Something you might want to try

cayugad · 11-09-2011, 12:07 PM

Everyone knows the problems in cleaning up after shooting black powder. Cleaning and swabbing seems to be one of the reasons that people choose the powder they do. And as you know, I shoot a lot of Black Powder.

Well I discovered a way to really speed up the cleaning process in your rifles if you shoot Pyrodex RS, Black Powder, or any of the powders that do not require solvent to clean.

On traditional rifles, I leave the last fired cap on place with the hammer down or action closed. Lean the rifle against the shooting table and give a healthy squirt of your swabbing solution down the barrel. Be that alcohol, rusty duck, simple green, 409, what ever. Let that sit a little while you get your stuff put away.

Now saturate a patch with the solution and open the hammer and remove the cap. If course that solution you dumped will start to drizzle out through the fire chamber. But with that saturated patch, start swabbing. The force of the wet swab will push that filthy solution out the cap, musket nipple, or 209 breech plug. With the rifle tilted, not too much gets on the rifle.

That first saturated patch will be filthy. The second saturated patch you will not is not too bad. The third even much better. Now run a couple dry patches through the rifle. It will amaze you how clean that rifle suddenly is.

Even if you take it in the house and break it down, it only takes a few minutes to clean the breech plug or Q-tip out the bolster/drum. Just a fast way to clean the rifles I found. Try it, and see if you like it.

Semisane · 11-09-2011, 12:37 PM

Good suggestion Cayugad. I usually put a folded up patch on the nipple and lower the hammer, then squirt a good bit of alcohol down the bore and let it sit while I'm picking up the shooting supplies on the bench.

deer655 · 11-09-2011, 03:07 PM

Does sound like a good idea, I will try it next cleaning as it would be a breeze with my mk85 since i can take the stock off ,then take the hammer assy out.

Muley Hunter · 11-09-2011, 03:17 PM

That's one way to do it. It seems a bit messy though.

Popping a couple of wedges out, and sticking the barrel in a bucket of water and pumping it through the barrel is very easy to me. It comes out sparkling clean and only uses one patch.

Free water and one patch. I'm a cheapskate.

bronko22000 · 11-09-2011, 03:29 PM

Dave, your method is very similar to mine except - I take 1/2 of a round toothpick to plug the nipple and pour my solution down the bore (about 2-3 tablespoons). Then I put my thumb over the muzzle and rock the barrel back and forth to get the solution sloshed about in the entire bore. Then let it sit for about 10 mins. I then dump the solution away, remove the nipple and swab the bore until clean. Swab once more with an alcohol patch and dry patch, gun oil, then bore conditioner. Wipe the outside down and put away. I forgot, I also remove the lock and wipe it off and lightly oil the mechanism.

HEAD0001 · 11-09-2011, 03:30 PM

Muley are you saying you take your barrel off your stock during hunting season?? I rarely take my barrel out of the stock. IMO it can change your POI. That is something I would not take a chance with-especially during the season??

Or do you bed the area where your barrel locks into the lock along with the rest of the barrel. I would believe a beddding job would stop alot of the POI change. But I still don't think I would take mine apart during hunting season. Tom.

Muley Hunter · 11-09-2011, 03:34 PM

I never noticed much of any change in POI by removing the barrel.

Do you know anybody with a Hawken style gun who doesn't take the barrel off to clean it?

HEAD0001 · 11-09-2011, 03:49 PM

The Hawken probably does have the least amount of POI change when removing the barrel. I would agree with you on that. However I have a few Hawken style guns, and during the season I do not take my barrel off the stock.

I do something similar to what Cayugad suggests. Only slightly different. I use one of those plastic tubes that Knight sold along time ago. I replace the nipple with that tube, then follow Cayugad's advice from there on out.

I even have a tube like that for my flinter. I just screw out the flash hole liner.

So for my Hawken style guns I only take the barrel out of the stock once, maybe twice a year. Depending on weather outside. Tom

Muley Hunter · 11-09-2011, 03:57 PM

I never thought the POI was changing, because I use the same gun for BP shoots. If the POI is changing. It can't be enough for me to notice.

I know it changed on the Omega I use to own. Not sure about he Optima. I'll have to check it. I have so many years with CF guns. I never had to remove the barrel, but those were all bedded anyway.

cayugad · 11-09-2011, 04:31 PM

Well this basically came about because at the range, when I change bullets or powder, I like to swab the bore as clean as possible. Just to be fair to what I am going to shoot next. And I happened to leave the action closed and when I had the Dollar Store Orange Cleaner Spray Bottle, I gave it about four good blasts down the barrel (because I intended on taking the breech plug out.). Then when I saturated the first patch the amount of fouling it pulled was amazing. But the second patch was a light gray. So it had me curious and I sent another down the bore and that came up almost clean. Then I just dry patched the bore of the rifle and tested the next powder. So in five patches I basically had the rifle almost clean.