Newbie question

[mickman15]

I am very close to the completion of my .50 How do you all clean your barrels? My ramrod does not have any way to attach a cotton swap to it, is there a certain rod that is used for cleaning?

 

[shmrck1]

Dan,
No need to attach really. Use a .50cal. jag.
Place cleaning patch over the muzzle and run
jag over patch down the barrel and back out.
If you loose the patch,just attach a patch(or worm)
puller and it will come out very easily.Then
repeat the process. The patch puller will not
be necessary every time. Consider using a wire
brush first. :2 There are several post in the
"LINK" section about cleaning B/P weapons.
Might want to check them out.
snake-eyes:hmm:

 

[mickman15]

I have been looking at track of the wolf and am totally lost. I feel like there are so many things I need, but don't know where to start. The balls and patches...and powder is the easy stuff, but do i need a measure AND a flask? is the cleaning jag the ribbed brass piece or is it the one with 2 wires sticking out? Everything around here is for inline BPR mostly CVA.

 

[silverfox]

Lets see if I'm fast enough. 1. yes you need a measure and a flask, never load from your powder source. 2 The brass ringed thing is your jag or cleaning jag. 3 the wire thing is a lost patch puller and is used just for retrieving lost patches. Hope that answers come of your questions.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[rafterob]

Most, but not all, ramrod tips have a female threaded end to attach jags to or have a flange on them intended to capture a patch on the back stroke when cleaning. You will sooner or later discover you want a range rod so if you have the money get one now. There are various models available and you can save a few $ by making one yourself. I got some 3/8" stainless steel rod from a metal supply business and had the end tapped out for 10/32 threads. Epoxied a wood ball on the end, muzzle protector, jag, done- cost me about $20. I don't think the cotton swabs are real useful for a muzzleloader other than oiling after cleaning, because they get filthy real fast with BP fouling. I just use cloth patches for that. Cut up old T shirts work great.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

 

[Swampman]

A brush & a mop are unnecessary. The jag does it all.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

mop makes it easy. i love them. They also taper into the breech plug area on my cabelas hawkens. One brush does it all in one swipe :thumbsup:

Lots of opinions on what you need and what YOU dont need. I posted what i like.

 

[mazo kid]

One thing that was not mentioned is the need to PIN the jag end to the ramrod. Most of my ramrod ends are cylindrical brass with a threaded hole in the end....either 8-32 or 10-32 threads per inch depending on what your accessories are threaded. The brass end is the part that should be pinned, just drill a hole through the brass piece and ramrod and tap a small brass rod through and file flush. For the pin, I use 1/16" brazing rod. You can often pick up small pieces of scrap from a welding or repair shop for the asking.

 

[mickman15]

I almost bought a cva range rod, there were many attachments for it, but now I have an idea of what i am looking for. One site wanted 2-6 hundred dollars for powder horns, I found one on ebay for 25.00. I think ill just use the horn to pur into the measure. Thank you all!

 

[Little Wattsy]

You are on the right track. make sure to have FUN. and Remember these guys have been doin this for hundreds of years (collectively with the exception of TG who is just that old :wink: ) There is ALOT of good advice available for the asking.

 

[mrclean100]

With the horns , you pay for the pretty ( scrimshaw , carving etc ) they do pretty much the same job as my $15 sportsmans warehouse horn . When I worked up my best load I bought a nozzle for the horn and filed it down to pour the right amount of powder . This eliminates one step for me . For the rod I did like ghettogun said ( but I went cheap with hot rolled 3/8 instead of stainless ) . I bought mine a bit long and put about a 3 inch bend at the end ( so it looks like a realllll long "L" ) . That way when I have to use the ball puller , I screw it in ( the weight of the metal rod helps here ) and turn it muzzle down , step on the little leg of the "L" and just lift the gun off the stuck ball . I hate to say it but I have had to do that more than once ( and I loan the rod out a lot too ) .
Swab between shots , clean when your all done for the day .

 

[mickman15]

I have been wondering how the ball pullers work, so in conventional ones you have to tap the end into the lead ball? I think I would rather twist it in.

 

[3crows]

I have a ball puller with a screw end and it twists right into the stuck ball. It does fine. When buying jags stay away from all brass ones with the threads being of brass and formed from one piece. I had one break off in barrel. I got one that has a steel screw shaft threaded into the brass head. Trust me you dont want a patched jag stuck in the barrel.

 

[tg]

". When I worked up my best load I bought a nozzle for the horn and filed it down to pour the right amount of powder "

I don't know I am sure I understand your loading sequence could you run it by me?

 

[sealgaire]

Dear Mickman15,

You didn't tell us what you are building. Does the barrel have a patent breach? If it does you might want to get a .22 bronze brush attachment to clean it with. using a jag only will push crud down into this smaller diameter area.

There are lots of cleaning solutions. Everyone has a favorite. If you can remove the barrel easily, clean the barrel off the rifle. I like to start with boiling water. Remove the nipple (assuming this is a caplock) and put the breech end in a bucket part full of the hot water (some people like to add windex or dishwashing detergent). Put the cleaning rod with the .22 brush down the barrel and scrub the patent breach. (skip if not a patent breach). Then put a patch on your jag and run it up and down the barrel a bunch of times. Change the jag a few times until one comes out clean. The barrel is going to get very hat, wear something to protect your hand. Rinsee the barrel inside and out with clean boiling water and let dry. You will need to put something on the barrel to prevent rusting. I make a homemade mixture of ballistol. You can find recipes on the web, or buy some. Put a light coating inside and out on the barrel.

