How Many of You Enjoy Cleaning Your MLer?
11-07-2010, 06:24 AM
#11
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,585
Since I have limited time to shoot a long cleaning process cuts into my shooting time.
Now days when time is short I shoot my Triumph or my Endeavor which I use Blackhorn in and clean on the spot at the range with solvents instead of heating water to the boiling point, that and not having to clean between shots leaves considerable time for more shooting which I do enjoy.
Taking care of things is a duty which is the way its always been for me, while I can not say I particularly enjoy it its down right ignorant not to do it.
Now days when time is short I shoot my Triumph or my Endeavor which I use Blackhorn in and clean on the spot at the range with solvents instead of heating water to the boiling point, that and not having to clean between shots leaves considerable time for more shooting which I do enjoy.
Taking care of things is a duty which is the way its always been for me, while I can not say I particularly enjoy it its down right ignorant not to do it.
11-08-2010, 02:03 PM
#14
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
I kind of enjoy cleaning the sidelocks. Not so much with the in-lines.
Someone on another forum talked about a two hour cleaning process on a traditional gun. Here's what he said.
Now that's just ridiculous. Just for the heck of it I timed the cleaning of my .58 GM/TC Hawken after the Sunday morning shoot. It took a total of twenty minutes and the gun was squeaky clean when I finished.
Here's my Twenty Step Process.
The tools needed:
- cleaning rod with jag attached
- a half dozen or so cleaning patches
- pipe cleaner
- tooth brush or 1" paint brush with bristles cut short so it's fairly stiff
- gallon plastic container (I use a cut off bleach bottle) filled 2/3 with room temperature water
- spray bottle with 25/75 mix of dish soap/water (I use an old Windex bottle)
- screwdriver for removing lock
- nipple wrench
- allen wrench for bolster clean out screw
- anti-seize lubricant
- spray can of carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner
- light oil of choice
- a few paper towels (or a reasonably clean cloth)
- three ounces of single malt Scotch.
(NOTE: Most of the cleaning tools listed should already be assembled and stored in a convenient container. Having everything on hand at the beginning makes cleaning a pleasure - or at least less of a chore.)
STEPS: Almost all of the steps can be completed seated in a chair next to a small table.
1. Take sip of Scotch.
2. Remove barrel from stock. Liberally spray dish soap & water mix down bore and around nipple area, and set aside.
3. Remove lock from stock, wipe fouling from stock with cloth/paper towel lightly sprayed with soap/water mix and set aside.
4. Take sip of Scotch.
5. Spray lock with soap/water mix. Scrub with brush, paying particular attention to cup in face of hammer. Rinse lock by dunking in water container and shaking it around. Dry the lock a little with paper towel and set aside on a dry paper towel to finish drying.
6. Remove nipple and bolster clean out screw from barrel. Wash them with the brush in the container of water. Set them aside on the paper towel to dry.
7. Take sip of Scotch.
8. Spray nipple/bolster area of the barrel again with soap/water mix, and scrub with brush.
9. Place a patch on the cleaning rod jag, and the breech end of the barrel in the container of water. Insert the cleaning jag into the muzzle and pump the bore a dozen times vigorously with full strokes of the cleaning rod so that water is forced through the nipple seat and pulled out of the muzzle.
10. Poke the nipple seat and clean out screw hole a couple of times with a pipe cleaner just for the heck of it.
11. Take sip of Scotch.
12. Replace dirty/sudsy water in container with clean water and repeat pumping process with a new patch (damn, gotta get out of the chair).
13. Dry outside of barrel with paper towel (or cloth) and the inside with a patch or two.
14. From the muzzle end, spray the bore with a good shot of carburetor cleaner.
15. Spray the lock with carburetor cleaner.
16. Swab the bore with a clean dry patch, followed by an oiled patch, and followed again by a clean dry patch. Use the oiled patch to wipe the exterior of the barrel and the sideplate of the lock.
17. Take sip of Scotch.
18. Install the nipple and clean out screw with anti seize on threads and replace barrel in stock.
19. Lightly oil interior of lock and reinstall in stock.
20. Take last sip of Scotch, you're done.
Someone on another forum talked about a two hour cleaning process on a traditional gun. Here's what he said.
