Cleaning Question

[Milkmaster]

From reading handbooks etc about my new found BP shooting hobby, it would seem there is two ways to go about keeping things clean and operational. Let me see if I understand correctly...

The first is to use petroleum based cleaners and lubricants as with modern firearms.

The second is to always use a natural lubricant like bore butter to season your barrel inside like an iron skillet.


If I am correctly interpreting what I read and having decided to do things in a more traditional fashion, then I have a question.... Do I use bore butter exclusively EVEN on the outside of the barrel as a corrosion inhibitor?

I cleaned my new rifle after it arrived today before assembling it. I used the traditional hot water and soap. Then I ran some soft patches through it until dry. The last thing I did was run a well lubed bore butter patch inside up an down several times. The last thing I did was rub bore butter on the outside and wiped it down with a dry cloth. Is this appropriate or should I have used a gun oil on the outside instead?

Thanks for all replies, opinions, and/or justifications!

 

[pohill]

I use Bore Butter inside and out...(on the gun, not me). Did you know it comes in two scents?

 

[arcticap]

I usually use Bore Butter on the exterior areas where powder residue might accumulate: around the hammer, lockplate, drum, nipple threads, muzzle. Otherwise I'll use a silicone or oiled cloth.
I don't subscribe to the "seasoning" theory though, it's only a lubricant for preserving a clean barrel and a patch lubricant mainly to soften fouling, ease loading and improve multi-shot performance.
Some folks use waxes to preserve their barrel exteriors and stocks which may or may not be natural, but they certainly think that it's practical.
I say "do whatever works and that you feel comfortable doing"

 

[Afy]

I use extra virgin olive oil..

 

[Nortonics]

I think you're doing just great with your methods above. Use the bore butter inside & out.

As I understand, the real problem with petroleum based cleaners & lubes in a black powder firearm is the simple fact that black powder shoots incredibly dirty, and by mixing up that burnt powder with a petroleum based cleaner that is still on the gun protecting it you'll quickly end up with gunk all over it and likely create functionality problems well before if you had used bore butter instead. Even with bore butter you'll need to lightly clean between numerous rounds, but not nearly as often as if you would with petroleum based cleaners & lubes.

BTW, once bore butter dries on the firearm it's still protected - you do not have to keep applying it in order to keep it wet in any fashion. The idea being you're sealing the metal from air getting to it.

I hear good ol' Crisco will work just as well...

 

[Plink]

You can use any good gun oil on the externals to prevent rust. It probably works better than Bore Butter as a rust preventer anyway. I use Ballistol or CorrosionX for lubing and preserving. You can also use gun oil to protect your bore, but you will need to make sure it is cleaned out thoroughly before shooting. Most petroleum products will turn to a nasty tar like fouling if left in the bore during firing. A notable exception is Ballistol. It's petroleum based, but even makes a good patch lube, as well as solvent and rust proofer.

 

[Tbu61]

I guess I'm a little old fashioned. I still use Ivory Liquid soap, a brush and LOTS of HOT water to clean my barrels....

Pass a dry patch in the Heated barrel till it comes out dry. Let the Barrel air dry for a few minutes, then pass a Lightly oiled patch down the bore and wipe the outside with a non-volatile oil.

I have used Buffalo Bullets that are coated with some weird waxy stuff....
That was a real BUGGER to clean out.

 

[Duncaninfrance]

I use Bore Butter inside and out...(on the gun, not me). Did you know it comes in two scents?

What, 'Good grief!' and 'Bloody Hell!'

I was given 2 tubes of the stuff when I got my 1858, used it once and never again. Smells like Germaline antiseptic cream!

 

[sundance44s]

Bore Butter

<< Likes Bore Butter on His Grits

 

[pohill]

Duncaninfrance, did you ever try the "NEW Fresh Pine Bore Butter"? It's exactly the same, only different...

 

[Duncaninfrance]

Duncaninfrance, did you ever try the "NEW Fresh Pine Bore Butter"? It's exactly the same, only different...

I have to say that after my initial experience with the stuff I would never go looking for more! We probably can't get it here anyway.

