Cleaning ?????

[tx50cal]

I have only owned hooked breech percusion rifles. I want to get a flintlock long rifle with a pinned barrel. What is the cleaning technique for these type of rifles? Do you just plug the touch hole with a toothpick and let the bore soak then clean with patches or do you use one of the flusher kits that screws into the touch hole liner threads. I don't want to remove the barrel very often due to wear on th pin holes. Thanks for the help. Rob

 

[Craig]

I have been using the toothpick method but I have been threatening to get a flusher kit from Dixie Gun Works. The toothpick never seems to seal or else I plunge the barrel and pop it out with the water going all over my gun.

I would be interested in how well the flusher kits work, myself.

 

[ronrryan]

As to toothpicks: I buy the box, then cut them in half. Then each time I want to use one, I trim the end a bit square with my patch knife, and tap it into the venthole with my short starter (the ball end). This seems to prevent leaking. I put water or cleaner in the bore, tip the barrel up and down a few times, and then let the barrel sit for a while (work on the lock, kibitz with others, etc.) Then I turm the rifle over so the touchhole is down or on one side, start a wet patch in the bore, pull the toothpick, and squirt the bore water out. A fine long stream will clean out the vent area as it exits. Afterthat it is cleaning by patch, and whatever solvents appeal to you. Your mileage may vary. Good smoke, Ron in FL

 

I pour a half pint of water (straight stuff, no soap, no heat), I pour it down mm barrell and a feather in the flash hole keeps it from running out, slosh it around a bit and you will be amazed how much manure pours out. Two or three patches to dry the bore. let it set for an hour and lube the bore with your favorite oil.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

I have one of those c-clamp flushers that works OK for pined barrels but I use the Peroxide, 91% rubbing alcohol, Murphys oil soap, mix one third each let it set ten minutes dump it out and wipe. Then I use bore butter. :winking: Rocky

 

[TN.Frank]

I've been using a tooth pick(round kind) cut in half to plug the touch hole, then I pour some luke warm water down bore, put my finger over the muzzle and shake it up a bit. I do this 3 or 4 times until the water comes out looking pretty much clean. Then I use a dry patch then one with Ballistol until it comes out looking decent. I finish off with a patch with olive oil. I've never been able to get it "squeeky clean", the patches always come out with something on em', I figure if I run a oiled patch down bore ever few days or so it won't get hurt much with rust. Anyone else have trouble getting the bore squeeky clean?

 

[Birddog6]

I use this method to clean all my flintlocks & percussions, longrifles and halfstocks.

I use dishwater liquid soap & cold water for the flushing solution. (or 2 oz of Ballistol per gallon of water in a jug)
I put the rifle upside down in a cradle & remove the lock & have the barrel end a little lower than the buzzle. This way if I get any seepage out of the clamp or fitting, it stays on the Outside bottom of the barrel & NOT down into the barrel channel.

Next thing I do is take a breech scraper & scrape the accumulated fouling off the breech face. It takes about 15 seconds & knocks all that thick crud off the breech face. (Note: they make a special scraper for a GPR & T/C or you can take a standard blade scraper in .36 cal & make one for them by rounding the edges of the blade to the contour of the patent breech interior. On a 40-45 you may need a .32 cal on for this)

Then remove the range rod & invert the rifle muzzle down & bump the breech with your hand & the fouling will fall out. Now put the rifleback in the cradle upside down & connect the Flush Kit & wet a patch, put it on a jag on a range rod with a bore protector & take it to the breech & then suck the barrel full of the solution & just leave the rod hanging out at the muzzle, with the barrel full of solution. (You may need to support the rod at the handle).

Then while the barrel is soaking I & clean the lock asm. under faucet with a old toothbrush, blow dry with air & or dry with a paper towel & take a tiny screwdriver & work the towel into the cracks & etc., then spray the lock down entirely including the flint, with Ballistol aerosol & pat dry with a paper towel & set asside.

