Cleaning

[Thekingd93]

I normally clean my black powder guns shortly after shooting with a solution of Ballistol and boiling hot water, plunge the barrel with the ramrod until the solution sprays out the muzzle. I did a little shooting today and plan to shoot more tomorrow so I soaked the inside of the barrel with straight Ballistol and under the nipple as well. Should be able to leave it overnight until tomorrow then clean it after shooting or will it corrode overnight? I think it will be fine. I can't imagine back in the 1800's they cleaned their guns every time it was shot immediately right after. I've had great luck with Ballistol

 

[deermanok]

I shot my guns and on occasion not clean them until the next day without issues.

 

[longcruise]

I don't know much about ballistol but I've done the same with WD40 and it workedoutjus fine. Before shooting the next day I gave the barrel a thorough washing out with denatured alcohol. Preventing moisture from permeating the the fouling is the main thing.

My (ex) son in law showed up at my deer camp three days after having shot his rifle and not cleaning it The weather had been typica Colorado dry and there apparently was not enough humidity for the fouling to absorb moisture. The barrel was absolutely unfazed.

I would discontinue the boiling water part of your cleaning. The bore will immediately flash rust while the metal rapidly drys from the heat. You can observe this yourself the next time you clean that way. Just set the hot barrel aside until it cools and drys then run a damp or even dry white cleaning patch in and out and have a look at the patch.

 

[Eutycus]

The water doesn't need to be boiling hot. Warm or lukewarm should do the job.

 

[Thekingd93]

I don't know much about ballistol but I've done the same with WD40 and it workedoutjus fine. Before shooting the next day I gave the barrel a thorough washing out with denatured alcohol. Preventing moisture from permeating the the fouling is the main thing.

My (ex) son in law showed up at my deer camp three days after having shot his rifle and not cleaning it The weather had been typica Colorado dry and there apparently was not enough humidity for the fouling to absorb moisture. The barrel was absolutely unfazed.

I would discontinue the boiling water part of your cleaning. The bore will immediately flash rust while the metal rapidly drys from the heat. You can observe this yourself the next time you clean that way. Just set the hot barrel aside until it cools and drys then run a damp or even dry white cleaning patch in and out and have a look at the

I don't know much about ballistol but I've done the same with WD40 and it workedoutjus fine. Before shooting the next day I gave the barrel a thorough washing out with denatured alcohol. Preventing moisture from permeating the the fouling is the main thing.

My (ex) son in law showed up at my deer camp three days after having shot his rifle and not cleaning it The weather had been typica Colorado dry and there apparently was not enough humidity for the fouling to absorb moisture. The barrel was absolutely unfazed.

I would discontinue the boiling water part of your cleaning. The bore will immediately flash rust while the metal rapidly drys from the heat. You can observe this yourself the next time you clean that way. Just set the hot barrel aside until it cools and drys then run a damp or even dry white cleaning patch in and out and have a look at the patch.

Ballistol is a water soluble oil and when mixed with boiling hot water it cleans the barrel nicely and the water is so hot that it evaporates very fast inside the barrel only leaving the oil behind. Never does it flash rust with this process. I mean it's so HOT that you can't touch it without gloves. Then I follow up with a dry patch then oiled patches. I would never use WD-40 on a gun it creates a shellac that doesn't come off easy.

 

[Thekingd93]

The water doesn't need to be boiling hot. Warm or lukewarm should do the job.

It helps avoid flash rusting because the water evaporates much faster leaving only the ballistol behind.

 

[new2bp]

Using Pyrodex, my 1858 revolver showed signs of rust after 12 hours. Shot it very well lubed and oiled, just didn't clean it after until next morning.

Using real BP, I intentionally didn't clean and kept and eye on it and 24 hours shouldn't be an issue.

And yes, someone who was dependent on their gun would do their best to clean as soon as realistically possible.

 

[longcruise]

The boiling water is so hot mixed with the ballistol it only leaves the oil behind not the water and ballistol being water solubi

Ballistol is a water soluble oil and when mixed with boiling hot water it cleans the barrel nicely and the water is so hot that it evaporates very fast inside the barrel only leaving the oil behind. Never does it flash rust with this process. I mean it's so HOT that you can't touch it without gloves. Then I follow up with a dry patch then oiled patches. I would never use WD-40 on a gun it creates a shellac that doesn't come off easy.

That's an interesting effect. I'm sticking with warm though. I cleaned with boiling (per the TC manual) but soon discovered flash rust and the discomfort of boiling hot water.

