I just got my first ML and have only shot it twice. After shooting it I scrubbed it with a brush, ran 2 or three patches with solvent down the barrel, then ran dry patches through until it came out clean. I scrubbed the breech plug and then coated the threads with fairly heavily with anti seize stick. before I screwed the breech plug back in, the bore looked pretty clean. However I looked through it a day later and there were a bunch of black flakes all the way down the barrel. The CVA anti seize stick I used is very thick and black, so I am hoping that since the barrel was pointed down as I screwed the breech plug back in a bunch of flakes from the stick fell down the bore. I cleaned the bore again and pointed the barrel up as I screwed the breech plug back in, but there is still some black flakes in the barrel. Has this ever happened to anyone else, or does anyone have any input?

two more questions: can you use WD 40 as your anti seize stick and does a bore snake do a decent job on a muzzleloader?

you only need a light coating of anti seize. Black flakes got got to be from the anti seize. Do they smear easily?

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If the bore was nice and clean when you put the plug back in, I am guessing it is either anti seize or something that was in the breech area that got pushed forward.

Take a patch, apply some isopropyl alcohol to it. Now swab the bore real good. Now look down there. If it is clean, apply some gun oil to a clean patch and swab the barrel with that. You should be all set.

WD 40 is a good product. It will displace water in the bore.. hence the WD (water displacer). I personally don't like to use it on triggers or moving parts as extended use over time can develop an almost like sticky varnish finish to it. But in a barrel it should be fine.

Last, I never used a bore snake on any firearm.