cleaning between shots

You heard right, a few drops of common dish soap in a gallon of water is all that's needed.
BP and the subs are all water soluble.
Bring the thing into the shower with ya, :wink:
Bore scrubbers and the like used with CF guns won't work well as they'er not water based.
Getting the barrel dry and lightly oiled after cleaning is also key to prevent any rust from forming.

It's been determined here that the term "seasoning" is the same as coating the bore with some kind of protectant.
(not the same as "seasoning" a fry pan! It's a misnomer of the term when applied to guns. So if you see someone say "season" it just means coating the bore not cooking it in.)
Many items are available for this, again it's an individuals choice of technique.

Petroleum oils (Gun oil) work fine just like CF guns but it needs to be wiped dry before shooting the next time. BP residue, heat and oil can mix into some really hard stuff to clean out of the bore next time.

Also, too much of any bore protectant can plug the fire channel, the small area from the cap to the main charge, it's just a matter of learning judicial use.

I mean "Gun scrubber" it is a rifle barrel cleaner. :haha:

I don't use Gun Scrubber on mine. Like the others said soap & water, then dry it out well and coat with something to protect it from rust. I use windshield washer fluid to clean my bore with. Then I swab it with denatured alcohol to dry it out & then apply Barricade protectant to the inside of the bore as well as the outside of it. Next time i'm ready to shoot I use a couple of alcohol patches down the bore to assure the oil is gone then pop a cap or two to clear out the flash channel on my perc guns. It works for me OOMV :thumbsup:

Rifleman1776 said:

Controversial issue. There are many who seem to get their jollies by bragging about how many shots they can take without swabbing. I don't see the point.

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Point is they have achieved an added simplicity in their routine that means they don't have to fumble out a jag from their shooting pouch and take the time to attach it, fish out a patch and wipe and then replace the jag between shots.

With my rig I can get off eight shots without having to open my hunting bag. Three patched balls on my horn strap and five more in a block carried in a sheath at the back of my bag.

Does it matter a snit to anyone else? Likely not. But it adds to my enjoyment of a woods walk or plinking/target shooting to have less to do and futz with.

Good for you if you enjoy wiping between shots. I don't. :idunno:

Really guy's?

Must have more to do with where a person lives and the weather. Some guys above posted that the use of subs didn't work for them due to fouling. Well here in Wisconsin I can shot subs with wonder lube and not have problems. I can also shoot Goex in my small bores with out wiping. Now if a a person was to shoot sabots then wiping would be required as there is not lube going down the barrel.

So I guess it all depends on the weather and where you live. Ya have to do what ya have to do.

,it'll tell you what it likes or dislikes

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And, when that happens, it can be in the middle of a woods walk, Seneca run or while hunting in the middle of nowhere. And, it will tell you it's dislikes with a ball stuck halfway down the barrel and you are out of the shooting business until you can get back to your tools.
Been there, done that 40 years ago. Since then I swab between every shot. Also, when hunting 'Xs' I swab for accuracy. Targets don't lie, it makes a difference.

Target shooting, plinking, and hunting are different disciplines and as such can require different methods. What difference does it make to anyone else how someone else shoots his gun? If that is how they like to pass the time, go for it. The issue is when someone claims something is necessary. And swabbing is certainly not necessary, generally speaking.

I'm not sure I get this thread. If one's rifle is hard to load only after a couple of shots, clean it or try a different lube. If one's rifle can easily go 20 shots or more without cleaning, then why do it?

If one's rifle can easily go 20 shots or more without cleaning, then why do it?

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Because, you are quite literally, shooting with a different barrel configuration each succeeding shot and that affects accuracy. Also, you often never know when the barrel will say "enough" and you end up with stuck balls or other problems.

flintlock62 said:

If one's rifle is hard to load only after a couple of shots, clean it or try a different lube.
If one's rifle can easily go 20 shots or more without cleaning, then why do it?

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And we have a winner !!
:thumbsup:

Depending on the shooting conditions and the lube, the bore condition can remain the same for each successive shot, from the 2nd shot, through the 25th, to the 50th, and after years of first hand experience doing it I'm sure right on past 50 shots.

One shot's fouling stays soft from moisture...gets wiped off the bore walls when the next PRB is seated...and is deposited around the circumference of the powder charge.

The next firing ejects that tiny bit of fouling and that shot then leaves its single shot's worth of fresh soft fouling on the bore walls.

Seat the next PRB and the cycle repeats...bore condition is the same for every shot...only one shot's worth of fouling in the bore which gets wiped off every time.

Hoppe's is one example of an outstanding commercial lube that allows that to happen...I've run 50 shots without wiping at all and a single cleaning patch for the ride home only has a medium gray color on it from the lands/grooves after 50 shots.

I agree. Liquid lubes and thin wax/grease lubes can go on indefinately with the right amount as the squeegeeing of each successive shot being loaded clears the bore. The trick is to use just enough to do that with your ball and patch size in combination. Likely your rifling profile and smoothness of the bore walls contribute a great deal.

Certainly wiping each shot is not a problem beyond time and effort - unless you push a crud ring down that fouls the vent or isn't cleaned away enough to keep the ball from gradually seating further forward. Presumably the wipe between is thorough enough to prevent that.

Agree with your point that wiping has been known to actually 'cause' problems.

For me, every T/C, GM, and Rice barrel I've owned, regardless of caliber, gauge, square grooves, round grooves has allowed me to shoot without wiping between shots with high humidity or a good lube like Hoppes as an example.

I had originally wondered if the fairly new .40cal with its smaller size would make it more sensitive than a larger caliber but it turns out it makes no difference all...it just keeps right on shooting through the whole range session.

Ya hit the nail on the head!... On ALL points.

FWIW.. I wipe between shots to knock out any embers that may still be burning, to take out a possible crud ring that may have formed from the last shot and to maintain consistancy if for nothing else.
If ya ever make it out to Friendship and get a chance to watch those guys shoot.About all those guys swab between shots.
Just my 2 cents and for sure not the gospel.. :thumbsup: