JB/Iosso paste removal

[Cowboy2]

Those of you that use it in closed breech rifles, how do you get it out? I've used JB in centerfire guns with good effect, and just ordered some Iosso paste. With those, obviously, you just push it out the other end with a patch.

Will a patch and jag pull it out of a front-stuffer? Is it water/detergent soluble? I'm hesitant to use anything in my bore, regardless of how mildly abrasiveness, if I'm not sure I can get it all out.

 

[paulvallandigham]

What doesn't flush out with soap and water does so when flushed with alcohol.

The whole point of using a properly shaped, and sized cleaning( NOT LOADING)jag is so that it will pull the patch, and crud OUT of a muzzle loading barrel!

The jag should be small enough under bore diameter( measure it, don't guess!)so that the clean patch passes over the lands, and does NOT shove crud down into the breech, to block the TH on a flintlock, or flash channel on a percussion lock. If you shoot a gun with a powder chamber, don't be pushing crud into it, either. And, don't use a sopping wet patch down those barrel. A DAMP patch is all that is needed.

As a practical technique with any MLer, mark your cleaning rod so that you can stop one INCH SHORT of the breech of the barrel, with that damp patch. Then pull it, and all th4e crud in the grooves out. Using a new, dry patch, NOW go down to the breech, and let the dry fabric soak up any moisture you put in the barrel together with the crud you may find on the face of the breech plug.

You may need to use a jag sized to fit inside that powder chamber with a patch to clean it of crud.

Normally, when Real BP is used in such guns, the powder will burn the powder chamber fairly clean, and you won't need to be cleaning that chamber during the course of a shoot. But, "katy bar the door" if you choose to use any of the substitute powder in your gun of that design. Some work as well as BP, some don't. Often performance depends on how well you flush out oil in the powder chamber and flash channels with alcohol before you begin loading those powders. Oil and powders produces tars and carbon deposits that are difficult to remove under any condition.

I wish I had been paid a dollar for every nipple I have pulled, and ever barrel I have flushed with alcohol on the range, of guns belonging to other shooters who maybe fired one shot before the gun would fire no more. The owners tend to be new to the sport, don't know much about the gun, and almost never have the right tools to clear the stoppage.

Its a nice way to make friends, however, and get younger shooters started right in the sport. BTDT always brings a smile from the new guys. :grin: :thumbsup: :idunno: :surrender: :hatsoff:

 

[Kentuckywindage]

floor the bore with gun scrubber and mop it out with some patches.

 

[M. De Land]

I like to put notches in my brass cleaning jags longitudinally so I can push the cleaning patches to the bottom and turn them against the breech plug and get all the fouling out clear to the edge without the patch spinning on the jag and doing nothing.
I started using windshield wash as patch lube and like it very much for match shooting. Makes water clean up very easy at the end keeping the fouling from caking hard.
I still like to finish up with a patch of good ole Hoppe's# 9 to make sure all the water is out of the pores and land corners.Never did like oil when water cleaning anything as the Hoppe's will lift any water left behind an coat a clean bore against rust.
This stuff has never failed me over the years with muzzle loader or smokeless gun. MD

 

[Cowboy2]

I've gone to an air compressor with a hose/pipe cleaner attachment for getting all the water out. A few blasts at 100psi will clear the moisture out in nothing flat. Its made cleaning bp pistols soooooo much easier.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Will a patch and jag pull it out of a front-stuffer? Is it water/detergent soluble? I'm hesitant to use anything in my bore, regardless of how mildly abrasiveness, if I'm not sure I can get it all out.

I use a patch damp with alcohol ahead of a worm. It gets in the corners and scrubs the face of the breech.

 

[M. De Land]

Never cared for steel worms personally, as the sharp points cut through any patch and scratch up the barrel interior and face of the breech plug making them even harder to clean.
A flat faced grooved longitudinally notched brass jag will clean as well if not better with no scratching of barrel interior. MD

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I guess I'm a bit skeptical of that in a rifled barrel M.D. I've tried that, thinking the same as you that the patch would rotate with the jag. But watching a patch just below the muzzle I found that the rifling grips the patch better than does the notched jag. In a smoothbore it probably would work.

