another good black powder cleaning solution

[johnson1942]

equal parts of: ammonia, ballistol, dish soap, car radiator antfreeze. water that equals all these part poured together. it is good on a patch between shots and really good to clean a barrel when done shooting. when the barrel is clean make the final patch with the oil of your choice as the barrel will be very squeaky clean dry and patches will start to stick in the barrel. johnson1942

[Maven]

"equal parts of: ammonia, ballistol, dish soap, car radiator antfreeze. water that equals all these part poured together."

johnson1942, I can understand water & ballistol (6:1), water & a bit of dish soap as patch lubes, and water & vinegar as a bore cleaner, but why add ammonia? (I get that antifreeze offers protection from rust.) Isn't BP fouling basic rather than acidic and don't you wish to neutralize those salts with a weak acid such as vinegar? What am I not grasping here?

[johnson1942]

i got that from a guy who has about 25 to 30 muzzle loaders and thats all he uses. works great for me. i was a little worried about the ammonia also but i kept the formula as he gave it to me and it is the fastest most complete clean up ive used yet. the barrel can be so clean and dry that if you dont do one lubed patch at the end any more dry patches can get stuck. their are dozens of good formulas out their and this is just one