I've got a houseful of TC Hawkens and TC's Natural Lube 1000 has been the only lube I've put down the bores of my muzzleloaders for 15 years now and it's outstanding...I shoot different ones year round and they still look like new.

Here's exactly how I follow TC's recommendations and it works perfectly:

1) After every shooting session I ensure the bore is cleaned 100% completely to the bare, raw metal, with steaming hot soapy water (mainly to heat up the barrel & melt off any residual bore butter) and very importantly, include a couple dozen strokes with a good bore brush so there is absolutely no buildup left inside.
Note 1 - Patches alone HAVE NEVER gotten my bores 100% clean...the notion that a 'white patch = clean" has never worked for me. When I think I have a bore clean with patches, I run a tight brush up and down a couple dozen times and am amazed at the new stuff that comes out on the next patch...only after a good brushing then clean patches do I assume a bore is really 100% clean.
Note 2 - I also use a cleaning rod with a .30cal brush and a patch to reach all the way down into the tapered cone of the patent breeches in TC rifles rifles to ensure they stay clean also.

2) I hot water rinse it, then immediately dry patch it to prevent 'flash rust', then allow the residual heat in the barrel to get it 100% bone dry for 4-5 minutes.

3) Then I literally use Popsicle sticks to reach in and pack the grooves with NL1000 (from a tube of NL1000) as far as I can reach, then plaster NL1000 heavily on cleaning/lubing patches, run them down bore (including the patent breech) and repeat this a couple times until I'm convinced every square of the bore is well covered, insulated from any air contact.

4) Next time before I shoot, I dry patch any excess lube out of the bore and then shoot as much as I want without having to wipe between shots, using TC's (or Oxyoke's) shooting patches lubed with NL1000...I shoot a 40 shot range session on Saturday mornings without having to wipe between shots.

IMO, the bottom line to maintaing a ML bore in like new condition is that it must be:

100% cleaned
100% dried
100% lubed

...every time.