Black powder Residual in firearms?

[srk]

Hi
I am curious as to know, and hope i have the right forum,
"I have a couple of guns that i would like to shoot black-powder out of, but I am concerened about the residual smoke and dust etc. from getting into the working parts of the gun.
My first is a Pedersoli .45-70, second Winchester '94 in .38-55, and would like to try black out of my Ruger blackhwak .45 Colt.
I was curious as to know how far to strip them down for cleaning or is this a concern at all?
I have found Pyrodex to worse than Goexx as far as being corrosive.
I now shoot Goexx only out of my Trade rifle for this reason.
Can anyone shed some light on this matter please?
I have read Mike Venturino's book on Lever guns and this has sparked my interest in going this route.
Thanks for all your input.
Srk

[BerdanIII]

I haven't done much with Pyrodex in the .44-40, but after running 20 or so rounds through a Winchester, I found almost no fouling in the action at all. I still used Birchwood Casey black powder solvent to be on the safe side, but the patches came out clean. I didn't disassemble the rifle and never got any rust. Somebody (I think on this board) said that normal black powder loads cause enough case expansion to seal the chamber very effectively. I know that smokeless loads tend to leave smoked cases but the Pyrodex loads did not.

In an aside, the barrel heated up much more with Pyrodex than smokeless. I don't remember the load offhand, but it filled the case (minus room for the boolit)and was probably only a little more powerful than the .44 Henry (dang those solid head cases!).

You might consider duplex loads if you're going to use the Holy Black; that will definitely cut down on the powder fouling. You'll still have to use a water-based cleaner, though.

[405]

Of the guns you mentioned you shouldn't have many problems with BP corrosion in places you can't see. I know there will always be some BP residuals in the smoke and debris that will get into tight spaces. So maybe once a year take the wood off and strip down, particularly the revolver, and clean/brush with a good flush of hot soapy water then a rinse of hot clear water. Should dry pretty quickly with the heat then finish off with a coverage of oil. You'll have to wash and brush your brass with soapy water after each firing. And of course use BP type solvents, moose milk or water to clean your bores then oil well after each firing just as with the muzzleloader. The cap n ball revolver is one the types of BP firearms that can really build BP residuals in hidden action parts- so they take much more attention.

[bigted]

my answer to the residue in the action of revolvers and actions of lever or any gun action is to spray down the entire action inside thru all holes and orfices with a canned spray oil such as rem-oil...[which i use] i spray this in abundance after each shooting and cleaning. i want it to drip out in abundance from the action.

ive used cap-n-ball revolvers thusly as well as my marlin and singleshot rifles and my boltguns i load bp in and after some time and i think about it i tear em down to parade rest and have never found rust or gunk of any kind with this aproach.

the real blackpowder residue [dont know about those aftermarket powders that claim to be an improvement on the origanal powder] is to be disolved with water and oil to be used to resist any and all rusting tendensies. i also use the for-mentioned moose milk...[ballistol and water mix in 25% ballistol and 75% water].

enjoy the blackpowder cartridge experience with glee and never look back...its just too much fun. only admonition is this.......WATCH YOUR WALLET AS IT IS GOING TO BE EMPTY WITH THE PURCHASES OF MO GUNS!!!!!!!

[NickSS]

I have shot all three types of guns you mention with black powder. I have a roller that is an original Remington made in the 1870s that I have put several thousand rounds through during the last 20 years. I clean the barrel after each match and wipe around the breach block. Recently I broke a mainspring so had to take it apart to replace it. I found no fouling inside it and no rust or other problems other than the busted spring. I have a 38-55 winchester that I have fired with black powder on numerous occasions. When cleaning the barrel I use an Otters pull through cleaning kit so as not to damage the muzzle with a cleaning rod and also to pull BP fouling out the muzzle. Careful cleaning of the interior on several occations did not reveal any bp fouling so now I do not bother. I have not shot a ruger but they are very similar in design to my Uberti SAA revolver that I have shot a lot with black powder in 45 colt. I clean the bore and around the frame and chambers in the cylinder as well as spraying down the weapon with Birchwood casey Baracade and wiping the gun down afterwards. I did take it appart after a year of shooting BP loads and found no fouling inside it. I also shoot cap and ball revolvers. Those do get gunk inside them mostly because of gas leakage out of the nipples when they are fired. I have been spraying WD 40 down the hammer channel of these guns every time I shoot them. About once a year I strip them down and clean inside. Usually I find a lot of oil soaked gunk that wipes off easy and no rust or other problems. I have been shooting these cap and ball revolvers for over 45 years now and have never had a problem using this technique for maintaining them.

[cajun shooter]

All the guns listed started life shooting what was then only called gun powder. No one used the term Black Powder as there was only one powder to use.
The members that have posted ahead of me are all knowledgeable persons on shooting and caring for guns that have been used with black powder.
First, I shoot nothing but BP regardless of what I'm shooting. By that I mean for fun, SASS matches or hunting.
The thrill of BP shooting is the one thing that has to be done to know if it's for you or not.
I have people that ask me all the time; why do you shoot that nasty stuff in your guns? First it is not nasty and if you use the proper products it is no harder to clean.
Now this is where I want to add to what has been posted already.
There are several ways to clean a gun after firing. A lot of people still believe that the old way of using HOT WATER and soap is the best. Others have a favorite cleaner they use such as Mike Venturino with his Windex/Vinegar mix. I do use this on shotguns as it cleans the wad material out better than anything else.
My favorite chemical to use is "Ballistol" both in straight form and in a water mix of 7parts water to 2 ounces of liquid Ballistol. The reason is very simple and that is it was made to use on metal, wood, leather. It not only cleans but both penetrates and lubricates. Unlike the hot water and soap which may get into a small crack and start rusting you want the Ballistol to go every where it is sprayed. I not only spray down my barrel but in the action and on the wood stock. My revolvers are given a complete spray down inside and out.
After the cleaning of each gun I then put a product by the name of EEZOX on a patch for the inside of the barrels and cylinder chambers. It is a synthetic type of gun product. It dries to a dry film that can't be seen or felt. For further information on test that were preformed by our member John Boy just do a search on the EEZOX. If after seeing the test your not using it then something is wrong.
After firing my guns with BP I try to clean them with in the first three days. That's only because the fouling will be soft and not hard if left for longer times.