I use a 40% beeswax/40% parafine wax/20% mutton tallow soaked felt wad between ball and powder and find that perfect. As for preserving the gun in storage, WD40 plus gun oil seems to work fine and it smells " Better Than Butter"

 

[Franco2shoot]

Mixture.

Here's what works for me.
I bought some Altoids mints, the ones in the circular can about a 2 inch diameter tin. Searched for and finally found Burts Bee's wax which was scented. Raided wife's kitchen cabinet and got hold of a bottle of Canoloa oil.

Dump out the Altoids, and wash out the tin. Next heat up the Bees wax, you might need to get creative in the way you hold the tin, but dump the melted wax into the Altoid tin, along with a tablespoon of Canola oil, then squeeze in about an inch long line of Bore Butter. Stir the whole match and put it outside to cool.

The result is a paste that is like the old shoe polish. It applies with your forefinger and provides excellent protection. Plus, it won't gum up the works of your shootin iron when your at the range. Petroleum based oils suck gunpowder residue outta the air and freeze up my Remington before the 3rd shot is fired. Since switching to this Julia Childes mixture, I can fire all day without having to clean the revolver pin.

KKKKFL

 

[LubeckTech]

Anyone have a recipe to "roll your own" bore butter??

 

[rusty from italy]

Hot soapy water for clean and WD40 for preserve!
A patch to dry the oiled bore before to use the gun!

ciao
Rusty

 

[Steve499]

I've never used Bore Butter so I can't address whether my lube has properties similar enough to be considered a "roll your own " for it or not, but I just mix equal parts of real beeswax with olive oil. When those two ingredients are melted together and have cooled, you can judge if you would like a softer or harder end product and re-melt after adding more beeswax for harder or olive oil for softer. I'm using some right now which has deer tallow in there as well, which seems to maybe be a little better at keeping fouling down, based on totally unscientific feel.

I think any combination of beeswax, vegetable oil from any source and/or animal fat from any critter, in any combination of volumes of each which hardens to the consistency you desire for the time of year you are going to be using it, will work just fine.

Steve

 

[English Bob]

Hello everyone

Hot water and Bore Butter seems to work really well in my 1858 Uberti Remington. Still tend to use CLP for overall metal protection, but never in the barrel. The Bore Butter does seem to help with shot to shot accuracy and the gun never seems to bind up even after 50 shots. I love the stuff, interesting that you can get two scents, never knew that.

 

[ElGuapo]

I'm a recent BP convert. Just got my first BP revolver ever, a Uberti 1860 Army, delivered about 2 weeks ago and got all the appropiate cleaning supplies thanks to reading suggestions on this board and others.

I must say I find using non-petroleum cleaning products a very pleasant change. For one, they leave your hands nice and soft, not all dried out like solvents do. The cleanup is much easier and the smell is a bit less noxious than, say, Hoppe's bore solvent.

I use Ballistol and I happen to like the smell, though my co-habitants strongly disagree. It just smells so old-wordly -like what you'd smell if you walked in on your old grandad, cleaning his guns by an old stone fireplace with his faithful dog sleeping at his feet. Also like the fact that its non-toxic.

I wonder: why not clean all guns using 'natural' oils and Bore Butter as lube? Does anyone use these products to clean/lubricate their smokeless guns, including automatics? Olive oil and Bore Butter on your 1911, anyone?

I'd imagine in humid climates, rust would be an issue. I've read Ballistol and other non-petroleum lubes are not the best rust preventers, despite what the package claims.

Edit: And Bore Butter smells like Ben Gay to me.

 

[English Bob]

I have a Springfield Armory 1911NM in stainless so no real rust probs, but tend to use the nasty petroleum based cleaners. I have some of the Miltec non-toxic cleaner which works very well and the Miltec grease is excellent on semi-autos. I have heard that some collectors use wax on their old guns to prevent rust when they don't get cleaned for a long time, personally I prefer CLP.

