Cleaning rust scale out of barrel?

[opentop]

Well, I have an Armisport copy of the Hawkins rifle that I got when I was a youngster. It’s been around 15 years since I shot it and its been in storage ever since. I got it out the other day to teach my son how to shoot muzzle loaders and it was very difficult to ram the ball down and eventually ended up breaking the ramrod. Looking down the barrel, it looks like there is some scaled rust in the barrel. I cleaned it tonight with a brass brush and WD 40, but it’s still in there.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to clean it out? I was thinking about a wooden dowel with some sandpaper wrapped around it to polish it out?[smilie=b:[smilie=b:

[waksupi]

I'd suggest some fine valve grinding compound, or JB Bore Paste, on a patch. Just enough to get things feeling smooth, don't over do it.

[opentop]

Thanks waksupi, Thats a good idea!

[madcaster]

Or,how about shooting some blank loads,then use a cleaning jag with #0000 steel wool and scrub it a few minutes.Should also help,what say you guys?

[DaveD]

Or,how about shooting some blank loads,then use a cleaning jag with #0000 steel wool and scrub it a few minutes.Should also help,what say you guys?

Yes, I don't think I would even bother with the blanks. You should be able to use #0000 steel wool and Hoppes#9 or equivalent. This works for rust on bluing, I can't see why it wouldn't on the bore. Another product I would use after the steel wool and after degreasing with rubbing alcohol or some other degreaser would be Remington bore cleaner. It has a mild abrasive that will polish it out. :Fire:

[Maven]

opentop, All of the above advice is good, having gone through this very thing a few months ago. Let me also suggest you try Scotch Brite pads*, specifically the gray (#000 equivalent) and white (#0000 equivalent, but sometimes hard to find), which you cut so that they're a tight fit in your bore. Btw, be sure to use a muzzle guard so as to center the jag/ramrod in the bbl. and not damage the crown. Together with ample amounts of WD-40, Hoppe's #9, etc. they really clean out the rust. Also, red auto body compound, followed by white, on tight patches will polish a bit faster than JB compound. After all this and test firing, make sure you clean the bbl. and lock area with a good solvent (hot soapy water) and follow it with Ballistol to prevent the return of rust.

*Paint dept. of your favorite big box or hardware store.

[standles]

Maybe I am thinking "scaled rust" is worse than you guys are talking about. To me that saying brings forth images of heavy rusting. Not something #0000 wool is going to handle.

Personally I would get a replacement bbl by green mountain. Another option is to use reverse electroplating like when you clean rust from cast iron and such.

http://www.htpaa.org.au/article-electro.php

[KAF]

Can I ask if the last propellent you shot in the rifle was Pyrodex or another fake powder?
Yanno the stuff you don't have to clean?

I had a fellow ask me some years ago why I thought his T/C rilfe would no longer shoot a group.

I ask if it shot a circular pattern, he said yes. I then ask if he had used Pyrodex and didn't clean the last time he shoot it, yes.

With out any maginifaction you could see the rifling gone on one side and hardly any the rest of the barrel.

[xtimberman]

I was wondering the same thing KAF was asking - Pyrodex or one of the other BP substitutes?

It sounds to me like you're going to have to get rough with it to do any good and I like waksupi's idea with the valve grinding compound and lots of elbow grease.

You might want to get one of the Midway fire-lapping kits to finish it off. I've had great success with the kit for smoothing up bores in old military rifles.

xtm

[opentop]

Thank you all for your advice!!!

I haven’t tried anything yet, but you all gave me some ideas. I shoot the holy black in it, not the wannabe powders. It was cleaned before it was shoved into the back of the closet where it sat about 12 years. The scale is not that bad, just bad enough to make it a THIGHT fit trying to ram the ball home. My son and I shot around 10-15 rounds before I broke the ram rod. I was hoping by shooting it, it would clean up on its own, but that didn’t happen.

I stopped at Lowes on my way home from work and picked up a 3/8 oak dowel rod. I also got a ½ dowel to see how it fit the bore. When I got home, I cleaned the wood out of the old brass ramrod fittings. I then whittled the ends of the 3/8 rod to accept the brass fittings. About 2 hours latter, I had a new ramrod.

The ½ dowel fits the bore perfect! I might try the lapping or rubbing compound on the dowel to polish it up a little.

I’ll keep you all posted to the outcome.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

[freedom475]

A suggestion for an unbreakable ramrod. Buy a brass tube that just fits your holders. Usually sold right with the wood dowels or sometimes with the "ready-rod"The tips will usually fit into the end,Heat the rod up red hot and just pound the ball shaped tip in. This alone is hard to break and they come in several wall thicknesses, if you then put a wood dowel that just fits into the ID of the brass tube you will have a rod that is very hard to break or bend.

The brass rods look real nice if your gun has brass hardware, and the stainless rods look right at home with a browned barrel and hardware.

An alluminum arrow insert will also work well for attaching cleaning jags ect.

I have put one on all of my BPs and am very happy with them......no more broken rods!:mrgreen::Fire:

[725]

opentop: Lots of abrasive and elbow greese. Biggest concern is damage to the threaded area at the breech plug. If it can be unscrewed, bite the boolit as it were, and go through the effort. Make sure it's clean and serviceable. You are putting this thing next to you son's head. If all's well, clean the dickens out of it at each use and then a couple days after each use. Suprising how much more comes out with the second cleaning. Store it with penetrating oil that will work it's way into the threads of the breech plug. If, after all this, it's questionable, go out and buy a new one. Neat to teach the kid on dad's 'ol smoke pole and all that, but one injury isn't worth it. Make a deal out of it and the two of you go out and buy two of the same model to share the experience. Best of luck. Be safe. Teach your son well. Great to bring another into the sport and tradition.

freedom475: wow great idea!!!

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

+1 on what 725 said. I would remove the breech plug. This will not only insure that you know the condition of the plug threads, but also allows you to see the condition of the bore during the clean up process. I always clean from the breech end when I am trying to "clean up" a lack of lube/protectant mistake. I make a bore slug using a wore out borebrush and lead, then use valve lapping compound to polish out the rust. But becareful to lap the entire lenght of the barrel, because some BP muzzle loader barrels are "soft" and the valve compound can be very aggressive.

Regards,
Everett