What Is Your Favorite Moose Milk?

[The Double D]

Double D,
but it does make me feel a lot more comfortable.

Jerry Liles

Jerry, this is the most important part of your post and should be everyones quideline!

[Hackleback]

I have heard about people using Windex w/ vinegar for some time. I have never seen it for sale, and I have looked for it. The entire line of Windex products was revamped about a year ago, some products were dropped and others reformulated. Here is the Vinegar product that is currently being produced. Is this what people are using??

http://www.windex.com/counter-cleaner/

[13Echo]

Just checked out the MSDS on the new "Windex With Vinegar" glass cleaner. It seems it doesn't contain any vinegar. I have a supply of the old stuff and it does have a vinegar smell so I'm assuming it does. The new version contains a very small amount of ethylene glycol n-hexyl ether a small amount of isopropyl alcohol and is mostly water (more than 90%). Furthermore it isn't even acidic like vinegar would be and is mildly basic, around pH 9.5. According to the MSDS its Health Hazard rating is very low at 0. It should be effective as a bore cleaner, at least as effective as water but otherwise, nothing special. When I run out of my current supply I'll probably just go back to distilled water and maybe add a bit of white vinegar. What galls me is the shamelessness of the SC Johnson company.

Jerry Liles

[highwallbo]

Napa Auto Parts sells 1qt. contaniers of water soluble oil for $6.00

[crossfireoops]

This was given to me by John Getz, him and his Dad won a bunch of Slug Gun shoots with it.

50 / 50 Murphie's Oil soap, and the strongest Isopropyl rubbing alky ( 90-95%) Wally world sells.

My small and big case capacity .45 cal cartridge rifles love the stuff.

Toxicty involves the "squirts" at worsts...dog, or man.....don't see how you could poison yourself, or pooch with......Ive've never had ANY problem, and some fresh water sees your hands shiny clean.

Slimy, slooshy, so have a rag handy wiping between shots, or you'll have a hard time hangin' onto your rig, pronto.

The soapy / waxy residue will bind up an action (I run Sharps) in cold weather, but is non corrosive, and in Summer Arizona heat, somewhat productive.....slicks things right up.

My $.02

GTC

[Bad Flynch]

Well, BP fouling has been analyzed and the residue is very much alkaline (basic). It seemed to me that it should be acid, with the possibilities of the combustion leaving behind the anhydrides of Sulfurous and Sulfuric acids, but the overwheliming part of the residue that affects pH is made up of Potash and Lye from the Saltpetre.

When the pH is high, as is the case, then adding a mild acid like vinegar would seem to be logical and, indeed, Windex with Vinegar or some other concoction with vinegar added would seem to be a good idea. However, they work no better than water.

pH, as the chemists out there will recognize, is a concentration dependent phenomenon. All one really needs to do is to dilute the alkali sufficiently and the problem will go away, i.e., wash the problem off the gun, even with plain water. Soap added will help remove the other fouling material.

Adding a soluble oil to the water is a remarkably sensible idea. I have been using Ballistol, about 1 to 2 parts in 10 parts of water for some time now. All I do is clean my gun with this mix, wipe it down thoroughly, and then spray it again and let it "dry." This removes the fouling and leaves behind an oily film of Ballistol all over the gun. No problems, no rust.

I have even been so daring as to fire my guns and simply spray them down. Then I wait for the rust. To date, I have had no problems up to 3 days with only a spray-down of Ballistol Milk. I can, apparently, come back at will to finish the cleaning.

[The Double D]

Double D,

I'm not aware that black powder residue is particularly toxic and vinegar certainly isn't. As for antifreeze as bore cleaner, I used it and liked it. It cleaned the bore, and inhibited rust but it is toxic if ingested, it tastes sweet, and it looks like KoolAid. The dogs seem to like it and I have a 3 year old grandson. So I stopped using it. The vinegar Windex works well but not necessiarly better, but it does make me feel a lot more comfortable.

Jerry Liles

Just an up date to ease your comfort level, Anti freeze is now made to have a bitter taste to animals and kids.

[bigted]

very cool post all,,,from a newer entrant to this i get the feeling that simple is usually best. i especially got a kick outta the size of the patches bringing accuracy to bear. i hadnt thought about this and it makes sense that too clean for an accuracy aspect is not a good thing while in the midle of a shoot. thanks for that tip.

[Kenny Wasserburger]

I use 2, damp 2.5 inch patches and 1, 3 inch dry patch while shooting Creedmoor this if for paper patch Bullets both are round patches. I use 2 damp 1.75 patches when shooting Silhouette and do not wipe out all the fouling, square patches. With Grease Groove bullets and your getting leading your wiping too much out of the barrel in my experience

A 45 cal brush is used with the Patches in Creedmoor shooting no brush with the Silhouette load (38-50).

Mix was 1 part oil to 3 parts water for the past couple years, am thinking of going to 1 part oil and 5 parts water as Jimbo and others are having real good luck with that, Napa Cutting oil is what we use.

KW
The Lunger

[Gellot Wilde]

Cutting oil & water mostly.

[Hip's Ax]

Wow, can't believe this resurfaced. Been shooting MR and LR with my CPA's, one 45-70 and one 45-90 for a couple of seasons now. My shooting buddy and I have been useing Tru-Sol water soluable machinists oil 10:1 with great success.

[Seth Hawkins]

Water.

Plain & simple.

There is nothing better.

[ironhead7544]

1 oz of cutting water cutting oil from NAPA. 1 oz hydrogen peroxide from the drugstore. 1 oz dish washing soap. Add 1 quart of water. This was designed by a chemical engineer for black powder. Works as a patch lube on the range. I heard from a BP gunsmith that most of the people at Friendship are using this formula. The water and soap clean away the dirt. The peroxide penetrates the metal and takes some oil with it.

[Beekeeper]

A patch question from a newbe if I may.

I have a couple of 71/84 Mausers I want to shoot with black powder.
As you know they are bolt action and the bolt requires a lot of work and tools to remove.

When swabbing the bore is it acceptable to pull a patch from chamber to muzzle?

Double D would the prestone work on something like I described or would soluble oil/water be better, or maybe windex?


Jim

[ironhead7544]

A patch question from a newbe if I may.

I have a couple of 71/84 Mausers I want to shoot with black powder.
As you know they are bolt action and the bolt requires a lot of work and tools to remove.

When swabbing the bore is it acceptable to pull a patch from chamber to muzzle?

Double D would the prestone work on something like I described or would soluble oil/water be better, or maybe windex?


Jim

Some firearms must be cleaned from the muzzle. Just use a bore guide for the rod so it doesnt touch the crown.

[The Double D]

The Prestone will work for any blackpowder rifle.

I shoot Martini and clean from the muzzle. As Iron head says do something to protect the rifling at the crown. In my case I use a coated rod...now that ought to stir up the pot!

[Lead pot]

I use 50/50 RV antifreeze. It wont evaporate in a hot barrel it says consistent and is non toxic.
I find cutting oil has a tendency to get sticky as it evaporates.