After season is over for good, I plan on cleaning my barrel with boiling water. How do you guys seal your barrel off so the water dont run out of it? I used to use bore butter, do you think some of it might still be in my bore? Any tips or pointers will eb reatly appreciated.. I have a CVA Optima 50 Cal.

Also a rumor I heard that I would like to get cleared up, I heard that shooting Sabots wold leave a plastic coating on the inside of my barrel, is that true? I been shooting them and my barrel shines better than new.

If you can remove the stock, just close the action...any water that comes out will do so slowly. But that's if you want the barrel sealed for soaking, you can also pull the breech plug and just keep pouring water down the barrel and swabbing etc. until you're done.
Plastic fouling from sabots can be a problem for some, but I never had an issue...just cleaned the barrel as usual between shooting sessions and I never noticed any problems.

I've never had a problem with plastic fouling from sabots, even when shooting very hot loads from my Savage with no between shot swabbing. Never even a trace of plastic left behind.

As fas as hot water cleaning goes, you really don't need to soak the barrel at all. If the barrel can be removed from the action and the forestock removed from the barrel as well, then all you need to do is immerse the breechplug end, with the breechplug installed, into a bucket/sink/bathtub full of the hottest water you can work with and a squirt of dish soap (bucket recommended if you're married or you'll likely have a very unhappy wife! ). Then take a bore mop (or cleaning jag with a snug patch if you don't have a mop) and pump it through the barrel repeatedly. This will create enough suction to draw water into the bore (like a well pump) and will blow the water out of the breechplug with each stroke. I used to use this method with my sidelock rifles after shooting both real BP, Pyrodex and T7 with outstanding results. Just be aware that you'll need to let the barrel and breechplug dry completely and then carefully apply a preservative (I use Breakfree CLP) to ALL surfaces because the hot soapy water will completely degrease the barrel and the bore will rust quickly. But this method is the fastest and most thourough way to clean a BP rifle.

Mike

I have been shooting sabots for awhile and no trace of plastic in my barrles , But I do a compleate Clean down after A range setion or hunting.

As far as cleaning Why do you not Pull your breech plug Put the muzzle end in your water and work from the breech end to clean your gun.

killadoe

Sabot plastic... probably not an issue like it use to be because of the new self lubricating polymere plastic tht is being used. With the older plastic I did get some plastic fouling but it was easily removed with boiling water treatment....

I am a dinosourer of sorts.. i still have not got quck detachable scope mounts on my inlines... don't trust em - I no they are probably OK - but only probably... So for me to to do the boiling water tretment which I do I have to do it in a different manner. I first run regular windex patches through the bore until they come out as clean as they went in. Then, I put hat tap water in a bucket with a Zep cleaner/degreaser... in the bottom of the bucket I place a folded up thick wash rag. I put the muzzle on that wash rag and insert the bore mop from the breech and pump the water up while mopping the barrel. After I have cleaned the bore with hot tap to my satisfaction I then pour biling water down the breech into the bore being careful not to get the boiling water on the scope. I pour most of a teapot through and then on the last couple of pours I will let the boiling water drop a ways in the barrel then go back with the mop for some gentle mopping. I remove the barreled action from the bucket set it in a gun cradle and run dry patches through the barrel... I also use a can of compressed air and blow air through the bore to blow out or evaporate any remaining water. Then while the bore is hot, to hot to touch, I oil the bore heavily with Slip 2000 and let it sit inside the bore until it cools to room temp. Then dry patches to get the excess oil out. When the barrel is completly cooled and at normal room temp I do run another Slip 2000 patch if the gun is going to be stored for awhile...

Basically that is how treat all of the ML's blued or stainless...

Here is what I do, pretty much what everyone has recommended but a good guide anyway:

http://www.castbullet.com/misc/clean.htm


http://www.cva.com/muzz/muzz5.htm

http://mamaflinter.tripod.com/id9.html

Hotwater (not boiling), 3" patches and wire brush will remove all that nasty bore butter. I don't recommend using that stuff unless you are using conicals. Otherwise, there are a ton of name-brand oils out there that work better to preserve the bore.

I had some kind of build up. use to shoot the old sabots but also greased them with bore butter..a combination I wouldn't recommend. At the time we didn't know you werent' supposed to "grease" the sabots, leftover habit from shooting conicals I guess. Anyway was having some acuracy issues with my Rem700 and using a light I could see some type of build up where the lands and grooves meet. cleaned with soap and hot water until patches were clean then I tried some bore solvent that supposedly was designed to remove plastic fouling and the patch came out almost solid black. cleaned with the solvent until I got clean patches then oiled it etc. next trip to the range it was shooting one ragged hole at 50+yds. I don't know if the residue was plastic, bore butter or what, but I alsways felt like it was from shooting those old plastic sabots.