i woke up this morning half dreaming, wondering how did the long hunters and even frontiersman who were on the road or trail clean there guns? did they clean them as much as we do today?
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how did the long hunters clean there guns,,,,,,,,,,,
- Thread starter olskool
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appalichian hunter
75 Cal.
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I would think they took pretty good care of their weapons, seeing as how your life would depend on them. Figure they pretty much done as we do, jag, tow, water and some kind of grease perhaps bear oil or what ever was handy. Spence is good at these sort of questions perhaps he will chime in.
Watch this video. I would think that this is close to how they did it. Just my opinion.
Flintlock Rifle Breakdown and Cleaning - YouTube
Flintlock Rifle Breakdown and Cleaning - YouTube
Bob McBride
54 Cal.
One of my favorite shorts on YouTube. If anyone does it like they did it’s Simeon. He’s my BP idol.
Mine too. Sets the fly on his knee. No magnetic tray to hold it. I'd say the real deal.
rich pierce
70 Cal.
You’d need water, tow, tow worm, and ramrod. Plug the vent. Start sloshing wet tow down there. If you’ve plenty of water, fill the bore then pour it out for a good rinse. Keep cleaning by changing or rinsing wet tow until it comes out clean. Remove vent plug. Run some dry tow down the bore till it’s dry. Run some greased tow down there. Barrel done. Take the lock off. Wipe the barrel with wet then dry tow around the touchhole. Now wipe the pan, frizzen, pan bolster area, jaws of the cock and whatever you can reach around the frizzen pivot with wet then dry tow. Set aside to dry. Add a touch of grease to the frizzen spring/frizzen pivot area. See if the mainspring hook/tumbler nose needs greasing. Reassemble your lock back into the mortise. Good to go.
rich pierce
70 Cal.
I disassemble locks rarely. The main reason is to clean, polish, and lubricate the frizzen pivot bolt. The internals should not need attention unless the gun got submerged
Cold water in sub freezing temps!! Na. Boiled water from the camp fire.
If they bothered at all. Bear grease will work fine on it's own for months.
They didn't plink much!
If they bothered at all. Bear grease will work fine on it's own for months.
They didn't plink much!
tnlonghunter
40 Cal.
That's what I wonder. Not so much the "how" as the "how often."
I don't think they cleaned their guns nearly as often as they should have.
Failing to clean their guns could explain why so many of the original guns were "freshened" or re-rifled. Even on the Louis & Clark expedition, several of thier guns needed this to be done.
I've also noted, on almost all of the original percussion guns I've examined, there is evidence of some severe rusting/corrosion around the area of the nipple.
This was caused by the corrosive nature of the priming powder in the old percussion caps but, if they had taken the time to actually clean their guns and wash away the cap residue, the corrosion I've seen wouldn't have been there.
Failing to clean their guns could explain why so many of the original guns were "freshened" or re-rifled. Even on the Louis & Clark expedition, several of thier guns needed this to be done.
I've also noted, on almost all of the original percussion guns I've examined, there is evidence of some severe rusting/corrosion around the area of the nipple.
This was caused by the corrosive nature of the priming powder in the old percussion caps but, if they had taken the time to actually clean their guns and wash away the cap residue, the corrosion I've seen wouldn't have been there.
My guess is that the lubricated patch of the reloaded round did most of the cleaning.
Longhunters shot game for money. Well, for the hides for money. We shot deer today and odds are we are shooting deer tomorrow. How clean would you get your gun?
My answer is clean enough.
Longhunters shot game for money. Well, for the hides for money. We shot deer today and odds are we are shooting deer tomorrow. How clean would you get your gun?
My answer is clean enough.
rich pierce
70 Cal.
One of the practices that may have been common back in the day was reloading a fired rifle and not cleaning it till much later.
I recently freshed the rifling on a contemporary gun that had been to several wet rondy encampments. It was shot daily in foul weather and despite efforts to clean, it never got dry, apparently. It doesn’t surprise me that the Lewis and Clark expedition rifles needed freshening of the rifling. I don’t think we experience conditions they did routinely. The barrel I recut the rifling on had deep rust muzzle to breech. I think it would have shredded Kevlar patches.
I recently freshed the rifling on a contemporary gun that had been to several wet rondy encampments. It was shot daily in foul weather and despite efforts to clean, it never got dry, apparently. It doesn’t surprise me that the Lewis and Clark expedition rifles needed freshening of the rifling. I don’t think we experience conditions they did routinely. The barrel I recut the rifling on had deep rust muzzle to breech. I think it would have shredded Kevlar patches.
Reading accounts from original manuscripts , the only mention of doing anything to a gun in the field is to "clear" it at the end of the day. A white captive of a raiding party was asked by a party of militia that was trailing the raiders, "what was all the firing after dark at the Indian camp. ?" The captive confirmed the raiders were "clearing" their guns , so if they were ambushed the next day , their guns would fire. Does "clear" mean "clean?"
Another original account comes from a fort in Ky. where an eminent Indian attack caused the defenders to "clean their guns and put them in good order." There's always a lack of information in the testimonies as to exactly what the words "clear and or clean " involves. Only thing I can figure , the meanings of these words were such common 18th century vernacular, they were considered unnecessary to explain.....Frustrating for those wanting to know what was happening.....................oldwood
Another original account comes from a fort in Ky. where an eminent Indian attack caused the defenders to "clean their guns and put them in good order." There's always a lack of information in the testimonies as to exactly what the words "clear and or clean " involves. Only thing I can figure , the meanings of these words were such common 18th century vernacular, they were considered unnecessary to explain.....Frustrating for those wanting to know what was happening.....................oldwood
SamTex1949
32 Cal.
the youtube doesnt work now, who was it ? title for search
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Exactly how do you refresh the rifling? Special tool? Thanks
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I would say very little water was used. A good swabbing with jag and tow, maybe even prairie grass and wiping down with what grease or rendered fat was available with wool or linsey. Those old rifles were subjected enough to moisture without sloshing them with it.
When the old timers cleaned the tools of the trade they took their time and carefully inspected the rifle along the way. Sand paper or some kind of fine abrasive was part of the cleaning gear.
Swab clean with organic lubricant, disassemble lock maybe once a year, wipe clean, abrasive some if needed and grease. The mountain people weren't as dependent on the rifle as much as their traps, bow and arrows. Sure, at times a skirmish would take place, but unless one was a hunter for a company, or market the rifle wasn't shot all that much.
This was passed down to me from generations of hunters and trappers. There is a distinct difference of opinion between flat landers and mountain people because of environment and experience gained.
The book Fox Fire Five by Eliot Wigginton covers all that stuff from an original perspective. As in , how the old timers in the Southern mtn,s. made rifling devices from scratch , etc..The info is told as gleaned from the original folks who had to fix their own rifles well after cartridge guns were used most every where else. These folks have kept m/l science alive long after it died out in the rest of America. We owe them a thank you..............oldwood