When cleaning my ML, I usually take two hours or so. Two sinks of soapy water, two cotton patches each, then a sink of really hot rinse water. Dry with alcohol, run a pipe cleaner through the drum, season, dry patch, reassemble, load.
I do more if it looks like it's needed. Too long, or just right?
I do more if it looks like it's needed. Too long, or just right?
Here's my Twenty Step Process.
The tools needed:
- cleaning rod with jag attached
- a half dozen or so cleaning patches
- pipe cleaner
- tooth brush or 1" paint brush with bristles cut short so it's fairly stiff
- gallon plastic container (I use a cut off bleach bottle) filled 2/3 with room temperature water
- spray bottle with 25/75 mix of dish soap/water (I use an old Windex bottle)
- screwdriver for removing lock
- nipple wrench
- allen wrench for bolster clean out screw
- anti-seize lubricant
- spray can of carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner
- light oil of choice
- a few paper towels (or a reasonably clean cloth)
- three ounces of single malt Scotch.
(NOTE: Most of the cleaning tools listed should already be assembled and stored in a convenient container. Having everything on hand at the beginning makes cleaning a pleasure - or at least less of a chore.)
STEPS: Almost all of the steps can be completed seated in a chair next to a small table.
1. Take sip of Scotch.
2. Remove barrel from stock. Liberally spray dish soap & water mix down bore and around nipple area, and set aside.
3. Remove lock from stock, wipe fouling from stock with cloth/paper towel lightly sprayed with soap/water mix and set aside.
4. Take sip of Scotch.
5. Spray lock with soap/water mix. Scrub with brush, paying particular attention to cup in face of hammer. Rinse lock by dunking in water container and shaking it around. Dry the lock a little with paper towel and set aside on a dry paper towel to finish drying.
6. Remove nipple and bolster clean out screw from barrel. Wash them with the brush in the container of water. Set them aside on the paper towel to dry.
7. Take sip of Scotch.
8. Spray nipple/bolster area of the barrel again with soap/water mix, and scrub with brush.
9. Place a patch on the cleaning rod jag, and the breech end of the barrel in the container of water. Insert the cleaning jag into the muzzle and pump the bore a dozen times vigorously with full strokes of the cleaning rod so that water is forced through the nipple seat and pulled out of the muzzle.
10. Poke the nipple seat and clean out screw hole a couple of times with a pipe cleaner just for the heck of it.
11. Take sip of Scotch.
12. Replace dirty/sudsy water in container with clean water and repeat pumping process with a new patch (damn, gotta get out of the chair).
13. Dry outside of barrel with paper towel (or cloth) and the inside with a patch or two.
14. From the muzzle end, spray the bore with a good shot of carburetor cleaner.
15. Spray the lock with carburetor cleaner.
16. Swab the bore with a clean dry patch, followed by an oiled patch, and followed again by a clean dry patch. Use the oiled patch to wipe the exterior of the barrel and the sideplate of the lock.
17. Take sip of Scotch.
18. Install the nipple and clean out screw with anti seize on threads and replace barrel in stock.
19. Lightly oil interior of lock and reinstall in stock.
20. Take last sip of Scotch, you're done.
Last edited by Semisane; 11-08-2010 at 04:48 PM.
11-08-2010, 03:57 PM
#17
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
Another thing I do not understand is people purchase an inline because some claim, " traditional rifles are so time consuming to clean." When I heard that I kind of shook my head in disbelief. I would rather clean a traditional rifle any day of the week over a inline rifle.
Maybe the inline since I can see through the barrel, I get too fussy. I really am kind of a nut when it comes to getting it clean.
Maybe the inline since I can see through the barrel, I get too fussy. I really am kind of a nut when it comes to getting it clean.
11-08-2010, 04:49 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,519
Do you guys use dish soap and boiling water? Or just warm water? I used to use Dish soap, but haven't the last few times as I've read several people say not to. I just want to make sure I won't have any issues by not using it.
11-08-2010, 04:59 PM
#20
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
I use dish soap, usually DAWN because that's whats around the house. As far as water temperature, it's whatever comes out of the cold water tap at home or the rain barrel cistern at the hunting camp. Cold cleans every bit as good as hot. Hot dries faster in the bore. But that's not an issue if you give the bore a blast of carb cleaner as I do.