Is this advice a "tip" or a "trick"

[skullmount]

The situation and resulting problem as described……on another forum……….and answer :holysheep

Went hunting last night and it was snowing pretty good for a while. Really didn't think about it until tonight about the possibility of moisture getting in the barrel from the snow. Pulled out my muzzleloader and looked into the barrel and sure enough there was rusting on the grooves.

I ran some dry patches down the barrel and it removed some of the rust but not all. Any secret to properly cleaning the barrel and preventing the rust from pitting?

An answer from another poster…………
Get the rust out asap. Rust creates more rust and pitting. Saturate bbl in Hoppes #9, chuck up your brass brush on a cleaning rod (not ramrod) in a cordless drill and ream out bbl. Let solvent soak a while, swab out and repeat.

How many "gunsmiths" would use the spinning drill ?


My question is this, how many "regular guys" would use the spinning drill ?

[docone31]

Once I get the bore clean, I use wax.
Oil floats on water. The oil then would float on the rust.
Once I started doing that, rust stopped.

[Maven]

Hoppe's #9, WD-40, Marvel Mystery Oil on a tight fitting bore brush followed by a preservative such as wax on a tight patch, but NEVER a brush/rod chucked in an electric drill.

[Just1Mor]

drill wont work for the rifling groves, like Maven said eldbow grease and a cleaning brush. i always run and oil patch through after cleaning and lastly a dry patch.

actually, i put a pacth over the cleaning brush and soak it and run it through a few times, let it sit for 5 minutes and then do it again until you get a clean patch.

[waksupi]

You learned something very important. Never take that guy's advise on anything gun related! No drill.

[405]

Holy cow! The only reason someone would recommend turning a patch like that would be he/she was thinking smoothbore. I've polished smoothbores that way but not a rifled barrel.

Once the oxidation has done damage, it can't be reversed. If there is no visible pitting then just scrub with a patch wrapped on an old brush soaked with a good solvent, a couple of dry patches then follow up with oil. If it's a stubborn rust build-up (iron oxide) then something like tightly wrapped bronze wool over a brush with Kroil or tight patch with a fine abrasive like JBs may be required- then lots of elbow grease. Rust (iron oxide) is a very hard material.

For future reference. Something like CLP is a good rust preventative, along with some tape over the muzzle to keep the H2O out.

[Just1Mor]

i have used a drill to pollish a chanber on a grande that was really rough but thats about it.

[skullmount]

You learned something very important. Never take that guy's advise on anything gun related! No drill.

waksupi,


Its a forum I don't frequent on a regular basis.


I was suprised that no one else jumped on the drill suggestion.....it was an old post a month or more old.

[Molly]

Scrub the bore with JB compound on a tight patch until all visible rust is gone. Then protect the bore with some RPG, which is head & shoulders above 99 % of the so-called RP oils and greases out there. If you can't find RPG, dissolve a little (~20 or 25%)canning pariffin in some lamp oil and wet the bore with this. You can get both at Krogers. The lamp oil will help it spread out and give good coverage, but will slowly evaporate to leave a very water-resistant wax film.

[John Taylor]

I know someone will jump on me for this but I use OOOO steel wool and oil for the real rough bores ( remember, I make a living out of fixing old barrels). Just had a muzzle loader in the other day that had a bunch of rust in it, got all the gunk out and the rifling looks good even tho it is pitted some.
It's not just a little water from one time that causes rust, most of the time it is from poor cleaning. Hot soapy water and lots of elbow grease are the best for cleaning BP rifles. I use oil in the bore after cleaning. Some don't like any oil in the bore saying it effects accuracy. Wax sounds like a good idea, never tried it, wounder where the first shot will go with a waxed bore.

[405]

Yes, I've used 0000 steel wool for the "hard" cases. It would be the next step if the JBs or bronze wool didn't cut it. I'd think but have no proof that a very thin coat of wax wouldn't do much. A thick or clumpy coat might act just like excess fouling and start hurting accuracy or likewise throw the first shot off.

[Molly]

I know someone will jump on me for this but I use OOOO steel wool and oil for the real rough bores ( remember, I make a living out of fixing old barrels). Just had a muzzle loader in the other day that had a bunch of rust in it, got all the gunk out and the rifling looks good even tho it is pitted some.
It's not just a little water from one time that causes rust, most of the time it is from poor cleaning. Hot soapy water and lots of elbow grease are the best for cleaning BP rifles. I use oil in the bore after cleaning. Some don't like any oil in the bore saying it effects accuracy. Wax sounds like a good idea, never tried it, wounder where the first shot will go with a waxed bore.

Yeah, '0000' with a bit of oil is good too, and will NOT harm the finish, inside or outside the bore. Speaking of outside the bore, a really good tool for removing caked rust is an ordinary penny or a 30-06 case. Flatten the mouth and use it like a chisel until the gross rust is gone. They're softer than steel, so they won't scratch, but harder than rust which they'll dig out in a hurry. Then go to the 0000 steel wool. But do NOT use anything coarser, as coarser steel wool WILL scratch the bluing. If it's been a really bad case of neglect with a couple of deep pits that you don't want to drawfile out, clean them up as well as you can and touch them with the tip of a toothpick that's been dipped in 50% Phosphoric. This will remove ALL the active rust, and it will actually treat the steel so that rust won't come back easily. Rinse when all the red is gone, dry and oil. Careful though: It will remove blue as fast as it will remove red rust.

[Just1Mor]

Molly, i assume you are talking about prophoric acid? where would someone come by that.

[Molly]

Molly, i assume you are talking about prophoric acid? where would someone come by that.

No, I never heard of prophoric acid. Phosphoric acid is correct. Larger towns and most cities will have a chemical suplyhouse where it can be purchased pure, but you are very nearly as well off to buy Naval Jelly at a hardware. Naval Jelly is just a thickened phosphoric acid.

[swheeler]

Scotch tape over the muzzle or one of the commercial muzzle condoms and you won't have to worry about it. As for the drill used to spin a brush, no way.