Cleaning after black powder shooting

[Mach_Cat]

What is the best way to clean pistols after black powder shooting? My uncle used to boil his pistols in hot water??
How would you clean a 1873 rifle or a double shotgun?

Thanks Ed

[trails4u]

There are as many ways are there are guns out there..... I like ballistol, as some others do. And....some hate it.

Lots to read here on this subject....hit up the search bar and you'll be more confused than ever!! :)

[RPRNY]

Please don't boil anything; it's too efficient a way to ensure rust.

In the other hand, the advice given above is spot on.

[sharps4590]

Double shotguns are about as easy to clean as there is and especially if the bores are "bright & shiny". A few wet patches followed by dry then whatever preservative/protectant you prefer.

Lever rifles not so much. Unless they're disassembled cleaning from the breech is difficult. Cleaning from the muzzle I'd think a fella would need to devise a means of preventing the fouling from dropping/dripping into the action. As much as I love shooting BP in cartridge firearms so far I've avoided doing so in lever rifles....and I shouldn't.

[curator]

Warm water with a little dishwashing soap is hard to beat for cleaning muzzle loaders. With my black powder cartridge rifles, I end my shooting sessions by firing a few smokeless powder loads then wipe the bore with a lightly oiled (Balistol) patch. This leaves the bore almost perfectly clean.My .44-40 lever rifle gets the same treatment since the thin brass seals the chamber nicely and no black powder fouling gets into the action. Since I get a poor chamber seal with the .45 Colt lever rifle, I don't shoot black powder loads in it unless I have the time to strip it down and totally clean out the action afterwards.

[Hickok]

I completely disassemble my BP revolvers and clean every part, nook and cranny, thread hole, orifice, etc.

[flint45]

When I clean my lever guns after shooting black powder I set them in a gon cleaning box upside down with action open that way most crude falls clear first patch is the worst after that its not so bad 2 to 3 patches with full strenth simple green 2 dry and 1 oily patch and I am done wipe out the action and outside done guns are in perfect condition. Revolvers same basic thing DON'T BOIL its not needed.

[Gray Fox]

For lever guns I have used one of the pull through gun cleaning cables from the chamber end. Put a hole in a patch, poke the threaded end of a jag through it, screw it into the cable end, wet it with a BP solvent, then pull through and out of the muzzle. Do this twice to get most of the heavy BP residue and then you can switch to a solid rod and bore protector from the muzzle just like with smokeless powder. GF

[country gent]

I start with soap and hot water wet bore and brush well. A couple dry patches and see whats left. If there is leading or other fouling then a solvent is used to remove that. 10-1 ballistol and water works very well also, but some don't like the smell. For the range and quick cleaning give windex with vinegar a try it does a great job also. I clean all my rifles in a cradle upside down, it keeps the fouling and solvents out of the action and wood.A simple cleaning cradle can be made from a appropriate sized card board box , cut a vee in each end to support the rifle. Lay a soft rag to pad the rifle in each one and it supports the rifle well. A few paper towels or rags under the action catch what runs out and the box lasts a long time. My cradle is made from maple and actually clamps the rifle in place. My range boxes cradles are Vees padded with leather the rifle just sits. For revolvers its easier still as they are of a size a pan can be used to "soak" the whole frame with the grips removed. They also fit in the dishwasher nicely. LOL

[sharps4590]

Good ideas on lever rifles. There might be some new load development in future!! I thank ya'll!

[rfd]

no soap, no hot water, not ever. some water soluble oil in tepid tap water, perhaps a 1:6 mix (oil:water). this goes on patches and brushes. after the oil:water, drying patches, then an oily patch to preserve (i use breakfree, but most any oil will do fine). clean out everything as bp gets into all the nooks and crannies. if yer shooting greasers and leading has occurred, then cleaning goes in another more invasive direction. but that's it. nothing else needed or wanted.

[Texantothecore]

If you shoot 1851 Navy the barrel is larger than the cylinder holes. Use a .375-380 jag on the barrel and a .38-357 jag on the cylinder. I use windex and cold water and it works nicely.