 

[M. De Land]

Well, perhaps I can take a picture of what I mean. Mine grips the patch to were I can't turn it until I get some of the fouling out.
Here a couple of examples of what I mean. They can be notched up even more if you get patch slippage but these have worked well for me.

And this is my muzzle protector and range rod made of 5/16s stailess rodstock.

MD

 

[M. De Land]

Well I stand corrected Joe , nothing for it but to admit I was mistaken. I went out and gave my underhammer your test and it indeed slipped on the patch in the muzzle. I apparently fooled myself into believing it was turning the patch at the bottom when it became moveable after some fouling removal. I shall make some more and deeper notches and see if I can actually get it to work as I though it was. MD

 

[M. De Land]

I got to thinking about what you said Joe about it probably working in a smooth bore.
One could pull the plug on a rifle and ream or bore out to the groove depth, the length of the jag which would be shorter than a reduced load powder column and there by have a smooth bore in the bottom of a rifled barrel that is filled with the powder charge.
This would most definitely promote ease of cleaning, would it not? Kicking some ideas around. MD

 

[reddog]

I got to thinking about what you said Joe about it probably working in a smooth bore.
One could pull the plug on a rifle and ream or bore out to the groove depth, the length of the jag which would be shorter than a reduced load powder column and there by have a smooth bore in the bottom of a rifled barrel that is filled with the powder charge.
This would most definitely promote ease of cleaning, would it not? Kicking some ideas around. MD

I wouldn't kick that one too hard. It ain't hard to clean a front stuffer without durn near destroying the gun!!! Way more trouble than it could ever possibly be worth.

 

[Dphar]

Those of you that use it in closed breech rifles, how do you get it out? I've used JB in centerfire guns with good effect, and just ordered some Iosso paste. With those, obviously, you just push it out the other end with a patch.

Will a patch and jag pull it out of a front-stuffer? Is it water/detergent soluble? I'm hesitant to use anything in my bore, regardless of how mildly abrasiveness, if I'm not sure I can get it all out.

Go to the auto parts store and get some of the fine scotch brite polishing pads. White is pretty good.
Find a jag that will give a pretty tight fit and polish the barrel with this. 10 strokes then check it.

Nothing to wash out of the bore afterwards.
JB is only good for removing bluing from bores and sometime copper fouling.
Scotch brite will smooth and deburr ML barrels that need it. New barrels that are cutting patches often benefit from this or 0000 steel wool.
Alcohol may wash JB out pretty good, can't recall offhand.

Dan

 

[Cowboy2]

I've used Iosso a few times now since I posted this. The paste is easy to use, and cleanup wasn't any problem at all (it appears to be water soluble). I used it to help get the GPR preservative out of the barrel right when it arrived, so I don't know if it would have been cutting patches or not. What I do know is that after 20 strokes in that initial clean up, it hasn't cut a single patch.

Its pretty good at getting bp fouling out, too.

 

[M. De Land]

Nah,it would be an easy job in my lathe, reaming or boring. MD

 

[reddog]

It would be easy in mine also!

My concern would be the plug removal, some of them just don't want to come out! chancing damage, and the small diameter of the plug's interface with the bore.

Now if a feller wanted to set it up during the breeching process it would be a lot better, but it seems like an ingenious solution to a non existant problem.

 

[BrownBear]

Those of you that use it in closed breech rifles, how do you get it out? I've used JB in centerfire guns with good effect, and just ordered some Iosso paste. With those, obviously, you just push it out the other end with a patch.

Will a patch and jag pull it out of a front-stuffer? Is it water/detergent soluble? I'm hesitant to use anything in my bore, regardless of how mildly abrasiveness, if I'm not sure I can get it all out.

I just use plain old Hoppes #9 and a tight patch to get rid of the JB with the nipple or vent removed, followed by plunge cleaning with warm soapy water. Never tried it with Iosso, but it's a non-issue with JB.

I first got turned on to JB sometime back in the early 1960's when I started benchrest shooting, and unless something has changed since I bought three bottles of the stuff back in the 90's when it almost disappeared from the market (yeah, I hoard good stuff), Hoppes has always been the right solvent.