BKE

I'm thinking about making a tubewith end caps out of6" dia. +/-PVC that I can put the barrel in , cap it off and let it soak. After soaking I'm thinking I then can also leave it in the tube while I swap/brush it to help it flush out real good. My question is if anyone thinksthe cleaning solution will effect the PVC, break it down in anyway ?? I plan on using cayugad's solution of 91% per. alcohol and windshield washer fluid mixed 50/50. Any thoughts?

nchawkeye

Not sure if you are cleaning traditional or inline...In my flinters, I just put a toothpick in the vent, take a cup of warm water, pour in the barrel, let set a few minutes, then pour out and repeat...After I dry it well, run a few patches of alcohol through, dry and then lube with WD-40 and I'm done...

On an inline, I just run a few patches with alcohol through, remove the breach plug and clean it with a toothbrush and alcohol, clean the threads with alcohol, then dry and oil and I'm done...I store the breach plug in a ziplock bag in the case with the gun...

Tahquamenon

Not a good idea. Bear in mind that all screws and millings will also be submerged. You will be removing protective lube from more areas than needed.

To clean, just use a bucket and a couple of quartsof the hottest water you can stand (boiling is best) anda tbs of laundry detergentand pump-flush with one end of the barrel in the bucket and a patch and/or brush.

Tahquamenon

cayugad

If all you want to do is soak a barrel, there is nothing better then simple hot water with some dish soap. Let that barrel soak for an hour or so or start scrubbing. It will be very clean with just the water. Plus after you remove the barrel you can dump the mixture down a toilet and then rinse it out. Also cheaper.

I still water bathmy rifles. Even my inline rifles. I take a large 5 gallon pail of water, set the barrel in the center, muzzle end down, and pour hot water with dish soap down through the open breech and it rinses out the major portion of the fowling. I then soap up a breech brush with some soap, and scrub the breech plug threads and breech in the rifle. I then pour more water through it and rinse the soap out of it. After that a few patches of the windex/alcohol solution will clean the rest of the rifle and remove any water left in there. A few dry patches and it is basically clean except for my final inspection where I check everything over.

lemoyne

Nothing in my experance for cleaning at home equals boiling water. I clean all my inlines by putting a rag in the bottom of a coffee can and pouring boiling water through the barrel that I heat in an old coffee pot.
I clean my Hawken rifles by using a bored out nipple with a plastic tube on it and pour the water in the muzzle.
I believe that boiling water and a good brushing right after helps keep the plastic build up down to where it does not affect accuracy. Lee

BKE

Man, I come up with what I think is a good and easyplan and what do I get but a bunch of better and easier ones . Thanks everyone.

Edit: I should have specified that it's a traditionalbarrel. Also, it's the one I've been posting aboutlately,at least 25 yrs.old(probably more like 30) and hasn't seen daylight for a long, long,long time. I figured it would require a loooong soak just for that reason. I quess I'll find out when I start scrubbing.

cayugad

A traditional would really benefit from a good soaking in soap and water. In fact VERY HOT water would be my choice to use with somedish soap. For some reason, dish soap really removes the black powder fowling from my traditionalguns.

big rockpile

Well I use to use boiling water,until I was told it causes flash rusting.Have been using just warm water every since with no problem.

big rockpile

frontier gander

A bucket of hot soapy water is what i stick the breech end of my muzzleloaders into and then pump the water through with patches and once they come out clean i use a bore brush and then dump the water and get another bucket of hot soapy water and if that water is clean by the time i run a # of patches, Its good to go. I use q-tips to clean the drum out and then of course clean the nipple the same way.

lemoyne

big rockpile,I dont know who came up with that but I have been using it since my Grandfather gave me the reminton revolver that his dad used in the war, I now have 5 hawkens all of which are cleaned with boiling water [and soap depending on what powder I am using in them. some pistols some orginals and 4 inlines I clean them all with boiling water and put either shesth or bore butter on the [use bore butter in the PRB guns] and I have never had a case of "flash rust". When I was in business I seen a lot of rusted up muzzlel loader and other guns and thats what happens if you dont do a good job of cleaning and protecting them. Lee