Worrying about rust

[Smoke Rookie]

I REALLY worry about my GPR sitting around. I leave it put together in it's case, and pointed down. I'm constantly stressing about rust. After I shoot, I clean it out with hot soapy water, rinse, dry, use bore cleaner, a brush, some more bore cleaner, dry it and then lube the barrel. First I used a TON of Bore Butter. Then I read that it was no good, so I started using Hoppes Gun Grease. Now I've been loading it up with Rem-Oil. I'm a pretty anal retentive guy, and reading this forum just gets me fretting about my smoke pole. Would somebody please tell me (a relative newbie) what I should do to clean up my barrel after shooting, and what I should use to protect it for when I put it up. I've got a feeling, that I'm doing a little too much, but I hear horror stories about barrels pitting. etc. etc.........and I think I've just incorporated everything I've read into my barrel cleaning routine. Sorry I'm so long winded, I just want to do things right.

Brandon

 

[tg]

Many methods will work IF you get the barrel dry when finished.....I would loose the hot water, cold works as well and may even be better....some feel hot will flash rust as it dries. As an after thought worrying about rust may be a waste of precious worry time if after all the methods used none has ever been found???????

 

[fatboy]

I have to agree with TG, loose the hot water when cleaning. I started out with a TC Hawken flinter and tried that but it always would start rusting before I could get it dry. I have used plain water or TC 13 blackpowder cleaner dry it completely and use WD-40 wipe it down inside and out. I have also coated the bore with bore butter and can say I havnt had a problem with rust. Some may disagree but if its cleaned well you shoudnt have a problem with rust useing bore butter . :imo: :m2c: :relax: :thumbsup:

 

[Flintleather]

dont mix wd-40 with bore butter or your barrel will never see worse fouling guaranteed!!! :m2c:

 

[roundball]

It's interesting the differences we experience...all I've ever used for going on 15 years in several different rifles is steaming hot soapy water and a hot water rinse.
Then dry the bore with patches, let the residual heat in the barrel work for another couple minutes to get it bone dry, then plaster it HEAVILY with Natural Lube 1000 (bore butter).

Next time before I load / shoot, I dry patch the bore to remove any excess lube...I shoot and clean different rifles this way year round and they all still look like they just came out of the showroom.

The difference may be that mine are hooked breech TC Hawken barrels that I remove and let soak in a large bucket of steaming hot soapy water for 15 minutes so the metal gets almost too hot to touch...the only thing that makes sense to me is that the residual heat after cleaning helps get the bore bone dry...then plastering it heavily with bore butter keeps air from touching any bore surfaces = no rust.
:m2c:

 

[Rabbit]

I use just hot water, no soap. Have done this for years with no problems. Also before I wipe down with oil or bore butter I wipe with 1 patch soaked in alcohol. This drives off any water still left behind.

 

[fatboy]

Everyone has their own preference I guess.Ive used the Wd-40 and never had a issue with it. I always swab my bore out with a alcohol patch before I shoot . This gets any excess lube out of the barrel.The Bore Butter works well and so does Ballistol lube . Peter Alexanders gun building book even talks about not useing hot water. Here again if it works for you and your happy with the results go for it. Once your not pulling any black crud out w/your patch you should be clean. I wouldnt use any heavy oils or ATF fluid only natural lubes like bore butter or ballistol or wd-40 and wipe the bore dry before you shoot . :m2c: :results:

 

[Smoke Rookie]

Thanks fellas. I guess I've read so many different things, that I just worried about if I was doing it right.

 

[Regulis7]

I use HOT water and Murphys Oil Soap for cleaning, HOT water for rinse and clean patches to dry the bore. Then I spray the dickens out of it with Rem Oil allowing it to flush out the nipple area. Next couple days I run a oil patch down the bore a few times and put it up.

Before I shoot again I just use a few dry patches to remove the light Rem Oil, pop 3 caps, swab the bore load and shoot. So far no rust and no problems. Works for me and thats all that counts.

Regulis7

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use the same regimen as Regulis7 with the exception that I use Lehigh Lube instead of Rem Oil.

When I use the clean hot water rinse, I fill the barrel with boiling hot water for a few seconds. The barrel gets so hot I have to use work gloves to be able to hold it.

I let it sit muzzle down on a towel for 15 minutes after the final rinse and then lube it well. I also wipe all the outer metal with a light coating of the Lehigh.

I then run a dry patch, reverse it and a dab on some Lehigh and run it in a few more times before I load for the next time it's to be shot.

 

[oldmaster]

I've always used cold water, then a patch with denatured alcohol, then Ed's red, then dry patch, then oiled patch. No rust. I also store my rifle muzzle down.

 

[gordy]

So far,The hot water wash with a little Dawn dish soap has done well.I then do as Stumpkiller and others and fill the bore with very hot water untill the metal is too hot to[url] handle.Drain[/url] muzzle down, run dry patches down bore and wipe all surfaces with a clean dry rag.I doubt that the dish soap is really needed but it does disolve the oils that may be on the outside from Your hands.Some folks have very acid hands.The alcohol is a good idea also.The main point is to get it dry before putting on a preservitive.Most of the complaints about Bore Butter not keeping off rust has been by in-lineers.I have had good luck with it.Many of them use plastic sabots and lead conicals that can leave deposits in the bore.This is not a problem with patched round ball.If You intend to store the gun for long periods,it's a good idea to run a patch downbore a day or two before storage and relube it.To Me ,the most important thing is to have the gun clean and very dry before putting on the preservitive.I think putting on the B.B. when the metal is still quite warm,makes certain it gets in all areas.I've also used the solvent cleaning method,but found it to be more time consumeing than the water method,and more costly.It should only take about 15 or 20 minutes to do a good job. :thumbsup: :imo:

 

[sse]

Oldmaster - How do you store the rifle muzzle down? Wouldn't you have to make doggone sure there was air circulation into the bore??!!

Thanks, sse