You also want to remove the lock and clean it it as well. I do that by soaking for awhile (while I'm cleaning the barrel) in a bowl of ballistol.

Enjoy.

Sealgaire

 

[paulvallandigham]

In addition to burning your hands, Boiling water really does nothing to clean the crud out. ( SORRY!)

Water is the solvent. The soap added helps to dissolve and neutralize salts in the powder residue, and emulsifies the carbon. Use air temperature( or "tepid") water to clean your gun. That avoids the flash rust that occurs when a HOT barrel is exposed to air and water. ( You really can't put oil down that barrel fast enough to prevent flash rust after pouring out the boiling water.)

I prefer to use a bronze bore brush to knock loose any crud that is stuck in the corners of the rifling, or in the corners where the rifled bore( or smoothbore) joins with the breechplug. If you have a patent-style breech Percussion or Flint gun, you will need to figure out what diameter that powder chamber is, and buy a comparable bore brush to use in it. The brush's bristles hold onto a cotton cleaning patch very nicely, and allows you to go down and scrub the powder chamber, without worrying about losing the patch down the barrel.

Then put a damp patch or two( Depends on how tight a fit your jag and cleaning patches are in the barrel) to pump the water in and out of the barrel. ( I like to remove the barrel from the stock and put it in a separate bucket of water.

I then pump the water in and out of the barrel with the suction created by the damp patches sealing the bore. With any kind of liquid detergent in the barrel, with the water, you soon have cleaned out the crud. Once in awhile, graphite remains and using an oiled cleaning patch is the fastest way I know to get that out of the metal.

If you don't heat up the barrel, you don't get Flash Rust. So, when you finish drying the barrel with cleaning patches( they come out clean!) just put oil on a patch and run it down the barrel and back a few times, and the bore is done. If you are going to store the gun for any length of time before cleaning and re-oiling it, consider using a thicker lube in the barrel, like Bore Butter, to protect the bore. Oils tend to dry out. Bore butter is a combination of oil and wax, and the wax helps hold the oil to the metal longer. You still have to clean and re-lube the barrel periodically- depending on the relative humidity of the storage area.

 

[sealgaire]

I'm a new guy to these boards, but have shot BP for a long time. Not wanting to argue, just to clarify.

What you say about the flash rust is true, but the coating is so thin that it comes off with a dry patch. My greater concern is getting the salts out of the barrel. They can cause the major damage if not removed completely.

I'm a chemist. Salts are soluble in water. The higher the temperature of the water the better the salts dissolve. Soap is really a bridge chemical. One end of the molecule dissolves in the water the other end is attracted to nonpolar chemicals. This allows grease to be dissolved by the soap and water solution. I use spit for lube and clean between shots with a patch dampened with ballistol (actually I run the patch down after a new load is put in)so there is nothing in the barrel that needs soap to remove it.

I still have my first BP rifle. It's a Lyman Plains Rifle (not a Great Plains)in .45. It has a tight barrel. I use a .440 ball with a .005 patch. After more than 30 years of shooting this load it still fits tight, so that bit of surface rust that forms has not enlarged the barrel. My method works. Other ways probably work just as well, it's a choice. There are a lot of right answers.

Thanks.

Sealgaire

 

[paulvallandigham]

Flash rust is still rust. Does it matter if you destroy the barrel with a thousand cuts, or just one?? By using tepid water, you avoid the problem all together. The water dissolves the salts. The soap is there to emulsify the acids, the salts, and the carbon, both from the residue from the granules, and from the graphite coating of the granules. Flushing the barrel a couple of times removes then all.

If you insist on using boiling water, than be a bit calculated about how you use it. Try using it initially, and then follow up with tepid water while the barrel is still wet to cool both the water and the barrel. Cooling that barrel down to room temp is what we are after to avoid the rust.

I used to use boiling water, then as hot as the water came out of the tap, to clean my gun barrels. I burned my fingers and hands many times. I found it very difficult to get the water down my small barrel without some spillage each time I cleaned. And, I always had flash rust.

Someone at the club told me to use tepid water, and went through the various chemicals and elements that comprise the residue we are cleaning out of the barrel. Carbon is the largest component. Sulfur, and Nitrates creates the acids by combining with moisture in the air. The salts come from compounds derived from these elements that are not used to make the acids.

I have not had to deal with flash rust since.

Advice here is free. Use it as you wish, or ignore it. No one is forcing you to do anything. If you think we are wrong, do your own thing. Its your gun. If you ruin it, you have only yourself to blame, and to look to for repairs, or replacement. NO drill sergeants, here! :thumbsup:

 

[mickman15]

I am building a Traditions Kentucky rifle. The only thing on it is a bolster/clean out hole. I think the gun will operate and look nice (once I figure out how to get the bluing to look nice) but I will never go through traditions again, the left out a nosecap screw and told me to visit my local hardware store! I paid for the dang thing give it to me, I am not close enought to needing it yet, but they will be receiving a call soon.