Curious, How do you clean your Pinned barrel Rifle or Smooth bore?

Brokennock said:

As others have said, remove lock, plug touchhole, add water (maybe with a little dishsoap but that's another topic), maybe slosh it back and forth a bit with a cork in the muzzle, dump and repeat, swab a bit of really dirty, repeat process with clean water,,,, swab dry, add bore protectant of your choice (again, a whole other, and often contentious, topic).
Sometimes one encounters a touchhole that just won't seal.
In that case,
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/finally-a-flintlock-flush-kit-that-really-works.162338/

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70% isopropyl alcohol is my preferred liquid for cleaning the bore. It does require running a couple of oily patches up and down the bore after the alcohol evaporates.
Diluted Balistol works well too.

Grenadier1758 said:

I found some small funnels in the craft section of a local Dollar Store. Three funnels for $1.25. But not in another Dollar General.

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Aye yer a troo Scot Laddie, hae you thort aboot shaving some plustik off the cheap funnels fer a wee discoont afor yoo show them yer pennys ?

The Miner '49er said:

Looks like I will be in the minority, BUT here goes. I have a Traditions flintlock with 2 pins. I remove the barrel every time to clean using a finishing nail of the right diameter, with the point filed off. I carefully start driving the barrel pin by putting the concave head of the nail on the pin and lightly tap it with a small hammer. Once it is started it's easy to continue. I drive both pins just far enough to release the barrel, so not all the way out of the stock. Yes, on one of my early attempts I did chip out a small piece. I solved that by buying four brass ovals and inlet them around the holes. It's not perfect, but it is certainly acceptable for me, plus I learned something new and it was fun to do. FWIW I would rather do a thorough cleaning this way rather than going years wondering just how much rust is under that barrel, especially close to the lick. Besides, if the pins ever loosen, and that hasn't happened, I'll just find a couple pins/nails/drill bits slightly larger and will use them. I'm 76, and I bet that rifle will go to its next owner w/o new pins. Don't sweat the small stuff!

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I'm with you I like to keep mine really clean and see what's going on under the stock! I didn't mention that I completely disassemble my Flintlock when I get it I polish the pins and flatten the.ends so they will not do any damage going in and out of the gun! I have an India made french trade gun that I use for that purpose but years ago I had a miroku Brown Bess the stock pins we're like needles and could not be removed without extreme damage

A ML buddy of mine and I are discussing this pin removal thing. Here's what I told him. Water+steel=rust. A sealed barrel channel (polyurethane, etc.) would trap water from snow, rain, shooting, cleaning, and hold it against the barrel. A barrel coated with grease would lose that protective coating, over time, due to summer heat, shooting, and/or the use of hot or boiling water to clean the bore. Add the extremely corrosive action of fired BP powder, which finds its way into everything, and you have rust. Maybe you don't see it, yet, but I bet it's there hiding from you. I think careful driving of a couple pins is worth it. This isn't brain surgery! WWDBD??? What would Daniel Boone do?

Frontstuffer070 said:

I'm interested to know if you guys remove the barrel from your Pinned barreled rifle or smooth bore every time you clean it. With guns that have a wedge set up to hold the barrel in its simple to remove the barrel for cleaning which I prefer to do but with a pinned barrel its not so simple. With my Kentucky rifle I don't remove the barrel every time and I just swab it out until its clean. Granted its much more time consuming than pumping soapy water through it with the barrel removed. Driving the pins out of the stock makes me think I'm going to wear the pin holes out in the stock eventually. I'm asking this because in the near future I'm going to get a Kibler rifle. Thoughts?

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I have vent liners in all of my flinters. Threaded 1/28. To clean, I remove the vent liner (afater cleaning off the exterior), and screw in a nipple with a piece of tygon tubing into a pop bottle partially filled with soapy water. I then pump water back and forthfrom the bottle into the barrel until the water is good and black (10x?). I then change the water and do it again; usually the water stays clean at this stage). Next, I change the water again to hott(ish) clear water to flush the soap. After that, i run some clear tap-hot water down from the muzzle (with the tubing aimed at a drain) The take the adaptor offf and dry-swab the barrel. Last; give it a couple of shots of G96, ans wab again with a loose patch or brush to completely coat the bore (Use that patch to wipe down all of the exterior with G96). Done! then replace the liner and hang 'er up ready for the next time. Cleaning this way takes about 10 minutes. The high pressure of the pumping removes all fouling from the breech plug. I seldom pull the barrels without reason.

