Cold turkey on water

[Idaho shooter]

Because of reoccurring rust issues, I am trying bore cleaner to flush and clean my .54 Hawken.When I use soap and water, no matter how clean I get the bore, I pull rust and gunk out of the bore, for days after. My question is: any ideas on a recipe for homemade bore cleaner?

 

[colonelhogan44]

Are you shooting pyrodex?

 

[Idaho shooter]

No, Swiss, Old eynsford

 

[ayetter2003]

Make sure the bore is dry
Run a saturated patch with SLIP 2000 down the bore and leave it there overnight remove ramrod the next day and set rifle in gun cabinet muzzle down on top of rag to catch any oil. Dry patch before you shoot I use SLIP 2000 and have no issues with rust

A cheaper alternative is automatic transmission fluid just about everyone at local club and sometimes myself uses this with no issues. A few dollars for a quart will last a long time

 

[piettakid]

A cheaper alternative is automatic transmission fluid just about everyone at local club and sometimes myself uses this with no issues. A few dollars for a quart will last a long time

I've never used ATF on guns but it is a universal lube. Both automatic and manual trannies take it as do power steering units. Lots of people lube bike chains with it. It would work in engines except it doesn't like high temps.

 

[Crawdad1]

Dry the bore then blast it down with WD-40 or Ballistol. You have to get something underneath all that water. Then use a preservative oil. I use 3 in 1 oil to preserve the bore, but before shooting it again I swab the bore down with rubbing alcohol and blast a cap through it.

 

[zb338]

I'm with Crawdad1. WD40 is a water displacer use a lot of it. It will
displace the water. I usually use boiling water pour it down the bore.
It dries real quick. Then the WD40, then a good gun oil to preserve
what you cleaned.

Zeke

 

[Crawdad1]

Exactly Zeke!!! You GOT TO use something to get between all that water and all that moisture and the metal.

 

[robhof]

robhof

I've used the WD40 also, invented for NASA and has thousands of uses, only a fair lube though, best as a water displacer. As far as ATF fluid, it's one of the slickest lubes around and many gunsmiths use it as even the finest gun lubes are variations of ATF with additives so as not to pay royalties and cost many times as much. With over 20 guns, I've been milking a quart of ATF for 2 yrs, a little goes a long way.

 

[Ironhand54]

The old three part cleaner recipe has always worked well for me.

Equal parts Murphys oil soap, rubbing alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide. Store in a light proof container. Cheap, easy and it works great.

Ironhand

 

[stringnut]

I've never used ATF on guns but it is a universal lube. Both automatic and manual trannies take it as do power steering units. Lots of people lube bike chains with it. It would work in engines except it doesn't like high temps.

Kinda puzzled about your statement about atf and high temperatures. In heavy trucks automatic transmissions often run in the 250 degree range in severe duty applications. This is with plain old Dexron 2 or 3. Motor oil typically runs at about engine coolant temperature of 200 or a bit more. Although, oil coming back from the turbo is much hotter. Both are made from the same stock. Atf is approximately a 10 w and motor oil is whatever the manufacturer calls for. There is a huge difference in the additive package. Atf has all kinds of stuff that motor oil doesn't need. The detergent and anti corrosion abilities of it may be why it makes a good black powder gun lube. However, atf has nothing in it to deal with the by products of combustion. All kinds of crap ends up in the oil on a car and believe me a diesel is a lot worse. Cannot see an engine having a long life with atf in it.

 

[rodwha]

I really like how Ballistol will mix with water but allows the water to evaporate leaving just oil behind.

 

[Browning Guy]

I have used a TC Hawkins since 1975. All I have ever used for cleaning the BORE is HOT water. Pull the nipple, set the breech into a bucket of as HOT of water as your tap will dispense. Using either a cleaning jag on your ramrod or a cleaning rod, wrap a piece of wet cloth around it 'till it is tight to the bore, tight enough to cause a pumping action to suck water into and out of the breech hole. Run the rod up and down in the bore from one end to the other. This sucks in new hot water and flushes it out with each pump. Keep doing this until the barrel gets HOT to the touch. Pull the barrel out of the water and pump the rod to "flush" the water from the bore. Replace the cleaning patch with another dry one that is bore size and run it up and down the bore to dry the water. Replace the damp rag with a dry one, put a little of your favorite gun oil on it (mine was usually Hoppes) and run it up and down bore several times to oil it from rust. The key being to get your barrel HOT to the touch. After wiping out the collected water the heat of the barrel will dry it internally, then your oily patch will coat it from rusting. Wipe down the outside of the bbl. and the lock with your oily rag and you are good to go. So far that has worked for me since I got my rifle for the "Bicentennial"....darn that sound old! (I guess it is) LOL

 

[J-Bar]

^^^

What he said. A perfect description of my cleaning process as well.

 

[midland man]

browning guy that's neat I use just generic dawn dishsoap in hot water to clean my barrels then I rinse in hot water and use 150psi of compressed air to dry out the barrel then I lube it with either 3 in 1 oil or homemade bore butter and alls been good here!

 

[swathdiver]

You appear to be an excellent candidate for Dutch Schoultz's "The System". It'll be the best $20 you ever spend on muzzleloading.