This is the last question I swear. Ok I might have to take that back.

Cuyard,

I have been using your solution of 50% winshield with alchohol blend to clean my barrel between shots.

First question is am I supposed to be using the same stuff to clean my barrel when I am done shooting for the day?

Second is, how often should I refresh my mix? Does the alcohol "vaporizing" out of the solution so that all you are left with is a tub of windshield washer fluid?

Thanks
Tom

Until Cayugad answers...

...I use his mix both at the range between shots and at home cleaning at the end of the shooting day.

However I have a flintlock with a full stock. The barrel does not come off of the stock, so using hot soapy water would be difficult. "Cayugad's solution" works very well in my case.

When cleaning at the end of the day, I'll run a fewISO/Windshield patches down the barrel to break up the fouling using either a cleaning jag or the "Kleen Bore" rod with the hoop attachment. Then a soaked brass brush. Then repeatedpatches of the ISO/Windshield mix until they come out clean. Run a few dry patches to help facilitate the drying process. When I am sure the barrel is completly dry and the patches are coming out white, I'll soak a patch with some oil and run that up and down the barrel to give the inside a lite coating of oil.

Then on to the lock...

Hope this is of some help.
~Robert

He's probably also wondering who Cuyard is...

leave it to Underclocked to get me laughing...

No you do not have to refresh the stuff. The alcohol will not dissipate. At least it does not seem to. I make it up a pint at a time and just store it on the shelf.

I use the mix to clean the major fowling out of the barrel after shooting. After all why waste expensive solvent simply to soak fowling and push it out on a cloth patch. You can also use water and simple dish soap to do the same thing. The reason I went to this mix wasI used to use an over the counter solution to swab the barrel between shots but had problems.

After you have the major fowling out of the barrel, I then like to run some Butch's Bore Shine or Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber on patches through the barrel. Just in case there is any plastic, copper, or lead fowling hanging in the bore somewhere. A quick brush with a bore brush and a couple more patches of the alcohol car wash mix, and then I am ready to dry patch the barrel...

I noticed especially with the cap lock rifles that I was always getting hang fires.Even in some of the inline rifles I had problems with the over the counter swab. In fact last time out I usedstuff called Rusty Duck Black Off, instead of the homemade, and the gun refused to go off. This was with a 209 primer. I must have had the rusty duck patch too wet is all I can figure. So I had to pull the breech plug and I noticed the breech plug was now full of wet sludge fowling. I then had toblow it out with the air compressor. Since I had the breech plug out, I swabbed the barrel clean with the alcohol and car wash mix and then put the Knight Disc rifle back together again.

As the weather gets colder (if you live in a place like me) and there is more moisture in the air, increase the alcohol to the mix. It will help stop hangfires and misfires...