[cajun shooter]

I've shot BP since the early 70's and have shot nothing but BP in my 44wcf guns in SASS matches for the past several years. I shoot a Uberti 73, Uberti Smokewagons revolvers and a TTN 12 ga. sxs with hammers. I also shoot a Navy Arms model 92 at times. The reason that they used hot water and soap is because that is all they had at that time. It does still work but
Buy yourself a can of liquid Ballistol so that you may make your own Moosemilk. That's the name given it many years ago. After shooting a match on Saturday, I may wait until Monday before cleaning. I sometimes spray the bores down before loading them up. You should also have spray cans of Ballistol for general use. I make my moosemilk by mixing 2 oz of Ballistol with 14 oz of water in a heavy duty spray bottle purchased at Lowes or Home Depot. You may spray this on the wood parts also without harm. The 73 is clean by spraying and cleaning the bore and the spraying the internals without removing them. The revolvers just require the cylinders removed. The sxs is very easy and fast. After all are clean, I add some Eezox to the bores and other metal. If you do a search on these products on this site you will find more than enough info. John Boy did a test with EEzox some years back that will have you using it.

[Dusty Ed]

Sharps
If you are shooting Marlins It is easy to remove the bolt an clean from the breech,but if shooting other makes where it is a project to get the bolt out Clean it from the muzzle but turn it upside down .

[indian joe]

Sharps
If you are shooting Marlins It is easy to remove the bolt an clean from the breech,but if shooting other makes where it is a project to get the bolt out Clean it from the muzzle but turn it upside down .

Yes to upside down !!!
I made a flush bottle with spout and a piece of plastic tube that fits in the chamber - one stroke with a wet patch then hold the gun upside down muzzle down at 45degree flush it out --- speeds up the process no end ! CLEANING TOP EJECT LEVER GUNS IS SO EASY IT IS RIDICULOUS! .........if you got fouling in the action from ill fitting brass ---that is a separate problem needs fixing -------buy a proper lever gun calibre OR anneal your brass so it seals the chamber.

[sharps4590]

Thank you, Ed! Funny how we are. Turning the rifles upside down never occurred to me. I only have two lever rifles left, an '86 from 1895 in 40-82 and a '92 from 1913 in 32-20, both of which I've worked up smokeless loads for. The '92 is kind of obvious given its manufacture date. Neither see much use these days as interests have changed.....and they'll probably change again.

[Petrol & Powder]

I wouldn't "boil the gun" as mentioned in the OP but hot water is useful when cleaning black powder guns.

For a quick cleaning while shooting, Windex is hard to beat. Spray a little Windex in the bore, push a dry patch through and you can often get back to shooting. The combination of water, soap and a bit of ammonia seems to be the key.

NOW, the above is just a field expedient method and does not replace the need for good cleaning after the shooting is over.

Hot, soapy water is still the standard for good reason - it works ! One of the advantages of using hot water is that it evaporates quickly and other advantage is that the heat makes it work better as a cleaner.

The hot soapy water is followed by brushes and patches. After the bore is cleaned, it is followed up with some type of oil to protect the bore. The related gun parts are dried, cleaned and oiled.
Cap & Ball revolvers that are to be stored for long periods of time should be very carefully and thoroughly cleaned before storage.

Ballistol is useful stuff for regular cleaning. RIG is excellent stuff for long term storage.

[catboat]

I used to shoot flintlock rifles pretty seriously in the past ( member of multiple Maine state teams that won the New England flintlock Championships. At one point, I think Maine won something 12-13 straight flint championships)

My patch lube was the same as my cleaning solution: a mixture of equal volumes of Murphy’s Oil Soap ( or generic), isopropyl alcohol, and store brand hydrogen peroxide. Put them in an opaque container to keep the hydrogen peroxide stable.

Cuts the residue fast. The “recipe” was listed in Muzzleblast magazine ( of the NMLRA) back in the 1980’s.

Yes, hyd. Peroxide. Is an oxidizer, and by itself will cause rust, but not when used in this mixture.

When shooting in a line shoot, I would run a damp patch down the bore, followed by a dry patch, the load/shoot and repeat.

For cleaning, I would run damp- wet patches up/down the bore until the patch comes out uniformly clean (maybe 4-5 patches?). I remove the flintlock action, and clean that with a toothbrush and the earlier described solution. Then wipe clean/ dry with dry patch. I toothbrush clean the barrel’s touch hole area surrounding area with damp toothbrush-then wipe dry with a dry patch. I then wipe the bore, lock and touch hole with an alcohol- wetted damp patch. This removes water from surface.

I then wipe bore, barrel exterior, lock with Marvel Mystery oil.

Been doing that for 25 years. No rust. Yes, I shoot blackpowder, not Pyrodex or othe BP substitutes.

Works well.

[Keith Andersen]

Some of you guys sure make a mountain out of a ant hill cleaning powder rifles.
No vinegar or anything that is acidy/ hot water/ especially Hydrogen Peroxide.
What is wrong with just 4-5 damp patches with just plain old water followed with good cotton flannel patches then oil. My Win lever rifles shoot mainly black powder, have going on 60 years and never seen brown start cleaning with just plain old water and flannel patches. If you feel you need to do something with the inner parts spray some light oil like Rem oil into the action turn the rifle upside down and push a damp patch through slow and the inners will stay clean.
I don't know were some come up with all of these concoctions for a simple job like cleaning a powder rifle or wheel guns.

[indian joe]

Some of you guys sure make a mountain out of a ant hill cleaning powder rifles.
No vinegar or anything that is acidy/ hot water/ especially Hydrogen Peroxide.
What is wrong with just 4-5 damp patches with just plain old water followed with good cotton flannel patches then oil. My Win lever rifles shoot mainly black powder, have going on 60 years and never seen brown start cleaning with just plain old water and flannel patches. If you feel you need to do something with the inner parts spray some light oil like Rem oil into the action turn the rifle upside down and push a damp patch through slow and the inners will stay clean.
I don't know were some come up with all of these concoctions for a simple job like cleaning a powder rifle or wheel guns.

Thank you Keith Andersen !!!!!
My flush botle idea is just to make this SIMPLE process just a bit quicker and easier again - upside down gun - stops any chance of getting moisture in the works or specially the magazine tube --- water ----is the premier solvent for black powder residue - and all that HOT does is flash rust everything and remove any protective oil residue thats built up

[Tom Myers]

I have shot at least 2 lever gun matches with my Marlin 1893 38-55 loaded with Black Powder for the last 10 years.
At the end of the match, The last fired cartridge is left in the chamber.
Using a muzzle protector I push a 2 to 3 water damp patches down past the case neck and back out the bore. Then a dry patch down to the neck of the case. and then back out.
The fired cartridge is then ejected and dropped in the water filled jar with the other fired cases.
The cleaning rod is then push the rod back down the bore, without the jag.
Screw on a slotted jag with a damp patch to clean up any residual stuff in the chamber neck and pull it back out through the bore.
Another slotted dry patch or two down the bore into the chamber, then an oiled patch down the bore and into the chamber.
Wipe down the exterior with the last oiled patch and put the old girl in the case.
About once a year I take apart the action and give it a good cleaning and oiling. It never seems to need much at all.

[charlie b]

When I shoot cap and ball the pistol is completely disassembled.

I drop all the parts in a small bucket of water with dish detergent. I run a bore brush down the barrel and each cylinder. For the cylinders I have a rod with a bend so I can rotate the brush as it enters the chamber. It is twisted in and out of the cylinder. All parts are cleaned in the soapy water with a toothbrush and pipe cleaners.

I then remove all the parts and spray liberally with WD40 to remove all water. Then the parts are wiped dry. Lube with oil (CLP for me) and reassemble.

ML rifle just the bore is cleaned with soapy water, WD40 and oil. Never had any rust issues.

FWIW, with CLP (Breakfree) it will work out some dirt/fouling over time so another swab in a few days will get some more crud out.

[Lead pot]

Tom of all the lever action rifles the Marlin is the easiest rifle to disassemble the action by just pulling the boss lever screw and pull the bolt and clean it from the breach.
You can even use a bore guide if you want to keep all the water from a wet patch dripping down.

[Big Mak]

Tom of all the lever action rifles the Marlin is the easiest rifle to disassemble the action by just pulling the boss lever screw and pull the bolt and clean it from the breach.
You can even use a bore guide if you want to keep all the water from a wet patch dripping down.

Absolutely.
Co-incidentally did you know that there are over 60 parts on a typical Winchester '94?

[Tom Myers]

Tom of all the lever action rifles the Marlin is the easiest rifle to disassemble the action by just pulling the boss lever screw and pull the bolt and clean it from the breach.
You can even use a bore guide if you want to keep all the water from a wet patch dripping down.

Not so much now but, back when I started the going to the two day matches, we camped overnight in tents. I think it was the second match of the year that the boss lever screw decided to sprout legs and ran off into the tall grass. I don't know how it happened but it did. The next match is when I started the "Clean with a fired cartridge in the chamber" routine. Even though match accommodations have vastly improved since then, I still follow the same principle of "Leave the gun intact until you get home".

[Lead pot]

That would be a good way to clean a Winchester

[Old Coot]

What is the best way to clean pistols after black powder shooting? My uncle used to boil his pistols in hot water??
How would you clean a 1873 rifle or a double shotgun?

Thanks Ed

Ed, I used to just take the wood off of my pistol, remove barrel and cylinder and run it in the dishwasher. Brodie