How Many of You Enjoy Cleaning Your MLer?
 

With all the new Breechplug Designs and MLer's today being made that are a-lot easier to clean with less Blowback and Stainless Steel Barrels and Weathershield ect. Do you like these advantages? I do, but I mean do you like them because there a-lot easier to clean now because of them?
I Like Cleaning My MLers, usually they get cleaned because I took a Deer that Day and in the Evening it gives me something to do and to look back on the Hunt while Im doing it. I of course clean them after a shooting session also. But the time involved never really botherd me or made me have to get a MLer that was easier to clean because of it.
I usually take about a good Hour to a Hour and a Half to clean mine, but when Im done (if inspected) you'f think it was brand new, and I take Pride in keeping it looking that way.
I know My Old CVA Hunterbolt Mag was a Monster to Clean and took me about 2 Hours to get her back to new again, but it did'nt bother me as the MLer did it's job (at the time) and it was just part of owning a BP MLer.
Or do you Hate the Cleaning Part and not look forward to it?
(BP)

Like you... I am very fussy about cleaning my muzzleloader. I don't know if I would call it enjoyment, but I would call it a duty. And was brought up to do what I should do to keep my tools and equipment in top form. So I clean a muzzleloader because it is part of the shooting experience.

Me too. I always used the hot soapy water and hot water rinse method for all my MLs. But recently I found a product called Turkey Tracks sold by Fort Chambers ML shop here in PA. The way you use it is to plug the breech, nipple, or flash hole and pour about 2 tablespoons down the bore, cover the muzzle with your finger and slosh the solution back and forth to wet the entire bore, then let it set for 10 mins. I then dump it out, remove the breech, nipple or flash hole, swab the bore with a couple patches until clean, a couple dry patches, an alcohol patch, dry patch, montana extreme bore conditioner, then wipe down the outside. Clean the breech or whatever and reinstall.
Like both of you guys, I find cleaning the ML relaxing and not really a chore. And the cleaning seems to go better after a good day at the range or in the field.

3 hoppes black powder patches, 4 dry patches, clean carbon out of breech plug, 2 Q tips " one dry" one wet with hoppes to clean breech plug and i am done.

i'm not very fussy about cleaning my hunting guns. My primary concern is the preservation of the bore: After that comes protection of the finish. It never takes me more than 15 minutes to clean and oil a muzzleloader.

I don't know if I could say that I enjoy cleaning my muzzies but I believe that as soon as I am done , whether it is hunting for the day, or just shooting for fun,( rather it is 20 shots or 1 shot ),that the first thing is to clean my muzzleloader. I clean all my guns immediately. I don't even leave one loaded overnight. After 30 years of this it is more of a habit than a chore. I don't mind doing it at all. I guess through the years I have adopted the attitude that the cleaning is a important part of the shooting process . I don't feel right unless I know my gun was put away perfectly clean and ready to go next time out. Do I enjoy it? Never thought about it that way, just something I do. And it doesn't matter if it is a breakaction or one that takes a while to clean. I have some guns that take a while to clean , but they shoot so darn good that I would rather clean them then shoot one that isn't accurate simply because I can clean it in 2 minutes.

I really don't mind the time I spend cleaning them. I have a cup of Joe, listen to some music, and take my time. I am pretty meticulous about it and it makes me feel good to know they are as good as new.
Art

I enjoy cleaning my ml,I put it apart,even the action and bolt,clean it complete ,take a good hour or so .When I see it like new then I am satisfied.
I do the same to my tools or what ever I want to keep a long time.
Taureau noir:popcorn:

Cleaning ML's the ole fashioned way lost it's appeal real fast.These days I avoid water.Just doesn't make sense to introduce the one worst thing that causes rust when combined with BP or subs in the first place.

I just got into ml but I don't mind cleaning it at all. Takes a little longer than my shotguns but I enjoy the time out in the garage by myself. Or one of my kids will come out to watch and learn how to do it. Witch is nice.

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.

I do
 

Like a meditation time.:D

I love to shoot and keep all my guns very clean but I certainly don't enjoy cleaning them. Even though I don't enjoy cleaning them, I don't slack on doing it.

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.

You are a machine.
You run on scotch.
:happy0157::happy0157::happy0157::happy0157:

But I only run at an idle, and never get "well oiled".

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.

I've got to agree with that!

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.

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.

Semi, 20 Minutes with all them sips of Scotch, that's good time! I Won a Bottle of Crown Cast No (something) last Season for taking the Biggest Doe (141lbs) Im gonna try your process this year and see if I can get er down to 20 minutes, but I dont know if I want to!
(BP)

I use a mixture a blackpowder siloet shooter told me. Take a empty water bottl pour in equal parts of peroxide/rubbing alcohol/ and merphies oil soap. I run a patch soked in this through the barrel ther 5 to 6 dry patches a oils patch then another dry than lean the rifle upside down in a ccorner untill needed next. Also if you have a online put the breach plug in small bowl pour solution over it take out wipe dry use pipe cleaner in fire hole. We use to use soapy water untill a guy told me and my dad this solution and it works alot better. I enjoy cleaning all my guns this takes me 15 mins.

+1 more.I could get my Lyman GPR cleaned in less than half the time of either my Omega or Black Diamond.Sorry I sold it!!!

Bingo!- my alarm is going off at 4:40 tomorrow and I hope to be swabbing the bore tomorrow eve for the reasons you have described

I will just say.....

I bought the Lehigh NFPJ conversions and use BH209 for a reason. :)

After a few hours at the range i can come home to this.


Now getting them out every now and then for a good wipe down and inspection i do enjoy if i havent been using them much.

That's Funny, that's the time I get up too, but your ML Hunting and Im still Bow Hunting, our Firearms Season does'nt start untill Nov 20th. I could'nt Imagine ML Hunting during the RUT, is the RUt on where your at? If we could ML Hunt now there'd be some Awsome Bucks taken with the ML. I see a-lot of 130-160 Class Bucks Chasin Does out of Bow Range and often think of ( if I only had My MLer and we could use them now) But I think if that was the case we'd never see them Big Bucks as they's be all Nocturnal as is the case as soon as Gun Season starts.
Good Luck and Hope your going to Clean your ML this Evening!
(BP)

I could be cleaning right now, but let a small fork horn walk @ 15 yards. Hard to tell about the rut here in VA...seemed like there was more activity around Nov 1, but theoretically we should be hitting prime in the next week or so. Good luck