Back to the rifle in the cradle, I take a cleaning jag & a tight patch, & start swabbing back & forth in full strokes to flush the barrel real good for about 20 strokes. (On a straight cut rifle bore I now use a bronze brush to get the very edges of the groves & scrub it good, on a round bottom cut rifle I don't need the bronze brush) Change patches & do it again, change patches and do it again til I am sure it is clean. Then I take the jag off & put on a breech scraper & check for any fouling. Scrape if necessary & if there is any fouling I put on a Breech Brush & brush the breech. Then back to the jag & wet patch & flush again.

Then I swab with a dry patch a time or two. I wad up 2 patchs & put them in the bore & shove them to the breech with the jag & hold it there tight with the ramrod & then take a worm & pull it & check it for moisture & fouling. Then I do 2 more. And 2 more if necessary to BE SURE THE BORE IS COMPLETELY DRY.

When dry, I then squirt a lil Non-Aerosol Ballistol in the barrel from a pump spray bottle & wet a patch real wet with same Ballistol & again swab & force some out the vent. (By doing this you just lubed the cone of the vent.

When I am satisfied it is lubed real good, I install the lock & close the frizzen on a dry patch so any excess Ballistol will run out the vent & be absorbed in the patch at the frizzen.

You can do all the same with BreakFree which I used before I found Ballistol & it works good also.

Now keep in mind this is not a Maybe this will work, this is a "I KNOW " it will work proceedure.

Some tell me I go to too much detail & this is way too much trouble & an overkill, but I know it works. I know I don't have any rust in the bores of my rifles & have done this for 30+years, so it must work. And once ya learn the proceedure you can entirely clean a rifle Inside & Outside in 15 minutes.

It is IMPERATIVE that you get ALL of the moisture out of the barrel and at the breech before you put the gun oil in the bore.

It is IMPERATIVE that you Reswab the bore the Next day & the 3rd day just to be sure you got it all lubed & etc.

Birddog6


Note: The barrel flushing C clamp can be bought afrom Jim Chambers Flintlocks or Dunlaps Woodcrafts. The removable vent type flushing attachment you can make yourself with an old vent or you can buy all dif sizes for dif removable vents from Cain's Ourdoors. (They have them for 1/4x28 & also metric ones for a GPR & etc.)

Also, I would not put anything with peroxide in the bore of my rifles, as IMHO it is the same as pouring acid in them. WATER is the best thing to break down BP fouling with. And a squirt of dishwasher liquid soap like Joy or Dawn or about 2 oz of Ballistol or Murphys soap in a gallon of water will cut the grease if you are shooting greased patches.

:thumbsup:

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Yes TN.Frank I have a 20 ga. fowler that is impossable to get clean,the patches always look dark and I have tryed about every thing. :winking: Rocky

 

[Birddog6]

I am not saying this applies to either of you guys, but, the rifles that I have seen with this greying or brownish residue on the patches even affter Lots of cleaning, was due to the barrels were etched. Lots of guys have etched barrels & don't know it.
This usually happens one of two ways: The barrels were cleaned & moisture was left in the pores of the metal & then oiled over the moisture, or The barrels were cleaned with hot water or alcohol & dried & then left too long before a rust inhibitor was applied & the bores flash rusted, thus etched the metal. (thus the reason I always use Cold water)

The barrels that are etched trap fouling & microscopic rust in the pores of the metal & thus when you clean them it continousely seeps out of them. On a fowler the only way I know to get this out is to buy a set of honing brushes from Brownells & hone the bores back to mirror fininsh. On a rifle you may eventually polish it out but it is unlikely, as you will most likely round off the lands of the rifling trying to do so & it is not worth doing it for the results..

If it is etched, clean it good, lube it good & go have fun with it. It will still last 2 or 3 lifetimes.

 

[Darkhorse]

That brown gunk can also come from Wonderlube or Bore butter. Cleaning with hot soapy water will not get this stuff out. Even though all the fouling is out and the water runs clean the drying patches will have this yellowbrown stuff on them.
Try this, after cleaning with soap and water run a couple of dry patches through. Then soak a patch in WD40 and run it through a few times, then a couple more dry patches. If seasoned Wonder Lube is your problem this should clean most of it out.