Hey guys - new here
 

I'm from NC and am looking forward to sharing information on this great forum. I just purchased my first black powder rifle - it's a CVA wolf with camo synthetic stock and nickel break-open barrel. I'm going to shoot it for the first time tomorrow, and I wanted to check with you guys to make sure my pre-shot work is on the right track.

Today, I plan on removing the breech plug and applying anti-seize lube. Then, I'm going to run solvent-soaked patches through the barrel, followed by dry patches. I have barrel-blaster gel and also regular solvent to use for this - which would you recommend?

Then, I'm going to put a light coat of gun oil on the exterior of the barrel. Will I need to apply some kind of seasoning to the inside of the barrel once it's dry? If so, should I use a seasoning patch or bore butter? I'm not sure if bore butter is such a great idea, but I'm new to this so I am open to suggestions.

Thanks for any help!

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

Welcome to the forum....Bore butter was made for side hammers, I have been told by Knight not to use in an inline, just use a good gun oil...Good Luck

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

elmobowhunter

Welcome aboard this site - it is a good one...

I have been in the past a BB user but I would not suggest you start with it. It works really well depending upon how you apply it. Conventional wisdom says you can not season a steel barrel, so seasoning attempts are not suggested, I on the other hand believe you can it is metal and does have pores and they hold a mi-nute amount of material - nothing like the old cast iron metals.

It would be my suggestion that you clean the barrel, trigger mechanism, and breech plug really well and apply a good gun oil to those parts... the most commonly suggested one is Birchwood Casey - Barricade (shealth). I have switched from BB and Baricade to Slip 2000 a synthetic lubricant/cleaner - best of both worlds - but somewhat expensive.

Hey! good luck with your new gun - shooting a ML is a ton of fun - and it does really have a learning curve to go with it.

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

Does the breech plug need to be removed and the anti-sieze stuff applied on a brand new gun? I would think the stuff was put on by the manufacturer to start off with and one would only apply it again only after shooting the gun and removing the plug for cleaning. I am NO expert here and wondering myself what others think about this?

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

clean all anti sieze off and reapply fresh stuff. When you reinstall the plug, Do not tighten it hard. It only requires a little pressure. i use the term (finger tighten)

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

My owner's manual said to remove the breech plug and apply anti-seize grease to it before shooting for the first time, then hand-tighten it back into place. I guess maybe they ship it with some type of gun oil on it, but no grease?

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

Steve863

I beleive you need to clean everything and re-lube... factory might only have a thin coat of oil on the BP -

I really do not use any anti seize or grease of any type so I can not be a resource here - tried it didn't like it...

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

Before you worry about anti-seize on the breechplug you should completely clean the barrel with the breechplug out as usually there is some kind of shipping rust preventative in a new rifle. Not sure this was covered in this thread before but this needs to be done and then when getting ready to shoot the breechplug should be protected from seizing with some method. Anti-seize lube, teflon tape, Slick 50 One grease, choke tube lubricant etc. The new rifles are shipped in about as many conditions as you can imagine. I have had new ones with fouling in from apparent test firing, some with grease, some with oil and some just bare and clean. When installing the plug should be just snug not very tight. Most claim finger tight is good enough. I personally snug mine with the wrench but very lightly. I use both teflon tape with anti-seize grease on top of it (probably overkill but stuck breechplugs are a bitch).

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

Hey elmobowhunter...welcome. I have a Wolf, also my first muzzleloader. I got mine at Christmas time. Clean the bore really good and just run a patch with a little Rem Oil down it and you'll be fine. I don't remember any oil or anti sieze on my breach plug when it was new. I use the CVA breach plug grease, kinda like a big tube of chap stick, screw the bottom and it rises up from the tube. Install the breach plug finger tight. I like to back mine out and screw it back in after 5-6 shots just a few turns just so I know it's not siezing up. Before you take the first shot run a patch with rubbing alcohol orwindshield washer fluid/rubbing alcohol mixed 50/50. Flip the patch over and run it down again all with short strokes. Then run a couple of dry ones down it. Then your ready to load. Mine shoots real well with 90-100gr of loose Pyrodex or 2 50gr Pyrodex pellets. I've never tried anything else because I'm happy with the Pyrodex. I've also used Hornaday 300gr XTP's andKnight 250 and 300 gr Red Hots for bullets and switched the sabots out for the Crushed Rib sabots made by Harvester. I've learn much with these guys help so keep it clean, try different powder loads, different bullets, and lots of range time to see which combinations will work best. And don't be afaid to ask "dumb questions" because there aren't any. Good luck with the new gun.

RE: Hey guys - new here
 

Thanks for all the helpful tips so far. A couple more questions - I've got Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber (2-in-1 bore cleaner for copper & nitro fouling). Is that ok to use? Also, from what I can gather, I soak the patch with solvent, hold it up to the breech end of the barrel, then push it through with the jag until it exits from the muzzle end. Sound OK?