Full tear down of rifle

[Buckskinn]

How often do you guys do a full tear down of your flinters? I,e remove barrel, breach plug, trigger, lock, etc... Or if ever? I'm new to the true black powder thing and know that it is very corrosive, but how deep do you need to clean? My buddy who uses black powder removes his barrel every time he shoots and washes with hot soapy water. I would think that would be hard on the fasteners, (screw/pins) over time. Same with removing the lock all the time. But as I said, I'm green as Kermit the Frog in this realm...

 

[Tom Compton]

I remove the lock every time, rinse w tap water and scrub w an old tooth brush. About every 4th outing I completely disassemble the lock, inspect and thoroughly clean.

Hooked breech barrels are removed every time and w breech in tap water flushed.

Remove barrel on full stock guns every 4 or 5 years and wiped with a thin coat of wax.

 

[FishDFly]

Ditto.

 

[Black Hand]

How often do you guys do a full tear down of your flinters? I,e remove barrel, breach plug, trigger, lock, etc... Or if ever?

Full - never.
I do occasionally remove the lock for cleaning and lubing. NEVER remove the breechplug unless you are skilled.

...black powder thing and know that it is very corrosive, but how deep do you need to clean?

Black powder is not corrosive. The fouling residue can attract moisture which can lead to rust, but this also takes time. I rinse the barrel with tap water and an occasional drop of dish-soap, rinse with clean water, dry and lube. Takes 10-15 minutes at most.

 

[hanshi]

I normally remove the lock for cleaning but not the barrel.

 

[30coupe]

Black powder is not corrosive. The fouling residue can attract moisture which can lead to rust, but this also takes time. I rinse the barrel with tap water and an occasional drop of dish-soap, rinse with clean water, dry and lube. Takes 10-15 minutes at most.

You beat me to it. The primers once used in caps and cartridges in the black powder era and while beyond WERE corrosive, which is possibly where the idea that black powder itself is corrosive came from. As Black Hand said, the residue can attract moisture, so how quickly rust will form depends on how humid the environment is where your firearm is located. Zonie can probably wait quite a while before cleaning. Here in Iowa, you want to get to it fairly quickly during most of the year. I generally try to clean the day I shoot, but I don't lose any sleep if its a day or so later.

On my full stock Frontier, I only remove the barrel every year or three just to make sure nothing nasty is going on under there. I haven't found anything yet, but I'll probably keep doing it out of habit. Hooked breech guns are a 10 minute job at most. Full stock ones take me a bit longer, but not all that much. Don't let cleaning be such a chore that you don't fully enjoy your black powder arms!

 

[rich pierce]

Once every 10 years is so I will pull a breech on a gun if curious about something.

 

[Straekat]

Military training can be ingrained and not easy to shake off....

I have two Charlevilles (one full length, another that was cut down by a previous owner and gets used as a shotgun substitute), a Bess, and a couple of Pa style rifles.

The banded Charlevilles get complete tear downs, except for removing the breech, every time I used them.The others get their own cleaning proceedure with everything but pinned parts being removed, disassembled, cleaned and put back together after each use. If it's not used within a few months or a year, then it get's a going over regardless.

If my life might ever depend on something, I take care of it and don't put off maintenance till another time. I cringe when reading posts about someone coming home and then putting their firearm away and not cleaning it the same day.

 

[Buckskinn]

Thanks. I would think that being dry, black powder would be stable and not be corrosive, but if it was wet/damp? Considering the amount of saltpeter in it, I would think it quite corrosive. Maybe the charcoal would prevent this... Obviously we try to keep our powder dry so not really an issue and fouling is the enemy.

 

[EC121]

I remove and clean/lube the lock every time. That also allows me to clean the side of the barrel. Never, unless there is a problem, for all the rest.

 

[smo]

I remove the lock and clean the gun everytime I Shoot my gun.

Every so often I break the lock down and do a deep cleaning of it, depends on the amount of shooting I’ve done .

If it’s just been shot a time or two , then it’s just washed with the cleaner / soap&water of your choice lube/ oil applied the reassembled .



I’ve gotten away from water, but that’s just me.
I will use it if that’s all that’s availble .

Usually every couple of years I’ll pull the pinned barrel, just too make sure nothung is going on under there.

If the gun hasn’t been exposed too any rainy weather , then I see no need too remove the barrel .

The breach plug, I never remove...

As stated above, rust is not going too take over and consume your gun over night.

