How often do you remove the pinned barrel of your gun?

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

I found the previous topic 'Do you remove your lock for cleaning' quite interesting. And yes I remove my lock every time I have used the gun...
I have my TVM Iron Pennsylvania for exactly one year and love it! I put 800 shots through it in that period... How often should I remove the barrel to check or clean underneath it?

 

[Col. Batguano]

I pull my barrel every time I clean it. I simply don't trust myself not to get some water trapped between the stock and the barrel and have it rust.

Others feel differently, but to me, it's worth the extra step. Besides, a bare barrel is pretty easy to just plunk in to a bucket of water to do the cleaning thing, and I don't have to worry about spilling.

I built the gun I shoot the most about 5 years ago, and in that time, I've probably pulled the barrel about 50 times. In that time, I've not experienced any significant loosening of the pins.

Now I'm building a gun with wedge keys which will be easier to pull, but I don't feel that pins are any real big deal to drive out of there. You just have to be careful to do your cleaning in a way they're not likely to get lost. If you DO happen to lose one, they're pretty easy to make a replacement for.

A bigger deal to be careful about are buggering the bolt heads, but proper sized screw drivers, and kaseniting them removes a lot of those concerns.

 

[Stumpkiller]

So far I haven't removed the barrels on my flintlock rifle (12 years) or my flintlock fowler.

Owned a Bess musket for 15 years and removed the barrel once.

If I am hunting in the rain when I get home I take a stiff paper card and run it along the barrel channel to draw the moisture out. Then I take another soaked with penetrating oil (Sheath) and repeat.

 

[Eddie Southgate]

Every time I shoot them . It's a pain but I think a needed one .

 

[Don Steele]

A lot depends upon the conditions the rifle sees throughout the year. If I were to get caught in a downpour with one of my rifles...I'd likely pull the barrel as part of the cleaning routine immediately after that outing.
I have a "pinned-barrel" flintlock SMR that doesn't see rain AT ALL. I've pulled the bbl. once in 2 years. Didn't find any major issues and applied a generous layer of Rig grease before putting it back together.
My Thompson Center hook-breech/barrel key rifles have the barrels pulled (along with the locks) after every use.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I pull my barrels once every few years when I have a senior moment and stuff something down them I can't get out and need to pull the breech plug.

Once I loaded a couple of over powder wads without the powder in my fowler. I couldn't get anything to make contact to pull them so out came the barrel and breech plug.

The one I hate to admit was when I was sure I dry balled and couldn't get my old ball puller to screw into the ball. I pulled the barrel and breechplug to find an empty barrel. I hate senior moments, they seem to come round more often as I have aged a bit.

If I get caught out in the rain (rarely as I am a fair weather hunter) with one of my rifles I pull the barrel and let things dry out.

Sometimes I may pull a barrel out of curiosity to see there is any rust but I have never found any so far.

 

[Heelerau]

I don't as a general rule remove my barrels unless a hooked breech.

 

[George]

I never pull my pinned barrels, see no need to do so if they haven't been in the rain. Guns that I use in the rain, I protect before they get wet. I run a bead of paste lube all along the barrel-stock joint, then rub it away until it's not visible. No water can get between stock and barrel with that treatment, I've checked it when I first started doing this. With that bead and a good cow's knee over the lock and adjacent area, I've hunted in the rain quite a lot without problems.



Spence

 

[hanshi]

Maybe once every two or three years if I think there's a need. I don't hunt in the rain any longer.

 

[tenngun]

Every few years and apply paste wax to the channel. Big warning if you do it, I have a chip at a pin hole for a reason. :redface:

 

[Ames]

I don't pull them either. And I have modern guns to expose to the rain. No need to ruin my hard work pulling pins or getting my work wet if I don't have to.

 

[smo]

Depends on weather, if it’s been wet I’ll pull it to clean and put away.

Routinely I’ll pull the every 12 to 18 months , just to be safe.

 

[garra]

I remove the pins and pull the barrel every time I clean the rifle. The lock usually is pulled at the same time. I have tried to clean without doing so, but I can never seem to get the water from running everywhere and getting the wood wet. Found it better just to pull barrel and put it in a bucket. One of those magnetic dishes from Harbor Freight there to catch the hardware.

I am going to try Dutch's waterless cleaning method next on my 50, that is the rifle I shoot the most.

 

[54ball]

Well, being that many 200 year old originals when they are taken apart, still show original finish whereas the exposed portion may be pitted.....I think it's. Non issue.

A barely off topic trap door I examined was in almost dug relic condition. The barrel area in the stock still showed almost new looking blue and case colors.

So never would be fine IMHO.

 

[Archer 756]

:thumbsup: 54ball thanks for the comment I was just going to write about the same issue. Our forefathers would be glad that we don't remove barrels and still have fine looking rifles. Oh any one that does remove barrels and dose damage please I would be glad to give you a price to buy your damage rifle. :hatsoff: