TC Bore Butter

[lead chucker]

Tonight i was cutting up an old cotton bed sheet for cleaning patches. I went out to test the size in my 50 and 54 and when i ran them down the barrel they came out looking rusty colored. The TC Bore Butter is supposed to protect the metal according to what it says on the tube. Any one had this experience with this stuff. Once you clean and dry your gun what do you guys use to oil the barrel? I try to stay away from the petroleum based oil.

[brokeasajoke]

I use the TC as well, but I was getting some light surface rust in my Knight in-line .45. This last go round I put a patch of Hoppes in it. Maybe I didn't get a good coating of the bore butter.

[Castaway]

Jojoba oil or Ballistol. I’ve used Bore Butter with the same rusty results you got. Also, a patch with either jojoba oil or Ballistol on you wooden stock or exposed metal parts is a good finish to your cleaning routine. Both also are good lubes but the edge goes to jojoba with better heat resistance and oxidation resistance
Doesn’t dry out to leave things gummed up after time

[Edward]

Tonight i was cutting up an old cotton bed sheet for cleaning patches. I went out to test the size in my 50 and 54 and when i ran them down the barrel they came out looking rusty colored. The TC Bore Butter is supposed to protect the metal according to what it says on the tube. Any one had this experience with this stuff. Once you clean and dry your gun what do you guys use to oil the barrel? I try to stay away from the petroleum based oil.

It 's junk , use Balistol /Ed

[Shawlerbrook]

I also switched to Ballistol but when I used Bore butter I heated up the barrel with a heat gun to allow it to melt. Never had a problem when well coated like that.

[35 Rem]

I'm a once-a-year muzzle loader shooter as I only use mine during the 2 week TN special deer season so I don't have a great deal of experience with this however I have used TC Bore Butter exclusively since 2002. I use a bore brush, then pour boiling water through the barrel followed by a patch or two smeared with Bore Butter and the next year when I get it out, it looks like a new gun still. Maybe it's the heat that makes it work.

[gunther]

Mean Green to clean; Break Free to preserve. No rust.

[725]

I've abandoned bore butter as a preservative, too. Not only do I shoot my own ML's, but I teach ML'ing at a boy's & girls camp here in Maryland. I shoot hundreds of rounds a year and, although it goes against the normal advice, I clean the rifles with some water based cleaner (windex is usually the easiest/cheapest) and follow it up with a synthetic motor oil. I'm never satisfied with a single cleaning, either. I clean it really good and then in a couple days, I clean it again. The second cleaning skips the water based solvents. 20 years of some hard use on the camp rifles and the bores look like new guns! The outside - not so much. :)

[Castaway]

One thing not mentioned is the powder used. Black powder is the easiest to clean with water, preferably hot, but cold will do the same job with a couple extra patches. At the risk of causing the internet to melt, Pyrodex is the absolute hardest to clean up afterwards.

[pietro]

I also switched to Ballistol but when I used Bore butter I heated up the barrel with a heat gun to allow it to melt. Never had a problem when well coated like that.

This......



FWIW, I've used the maker's recommended treatrment for BB in all my muzzleloaders ever since it was first introduced (1980's) w/o any issues.

The brownish color is the BB oxidizing, since (when cleaned just before hunting) the bores still look spanky-new after all these years.

Further, I use the last BB application patch on the exterior of all the metal parts (except the nipple), with zero rusting appearing anywhere on my guns.

.

[Rockingkj]

I also like to run a patch a few days after cleaning just in case. Never totally relied on bore butter as a rust preventive. Longer term some WD40 on a patch after cleaning and periodic inspection seems to keep rust away.

[BLAHUT]

Quit bore butter; WD-40 gets gummy when it dries; I clean with water / Windex; then hoppies#9; then rem oil; dry patch; then rem oil again; couple Dry patches again when I take out of storage; then one fired primer to make Shure nipple is dry; before loading again;

[Castaway]

As far as BB oxidizing to a reddish color, I never noticed a change in color when I grabbed the tube of it a year later, it was just greasy on the outside. If it was oxidizing, I wouldn’t want it in my barrel if it’s that reactive

[buyobuyo]

I've got some rust showing in my muzzle loader barrel as well. However, I haven't fired it in around 8 years, and it's just been sitting in storage. I was living in the desert when I was hunting with it, and I've been living in much humider areas in those last 8 years.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

It 's junk , use Balistol /Ed

Yup, what he said.

