Hello all. I am wondering how you guys clean your barrels using hot soapy water. Do you use a bucket? Some sort of trough so you can completely submerge the barrel? How do you dry the breech area - alcohol?

Currently I use patches of iso/ww fluid, but that takes a lot of patches. I am interested in trying a different way of cleaning.

If it matters, I only shoot Goex out of these barrels.

Thanks!

My cleaning procedure is in the thread linked below. It may be a little on the "overkill" side, but I never have to worry about my barrel after a thorough cleaning.

http://huntingnet.com/forum/black-po...le-loader.html

30% murphy's oil soap and 70% alchohol. Mix the two together. 90% alchohol in the Pharmacy section at walmart.

BTW- cut up and old sheet at home for patches or go to a garage sale or flea market to find some old sheets to cut up.

http://frontiermuzzleloadin.powergui...-have-t358.htm

I use a plastic coffee can. I just add a few drops of dish soap and then fill it with VERY hot water. I know a lot of people avoid hot water. Its never caused me any problems.

After the water bath I like to dry patch the barrel (safe them patches and dry them somewhere), then an isopropyl alcohol patch, then a couple more dry patches. Then I just put gun oil on a patch and oil the bore.

I always clean my barrel in the kitchen sink. And I always do my final wash through with boiling water. Boiling water will really clean it out. And boiling water will automatically dry itself because of the heat. Just be sure you use a rag to handle the barrel after pouring in the boiling water. I use a 45-70 BP blow tube with a funnel attached to pour the water. Tom.

Semi's directions are very good I would add that the water should be very hot as this heating the barrel is what makes it dry fast with out flash rust a drop of detergent is helpful also, I always use a tight fit on the jag and patch combination to get a good seal so the water is sucked up to the upper end of the barrel.
Just my thoughts. Lee

For hooked breech rifles I used a large coffee pot and would bring the water to a rolling boil. I would set it off the fire and drop the breech down into the hot water and pump it in and out with a patch. Remove the barrel from the water and follow it up with dry patches. I never found it necessary to use soap and my barrels always came out spotless.