Help before I injure myself????
 

I would like to go out with the old smoke pole but it hasn't been used in years and I am not sure it was cleaned properly way back when. We are talking 20 years or so. There is some rust on the external of the barrel, but I need to give it a good cleaning before touching it off again. How do you experts recommend I proceed so I don't end up in the ER???? Really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks very much.

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

Some careful inspection and common sense should be a good guide.
If it looks like junk, it well may be! If it looks like it's just a bit neglected -try cleaning it up.
Run a patch down the bore. If it comes out rusty go a bit farther and run a brush through the bore with a good bore solvent.
Is it very rough? Is it rough all the way? If it's not too bad some cleaning with an abrasive might get the rust off if it's just surface rust. If it's pitted, or if it's much worse in one area (commonly the chamber) it might be best to clean up the exterior and hang it as a "display", then go buy a new one to shoot.

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

i just bought a gun from my uncle that was the same way it had not been shot for 10-15 years and had rust in the barrel and all over the gun. give her areal good wipe down. i tried to get the rust out of the rifling in the barrel but it would not come out. so i jusst shot it aa few times andit works great now. buy a bottleof a spayable cleaner. not gun scruber that crap takes the blueing off. watch my buddy do it to a band new rugger. outter makes a great sprayable cleaner avaliable at walmart, gander mountain,and cabelas. thats was just what i did and had no problems. but try to talk to some of the life members on here they have given me some exelent advice on alot of things about the smoke polls

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

Forgot to mention, but if it does clean up I'd come back here with some specifics (brand - model - style - caliber) and get some starting load recommendations.
For example, if it's a caplock .50 I'd probably start off with35-40 grains of ffg BP & a patched round ball.
Also, if it's acaplock be sure the nipple/threads are in good shape!!!!!

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

Since the rifle is 20 years old.. I will guess it is a traditional rifle cap lock. Give it a good hot water bath. Use some dish soap in that water. Pay attention to the patches. Are they coming up orange? If they are you have rust in the bore. Keep the patches working the bore. They will start to turn a light brownish orange.

Then get some J-B Bore paste (even if there is not rust). Comet Cleanser will also work, but makes a mess (wet the patch and work the comet into a paste on the patch.. like I said, it is a mess). On a patch, oil the bore first. Then smear a good amount of Paste on a patch and with a tight fitting jag, start working that bore in 2 inch sections at a time. Once you reach bottom repeat the process and work the patch back up. Now change patches, more bore paste, and then full strokes to the bottom and back. Every 15 strokes, switch patches, more bore paste. Do about 50 strokes.

Now give the rifle another hot soap and water bath. After that a brass bore brush and some solvent and scrub the bore real good. Now run solvent patches down the bore. What do they look like? After that some dry patches. Make sure the bore is good and dry.

If you don't have a bore light, a 30-40 caliber empty cartridge casing shined up will work. Drop that down the bore and with a flashlight held to the side, look down the barrel at the bore. Do you see real bad pitting, and ruff spots?

No empty cartridge casings, take a small amount of tin foil. Ball it up smaller then the bore and drop that down the bore. Again with the flash light. It will help you see into the bore. If you have minor damage in the bore, depending on what the rifle is.. let us know and we might be able to recommend a load for it.

If you have any doubt of the integrity of the rifle, do not shoot it.. take it to a gun smith for a professional opinion.

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

Just a percausion, make sure the gun is not loaded. Put the ramrod down the bore, the end should not stick out of the muzzle if it is not loaded. If it is you can either pull the bullet and dump the powder or take it outside and put a cap on it and fire it, I'd pull the nipple too and look under it to see if there is powder.

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

Also add some canola oil to the water, about a pint per gallon of water, along with that generous squirt of dish soap. The soap will let the oil mix with the water and it'll help cut the rust. (Mix 1 part canola oil with4 parts water and add a squirt of dish soap and you've made moose milk, good forbarrel swabbing between shotsand patch lube.)

Edit to correct formula for moose milk.

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

Thanks for the advice all! I can always count on you folks in these forums for your words of wisdom. The gun is a Hawken .50 flintlock. I used maxiballs in it way back when I was young and wild.Haven't picked it up since I "clicked" off on a huge eight point (twice) those years ago. Yeah...I think that deer actually smiled at me after the second click as it slowly walked away. Anyway, I cussed and swore and tossed the gun in the garage. It was used by someone else for a time.

Two more questions just to refresh myself a little. I don't use a patch with a maxiball, correct? Also, I think I was using 85-90 grains of ffg with the maxiball, does that sound reasonable?

Thanks again for all the help. My children thank you. Not sure about the wife, I believe she has the insurance paid up so she may be on the fence on this one.

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

Griller:

85-90 grains of Goex FFG sounds about right with the maxiball. I wouldn't go over 100, at least not right away.

By any chance, do you know who the manufacturer is?

I'm sure this does not need to be said, but take the barrel out of the stock before giving the rifle a "bath." For some reason when I was reading Cayugad's (typically excellent) reply, I had this vision of you tossing the whole rifle in to the bath tub not just the barrel:D

You mentioned the rifle "clicked off." Were you using FFFFG in the pan? Flintlocks are kind of picky, they only shoot real black powder. Substitutes such as Pyrodex can be made to work, but in a hunting situation it is a real pain. Your best bet is to use real black powder only: FFG/FFFG down the pipe and FFFFG in the pan. DO NOT use FFFFG for your primary charge. The finer the grain (the more Fs), the higher the pressure. And barrels are not made for the kind of pressure FFFFG puts out.

Just some thoughts. Let us know how it works for you.
~Robert

RE: Help before I injure myself????
 

No patch with a maxiball is needed. Just some lube on the conical.

Flintlocks can be a lot of fun, but if the flint is dull a click is often times all you will hear. If the powder is wet, the same thing happens. So don't get discouraged. As for the powder charge, that could be right. All you can do is shoot it and find out.

You have to read this!
 

Thanks again guys and no harm telling me not to throw the whole thing in the tub. Momma didn't raise no fools....couple of idiots....but no fools. You guys will love this.... decided to give the barrel a bath and everything was fine. Water started coming out clear so I took her out. Then I decided to lose my marbles and push a patch through her on the dining room table. Did I mention that we got new carpet in there recently??? Yep.....first patch through and the black stuff went flyin out the primer hole and on to the carpet.....with the wife looking on. Holy smokes...don't ever do that! Thankthe Lord for the guy who invented Oxy Clean!

I am now positive that the insurance is paid up.....she checked. Mainly I think she was looking for what they wouldn't pay on as she was thinkin about doin me in then and there.

Anyway... the barrel took a long time to get clean butit finally did. Thanks for all of your help andI hope I at least gave you a laugh or two!

RE: You have to read this!
 

Griller:

HAH!! That is really funny! If you have a garage, you might want to use that instead:)

~Robert

RE: You have to read this!
 

Griller,

Wrap some #0000 steel wool around your cleaning jag and up the ramrod for a few inches then polish the bore with that for a couple of hundred strokes with some oil on it. It will smooth out any rust pitting that is probably in there. Polish it up real good and it should be fine to shoot.

RE: You have to read this!
 

I remember cleaning my first muzzleloading rifle in the house, many moons ago. No spillage but the stench nearly provoked a killin'! She's pretty tolerant of my quirks but that went a step beyond her limit. I've confined my gun cleaning to the back porch ever since. :D