[ShooterAZ]

I don't use BB for rust protection. I do use it for patch lube and conical lube. I always clean my ML bores with warm water (never boiling) and dish soap and water. I religiously clean my rifles after shooting them, then completely dry any remaining water, and coat the bore with Rem Oil. I will come back after a week or so and wipe the bore again, and re-coat it with the Rem Oil. This has worked for me for decades, and I have never got any rust in the bores. The purists will sneer at BB, but I believe that it does has it's uses. Rust protection, not so much IMHO.

[243winxb]

Clean my 45 cal. T/C Hawken flint barrel with hot soapy water. A rod, with slot & patch pulls Hot soapy water up & down the barrel. Then clean HOT water. Remove flash hole first.

After it dries, Break free CLP for storage.

Next firing, 50 grs 3F dumped down the barrel. No patch, ball or slug. Fired. Brush with a bronze brush 5 times or more.

Load for real. Fire. 1st shot on target at 100 yards.

[lead chucker]

Thanks for all the reply's. I will try the Ballistol If i can find it. sounds like it is a good lube also.

[indian joe]

Clean with water - NEVER hot water - unless you want to generate red rust in there in about twenty seconds
Dry bore with flannellette patches
One patch wet with WD40
put it away job done
if you gonna leave it more than a month run an oily patch downbore to preserve
next time ya shoot dry patch the bore and blow out the nipple and powder channel with aircompressor

[T-Bird]

I had rust probs in the '90's with BB for rust preventative/storage. I was using Pyrodex then, I liked it and it shot well for me. I agree with castaway, although it doesn't cause as much fouling as real black, what it leaves is much harder to get out with soap and water. I went to Ballistol for rust prevention haven't had any more problems with rust. It's a water soluble oil, I think it would mix with any small amt of water left in the barrel inadvertently and protect until the water is gone. It's also good for wood, leather, dandriff etc.:-D

[dogrunner]

Had the very same prob. with BB...........d0 as .243 w/ the soap routine, super hot followup and immediate lube prior to storage......I've also discovered that I prefer Ballistol to CLP.

Nearly lost a really nice .54 bbl to the chicken grease routine...........my take is that the advertising analogy of 'seasoning' a bbl similar to an iron frying pan is utter BS......I wound up having to lap that .54 to restore it after TC's product.

[dondiego]

I've only used it as a hunting patch lube and never a barrel preservative. When at the range I use moose milk for shooting.

[Somebody]

Clean with water - NEVER hot water - unless you want to generate red rust in there in about twenty seconds
Dry bore with flannellette patches
One patch wet with WD40
put it away job done
if you gonna leave it more than a month run an oily patch downbore to preserve
next time ya shoot dry patch the bore and blow out the nipple and powder channel with aircompressor

I live on the humid east coast, and I have zero rust issues with HOT water. The key is you want it fresh-off-a-rolling-boil hot. The barrel dries itself from the soaked-in heat before any rust can form.

The other advantage of a warm barrel is that if you use a wax or grease on the outside, you can spread it thinner and more evenly.

[FergusonTO35]

All my problems with corrosion vanished when I stopped using Pyrodex, as did my problems with no fires and hang fires. 'Nuff said!

[indian joe]

I live on the humid east coast, and I have zero rust issues with HOT water. The key is you want it fresh-off-a-rolling-boil hot. The barrel dries itself from the soaked-in heat before any rust can form.

The other advantage of a warm barrel is that if you use a wax or grease on the outside, you can spread it thinner and more evenly.

The few times I tried hot water a dry patch came out red as quick as I could get it down the bore - I lost interest about as fast .
every shooter has their pet cleaning system - never two the same - and the other feller never does it right :bigsmyl2:

[AntiqueSledMan]

The few times I tried hot water a dry patch came out red as quick as I could get it down the bore - I lost interest about as fast .
every shooter has their pet cleaning system - never two the same - and the other feller never does it right :bigsmyl2:

I couldn't agree more.
I do use HOT water for both wash & rinse.
Run a dry patch through before standing barrel with the muzzle down for about 1/2 hour.
Then I run a patch soaked with TC Bore Butter through the bore,
and then take the patch off the jag and give the outside of the barrel a good rub down.
Everybody says I'm doing it wrong, but It's been working for me the last 45 years.