I've cleaned with cold creek water with good results. Some of the places I hunt aren't amenable to much else.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I normally clean my black powder guns shortly after shooting with a solution of Ballistol and boiling hot water, plunge the barrel with the ramrod until the solution sprays out the muzzle. I did a little shooting today and plan to shoot more tomorrow so I soaked the inside of the barrel with straight Ballistol and under the nipple as well. Should be able to leave it overnight until tomorrow then clean it after shooting or will it corrode overnight? I think it will be fine. I can't imagine back in the 1800's they cleaned their guns every time it was shot immediately right after. I've had great luck with Ballistol

The answer on whether one can wait or lightly clean a muzzle loading rifle between shooting sessions depends on the powder used. If one uses real black powder, the wait after a quick wipe with Ballistol or WD40 isn't going to start a lot of corrosive action. If you are shooting Pyrodex as the propellant, then full cleaning is required.

While sooty fouling from the synthetic black powder is considerably less than fouling from real black powder, the corrosive fouling left by the synthetic powders starts the rusting almost immediately.

Clean the synthetic powders as if you will be putting the gun into long term storage.

 

[Ed C.]

I will completely disassemble my pistols after each use and place all the parts in boiling water/dawn solution and using bore brushes, tooth brushes, and pipe cleaners, clean all the parts, blow dry with compressed air, and place them in the oven on warm to dry. Then run a patch with Ballistol down the barrel and cylinder, assemble and spray Ballistol on the internals and after a wipedown with Ballistol I'm done. I've never noticed the start of any rusting doing this and the clean up is very easy especially if I am using lubed wads when shooting.

 

[SOLANCO]

I will completely disassemble my pistols after each use and place all the parts in boiling water/dawn solution and using bore brushes, tooth brushes, and pipe cleaners, clean all the parts, blow dry with compressed air, and place them in the oven on warm to dry. Then run a patch with Ballistol down the barrel and cylinder, assemble and spray Ballistol on the internals and after a wipedown with Ballistol I'm done. I've never noticed the start of any rusting doing this and the clean up is very easy especially if I am using lubed wads when shooting.

There is a reason why my BP revolver is dusty and my long rifle is not.

 

[tenngun]

It depends a lot on the humidity too. Guns have been found in the desert that are very clean, while late spring early summer much of the southeast passes as a steam room, and rust can form very quickly.
Britsmoothie who has left the forum did a lot of experiments with not cleaning. And has guns were in reported excellent shape
I’m OCD on cleaning, fifteen min isn’t a big deal to me to not risk the demon rust.

 

[Ed C.]

There is a reason why my BP revolver is dusty and my long rifle is not.

Yep, Gotta be in the right mood to do all this. If I just want to shoot, the center fire guns come out.

 

[sturmkatze]

Clean the synthetic powders as if you will be putting the gun into long term storage.

Will, most of these methods work. The main part is just doing it.

As to the synthetic powders, we'll, I mostly shoot flintlocks, so I don't use those "joto" powders, as that junk doesn't work in a flinter.

 

[sturmkatze]

Yep, Gotta be in the right mood to do all this. If I just want to shoot, the center fire guns come out.

That's not how this works, that's not how any of this works.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I don't shoot revolvers, but for my rifles,pistols, and smoothbores if I know I am going to shoot the next day I just put an oil soaked wadded up patch over the muzzle, and nipple or vent hole.As well as taking an oil soaked cloth to wipe over the barrels and breech area.

 

[Musket69]

It is not possible to find true black powder in my area. I reserve what I have for my flinters and use Pyrodex in my cap guns... Either type gets a thorough cleaning with hot soapy water, dried and oiled at the end of the day. Muzzle loaders take about 30 minutes and revolvers about an hour...

 

[loflyr55]

After years of doing most of the methods covered, I learned a pretty simple way from the old navy gunners when they used a propellant similar to black powder. I soak three patches in a powder solvent mixture, preference is ballistol and water solution. After my last shot, while the barrel is warm I pump each wet patch about a dozen times through the barrel. After the third patch, run two dry patches, then clean the vent with pipe cleaner and solution, wipe and brush the lock areas with leftover damp third patch and take home. After several days I have run dry white patch and found no sign of rust, I then put a patch dampened with gun oil through the barrel and put away, easy and have not had problems.

 

[tomm9903]

I have always used hot water and Dawn dish soap to clean my ML’s even my 1858Rem. Never had an issue. Once not long ago I did some shooting with my Zouave and it was about a month before I got busy cleaning it, (Not my norm) and much to my delight no rust at all. Cleaned right up, I try to get to them that day or the next at the latest. I was also using the real deal PB. So that may have saved my a**.

 

[longcruise]

There is a reason why my BP revolver is dusty and my long rifle is not.

I'm completely on board with you. Just don't like cleaning up the revolver.