best way to clean a fullstock FL?

More specifically,
is it possible to clean one properly w/o removing the barrel from the delicate stock?
Any/all advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Beav.

As a general rule, there is never any reason to remove the barrel from the stock.

When I'm "in the field", I will use tow on the tow worm (or a patch on a jag). Take the lock off and prop the butt end of the gun up on something with the touch hole pointed down, spit some water into the bore and swoosh it out with the wet tow. Rinse and repeat. Make sure it is ultra dry and then oil it.

When I'm at home in the shop, I use the clamp on tube thingy and drop the end in a bucket of water and clean it that way. :wink:

At home, I plug the touch-hole with a toothpick, fill the barrel with warm water (and sometimes a little dishsoap), allow to soak and dump. I then rinse with water only until the water is relatively clear, swab with wet patches until clean, swab with dry patches and then a patch with bear oil. Clean the exterior of the barrel with a damp patch, then dry and oil.

In the field, water or spit-damp patches followed by dry and then lubed with a bear-grease soaked patch from my tin.

Thanks for the replies.

The clamp on tube sounds intriguing, I have seen this done on percussion guns where tubing is attached to the nipple hole but wondered how this is accomplished with a non-threaded touch hole.
Is the clamp available commercially or a home brew thing?


My rifle has no nose cap. Should I be protecting the end grain with a towel or something during swabbing or would just turning the gun upside down be sufficient?

I don't mean to be pesky but this rifle is too pretty to damage and too fascinating to leave unfired.

I crruently do a variation on Black Hands' method. Once upon a time I just plugged the vent and swabbed. But it took many, many patches to get clean patches back out.

Out of curiosity I tried filling the bore in the sequence he described, and sure enough I got more fouling when I followed that with a patch.

Now I pull off the lock and soak and rinse toe bore just as he describes. But I have a good gun cradle, so I put the gun in that upside down for my swabbing. The cradle is just one more measure against accidently getting water into the barrel inlet. I could live without the cradle, but since it's right there on the bench....

I always remove my touch hole liner. I have a short screw with an O ring that I plug where the touch hole liner go's. I then fill the barrel with water and let it stand while I clean up the lock. Next I dump the water and run a brass brush up and down a couple of times.Next I run dry patches down until they come up clean. I follow that up with TC#13 cleaner and dry patches I usually run one wet patch and two dry ones until they come out clean. I don't usually put oil in thee barrel.I wipe the entire rifle down with bore cleaner and reassemble.

Remove the lock, plug the touch hole and soak the bore a while with water and a bit of detergent. Pour water out and rinse bore. Turn rifle up side down to swab (ala Brown Bear). Wipe lock down. Oil. Done.

I do the same as Black Hand and have found no need for modern do dads for cleaning a gun with barrel on.I wrap a strip of rag around the stock behind the vent hole in case the vent leaks a bit.

I have a Traditions Shenandoah that has an extremely small patent breach that is miserable to clean I had to enlarge it to almost .20 caliber to be able to get something in there to clean it, so removing it from the stock makes the process much easier. My next small caliber flinter will be a custom made rifle with a standard breachplug so that cleanup will be way easier with out having to remove the rifle from the stock.

I use the same tube attachment Stophel does, it works perfectly and is quick and easy. I got mine from Track.

This is the same way I do it. Except for bear oil. I just use standard Remington gun oil or wd-40. Works miracles. Also, occassionally I use Windex soaked patches and alcohol swabs. No9 solvent works too for swabing. They work great, especially at the range for in between such if you swipe between of course. Tootpick so far works best, so I keep on using the tootpick.
Good luck!
Mike

Thank you all for the help.
I will commence to building a cradle for swabbing the rifle upside down. I will try the soaking rinsing routine. I don't have any bear grease so I will sub with Ballistol.

The wonderful lady that gifted me this rifle also tolerates me cleaning my guns in her kitchen. So in the interest of continuing relations, I am willing to forgo tradition and try the tube clamp.

I use a mixture of water and Balistol, plug the vent and pour a little down the barrel. I let it set a few moments, then hit it with cleaning patches. Once the patches come out clean I clean the exterior with a rag dampened with a little of the mixture, then wipe dry with a clean, dry rag. Once the bore is dry I coat with a little pure Balistol to prevent rust. The Balistol seems to work well as a preservative. I swab a dry patch before I shoot the next time.

Just depends on what you consider clean.

I know a lady that backs her car off the carport every time it rains & lets the rain wash her....... She says it is clean... :haha:

Some people take their car to one of those "jet spray" car washes & it knocks the dust off & they call it cleaned. :hmm:

Others hand wash them & get ALL the dirt, grime & road yuck off & it is cleaned. :wink:

It is up to you how you want it done & how well cleaned you really want it. :idunno:

For me, cleaning one Upside Down in a rifle cradle using a flushing attachment, if you want it Really Clean. This way you know you got all the gunk out of it in ALL of the bore, no water gets under the barrel, it is a good thorough cleaning procedure that works. It is cleaned, dried, & the bore preserved so I know it is not gonna make me sick when I get it out the next time & look in the bore.









Once you do the procedure 4-5 times, you can clean a fullstock flintlock or Percussion in 15 min. & be done with it. Now a few have told me my method is "too much trouble"..... :hmm: and all that cleaning is not really necessary. And that is fine if they think that. But I know I have rifles I have owned for many years and the bores look like they are brand new.... and the rifles still shoot like they are brand new....

If you want the cleaning procedure I use, I have the details so I can email it. Email me at [email protected] and I will send it to you. Put "Flintlock Cleaning" in the subject line.

Keith Lisle

The cleaning clamp can be bought at Track or Dixie. Works real well. one word of advice remove the liner from the vent. Water can leak from the screw slot on some liners. :thumbsup:

I get them from Dunlap Woodcrafts & modify them so a flat faucet washer will go against the barrel. If you file the threaded side some so the washer will recess back more than this one, it will fit larger barrels. Much less leakage with the faucet washer.



Keith Lisle

Ok, not sure about this vent liner. It appears to be a permanent fixture. Any suggestions on leaving or removing/replacing it?

Thank you Keith for your kind offer, email sent.

i would not remove that liner. i don't think removing them is a good idea anyway. threads wear.

The clamp I use will seal over that vent liner. No way I would remove it.

Keith Lisle

My Bess I removed the barrel once in 15 years and my current flint rifle I haven't yet removed the barrel (six years) and have no plans to do so. I don't use a tube thinghy. I pull the lock, lay the rifle vent down on old towels and keep the muzzle below the breech - either out on the deck or inside at the laundry tub with the rifle laod across the washing machine.

I run sopping wet patches up while holding the muzzle wrapped in a towel. Works great.