What is your favorite cleaning solvent?

[scythefwd]

Hey all,
I am new to BP shooting. I haven't even fired my new rifle and I am already thinking about how to keep it in good condition. What are your favorite solvents for cleaning the residue after an afternoon of making smoke? After searching, I see that soapy water has a sizable following. Windex was mentioned a couple of times. I have also seen that I do not want to use a petroleum based cleaning agent. This is for the big teardown at the end of a range day.. not for between shots.

Thanks for any and all advice.

 

[BHP FAN]

HOT,slightly soapy water. Followed by hot,clear water.Then cleaned throughly like any other conventional gun,using whatever you usually use.One caution,do not get WD40 in revolver chambers,or If you do,you'll need to clean with alcohol the day before a shoot.Windex does make a good field expedient cleaner for at the range.

 

[scythefwd]

BHP,
Thanks for the tip about the revolver... but I am probably not going to get into those (I say that right now... but just you watch ).

OH, what do you mean by HOT? Just shy of boiling... say 210 degrees or are we talking not scalding but hot to the touch..... somewhere around 130 degrees?

 

[theotherwaldo]

I usually put my dis-assembled Remington in a 8-quart pan full of soapy water and simmer until the grease quits rising. Then a scrub with a soapy chunk of t-shirt, hot rinse (140 degrees plus), and on to a regular cleaning with Hoppe's. I do use regular gun oil for storage, wiping down before use. I find that it's better to run the gun as dry as possible rather than use a lot of any kind of lube.

 

[Smokin_Gun]

Hot Soapy water and clean hot rinse water with a couple brushes to clean Black Powder residue...ambiant water temps work as well.

 

[higene]

Cleaning BP

Shooters Choice will take the browning (rust) off of BP weapons so treated.



Higene

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Another vote for hot soapy water. Also like aerosol brake cleaner.

 

[Ginormous]

Hoppes #9. I'm inclined to open the bottle even when cleaning my BP guns, just because it smells so good. Warm soapy water does the cleaning, otherwise.

 

[Ratdog68]

I use Hodgdon's 777 powder...

they claim it's a clean up with water only.

I found that after shooting, I run a brass brush up/down the bore and then use the T/C bore cleaning product on a patch/jag (took only three patches to come clean) and then another patch of T/C's bore butter... and I was ready to go for the next day's worth of shooting. Long term storage will see something a little more hearty to protect 'em.

 

[[email protected]]

Plain old blue windschield washer stuff.

 

[arcticap]

It depends on which powder is used and the situation.
My favorite is Hoppe's Number 9 Plus BP Solvent & Patch Lube.
I also like Rusty Duck Black Off that's sold at some Walmarts. It's only $5 for 16 ozs. and it evaporates relatively quickly. It contains Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
I have some No. 77 Birchwood Casey Muzzle Magic Cleaner to try out next.
Another that is said to work well is Dixie's "Black Solve".
It doesn't hurt to have different solvents on hand in one's cleaning arsenal for when they're needed & to give stubborn caked on deposits a 1-2 punch.
But sometimes there's no substitute for old fashion elbow grease!

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/default.php?cPath=22_102_502

 

[4v50 Gary]

I've got Hoppe's for blackpowder, but most of the time I use hot, soapy water. Old fashion still works.

 

[scythefwd]

Thanks for the info guys. Looks like hot soapy water it is. I have a couple of questions...

I literally just bought my inline. Before firing any new gun, I do a cleaning. The first patch that went down the barrel came back with a lot of black crud on it. I ran about 6 more patches down it, some dry, some with CLP on it and they finally came out clean. I then ran a dry one down it again just to clean up any standing residue. For a gun that has never been fired, is this normal?

I plan on getting a .50 cal bore brush and a swab for the barrel/bore. Is there anything else you guys would recommend? I already have a bore sized jag on the end of the ramrod.

What are your guys suggestions on anti seize for my breech plug? Should I stick with ones for ML rifles only or will pretty much any automotive anti seize work in your experience? I already know the manufacturer will recommend their brand of anti seize and bore cleaner, so I am looking for others experience besides the company line.

Thanks again for all of the advice. I can't wait to get out and shoot it, but I have to wait on my mentor to have some free time. I also hope my .308 barrel comes in by then Then it's a whole lot of fun for a day.

 

[arcticap]

If not most, at least some new guns are test fired for function before leaving the factory. So if the black crud in your barrel was powder residue maybe that's why. If it wasn't powder residue then perhaps it was a protective coating of grease, oil and/or polishing residue.

I like to always have a patch worm handy. It's a ramrod attachment with 2 wire hooks on it which helps to fish loose patches out of the bore.

Any grease might work for breech plug threads but I personally wouldn't use just any grease because there's a chance that it could be incompatible with some powder.
For instance, Klean Bore makes "TW25 B", a non-toxic military tested grease. Its label clearly states "Black Powder does not adhere to TW25 B".
I've used Bore Butter and Knight breech plug grease trying to be careful to not plug any flash holes with it.
Others have said that they use high temperature automotive anti-seize grease containing a copper compound.
While some choke tube greases seem like they might also be quite suitable for breech plugs, I'd rather use breech plug grease on choke tube threads than vice versa.
Everyone has their own preferences.

 

[billnpatti]

My procedure for cleaning after a day at the range is to use hot soapy water in a bucket. If you have a rifle with a patent breach, remove the barrel from the stock, remove the nipple, place the breach end of the barrel in the bucket of hot soapy water and place a wet patch on your cleaning rod. Run the rod down the barrel and pump it several times to get the water up into the barrel. Pump the cleanign patch up and down the whole length of the bore to remove all of the fouling. Clean all of the gunk off around the nipple hole. Then drain the barrel and lean it up against a tree or other outside support. Pour about a quart of boiling water through the bore and let it drain completely. While it is still hot, spray some WD-40 into the bore to remove the last remnants of water. Next, I run a dry patch or two through the bore to remove all of the WD-40, which has done its job of removing the last of the water. Lastly, I run a patch with Bore Butter on it through the bore, wipe the outside with Bore Butter and the barrel is done. Clean your lock, hammer, etc and wipe it with Bore Butter. Clean your stock and you may want to occasionally wipe a light coat of floor wax on it and buff it. When this is done, your gun is clean and ready for the gun cabinet until the next outing. BTW, I use Ballistol to oil my lock. Best stuff in the world.

Caveat: I may have missed a step or two but if you are doing a good job cleaning your gun you will cover them on your own.