It’s best too clean at the end of a shooting session , but if I’m shooting several consecutive days , I just swab the bore until the fouling is gone , then apply Barricade too the interior and exterior and keep on keeping on!

Humidity changes in camp can do wonders for the patina of your gun! LOL
Even when no fouling is present.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I have a flint rifle and a flint fowler. Neither have I ever pulled the barrel off the stock. Both are pinned and long barrels (44" & 42").

I pull the lock to clean but never pull the barrel. One is from 2005 and the other 2011. I had a Kit Ravenshear Bess (1990) and in 15 years I pulled the barrel once. Decided it was unnecessary and stopped.

My cap guns that had single keys and hooked breeches I pulled every time. But I also used to immerse the breech in a can of soapy water to clean. Different animal.

 

[Col. Batguano]

There is no good reason to pull any parts that don't come in contact with burning powder, like a trigger guard or trigger mechanism. Not a good reason to pull parts off the barrel either, like the breech plug, vent liner, sights, or lugs, unless there really IS a reason. If the gun was breached properly in the first place, and maintained, there would also be no "regular maintenance" reason to pull the plug. The stock parts, like the patch box and butt plate too. Leave `em alone.

You're right about driving pins out. You can wear the holes if you're not careful. That's why I built this last gun with keys. A ton more work on the front end though, and you still need the screw driver to pull the tang and lock bolts. I just don't trust water not to sneak under the barrel and in to the barrel channel and rust the bajeezus out of things.

 

[Black Hand]

I just don't trust water not to sneak under the barrel and in to the barrel channel and rust the bajeezus out of things.

This is why I've filled the space with wax (beeswax toilet-bowl gasket material - looks like beeswax, but has a consistency similar to Vaseline). Added the wax, squeezed the barrel into place, replaced the pins, and I haven't removed the barrel since (over 10 years). I also finished my barrel channel to avoid the chance of water soaking into unprotected wood.

 

[smo]

Stumpy, I too have a 42” rifle and a 44” smooth in flint,

I working my way too not pulling mine anymore, however both guns were left in the white.

They are taking on a good patina as it is, I just don’t want anything too get out of hand , rust wise.

My guns like yours are working guns, they get used.

I try not too hunt in the rain anymore, but still I seem too end up getting the gun wet sometimes.
My barrel channel is stained and sealed so should be an issue.

Just worry somewhat about the barrel, thinking about waxing the next time it’s removed and forgetting about it.

Only the rocks live forever....

 

[Stumpkiller]

Mine weren't "in the white". Both were acid dipped and carded, then the rifle was dipped in hot bear fat/grease (Donelson). The fowler (Brooks) was acid "distressed" but also given a good rust and then carded and waxed.

Both pretty easy to maintain. If it rusts, rough it up with a 3M pad, bronze brush to blend it in and then oil it. If you are out in the rain saturate a piece of paper with penetrating oil and run it along and under the barrel. Like you would dry your back with a towel.

 

[smo]

Good info Stumpy , Thanks

 

[dlpowell]

Been shooting BP since the early 70's. Never pulled a breech plug. Hot soapy water to clean. Last patch has new motor oil. No rust ever.

Remove you lock. Take outside n spray the insides with brake cleaner. Spray internals with WD40 afterwards. Reinstall.

Wipe the gun down with an oily rag. done.

20 minutes max.

It gets hot here in Oklahoma and during the hottest months your stock will pull away from the barrel a little. Fix that by taking some light weight machine oil n run a bead down the side of the barrel. It'll penetrate and feed the wood. Swells back up.

While your at it. With your lock off. Take a small container of super glue and coat the interior of the lock mortise.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I pull a breech plug every now and then. One time I thought I dry balled my .40 because it wouldn't go off even with powder trickled in the touch hole. I didn't have a .40 ball puller and forgot I had a CO2 discharger(I did). I pulled the breech plug only to find I had an empty barrel, no powder or ball, talk about a red faced senior moment.

One time I dryballed my fowler but put an over powder wad in on top of the non existent powder. I got the ball out but nothing I put down the barrel would pull that wad packed up tight against the breech face so out came the breechplug.

I built all my guns so pulling the breechplug is no big deal. Ordinarily I only pull the barrel if I have been out in a soaking rain to let things dry out.

As for the lock, take it out after every shooting session. If it is really cruddy I give it a soap and hot water bath, blow it out with an air hose and spray it with a light coat of oil. If I only shot a few shots I wipe the black off and oil it.