cartridge rifles and has done so for many years. He told me that he has used regular automotive windshield washer soaked patches for decades with no ill effects. I have been using them ever since, one or two down the tube, a dry patch, then a patch with clear machine oil--it's working great for me, I figured this gentleman has forgotten more about bp cartridge than I will ever have time to learn.....just my .02, hope it helps......

[Bent Ramrod]

Mike wrote that a 22-oz bottle of Windex with vinegar put into a plastic gallon jug and filled the rest of the way with water was his standard cleaning solution.

[Lead pot]

I been using NAPA water soluble cutting oil for cleaning. a mix of 1 part oil 6 parts distilled water.

[Boz330]

I've been using Mike's formula for several years for cartridge and ML and have been very happy with it. Still haven't used up the first jug yet. The only thing that worked as well was KMS which used to be sold by an old guy at Friendship, but I haven't seen him in years so I think he probably passed on.
For my cartridge gun usually 2 wets and 2 or 3 dry and the job is done. When I get it home I use some Kroil and let it soak and then a tight patch to check for lead. In my MLs I plug the nipple and pour some in and let it sit a couple minutes and then sump it several times with a loose patch to clean the rest of the bore. Dry patch it and then oil it. I do come back for several days and just swap the bore just to make sure.

Bob

[Gellot Wilde]

What Montana Charlie said.

Water seems to be as good as anything, not found anything better so far and believe me I've tried.

[cajun shooter]

As has been posted there are many ways to obtain the same results. When I first received my Pedersoli 34in bbl Competition rifle I went to clean the bore before shooting as you should do on a new rifle. I used the standard moosemilk at 7-1, windex and vinegar, Kroil. The bbl apperaed to be clean. A fellow member of the forum,John Boy bought the same rifle and said that he had found some hard dried substance in his and that I better look again. I used some M-Pro7 that is very strong and out comes these black patches from my clean bbl. I won't go into details but Pedersoli used some product from Shell that was meant for short term use only and the rifle had been in storage for 4 years. It took the M-Pro7 and mek to remove it. If you want to see if you have anything in your BBl ,try the cleaner it works.

[Mike Venturino]

Maven: I just dump a jug of "Windex With Vinegar" into a gallon milk jug and then fill the remaining space with water. Such a jug should last for a couple of years even with a very avid shooter/competitor. (Like me.)

As for muzzle loaders, yes that solution works fine too. I cover the nipple with a patch and put the hammer down on it. Then I fill the barrel with the solution and let it set for a couple of minutes. Then I upend the rifle and let the fouled solution run out on the ground. After that a couple of patches should clean up everything else.

That certain variety of Windex is hard to find, so when I do come across it I tend to stock up. I've probably got a lifetime's worth stored away now considering I'm 60.

Good luck to you. I've been absent here for several months. Work projects and the silhouette shooting season have kept me busy.
Mike V.

[Maven]

Thanks Mike, that's exactly the recipe I was looking for and thanks for taking the time to write!

Paul

[Mike Venturino]

Maven: You're very welcome. Glad to be of help.

MLV