Dutch's cleaning method

[Black Powder Bill]

Like the others mentioned; wd-40 is not for rust prevention. It is a water displacer. I like CRC power lube as my preservative. For long term I find that Lee liquid bullet lube thinned down works great.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

we use 1/3 rubbing alcohol, 1/3 hydrogen peroxide , 1/3 Murphy's oil soap , as patch lube ,
when leaving the range several sprays of that down the barrel helps to keep it all very soft on the way home , then nearly boiling hot water with dawn in a pail , breach in the pail , patch on the ram rod and scrub , change water , scrub , funnel in muzzle pour boiling water down flushing the barrel then , dry patches , the boiling water gets it all so hot it almost drys on it's own like a hot skillet .

when dry , oil with ed's red oil inside and out

a friend who wants to be very sure his nipple and flash channel are dry squirts some zippo lighter fluid on them and sets them on fire

[RBak]

FWIW; I've been using Ed's Red for both patching and cleaning for many years now and I find no problems with it whatsoever.

For patching round ball I soak a stack of patches and squeeze 'em out in the vice between two pieces of thin plywood that's cut and used just for that purpose (they clip on the steel jaws of the vice)....the patches feel dry to the touch when loading but they are still damp enough to work well for wiping occasionally.

I never ever worry about having having to clean my muzzleloaders as soon as I get home, that is if I make sure they were wiped at the range with Ed's Red before leaving.
Otherwise, if I'm playing around with, Spit-balls, Balistol, Magic Moose Milk, or some other Witches Brew, you can bet they are going to get scrubbed, dried real well as soon as I get home, and then I wipe the bore good with Ed's Red... there's just something about that stuff that makes a believer out of you.

Russ

[C.F.Plinker]

I've use MAP as the cleaner, chase that with WD40 to get the water out, and chase the WD40 with Breakfree as a protectant for short term stroage since I will be shooting again within a few months. Get to the range and run a patch with Moose Milk on it to clean out any Breakfree. Never have seen any rust at this point. Then fire off 25 grains of FFFg without ball or patch to prove the channel, wipe with another MM patch, load and go.

I don't know where I picked up using Breakfree after the WD40 but it has served me well.

[JudgeBAC]

To clean: 50% Ballistol 50% water followed by boiling water then oil with straight Ballistol. This is the greatest stuff ever invented. Water soluble although it does smell a little odd; kinda like a locker room.

[Boerrancher]

I love Ballistol. It is some amazing stuff. I mix it with 70% water, and use it for patch lube and a quick clean up on my black powder cartridge guns. Swab with Ballistol until the patches come out clean, I check it every three days for a couple of weeks to make sure. I can't seem to get that method to work in my MLs, I guess it is because the soot it pushed back into the barrel with the next loading.

Best wishes,

Joe