Cleaning your Muzzle loader?

[Fly]

I have used every cleaner I know of from time to time.Hot soapy water,Butches,
Windex ect,ect.That's not my question here.

But I just want to know how many patches you run down your bore, during
final cleaning.I mean to the point it has not a speck of dirt on your patch?

I counted mine last night & could not beleave how many patches I go threw.
I make mine from ole cotton T-Shirts, but just would like to know how many
you guy's use to REALLY clean her spick & span.:violin:

Fly:bigsmyl2:

[Tatume]

Hi Fly,

I clean at the range. Yesterday I shot my Parker Hale Volunteer. After shooting I ran alternating wet and dry patches, two each. The wet patches are sprayed with a little pump sprayer my wife gave me from her makeup kit (it used to contain perfume). The bottle is filled with fresh water and one drop of dishwashing detergent. The second dry patch came out clean. I then swabbed the bore with one patch lightly wetted with WD 40. It also came out clean.

After that I cleaned the nipple, and the outside of the gun, using a wet patch and a dry patch. The nipple was doped with anti-sieze compound and reinstalled. Today I ran one patch with T/C Bore Butter down the barrel. Done.

Total, 8 patches.

Take care, Tom

[Maven]

Fly, I guess the answer depends on how many shots were fired, the brand of BP used (as the Swiss stuff is cleaner than Goex, for ex.), the kind of patch lube used, whether you swab between shots, how smooth the bore is, etc. Generally I clean until the patches come out almost white, but that can be 2 - 4 in my inline (stainless bbl.) or 6 - 8 in my other guns. When possible I clean at the range by plugging the nipple or touchhole (one's a caplock, the other a flintlock) and soaking the bore, especially the breech, for 5 mins. with Friendship Speed Juice*, then soaking a 2nd time. Bore brushes and patches complete the process. When I get home, I follow up with a liberal dose of Marvel Mystery Oil or WD-40 + ATF on a patch. The next day I'll use more of either of these and then store the gun with the muzzle down.


*Equal volume of Murphy's Oil Soap, 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, 70% Isopropyl or Rubbing Alcohol

[1Shirt]

Back when I was shooting front stuffers competitively, I did a cursery cleaning between matches. Then with windex followed by clean patches, and a slightly oily patch and I was ready for the next match. End of day used boiling hot water down the muzzle until the water ran clear, then tight dry patches (usually about a half dozen) then an oily patch followed by 3-4 clean patches. I shot that way for about 15 years without problems. Good luck!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[subsonic]

I find that it takes less patches when they fit the bore more tightly. If your gun has deep rifling, one layer of t-shirt won't make it to the bottom of the grooves very well.

I often double up patches if they are made of thin material. But obviously don't beat something that won't fit into the barrel because you might get it stuck. Use that uncommon sense that is often misnamed.

I like it to fit not quite as tight as a patched round ball. A single storebought patch can be pushed the length of the barrel with the weight of the ramrod. That's too loose for a final cleanup, but works fine for swabbing during shooting.

My answer is when the patches come out clean, which with the doubled patches is usually 2x sets used on both sides, for a total of 4 patchings, followed by about as many to dry.

I now follow with plenty of CLP instead of bore butter.

[subsonic]

Of course your jag diameter factors into this...

[waksupi]

I guess I have never counted. I use paper towel patches when drying the bore.
After you have put water down the bore, the salts are neutralized, so a bit of fouling left in is not harmful, as long as the majority of it is removed.

[Plastikosmd]

I would guess 15 total patches for a range session. more than some, less than others but that is what makes it spotless

[Boerrancher]

I pump hot soapy water through mine then use WD-40 or something similar on patches until they come out clean, usually 3 or 4, then a couple of dry patches until they are clean. I remove the touch hole liner or nipple, clean all of that up, dry it off and reinstall. A few days later I will run a dry patch down it to make sure it is not starting to rust.

Best wishes,

Joe

[Fly]

I guess I have never counted. I use paper towel patches when drying the bore.
After you have put water down the bore, the salts are neutralized, so a bit of fouling left in is not harmful, as long as the majority of it is removed.

Well I have done that for years.But I really wanted to see how many patches
it took in my GPR to get it spotless.I never got a ML this clean before.I'm
like you in that respect Waksupi. Some of my rifles are 30 years ole & still
have great bores so I don't that they must shine, or anything.

But I just wondered how many to pass a West Point inspection.Almost
20.Now before you say something, I had a thin T-shirt & the sizes varied
& the rifleing is deep on the GPR.

