Cleaning a Zouave?

[brewer12345]

I picked up a Zouave over the winter and I am looking forward to shooting it when the snow melts a bit more. I am used to cleaning my TC percussion rifles where I pop a couple of wedges, pull the barrel out, and go to town. The Zouave has bands rather than wedges. Do I try to remove the barrel, or do something else?

As an aside I have #11 and musket nipples for the Zouave. Which would you use?

 

[hawkeye2]

The Zouave barrel is just as easy as the TC to remove and possibly even faster. Depress the band springs and slide the bands off, remove the tang screw and you have it. I use musket caps as we are required to in competition and they are faster and easier to use. #11 caps will work just fine too, depends on what is available to you.

 

[brewer12345]

The Zouave barrel is just as easy as the TC to remove and possibly even faster. Depress the band springs and slide the bands off, remove the tang screw and you have it. I use musket caps as we are required to in competition and they are faster and easier to use. #11 caps will work just fine too, depends on what is available to you.

I have plenty of both, just wondering if there was much of a difference. Will probably try the 11s first. Thanks.

 

[ord sgt]

The musket caps throw more flame through the nipple into the breech. More flame, better burn of the main charge. This is with FFFg black powder. Or, if you choose, FFg.

 

[Sparkitoff]

I have not found it necessary to remove the barrel for basic cleaning after a range session. There are plenty of methods to clean it without taking the barrel off every time.

 

[tenngun]

All my guns are pinned. So I clean on the stock. You can I’d you don’t want to remove the barrel, I don’t know if they removed to clean in the old us or not.
I THINK musket caps existed to make them eaiser to grab. I understand one got twelve caps per ten cartridges

 

[brewer12345]

I have not found it necessary to remove the barrel for basic cleaning after a range session. There are plenty of methods to clean it without taking the barrel off every time.

OK, like...? All I know is pull the barrel off and dunk it into a bucket of hot, soapy water for tender ministrations.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Easier than removing the barrel is to use a flush nipple. Track of the Wolf has a size to fit your Zouave.

Flush Nipples, for cleaning flint & percussion guns - Track of the Wolf

 

[wb78963]

Easier than removing the barrel is to use a flush nipple. Track of the Wolf has a size to fit your Zouave.

Flush Nipples, for cleaning flint & percussion guns - Track of the Wolf

Grenadier you hit the nail on the head. I use a flush kit from TOW both on my Green River .50 cal and the flintlock Pedersoli .50 cal. Different kit, same method. Both have pinned barrels and are a pain to unpin.
Frankly I shoot the Sharps and Smith more because they are so much easier to clean.
Hold Center
Hit Center
Bunk

 

[brewer12345]

Had no idea such a thing existed. Thanks.

 

[59sharps]

Just go to hardware store get tube to fit over nipple. done you have a flush tube now

 

[Grenadier1758]

The nipple has a very tiny hole unless you have one of those old, wide open, self cocking on firing nipples. To get a good flush of the barrel and powder chamber, the wide open flush nipples are what will work the best. Also the ridges on the flush nipples do a good job of holding on to the tubing while all that water is rushing out under pressure.

 

[tenngun]

My my.
I cleaned mine with a gasket fit over the nipple, fill the barrel with water and dumped swabed, dumped and repeated three or four times.
same on my rock in the locks.

 

[wb78963]

if you use a cotton mop rather than a patch to swab the barrel there is no chance of losing a patch in the bore. This works very efficiently when used with a flush kit.
Hold Center
Hit Center
that is the plan
Bunk

 

[springfield art]

I picked up a Zouave over the winter and I am looking forward to shooting it when the snow melts a bit more. I am used to cleaning my TC percussion rifles where I pop a couple of wedges, pull the barrel out, and go to town. The Zouave has bands rather than wedges. Do I try to remove the barrel, or do something else?

As an aside I have #11 and musket nipples for the Zouave. Which would you use?

Use Musket nips. "Field stripping" Zouaves is easy but some are not comfortable as the tang screw goes into the trigger guard is I recall right. (I've had two). It's not hard, I'm sure several guys will offer tips.

 

[hawkeye2]

Yes the tang screw goes into the trigger guard but that isn't a big deal. I remove the lock to clean, inspect and lube when I reassemble the gun. I then remove the nipple and drop it into some cleaning solution to soak. Next depress the barrel bands and slide them off followed by the tang screw. Invert the piece over some padding, place the muzzle on the padding and while holding the butt up so that the beech area is slightly above the let the barrel drop out or tap the stock in front of the trigger guard lightly so that it does. The breech end of the barrel should come free before the muzzle, don't grab the muzzle and lift that free of the stock first. Up to this point the whole procedure takes less than one minute and reassembly is equally as fast. This procedure is pretty much the same for a lot of military long arms and If one has never done it set aside a little time to try, you'll see there's nothing to it.

 

[SDSmlf]

I have flush tube setups for all my non-hooked breached rifles, percussion and flint (with removable vent liners). You can cover them all with just a few different thread sizes. Prefer the surgical tubing over the more ridged clear vinyl type. Easier to control.

 

[wb78963]

Just go to hardware store get tube to fit over nipple. done you have a flush tube now

well sort of. The flash hole in a nipple is very small and my guess it is would restrict the flow of water better would be to get a nipple and drill it out and use that with the tubing.
Or get a flush kit from TOW or some other supplier.
Bunk

 

[59sharps]

In 30 years of doing it that way never a problem. I’ll ad that at the range I lock the nipple pour water w some soap down the barrel swish and dump the scrap the breach then plan water and dump run a few patches to dry then some lube then finish at home w the sump. After I pull the nipple and clean the channel w pipe cleaner and q-tip. Re oil everything could also drill out an old nipple. I have 3 muskets and carbines w 3 different thread sizes