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nitro solvent or bore cleaner
- Thread starter Mike Mize
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
ssettle
40 Cal.
Water and alittle Dawn dish washing liquid is all you'll need for blackpowder. Oil afterwards.. :grin: SSettle
Neither are very good for cleaning BP. Whatever you use should be water based, as the fouling is very water soluble. Also, firing BP and substitutes leaves behind salts that promote rust. These need cleaned out with water also.
The long time standard has been warm water and dish soap and it works well. Lately I've taken to using Ballistol mixed with water and following up with straight Ballistol. It cleans great and leaves behind protective oil that doesn't gum up like most petroleum oils do.
The long time standard has been warm water and dish soap and it works well. Lately I've taken to using Ballistol mixed with water and following up with straight Ballistol. It cleans great and leaves behind protective oil that doesn't gum up like most petroleum oils do.
Thinks guys. I have in the past used warm water and dish soap. I cleaned the barrel on Friday night with bore cleaner and thought that I had done a pretty good job of cleaning and that I had got all of the cleaner out, but I found out this morning that I must have used to to much bore butter, because I had a chance to shoot a buck this morning and had a miss fire. I fired three times and no luck, and of course the deer runs off laughing at me. When I pulled the ball and cleaned out the powder the powder at the very bottom was soft and smelled of bore butter. So that the reason for my question. I don't want this problem next Saturday on my special hunt. I cleaned out and relaoded this afternoon and had three rounds in a group about six inches. So to night I cleaned the barrel with warm water and dish soap pulled the nipple and cleaned that area useda blow dryer to make sure that the area where the powder will sit was very dry.
So I hope we will have no more miss fires, and thanks again for everyones help.
Soonerhunter
So I hope we will have no more miss fires, and thanks again for everyones help.
Soonerhunter
Bountyhunter
50 Cal.
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What do you all think of that LeHigh Valley goop?
I picked up a jug of it and it seems to clean pretty well. It is a lot more expensive then just using hot water and soap.
Bill
I picked up a jug of it and it seems to clean pretty well. It is a lot more expensive then just using hot water and soap.
Bill
paulvallandigham
Passed On
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- Jan 9, 2006
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When you put any kind of lube down the barrel- including bore butter- Always first try to get as much out with a cleaning patch, and then run a patch dripping with alcohol down it the barrel to dissolve what remains. You want it wet enough that alcohol and oils or liquified grease run out the drum and nipple hole. Always remove the nipple when doing this kind of cleaning. Drop it in a small container with alcohol in it to clean it out, too. Use a pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol to liberally wash and clean out the flash channel or drum. Dry the barrel again with a cleaning patch or two, to reduce the time it takes for the alcohol to evaporate, and absorb some of the oils and liquified grease. If in doubt, repeat the alcohol process. Let the gun sit while you dry and check the nipple to see it has no obstructions. I blow throw my nipples to do this. The wire stands by in case there is an obstruction. I always put a drop of oil on the threads of the nipple and in the patent breech, or drum threads, before I screw the nipple back in the gun. By the time that is done, the alcohol is evaporated, and the gun is clean and dry.
Now its ready to load powder into the barrel. If I am hunting in damp conditions, after I seat the PRB on the powder, I will run a cleaning patch liberally coated in bore butter down the barrel to lube the lands and grooves in front of the PRB, which is also lubed. That leaves the drum, flash chaneel, and nipple clean and dry, with powder in the chamber, and, perhaps, in the flash channel or drum. Loaded that way, the powder stays dry and the gun ready to fire all day long. I have hunted from before suup, to after sundown, in mist, fog, and rain, and had my gun fire at the end of the day when I wanted to empty the gun for safe, and, at that time, legal transportation.
There is nothing wrong with using bore butter to lube the barrel during storage. Other than Ballistol, and olive oil, it is one of the best preservatives. But, with all of these, you have to remove them from the gun before loading that first charge. Usually, firing a couple of caps is not good enough to get the job done. I have burned gunk out of the chamber by putting a charge of powder down the barrel and then firing a cap to burn the powder. Done fast enough, the powder ignites before the gunk has a chance to spoil it all. But, then you have to clean ous the greasy gunk. I found using alcohol- rubbing or denatured- was a faster, and more sure way of cleaning the barrel after a period of storage, no matter what I used to grease the barrel to protect against rust.
Now its ready to load powder into the barrel. If I am hunting in damp conditions, after I seat the PRB on the powder, I will run a cleaning patch liberally coated in bore butter down the barrel to lube the lands and grooves in front of the PRB, which is also lubed. That leaves the drum, flash chaneel, and nipple clean and dry, with powder in the chamber, and, perhaps, in the flash channel or drum. Loaded that way, the powder stays dry and the gun ready to fire all day long. I have hunted from before suup, to after sundown, in mist, fog, and rain, and had my gun fire at the end of the day when I wanted to empty the gun for safe, and, at that time, legal transportation.
There is nothing wrong with using bore butter to lube the barrel during storage. Other than Ballistol, and olive oil, it is one of the best preservatives. But, with all of these, you have to remove them from the gun before loading that first charge. Usually, firing a couple of caps is not good enough to get the job done. I have burned gunk out of the chamber by putting a charge of powder down the barrel and then firing a cap to burn the powder. Done fast enough, the powder ignites before the gunk has a chance to spoil it all. But, then you have to clean ous the greasy gunk. I found using alcohol- rubbing or denatured- was a faster, and more sure way of cleaning the barrel after a period of storage, no matter what I used to grease the barrel to protect against rust.
I use plain cold water, then dry patches followed with Ballistol. I have around a dozen or so muzzleloaders and have had absolutely no trouble with rust or misfires attributed to gunk in the breech. I used to use hot water and dish soap, and sometimes would get a little light rust a few days later.
54mountain
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2006
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- 738
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I always pop a couple of caps before I load just to make sure everything is dry, I realize if you are already in the field you wouldn't want to scare off any game but you can usually can find a safe place especially if you have to walk in to your grounds.
I have had rust develop almost immediatly after using T/C No 13 bore cleaner, and I've had rust develop several weeks after using Ballistol as a protectorate.
I use either regular dish soap and water or Murphys Oil Soap and water to clean the bore and have found that Birchwood Casey Sheath does a fine job of preventing rust.
zonie
I use either regular dish soap and water or Murphys Oil Soap and water to clean the bore and have found that Birchwood Casey Sheath does a fine job of preventing rust.
zonie
Bountyhunter said:
I haven't tried it, Bill. I had used the soapy water method for decades then switched to Ballistol. I tried the Hoppe's black powder solvent but found that while it made a good patch lube, it didn't clean very well at all.
A feller on another forum mentioned he had rusting issues with Ballistol also. I haven't had any problems, but I also don't use it for long term storage. For guns that get shot and cleaned regularly it doesn't seem to be a problem, even under the humidity from our evaporative coolers. For guns that I'm going to be putting away for a while, they get a wipe with CorrosionX. I haven't tried Sheath yet, but I'm sure hearing a lot of good things about it from all over the net.