 

[spottedpony]

soap and water is the long time standard for cleaning, though i'm thinking about a bottle of windex for a quick ckeaning at the range before thorough cleaning at home.
for patch lube on rb's i use 1/4 to 1/2 ounce of beeswax, 4 ounces of crisco (both by weight) and one or two teaspoons of olive oil. This gives a consistancy stiff enough to not be runny in warmer temps, but doesnt harden in cooler weather. i can also treat patch material & precut patches, or lube a patch at the bench with it. without a lot of mess.

 

[CZguy]

I use extra virgin olive oil..

+1

 

[Tbu61]

I read an article on Olive Oil for Stainless guns some years back, thought it was pretty clever and tried it.

Well, shortly after I applied the Olive Oil, I deployed to the Persian Gulf.
Came back 6 months later and my gun (Stainless Delta Gold Cup) was completely gummed up! A really sticky mess, had to tear the gun down to Parade rest.

Maybe residue from a previous oil caused the issue, I dunno...

Learned that lesson and haven't tried again.

CLP works fine for me.

 

[CZguy]

Olive oil

I only use olive oil in the bore of my Black Powder firearms. I do this because petroleum based oil and black powder is a recipe for a very difficult to clean tar. I use a variety of more modern products for my smoke less powder firearms. CorrosionX being my favorite.

 

[mykeal]

Hoppe's & Bore Butter

Ok, here's my confession:

First of all, I use hot water and liquid detergent to clean the bore, cylinder and nipples, and parts of the frame. I wash the internal action parts approximately 3 times a year. All parts are then dried with a hair dryer if they have not dried from the heat of the hot water. On reassembly I oil the internal action parts. I then preserve the bore, cylinder pin, cylinder and frame with a light application of Bore Butter (the yellow stuff). I use some Gorilla Grease on the nipple threads (sparingly). I wipe off all the excess Bore Butter with a clean cloth, and if the gun is going into storage for more than a week I wipe all the externals down with a silicon cloth taking care not to touch the metal parts with bare hands after wiping.

However. I am addicted to the smell of Hoppe's No. 9, ever since I had to work mowing lawns for 3 weeks at the tender age of 10 to earn enough to buy a Hoppe's rifle cleaning kit. You see, my dad bought me my first gun, a Mossberg 140K .22 bolt action as a birthday gift, but I was not allowed to shoot it until I purchased the cleaning kit with my own money. I cleaned that gun for hours and hours (I still have it, 50 years later). The Hoppe's is as much a part of shooting as bullets and powder are, and I can't clean a gun without it. Now, you noticed that I did not mention the Hoppe's in my process description above - no, I don't use Hoppe's or any other petroleum based solvents on my BP weapons, but I do open the jar and let it sit on the bench where I can get a little whiff every now and then...

 

[CZguy]

Hoppe's is as much a part of shooting as bullets and powder are, and I can't clean a gun without it. Now, you noticed that I did not mention the Hoppe's in my process description above - no, I don't use Hoppe's or any other petroleum based solvents on my BP weapons, but I do open the jar and let it sit on the bench where I can get a little whiff every now and then...

 

[Loyalist Dave]

There have been several tests done, and all hot water does is accelerate the rusting of the metal parts. Depending on the steel, sometimes you can actually see the rust form after a few minutes of wiping the water off the barrel, etc.

As for WD-40 AAAAAAAH!
That stuff is at best an external rust preventative, and will gum up an action in a short period of time. Nasy, shellacing stuff (imhe - in my humble experience)

A simple formula for non-toxic, gun grease/bullet lube..., one part beeswax and two parts olive oil. So my average batch is one cup of melted, warm beeswax, and two cups of warm olive oil (cheapest I can find on the shelf). If you want it scented, go to the druggist and get food grade wintergreen oil.

Works both inside and outside of the gun or rifle. Makes good bullet lube. Works as chapstick or on skin exposed to wind (or other places that might be chaffed) It costs only pennies, and if one of the youngsters gets into it, it won't hurt 'em.

A reenactor that I knew used this on the exteriof of his Pedersoli musket (finished in-the-white), as well as in the bore. He and a friend had several adult beverages, and both left their muskets out on the rack overnight. The dew formed. The next morning the gun that was greased was wiped free of dew, and no rust problem. The other musket was....., orange.

Try it.

LD