AntiqueSledMan.

[Swineherd]

I use a steam cleaner followed by a soak in a bucket of mineral oil, for a revolver. Swab and wipe down for a rifle.

[Sudsy]

I was a Bore Butter guy, had some of the same issues as the OP
moved on to Ballistol, now I use Frog Lube and have been very happy with it

319358

[T-Bird]

Sudsy, that won't give you warts?:razz:

[FergusonTO35]

I heat my muzzleloader water to a full boil and can actually see it evaporate out of the hot barrel. Works great. For my inline, I just scrub the bore with whatever blackpowder cleaner I have on hand the same way I would do a cartridge rifle.

[AZ Muzzleloaders]

WD40 works for me.

[35 Rem]

I heat my muzzleloader water to a full boil and can actually see it evaporate out of the hot barrel. Works great. For my inline, I just scrub the bore with whatever blackpowder cleaner I have on hand the same way I would do a cartridge rifle.

I think this is why my method works so well. My only muzzle loader is a NEF so I can remove the barrel when cleaning. I hold it over the sink by the scope and pour at least half a Tea Kettle of boiling water down the bore after running a brush and dry patch through it. This gets it so hot that the water inside instantly dries off/evaporates so there is no problem with rust. I follow this up with a couple patches of bore butter while still hot.

[LabGuy]

Use up your bore butter for patch and bullet lube. Use many gret products for storage, heck, in my opinion Mobile 1 motor oil preserves better than bore butter.

[DaleT]

I have used all kinds of moose milks, bore butters and what have you but everything gets a light coat of Ballistol now, stinks awful but it works real good IMO.

[dondiego]

I have used all kinds of moose milks, bore butters and what have you but everything gets a light coat of Ballistol now, stinks awful but it works real good IMO.

I love the smell of Ballistol! I use it under my arms...........haven't had a date lately................

[scattershot]

Wow! Lotsa divergent opinions here. When I shot muzzleloaders a lot, I only used Bore Butter and genuine holy black. When I cleaned my gun, I used boiling hot soapy water (soap, not detergent), followed by a boiling water rinse, and then the bore butter to finish it off. Never had a problem. I had one rifle stored for almost twenty years after this treatment, and the bore looked like new when I got it out. I think the bottom line is to use real black powder, and oil the barrel with Bore Butter while it’s still warm.



P.S.Never use any petroleum products in your bore. Ballistol is mainly mineral oil,so should be OK.

[FergusonTO35]

I love the smell of Ballistol! I use it under my arms...........haven't had a date lately................

Try Hoppe's. If that scent doesn't bring the babes your way nothing will!

[dondiego]

Wow! Lotsa divergent opinions here. When I shot muzzleloaders a lot, I only used Bore Butter and genuine holy black. When I cleaned my gun, I used boiling hot soapy water (soap, not detergent), followed by a boiling water rinse, and then the bore butter to finish it off. Never had a problem. I had one rifle stored for almost twenty years after this treatment, and the bore looked like new when I got it out. I think the bottom line is to use real black powder, and oil the barrel with Bore Butter while it’s still warm.



P.S.Never use any petroleum products in your bore. Ballistol is mainly mineral oil,so should be OK.

I have used petroleum based rust preventative oils in my bores for years with no problems. Never as a patch lube though.

[DaleT]

Scattershot, I have my very first rifle build in 40 cal for my wife, It's an ugly creation but shoots very nice . That gun there has had nothing but the treatments you spoke of for cleaning and storing. I think it's my best shooter.

[yeahbub]

For bore protection, I use LPS-3, which is intended for long term outdoor metal storage. It leaves a layer of soft petroleum wax in place and I have never had any rust problems. I never trusted bore butter for anything other than patch lube.

I read Ballistol is a liquid parrafin and I've used it as a patch lube, but the results were inconclusive.

[FergusonTO35]

Currently using TC Natural Lube 1000, the blue kind. Seems to work really well and actually has a degree of corrosion protection.

[Brimstone]

Ah yes the infamous "seasoning". Yeah I experienced the same thing way back when I was 18 and muzzleloaders were a barely cared for side thing to get an extra week in the field.

[Graysmoke]

And mineral oil is a petrolatum derivitive.