The Miner '49er said:

A ML buddy of mine and I are discussing this pin removal thing. Here's what I told him. Water+steel=rust. A sealed barrel channel (polyurethane, etc.) would trap water from snow, rain, shooting, cleaning, and hold it against the barrel. A barrel coated with grease would lose that protective coating, over time, due to summer heat, shooting, and/or the use of hot or boiling water to clean the bore. Add the extremely corrosive action of fired BP powder, which finds its way into everything, and you have rust. Maybe you don't see it, yet, but I bet it's there hiding from you. I think careful driving of a couple pins is worth it. This isn't brain surgery! WWDBD??? What would Daniel Boone do?

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Show some documentation that Boone or any one of the period ever pulled the pins to clean their guns.

No documentation....... Then it did not happen.

Coinneach said:

Aye yer a troo Scot Laddie, hae you thort aboot shaving some plustik off the cheap funnels fer a wee discoont afor yoo show them yer pennys ?

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Nay, aye wull yoose 'em as a pattern to carve sum oot tha tip uv a cow's horn and retoorn tha lot for a full refund.

To French Colonial - WWDBD was my attempt at a bit of humor, but I guess that didn't happen either! I'm betting 'ol Daniel occasionally dunked and swished Tick Licker in a creek that flowed with correct temperature water, then shook it off, and then slathered it with 18th century CLP, 'bar grease. To quote Sgt. Hulka, "Lightn up, Francis."

To Coinneach and Grenadier 1758 - You two need to take your act on the road! The exchange between you is the funniest stuff I've ever read on any forum. Priceless!

The Miner '49er said:

Looks like I will be in the minority, BUT here goes. I have a Traditions flintlock with 2 pins. I remove the barrel every time to clean using a finishing nail of the right diameter, with the point filed off. I carefully start driving the barrel pin by putting the concave head of the nail on the pin and lightly tap it with a small hammer. Once it is started it's easy to continue. I drive both pins just far enough to release the barrel, so not all the way out of the stock. Yes, on one of my early attempts I did chip out a small piece. I solved that by buying four brass ovals and inlet them around the holes. It's not perfect, but it is certainly acceptable for me, plus I learned something new and it was fun to do. FWIW I would rather do a thorough cleaning this way rather than going years wondering just how much rust is under that barrel, especially close to the lick. Besides, if the pins ever loosen, and that hasn't happened, I'll just find a couple pins/nails/drill bits slightly larger and will use them. I'm 76, and I bet that rifle will go to its next owner w/o new pins. Don't sweat the small stuff!

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I dont take out pins for cleaning every time but once a yr. I do to remove under barrel rust ,and relube and wipe barrel channel with grease
(Pacific northwest)

B P Maniac Shooter said:

I do this in usually 5-7 minutes:

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Was just going to suggest this video to the OP but thought I’d check here first and sure enough Mark posted his excellent video.

Grenadier1758 said:

Nay, aye wull yoose 'em as a pattern to carve sum oot tha tip uv a cow's horn and retoorn tha lot for a full refund.

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thas nae way to mak porrige !

The Miner '49er said:

To Coinneach and Grenadier 1758 - You two need to take your act on the road! The exchange between you is the funniest stuff I've ever read on any forum. Priceless!

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During the great depression in the 1930's a Battalion of the Black Watch Regiment was stationed in India, while there the RSM walked into a Pharmacy and laid a well worn shabby looking Condom on the counter and asked if it could be repaired. The Indian Chemists assistant wasnt sure so he took the Condom to the Pharmacist who shook his head and the Assistant returned to the Scot RSM and told "No it cant be done, you'll need a new one".
"And hae much wud tha be" ? asked the RSM to which the reply came "2 Rupees".
The RSM asked "can ye tarry a wee time" and strode outside, after a few minutes an almighty roar of "Aye we doo tha" sounded and the RSM marched back inside and told the Pharmacist assistant "the Battalion has voted....we'll buy a new Condom....but ainlee wun mind yoo".

