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muzzleloader tips
edgecam
Member Posts: 3,280
I bought my first muzzleloader recently. It is an older knight. I wanted to know If You guys have any tips as to the cleaning and care of my muzzle loader. I am planning on takeing it out to shoot this weekend and get a feel for it before I take it hunting.
Comments
During hunting you can use windshield washer solvent or hand / baby wipes to clean the bore after firing. Clean with water when you get home. Wipe out the oil in the bore before loading and snap a cap to make sure the nipple vent is clear.
Try to get an Owners Manual or some written material on inline muzzle loaders.
Clean black powder or Pyrodex with hot water (a little dish soap helps) after shooting. Wipe dry the bore. Check for rust the next day. Make sure the breech area is clean and dry. Oil / grease the bore for storage.
During hunting you can use windshield washer solvent or hand / baby wipes to clean the bore after firing. Clean with water when you get home. Wipe out the oil in the bore before loading and snap a cap to make sure the nipple vent is clear.
Try to get an Owners Manual or some written material on inline muzzle loaders.
agree 100% one thing i have done before in the past I will buy a can of compressed air and use that to blow out the nipple before i load works pretty well for blowing out excess oil and water after cleaning. I use hot water and Dawn dish washing liquid to clean all of mine. I rise the barrel with the hottest water i can get and wipe dry use clean patched to wipe out the bore and i use Breakfree oil for long term storage for the bore and outside of the barrel and other metal parts.
Here is the best tip you will get! -- don't use water - or anything with water in it to clean - promotes rust and impedes ignition -- all I have ever used for more than 30 years is the cheapest rubbing alcohol you can buy.
I'm guessing you're referring to 70% isopropyl alcohol?
The other 30% of it is water.
Isopropyl Alcohol is made by combining propylene (propene) and water.
IPA will evaporate much quicker leaving less residue behind, than DHMO.
[:)]
Allen
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
Time to go shooting again I simply remove the nipple, blow out the barrel with brake cleaner again and ready to load and shoot. I have found that brake cleaner is one of the best gun cleaners around. Removes all carbon, lead, oil and dries immediately. Its great for flushing out your trigger group but remember brake cleaner removes all oils so you have to re-oil real good after using it.
Brake cleaner is a little trick I learned back in 1970 from my senior DI right before final inspection in boot camp.
Finally I run regular gun patches down the gun till dry and clean. I finish with a patch of Bore Butter to coat the barrel.
A friend of my dads got my family started in the BP sport and he told me to never use gun solvents to clean a BP barrel. It removes the season of the barrel causeing it to rust faster. Dish soap can be used in place of BP bore cleaning liquids.
I store my freshly cleaned BP guns upside down in the cabinet for at least a month or untill I use them. I was told that the bore butter and any fluid will puddle on the breech end and cause the first shot to mis/hang fire.
Lubricate and protect your gun with a mixture of real lanolin and beeswax. You decide on the mix ratio that suits you. Mix in spoonful batches to start with a 1:1 ratio (50%/50%) mix and go from there until you find the ratio that suits you. You can buy lanolin and beeswax on the Internet and some of the auction sites, such as eebay.
The reason is that when BP or most of the substitute BP products burn with and combine with hydrocarbon-based products, a sticky, nasty asphaltine sludge is produced, which will gum everthing up. This is especially true of weapons with a lot of moving parts, such as bp percussion revolvers. The lanolin and beeswax will not do this.
The way I clean my muzzle loader is to cut a hole out of a gallon milk jug. Fill with HOTTT water mixed with T/C bore cleaner. Take the barrel off the gun, put nipple end in the jug summerced to bottom. Get the carpet looking jag(looks like a tampon) and wet it. Push the carpet looking thing down the barrel and this wet (patch) will force the air out. When you pull it back up it will drawl the water out of the jug through the nipple end and into the bore. I push it up/down few times and switch to brass brush for a few more strokes. I then go back to carpet looking thing with clean water. Sometimes a really dirty gun you will need to take the breech plug or nipple out to get the water to go up the barrel.
Finally I run regular gun patches down the gun till dry and clean. I finish with a patch of Bore Butter to coat the barrel.
A friend of my dads got my family started in the BP sport and he told me to never use gun solvents to clean a BP barrel. It removes the season of the barrel causeing it to rust faster. Dish soap can be used in place of BP bore cleaning liquids.
I store my freshly cleaned BP guns upside down in the cabinet for at least a month or untill I use them. I was told that the bore butter and any fluid will puddle on the breech end and cause the first shot to mis/hang fire.
+1 That is the way I clean mine also, never had a problem with it
Rinse wit more SUPER HOT water and allo to drain and dry.(heat of steel will dry it fast)Re oil and reasemble.DONE!