But it did Fly[smilie=b:

[Bullet Caster]

After firing at the range I remove the bbl. from my flintlock and with the ramrod and a bore brush I get into the shower with my bbl. I've been laughed at, scorned and poked fun at for my methodology. This all started when I used to re-enact the Civil War. I would always remove the bbl. and get into the shower with it. This works for me and my bbl. and I have become good friends. After the shower with my bbl., I usually use enough patches to dry out the bore no matter how many it takes. Once I get the bbl. dry, I lube it with Rem Oil which has the teflon in it. After all the cleaning I take the dirty patches and throw them in the sink and with handsoap, I wash out all the patches and let them dry so they can be used once again. I make all my patches out of old white undershirts that I have on hand or buy from the good will store. It works for me. BC

[mooman76]

I don't really count either but I would guess about ten. I don't insist that they are white glove clean either but like Maven I'd say almost white. I would also like to point out be careful what you use for a cleaner. Just because it's water based don't make it ok. I was cleaning mine a couple times ago when I got back from shooting. I was going to use Windex but got frustrated when I couldn't find it. The wife had one of those Green natural bathroom cleaners. I figured since it was natural it would be ok but if I thought about it longer, I probably wouldn't have used it. It dripped down the outside of my barrel and everywhere it touched it removed the browning. The brown was in real good shape too until then. I bought it used but it was well taken care of.

[Fly]

After firing at the range I remove the bbl. from my flintlock and with the ramrod and a bore brush I get into the shower with my bbl. I've been laughed at, scorned and poked fun at for my methodology. This all started when I used to re-enact the Civil War. I would always remove the bbl. and get into the shower with it. This works for me and my bbl. and I have become good friends. After the shower with my bbl., I usually use enough patches to dry out the bore no matter how many it takes. Once I get the bbl. dry, I lube it with Rem Oil which has the teflon in it. After all the cleaning I take the dirty patches and throw them in the sink and with handsoap, I wash out all the patches and let them dry so they can be used once again. I make all my patches out of old white undershirts that I have on hand or buy from the good will store. It works for me. BC

DAM I must meet you!A man that loves BLACK POWDER as much as me!!!!!

Fly[smilie=w:

[Boerrancher]

Just finished cleaning my 50cal Flinter after shooting the squirrel silly wet a bunch. Took the boy out squirrel hunting and it was just too windy, so after a few hours we came back to the house and took turns at the orange squirrel. I used 2 patches in the hot soapy water, 3 with Balistol, and 3 dry. The third one came out just as clean as it went in, so I put it back to use as a wet patch.

Best wishes,

Joe

[gutthooked]

I use hot soapy water, jag with a patch a few times through the barrel ,then run a brush, jag

with a patch a few times again rinse. Let dry run a jag with a dry patch IF tottaly clean then I

run a swab with corrosive x or G96 down the pipe then put away.

I used to clean the same way and use bore butter , but I noticed some light rust on my dads rifle, so I went to a oil protectant.

[Boerrancher]

I forgot to mention that If I want a deep clean after the water soap and Balistol, I will saturate a patch with PB Blaster and run it through the bore a couple of times and let it sit on the jagged rod in the bottom of the bore for a few min. After it has sat for awhile I pull out the patch and get a clean one and saturate it and run it back and forth a time or two and then run a couple of dry patches through it. You can honestly take a gun, not just a ML but any gun, that you thought was clean and run some PB Blaster in it, and you would be surprised and the crud that will come out.

Best wishes,

Joe

[DODGEM250]

I clean all of my ML's with a combination of T/C cleaning patches and Hoppes BP solvent. I run the brass brush down the bore several times and sometimes I'll put the cleaning rod in my drill and really give them a good brushing and then swab it out with patches on the jag and I keep ramming patches through the bore until they come out respectably clean. I also make sure my bores are shining like mirrors before I walk away. All of my ML's have a great life here and I clean them regardless of what day of the year it is. When in storage I always run a wet oil patch down the bore before I put them away.

[405]

I use the pump hot soapy water followed by the pump hot rinse water method. I use fairly large cloth patches on a regular jag- not really tight fitting. 1 soapy water patch, 1 rinse water patch, about 3 paper towel patches (for drying) then 1 cloth patch for oiling while barrel is warm. So the total is 3 cloth patches and about 3 paper towel patches.

[idahoron]

Hot water can cause flash rust. I don't use hot water. Ron

[405]

Cold water can cause slow rust. I don't use cold water.

[Geraldo]

With Graf's powder (made by Wano), 3-4 patches. With Goex, a lot more than that.

[Boerrancher]

With Graf's powder (made by Wano), 3-4 patches. With Goex, a lot more than that.

Tell me about it. I only have Goex for the pan, and after a dozen shots the outside of the gun looks worse than the inside. Wano is some of the cleanest powder I have used.