What are you using to preserve you muzzle loader barrel?

clp is a excellent cleaner but its not prestine for preserving a bore. im a big fan of ballistol swabbed in my bores though im sure others would disagree

I normally use Bore Butter but WD-40 is a good rust preventative however it has no fish oil in it or any fish byproducts in it. That's internet hearsay. When I use Bore Butter I fire a blank charge before loading a live round.

Bore Butter.

I've used CLP for decades in everything as a rust inhibitor with no complaints. A few years ago I switched to using Ballistol for BP. I've used Ballistol a couple times on smokeless guns as well. So far so good.

Hello Thomasss,

I've been using Bore Butter for the last 40 years, no issues.

AntiqueSledMan.

I’m a Ballistol guy.

Thomasss said:

I've been using Bore Butter for over 30 years with few complaints. I learned I have to leave a finger full at the muzzle without plugging it and to re-apply every 6 months. A couple of months ago from advice from a friend, I tried WD-40 as a preservative and it works very good. Ned Roberts use to talk about whale or fish oil and if you don't know WD-40 is some kind of refined fish oil.
A better question might be: Has anyone tried CLIP to preserve their barrels from rusting?

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Ive used bore butter in the past and it works. I’ve used CLP as well, still have at least a half gallon of the stuff. I have some Ballistol around here too. Eezox is a very good rust preventative but my go to these days is FrogLube. It’s an excellent dry film rust prevention product that leaves no residue on firing. Clean with water, coat surfaces lightly with FrogLube, and it’s protected.

I use G96 for everything and have for the last 60 years. (its smell reminds me of bananas rather than smelling Ballistol which smells like something is spoiled .. or worse.)

I use Burchwood casey's barricade.

I switched from WD-40 to Ballistol about 20 years ago.

Thomasss said:

and if you don't know WD-40 is some kind of refined fish oil.

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No fish oil in WD-40. https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/ I'm not a muzzleloader guy, yet. I was given one with a bore that appears to be rusted beyond repair, so the subject interests me. I'd like to get it going again, either with a replacement barrel or by getting it re-bored (Is that still done?) Has anyone tried Fluid Film?

The question made me curious. After cleaning my TC Hawken after last year's muzzleloader season (water, dab of Dawn dishwashing detergent, dry thoroughly), I ran a swab of Lucas Extreme Duty Gun Oil down the barrel. Just now I pushed a clean patch down the barrel to see what could be picked up. That patch is on the left in the photo. Then I re-applied the lube on another patch. That patch is on the right, next to the oil bottle. Both patches glided down the bore smoothly. I'm pleased with the way both patches look.

Come next deer season, I will run a clean patch down the bore to remove the lube, then load the clean dry barrel. I think as long as you get SOMETHING in there for long term storage, you will be ok.

CLP is a refined version of Three-in-One: cleaner, lubricant, and protectant.
There are better cleaners.
There are better lubricants.
There are better protectants.
But the all in one bottle is too convenient.

Oh,opening post. During a season of shooting muzzleloader, I used Bore Butter as a protectant month to month. For storage longer than three months, I cleaned the barrel thoroughly and used a refined clear gun oil from Hoppe's or Remington.

CoalCrackerAl said:

I use Burchwood casey's barricade.

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Yep, same here.

I clean with moose milk and or Balistol then final oil with Fluid Film.

Ballistol for short term storage.

If I'm storing one for a while I use Barricade, or RIG grease.

I use WD-40. I like it because of it's water displacement properties, which makes it great at preventing rust.

Living in new Mexico.

I use reclaimed A/C compressor oil. I clean with 409, dry, swab with a patch wet with compressor oil, good to go. Never had a rust issue, got a gallon from a good friend a long time ago. Still have most of that gallon.

Jackrabbit1957 said:

I use reclaimed A/C compressor oil. I clean with 409, dry, swab with a patch wet with compressor oil, good to go. Never had a rust issue, got a gallon from a good friend a long time ago. Still have most of that gallon.

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My dad used waste hydraulic fluid for rust prevention, weed killer, form oil, wood preservative, etc, etc…

Ballistol and/or Bore Butter…whichever one is closer when I’m cleaning the barrel.

i make my own bore butter using beeswax and lard and i use it to coat the bore, cylinders etc. have had no rust issues at all! i let one set two/three years and it had a red hue to it but I wiped it out with clean patches and just relub with my homemade bore butter and my bores still look like new!

smokeless powder.......

Before i switched to smokeless I cleaned my blackpowder muzzy spotless and would coat the bore in either the Lucas CLP (cause thats what i have on hand for "general" cleaning and rust prevention), or corrosion block. That worked well as long as i didnt dither on cleaning it after getting home from shooting or hunting.

I tried T/C bore butter and leaving it "dirty" for the first part of one season, but that just came out like red mud a few days later and proved more work then it was worth so I reverted back to other stuff. I used to just clean the bore well before taking it out the next time we went hunting.

WD-40