When to clean your flintlock?

[Percy]

Go to deer camp Friday night, plan to hunt Saturday and Sunday morning. Shoot at a deer Saturday morning, reload and track. Find the deer, field dress and take it back to camp. After lunch go back out and hunt until dark, no more shots taken. Question is do I need to discharge and clean the gun or can I wait until after my hunt Sunday morning? All comments appreciated.
Percy

 

[necchi]

Clean the gun Saturday night or your looking at trouble. (period)

 

[Khufu]

Clean the gun Saturday night or your looking at trouble. (period)

+1

 

[BrownBear]

Naw.....

Guns are cheap and disposable, so it won't mean much to bring home a rust bucket. :rotf:

 

[jackley]

Yes, clean!!

 

[tenngun]

Yes, clean!!

+3
Black powder soot wants to destroy your gun as soon as possible. Overnight it starts to work. As it cools dew comes out looking for a spot to sleep with steel and give birth to rust, a ugly malformed baby there to great the dawn.

 

[Dean2]

I would have cleaned it when I was cleaning my knife and other gear after cleaning the deer.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Yes, clean!!

+3
Black powder soot wants to destroy your gun as soon as possible. Overnight it starts to work. As it cools dew comes out looking for a spot to sleep with steel and give birth to rust, a ugly malformed baby there to great the dawn.

Strangely poetic. And true!!

+4

 

[rushlake1]

Fowled rifles and smooth bores cleaned daily..or else badness happens...

 

[Spikebuck]

I would have cleaned it when I was cleaning my knife and other gear after cleaning the deer.

+1. Correct...mine would have been cleaned before going back out.

 

[larry wv]

I would leave it loaded. It's not going to rust away in a day.

Larry

 

[Percy]

Thanks for all the comments. Others in camp said he could wait a day or two so I thought I would ask the question here. My friend did clean his gun right after he got his deer hung up to cool.
Percy

 

[BrownBear]

My friend did clean his gun right after he got his deer hung up to cool.

Smart man.

 

[necchi]

I would leave it loaded. It's not going to rust away in a day.

Your right of course, but it will start to rust a tiny bit, get into those tiny pores, and once it's started your always fighting to keep it at bay.
It's much, much easier to keep a clean barrel clean then to have to constantly battle keeping the rust process down to manageable.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Never let the sun rise on a fired gun.


Clean them if fired.

 

[Adui]

Never let the sun rise on a fired gun.


Clean them if fired.

Nothing to add, I just really liked the way this was worded!

 

[G.smith]

Amen to that philosophy.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Black powder arms don't tolerate laziness when it comes to cleaning... You shoot it, you clean it thoroughly after shooting or your asking for trouble.

 

[tenngun]

I would leave it loaded. It's not going to rust away in a day.

Larry

That's true, but why let any rust start, or even risk staring if you don't need too?
Plus that its just fun to pay with your gun, it lets you relive your hunt, I sharpen my knife when done. Pat Mcmannis talked about how your deer can grow after the hunt. You kill a 60 lbs spike, and soon he grows to a monster with a rack like an oak tree :haha: While your cleaning your gun your deer is busy growing :wink:

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I would leave it loaded. It's not going to rust away in a day.

Your right of course, but it will start to rust a tiny bit, get into those tiny pores, and once it's started your always fighting to keep it at bay.
It's much, much easier to keep a clean barrel clean then to have to constantly battle keeping the rust process down to manageable.

This is sage advice. Rust will gather in those little pores and begin to brew. Life is not good when you're fighting rust colored patches forever.