I am brand new to muzzleloading. I have a T/C Omega (.50) that I took out for the first time this past weekend. I was using Hodgdon Triple-7 and Hornady saboted bullets. On another website, I described my cleaning method in this way:
I was informed that this was wrong in the following terms:
Now, I'm no scientist but isn't rust "iron-oxide"? If you coat a bore with liquified melted Bore Butter, aren't you basically putting a wax seal all the way down the barrel? Wouldn't that seal out the oxygen required to make "iron-oxide"?
I'm open to criticism and advice. That is how we improve ourselves. However, this sounds like urban legend or myth to me. Most people I know who shoot muzzleloaders describe this type of method almost religiously when it comes to cleaning their smoke poles. Someone straighten me out or tell me that I'm correct. I'd hate for this new gun to go to heck.
I took the gun back home and swabbed the barrel with patches soaked in Cabelas Citrus Black Powder cleaner and then I ran boiling water from breech to muzzle. Then I went in with the T/C No. 13 to make sure that everything was perfect and repeated the boiling water routine again. After the barrel was dry (but still quite hot) I took some Bore Butter that I had melted and soaked a patch with it. I passed that patch down the barrel twice and then put the gun away.
I was informed that this was wrong in the following terms:
a barrel is made of metal,the metal has microscopic holes.When you clean with water the water gets in the holes,even if you dry patch the patch cant get in the holes to get the water out.Putting bore butter over the holes filled with water will cause rust.
Now, I'm no scientist but isn't rust "iron-oxide"? If you coat a bore with liquified melted Bore Butter, aren't you basically putting a wax seal all the way down the barrel? Wouldn't that seal out the oxygen required to make "iron-oxide"?
I'm open to criticism and advice. That is how we improve ourselves. However, this sounds like urban legend or myth to me. Most people I know who shoot muzzleloaders describe this type of method almost religiously when it comes to cleaning their smoke poles. Someone straighten me out or tell me that I'm correct. I'd hate for this new gun to go to heck.