what is needed in the field?

[nekshot]

ok, the ole mauser likes a clean bore after 2 shots so what kind of apparatus do you all carry in the hunting field. I was thinking of a 22 take down cleaning rod and some wet patches, anything else? Very seldom I need the second shot but want to be prepared! Only plan on taking 5 cartridges as any more and they will pull my pants down. Plumber butt in the woods! Had the dickens of a time yesterday and then realised the scope had issues so put another on today and found myself with a big grin watching the center of the target disappear.

[country gent]

You might give the otis pull thru kits a try for field use cable and everything rolls up into a small circular nylon zipper bag about the size of your palmn.

[Frank Savage]

For black powder, I tried and used several methods. Which is best is just upon your ammo. Even in the same gun, different ammo (lube) may need different aproach, as we all know (or find quite soon).

El cheapo boresnakes-one wet in a small, tight box, one or two dry, plus short, angled handle from brass rod just to be threaded for your favorite cotton mop to dry up the chamber. Pull the wet, pull the dry boresnake, dry the chamber. But good only for doing this twice in the field, or you have to have more wet (some realy wet) and more dry snakes. After use, store them as wet as possible in a tight sealed box-otherways it is very tedious to wash them for using again. If you have good proven lube and know that you will need more shots in quite a hurry, just barely surface damp snakes work-shoot, leave the bolt open, throw in the weighted end until clears the muzzle, hop the gun up over shoulder, jerk the snake out (and leave on the ground), hop the gun into "as used" position in the left hand, finish cycling of the bolt and go for next. After some getting used to, you can clean in way less than 8 seconds (which is quite easy time to get on). But if you need cleaning after 2 shots, you can do this once and under very special conditions twice. But sure it´s the fastest method.

Folding wiping rod-I made myself a five-piece screw-on rod with rotating handle, which fits into 9,5"x4"x1/2" pouch on belt or can be stuffed into utentiles compartment of my knife sheat (well, the knife has blade +/- palm big...). Only the top is 2 1/2"x1 1/2" because of the handle. Plus a small, wide neck bottle or zipbag with wet patches, zipbag with dry patches, zipbag for used patches, abovementioned chamber mop on short angled handle and several pieces of toilet paper or so for cleaning the rod and to asist in chamber drying. For winter, I mixed the water foor wetting patches with the cleanest, least odorized alcohol I could find. This is up to date an unbeatable field combo-takes only the space for the rod and one pocket.
With good lube, you go one wet (realy wet, just not dripping), one dry (or two). If the lube and load is good, with 1+2 you can have as clean bore as you can, so clean that you will need a boiling soapy water to dig the left traces. 60 seconds for very, very close to "unfired" condition of the bore from start to everything packed back again if you need to screw out sth to get the reciever out, under 40 seconds with eg. Sharps.
Having Fisher Brushes/bore pigs made from nylon brush is very nice also, works even with less perfect lube. If you run the dry patch while pushing the pig you are finished in 20 seconds, depends on the rod construction. Nothing beats a good wiping rod and what can you do with it.

Pull-through kits are a bit awkward to operate and results are not as good-usualy as to my experience. You will not get uniform pressure of the patch acros the bore, quite frequently you don´t have the time to arrange the patches into loops/slots, so snakes are easier to operate.

[Lead pot]

I take extra loaded rounds that will chamber in a fouled throat for a follow up shot if I need it.
I leave the cleaning stuff in camp or home and clean the rifle at days end. wet or damp patches just freeze where I hunt besides I don't like to carry more then I have to that rattles in a fanny pack or back pack.
I do carry a shell caming tool in my pocket just incase I need it.

[Nobade]

Duplex loads in repeaters for me. In my Vetterli and Marlin lever guns I shoot 10% smokeless under the black, and can shoot all day with no foul out. It also hits to the same point from a clean barrel, a big plus when hunting.

-Nobade

[nekshot]

wow, I am sure glad I asked because I definetly had not thought this out as well as you all have experience. I hunt in a touchy situation as I must drop the deer pronto and the gun is accurate enough to take my good ole neck shot and if that isn't available I will smash both shoulders. Do I have knock down power or what with this ole mauser? I know its about the same as that slick marlin 44 I foolishly traded away years ago but I like these big boolits! I have it in the original military stock and it is too short so I am gonna get a rubber booty for it to give more length. The recoil is no where near the recoil of my 444 timber rifle but just a huge big push!