The Miner '49er said:

A ML buddy of mine and I are discussing this pin removal thing. Here's what I told him. Water+steel=rust. A sealed barrel channel (polyurethane, etc.) would trap water from snow, rain, shooting, cleaning, and hold it against the barrel. A barrel coated with grease would lose that protective coating, over time, due to summer heat, shooting, and/or the use of hot or boiling water to clean the bore. Add the extremely corrosive action of fired BP powder, which finds its way into everything, and you have rust. Maybe you don't see it, yet, but I bet it's there hiding from you. I think careful driving of a couple pins is worth it. This isn't brain surgery! WWDBD??? What would Daniel Boone do?

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"A sealed barrel channel (polyurethane, etc.) would trap water from snow, rain, shooting, cleaning, and hold it against the barrel."

Well no, an effectively sealed barrel channel obviously cant trap "water from snow, rain, shooting, cleaning, and hold it against the barrel."

As an example when I completed a build of a Pecatonica River kit TMR way back in the 1980's I took the advice of a well respected older guy who had a wealth of experience; in setting a thick splurge of Marine grade grease into the Barrel channel before setting the Barrel in and pinning in. Understandably there was an excess of grease that seeped out as the Barrel secured in place (easily wiped off) and over time I regularly maintained the seal with warm Beeswax trowelled into any hint of gapping that occurred (very little of it).
Fast forward to July 2016 (I noted it after Iifting the Barrel) and I like most was wondering how things were faring in the Barrel channel.
What a surprise, I had to use the tip of a narrow razor blade to follow the seal between the fore stock and barrel flat and separate it, then a steel Ramrod with muzzle protector in the Barrel to gradually lever the barrel out smidgeon by smidgeon. Once removed and the underside of the Barrel was scoured clean with Kerosene I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was there no rust to be found but the original browning job was still intact.
That Barrel was reinstalled the same way with Marine grease as it was the first time, and I doubt whether I'll bother repeating its removal again.

Your experience with that rifle is amazing and you made me a believer. Icing on the cake was the RSM joke! Thanks for both.

When in the field I use the toothpick in the touch hole method but when I get home the lock comes out and completely disassembled and barrel removed. Nothing gets damaged if done carefully with the proper tool. I have done this on my longrifles for 30 years and the pins are as tight as when I built them.

Just for giggles jim kibler has a video where ha shows a technique for holding a pin punch that will save you makeing little oopsies on your stock around pin holes.(that i wish he would have shared with me 30 yrs ago!)

Wingnut1231 said:

When in the field I use the toothpick in the touch hole method but when I get home the lock comes out and completely disassembled and barrel removed. Nothing gets damaged if done carefully with the proper tool. I have done this on my longrifles for 30 years and the pins are as tight as when I built them.

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Fun tip, try simply swishing the removed complete Lock in boiling hot water (use a pair of Multi-Grip pliers to hold it) for a minute or two to dissolve any BP residue; then shake the Lock and hold over a Candle or small flame to dry the Lock out, (multi grips will dissipate the build up of heat) watching the inner parts of the lock until moisture sizzles off. Then spray WD40 all around the inside working of the Lock and as soon as the Lock is cool enough to function, work the Cock back and forward also the Frizzen to get the WD40 into the working surfaces. Leave to cool and wipe off the excess so it doesnt seep into to the inletted stock.
I've been using this method for decades with nary a rust or accumulated BP gunk problem.

Coinneach said:

Fun tip, try simply swishing the removed complete Lock in boiling hot water (use a pair of Multi-Grip pliers to hold it) for a minute or two to dissolve any BP residue; then shake the Lock and hold over a Candle or small flame to dry the Lock out, (multi grips will dissipate the build up of heat) watching the inner parts of the lock until moisture sizzles off. Then spray WD40 all around the inside working of the Lock and as soon as the Lock is cool enough to function, work the Cock back and forward also the Frizzen to get the WD40 into the working surfaces. Leave to cool and wipe off the excess so it doesnt seep into to the inletted stock.
I've been using this method for decades with nary a rust or accumulated BP gunk problem.

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I think this is a good idea until you get to WD 40. Use gun oil

flconch53 said:

I think this is a good idea until you get to WD 40. Use gun oil

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I use either or , a brush on with Gun oil, and spray on with the WD40, but very sparingly using the tiny tube that comes with it.
In all the years of WD40 I've never had problem, again I use it sparingly as with Gun oil as an alternative.