Brake Cleaner For Extended Shooting Sessions?

So ive been sitting at the bench today trying to work out my loads for my rifle... After a few to 6 shots things tend to gum up. So I removed the drum screw, and douched it out with a can of brake cleaner. It seems to work pretty decently for me so far. What do y’all do to keep your rifles up and running for a prolonged shooting session?

I personally wouldn't use brake cleaner. That stuff is harsh and will probably eat the finish off your stock if it gets on it. I use a mix of alcohol and murphy's oil soap for field cleaning.

Sidney Smith said:

I personally wouldn't use brake cleaner. That stuff is harsh and will probably eat the finish off your stock if it gets on it. I use a mix of alcohol and murphy's oil soap for field cleaning.

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Ballistol and water mix for range cleaning here.

Sidney Smith said:

I personally wouldn't use brake cleaner. That stuff is harsh and will probably eat the finish off your stock if it gets on it. I use a mix of alcohol and murphy's oil soap for field cleaning.

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Unfortunately the stock on my rifle is poly. Impervious to just about everything. Including good looks...

If it gums up after only 6 shots, you need to look for the problem instead of cleaning it and living with it.

EC121 said:

If it gums up after only 6 shots, you need to look for the problem instead of cleaning it and living with it.

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By gums up; I mean it gets progressively more fouled. I can feel it when loading. The thought being that if I can keep the gun within a range of cleanliness. The accuracy will be more consistent. Making load testing more accurate. At least, that’s the thought...

Brake cleaner is extremely hazardous. It contains toluene and acetone.
It is mutagenic and can cause major organ damage. The vapor is toxic.
You need to wear neoprene gloves, eye protection and a respirator and use in a very well ventilated area.
Using Simple Green and water or a citrus cleaner is much less hazardous to your health.
Windex with vinegar works very well.
Be careful.
Irish

Which powder did you wind up using? If I recall you had Schuetzen and Pyrodex on hand.

DevilsLuck said:

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Unfortunately the stock on my rifle is poly. Impervious to just about everything. Including good looks...

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I bought some Krylon plastic paint and sprayed mine brown. It aint pretty but it is better than black.

Doesn't matter what powder you use , ballistol and water( I use one part ballistol and 6 parts water), wipe between shots or after 4 or 5 shots and you should have no problem with loading. Try it, you will like it

Fouling will be an issue with real black unless you find the proper patch lube your gun likes and can keep the fouling soft. Otherwise wipe between shots with a simple spit patch. Just remember to follow with a drying patch and snap a cap prior to loading again. OR... just shoot the Pyrodex and not worry. Both require cleaning when done shooting don’t forget.
Walk

If brake cleaner is rough on wooden stocks , what does it do to the metal/ bluing finish of the gun? Anything with even a little acetone in its contents has bound to have some negative effect.

Eutycus said:

Which powder did you wind up using? If I recall you had Schuetzen and Pyrodex on hand.

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I was trying both.

NOT Brake Cleaner. Water, Spit,...heck...piss on it if things are that gunked-up...but NOT Brake Cleaner.
If you want to use a store-bought cleaner...ANY cheap non-Ammonia containing blue liquid spray window cleaner will cause BP fouling to run off freely with just a squirt or two. So will water...but NOT Brake Cleaner.
When I was a lot younger, and a lot more ignorant...I took my first muzzleloader afield with BP and went to shooting. I didn't know anyone who shot BP, and didn't know anything about "Fouling" buildup. I was a young man in my 20's and the solution to about anything that got "difficult"...like seating roundballs in a fouled barrel....was to just PUSH HARDER on the ramrod.
The bad news is that after a half dozen shots or so...each getting progressively more difficult to load...I left the range with a broken ramrod.
The good news is that I left that first range session without the sharp end of a broken ramrod imbedded in my arm.
Lessons learned.

Sidney Smith said:

I personally wouldn't use brake cleaner. That stuff is harsh and will probably eat the finish off your stock if it gets on it. I use a mix of alcohol and murphy's oil soap for field cleaning.

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Ditto, I carry a small bottle of MAP in my bag or box.

Eutycus said:

If brake cleaner is rough on wooden stocks , what does it do to the metal/ bluing finish of the gun? Anything with even a little acetone in its contents has bound to have some negative effect.

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As far as the effect on the metal finishes; I haven’t noticed any damage to them. While certainly not optimal for constant use, I’ve ised brake cleaner for cleaning guns, and gun parts of dust oils , and residues incurred from smithing tasks, to no negative effect. The reason it came to mind for BP shooting sessions was the fast drying aspect.
I’ll have to give the ballistol mix a try. Though I must admit that intentionally introducing water into the gun gives me pause. Cleaning after the fact is somewhat different in that I immediately dry everything off, and wipe down with oil.

Don Steele said:

NOT Brake Cleaner. Water, Spit,...heck...piss on it if things are that gunked-up...but NOT Brake Cleaner.
If you want to use a store-bought cleaner...ANY cheap non-Ammonia containing blue liquid spray window cleaner will cause BP fouling to run off freely with just a squirt or two. So will water...but NOT Brake Cleaner.
When I was a lot younger, and a lot more ignorant...I took my first muzzleloader afield with BP and went to shooting. I didn't know anyone who shot BP, and didn't know anything about "Fouling" buildup. I was a young man in my 20's and the solution to about anything that got "difficult"...like seating roundballs in a fouled barrel....was to just PUSH HARDER on the ramrod.
The bad news is that after a half dozen shots or so...each getting progressively more difficult to load...I left the range with a broken ramrod.
The good news is that I left that first range session without the sharp end of a broken ramrod imbedded in my arm.
Lessons learned.

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Im definitely looking for cheaper, more effective alternatives.

If you want fast drying, use windex as mentioned above. Brake cleaner - NO! MAP works great as well.
Every few shots I will wet a thick patch with map and load the ball. Wipes the barrel pretty good, and is shootable!

Griz44Mag said:

If you want fast drying, use windex as mentioned above. Brake cleaner - NO! MAP works great as well.
Every few shots I will wet a thick patch with map and load the ball. Wipes the barrel pretty good, and is shootable!

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Thank you. Next session, I’ll give windex a go. I’ve got that in spades...

Griz44Mag said:

Ditto, I carry a small bottle of MAP in my bag or box.

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What is “MAP”?