Hot water for cleaning

[Keith T]

What are the pros and cons of using HOT water to clean a rifle barrel?

If I remember correctly, there were some reasons given why it was not good to use??

 

Can't think of a reason not to use hot water. Cleans the fouling and warms the barrel to make it easier to dry and oil.
Mark

 

[BrownBear]

It probably depends a lot on your climate, and even the specifics of your gun. If I use hot water I get "flash" rust in the bore almost instantly. Drop the temp to luke warm and I've got maybe 10 minutes before it starts forming and shows up on a drying patch. If I use cool water, I never see any red at all on a patch.

Each to his own, but find what works for you. There's no good reason under the sun for you ever to see a speck of rust forming during or after cleaning.

 

[Vaino]

I use 120 degree water for cleaning and flushing and have never had any rust show on the patches during cleaning or after flushing. I'm wondering if my softened water has something to do w/ it. The hot water flush heats the bbl and a couple of dry patches in the bore and then the Oxyoke 1000 is applied. Used to check for rust a week later but never found any, so no longer check....Fred

 

[BrownBear]

I'm wondering if my softened water has something to do w/ it. The hot water flush heats the bbl and a couple of dry patches in the bore and then the Oxyoke 1000 is applied.

I wonder too, if the water has a lot to do with it. I'm on a well with a fair bit of iron. At 120 degrees, the first patch down the bore seconds after the rinse comes out red.

 

[Vaino]

My well water first goes through an iron filter and then the softener and I do think it makes a difference....Fred

 

[BrownBear]

Sounds like it!

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Tumblernotch]

What are the pros and cons of using HOT water to clean a rifle barrel?

If I remember correctly, there were some reasons given why it was not good to use??

If I'm at home, I use tap water hot as it'll get. Unfiltered well water. It has never caused any so called flash rusting in my guns.

 

[Bill Hall]

I think most of the posts on this subject concluded that it was a fact that flash rust WILL form with hot water. But, some of the latest testimonies have reported no rust with hot water, and it was starting to look like well water with high iron content was the culprit of flash rusting. I have well water with a high amount of iron, and I do get the flash rust when using hot water, so maybe we're getting this problem narrowed down a bit. If I use luke-warm, or cold water, no rust.

The only problem associated with hot water is rust, so maybe try it and if you don't get the rust, keep on using it. If you do try it, give us some feedback, we're all still learning as we go. Bill

 

[token tory]

I always use soapy water as hot as I can stand it & have yet to have flash rust.
I do hot rinse the soapy water though as someone here mentioned the corrosive proprieties of soap. I also force dry with a el-cheapo hair dryer on "HOT" as well & I really let the metal soak up the dry heat, possibly more than I need to, but I guarantee you every crevice is dry. I oil immediately after drying as well, whether the oil barrier prevents the rust is open to debate.

I wonder! Someone mentioned "softened water", many water softeners use salt, could the salt in water softened this way be a factor? :hmm:
This is with a revolver BTW, I don't know how relevant (if at all) that is.

 

[Vaino]

I chlorinate my well once a yr because the iron bacteria is extremely bad. The water after softening and filtering {Iron Curtain} is excellent but a glass full straight from the well turns orange after a few minutes and stinks of sulphur. Lived in the house next door for 35 yrs and never had iron bacteria but the well was only 235' deep whereas my present well is 350' deep. So it depends on the aquifer that's supplying water and the well driller said that usually the deeper the well, the more chance of iron bacteria. Just read the preceding post and unless the softener is malfunctioning, no salt will be in the water....Fred

 

[roundball]

Our subdivision is served by a large commercial community well system, and the water is completely filtered and treated per code, etc. Our hot water heater is set to 140 degrees.

I've used steaming hot soapy water to clean and the same hot water to rinse ever since I got into muzzleloading. I learned about 18 years ago if I don't dry it right after finishing the cleaning process, a light film of flash rust will start forming...so as soon as it comes out of the hot water rinse I dry it immediately and never get any flass rust...TC, GM, and Rice barrels to the present...no difference.

Then I let a barrel lay for a few minutes on the assumption that the residual heat will help the drying process, then I run a couple of large sloppy dripping wet WD40 patches up and down several times, dry patch that out, and coat the bore "heavily" with Natural Lube 1000.

In my personal opinion, nothing gets a bore & breech squeaky clean to the bare raw metal better than steaming hot soapy water...particularly if you use a waxy type patch lube like Natural Lube 1000. The hot water seems to keep it melted off like hot water makes sticky breakfast eggs release and slide off a plate...prevents buildup in the bores.

No scientific proof...just my conclusions and it works well for me.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

I think most of the posts on this subject concluded that it was a fact that flash rust WILL form with hot water. But, some of the latest testimonies have reported no rust with hot water, and it was starting to look like well water with high iron content was the culprit of flash rusting.

Our municipal water is fairly hard but with not a lot of iron, and I got flash rust with boiling or water-heater-hot water. With warm or tepid water, I have time to slosh alcohol around to de-water the patent breeches, dry, and oil without getting rust.

Regards,
Joel

 

[Bill Hall]

Well heck, we may never know for sure what causes the flash rust. Until recently, I was one of those guys who stated that hot water will absolutely cause rusting, but with so many guys reporting just the opposite, it seems to be a hit-or-miss, some do, some don't, kinda thing.

Like I said before, I have high iron content from my well, but use no water softener. When I had my water tested years ago, it did seem like there was a certain amount of alkalinity, but nothing close to the unsafe limit. Now I wonder if too much "base" can cause the rust, like mild bleach :hmm: . Ok, I'm overthinking this :surrender: .

I do wish I had an old barrel I could experiment on. I'd like to try disstilled water versus my well water, to see if the rust is the same. I'm certainly not going to experiment on my good barrels. Oh well, I guess we just do what works for us. Bill

 

[David W.]

I usually use very warm or "tepid" water. No reason for it to be hot enough to scald your hands. I finish with a 91% alcohol patch and
then a thin coat of Ballistol. It does not have to be heavy.

 

[Keith T]

The reason I like to use HOT water is the heat causes the barrel to dry really fast.

 

[Mike Spaulding]

New to all this guys, but I can say this. I use the hot water and soap method to clean my barrel. My water is well and very sulpheric. It does run through a softner and filter before getting to the tap and as of yet, I've not had an issue with the flash rust so maybe your onto something with the iron content in your water. I run dry patches through the barrel immediatly after the water then lube if that means anything.

 

[ronrryan]

I clean at the range. Cold (tepid) water, alcohol, ballistol, (rig for long storage). I have noted in past posts that there seems to be a distinct difference in using 70% alcohol v/s the 90%. I have had rust with the former, none with 90%, must be the water content. YMMV, Good smoke, God Bless, Ron in FL. (PS years ago I was told: 100% clean, 100% dry, 100% lubed. Good advice, R)

 

[bangfxr]

In the evenings in camp or when I get home its hot water. If doing campaighn events its some hot coffee down the barrel and a few patches unitl the rod pings 3 times and pop 3 caps to dry out the channel.

 

[Bill Hall]

And if you pour that coffee out of your barrel and back into your cup, you got real Mountain Man coffee. :rotf: Bill