cleaning stuff fer flintlock rifle

[pretty]

My regular cleaning rods are 2 short, don't have scraper fer bottom of barrel, I have jags and patch puller.
Saw a neat clamp thing with a hose on it to clamp around the flash hole, are they worth buying?

 

[jsb30]

Isn't your ramrod tip drilled and tapped for ball puller or cleaning jag. Track of the Wolf should have scrapers. They show 48" 5/16 rods out of stock. The fewer gimmicks the better.

 

[Ballshooter]

I just use the ramrod for cleaning with different attachments. I also found a percussion nipple that fit the threads. I remove the lock to get to the torch hole liner put in the nipple with a hose attached and the hose in a bucket of hot water with a mix of dawn soap and Murphys oil. I am sure that clamp thing would do the same thing.

 

[ohio ramrod]

They work if you can get them clamped tight.

 

[pretty]

Does the touch hole have a thing that unscrews in to barrel that maybe I could find something that would screw in to, so I could use the water and soap to clean the barrel?

 

[French Colonial]

I have NEVER taken a touch hole liner out to clean a flintlock, plug the touch hole with a toothpick or a small feather

 

[andy52]

Is this the device you're talking about? If so they do work I use this one if I don't feel like pulling the barrel for complete cleaning. Just clamp on at the vent hole and drop the tube with weight into a bucket of warm water.

 

[JHB]

I have a CVA Hawken and the clamp type cleaner required I remove some stock wood to work. I put it in the draw maybe it will work on another rifle I get in the future. Very good idea and design though.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Does the touch hole have a thing that unscrews in to barrel that maybe I could find something that would screw in to, so I could use the water and soap to clean the barrel?

Remember that just because a thing can be done that doesn't mean it is a good idea. I understand a certain modern thinking that being able to remove the touch hole for cleaning is an improvement to the cleaning process. No, removing the touch hole liner for cleaning is an alternative to the cleaning process.

You don't need to remove the touch hole liner to use water and soap to clean the barrel. I don't remove touch hole liners. I plug the touch hole. I wrap the breech with a towel to catch any leakage from the touch hole.

We are getting into the realm of the it depends on the touch hole configuration. Some touch holes are not meant to be removed. Some firearms don't have a touch hole liner. My Harper's Ferry doesn't have a liner. Caywood's guns don't have a liner. Most originals didn't have a liner.

If your touch hole liner has the same threads as one of these flush nipples, then you could remove the touch hole liner, install the flush nipple and a tube and flush the barrel with cleaning solvent. Track has some flush nipples and the clamp on device that will serve for flushing the barrel. The clamp on device can be tricky to use as getting the seal over the touch hole can be a problem and stock clearance for the off side clamping surface can require some stock removal. Then when the little o-ring is lost, replacements are hard to reinstall.

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

 

[Grenadier1758]

This is on my Derringer rifle. The weight really keeps the end in the bucket of water. The other will fit over a nipple for a percussion rifle.

 

[J. Paul]

My flint only requires the wedge and ramrod be removed and barrel is off. I simply place barrel in bucket of warm water then use patch and ramrod as a piston to draw water through flash hole during cleaning

 

[Sidney Smith]

Yes those clamp and hose devices do work but can be a pain to keep attached to the barrel. The trick is to place the rifle upside down horizontally, with the muzzle slightly lower than the lock end. This way any leaks dont roll down into the stock. Theyre best used on rifles with pinned stocks.

 

[pretty]

Thanks a lot guy's I found that clamp thing that clamps over the touch hole, got one coming from Track of the Wolf.

 

[Col. Batguano]

They work if you can get them clamped tight.

But not if you don't.

You need the right set-up for them to work properly. I bought one and tried using it a couple of times, and found that it leaked or was difficult to get in to just the right place and stay there. To me, it was just "one more piece of gimmickry" to have to keep track of and futz with. I also invariably will spill water out the muzzle and have it dribble down the sides of the barrel (and that could go in to the barrel channel) with my swabbing.

So for me, pulling the barrel each time for cleaning was a simpler and easier solution. It also makes the muzzle about a foot lower, and running the swab more controllable. Not a big deal on a 30" barreled gun, but it is on a 48"er. (Think overall ceiling height here.) So, all in, it COULD be a decent thing to have in your kit as a "field expedient", but it's not a good substitute for a full and thorough cleaning (at my level any way).

 

[R.J.Bruce]

If you want to use a piece of tubing to siphon cool water up out of a bucket into the barrel of a flintlock, then my advice is to do the following:

Find a strong rare earth magnet that has a hole in its center that is smaller than the pipe fitting required to fit the tubing that will be used. Drill & tap the hole in the magnet to fit the threads of the pipe fitting. Remove the flintlock from your rifle, and if necessary, grind the magnet to fit the barrel flat exposed by the lock. Find a suitable weight with a hole in it to fit on the end of the tubing that will rest in the bottom of the plastic 2.5 gallon bucket. Super glue the weight to the end of the tubing.

Now you have a tubing siphon cleaning arrangement that won't come off of the barrel no matter what. The hole in the magnet will stay centered over the touch hole until you remove the magnet. No fragile clamps to mess with.

Personally, I just twisted a round toothpick into the drilled touch hole, filled the barrel halfway with room temperature water, sealed the muzzle with my thumb, & shook the rifle up & down a dozen times. Dumped out the dirty water, and repeat several more times. After 4-5 shakes, the bore is pretty clean. Now just clean with patches the normal way, again with room temperature water. To get the touch hole clean I just let water drain out of the clean barrel through the touch hole. With a flat-faced breech plug there are no nooks and crannies to clean, other than the touch hole. The lock always took longer than the barrel.

And remember, contrary to popular opinion, hot/warm water is not necessary to clean real black powder fouling. Black powder is hygroscopic, which in plain English means it attracts water/moisture. Cool, or room temperature water is all that's needed.