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MosinRob

cleaning for black powder

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How do you clean after shooting with black powder? Just looking for any good routine and products that you use. Thanks guys.

 

Hey Rob! Sorry I didn't tell you @ the Match (was a little busy), so here goes:

 

On a side-hammer rifle like you have, I would pull the wedge pin and bring the hammer to half-cock to remove the barrel from the wooden stock & lock combo. Remove ramrod and lift barrel out of the stock.

 

I use a specialized cleaner along with soap & warm water to save me some time: Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine. It kid-safe (non toxic) and emulsifies black powder residue on contact. The Military uses it for 20 & 30 mike-mike Cannon since it neutralizes the chemical effect of corrosives without having to use potable water. Also a good cleaner for guns using old corrosive military ammo!

 

Here's the rest of the "Procedure":

 

CLEANING:

 

After dis-assembly, use niple wrench to carefully remove nipple from breech and soak the nipple in the Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine. I use a folded wet paper towel on my cleaning bench, which comes in handy to finish rubbing-off any stuck-on residue/fouling. Next step : I use an old tooth brush and while running hot water in my basement's deep sink all over the breech, I scrub the back of the flats around the nipple threads & breech where powder residue forms. I then place a coffee can (you can use any non-glass vessel) in the deep sink and run hot/warm water into it as I immerse the entire breech into the coffee can. Next take a cleaning patch wet with the Bore Shine, and using a worm (not a jag) twist the worm to engage the patch once it's all of the way down into the breech. Three complete turns usually does it. While the water is running into the coffee can I use my range rod to pump hot/warm water in & out of the breech and flash channel. Pump the range rod to make suds come up all of the way to the muzzle. Once the running water turns clear, there's no more dirt/fouling left in the barrel.

 

DRYING:

 

Wipe-off barrel's exterior (all-around, underneath too) and pay special attention to the nipple thread area being sure to remove any fouling with a small flat-head screwdriver & a piece of the paper toweling. Using as many patches as necessary, dry-patch the bore making sure to get the worm all of the way down into the back of the breech. 2-3 patches usually does it and the bore is now clean & dry. Unwrap your nipple and rub soaked paper toweling all over it and using a fingernail & chemically treated paper towel wipe the threads of the nipple. Blow any left-over chemical out of the nipple and use your nipple pick (if necessary) so you can see light through the orifice of the nipple. Use a drop of oil on the nipple's threads and turn back into the breech by hand if possible. Snug it up with your nipple wrench using just enough pressure to keep it from turning (do not wrench it on with force).

 

LUBRICATION:

 

I use Birchwood Casey's Barricade for my black powder firearms, but any good rust protection product will do (NOT WD-40!). To lube the barrel I use the worm and a patch soaked with Barricade, but first I squirt some Barricade into the muzzle and then place the breech into the deep sink. When you push the range rod into the barrel, some Barricade will flow completely through the entire ignition pathway and out the nipple as a mist into the deep sink. Pump the range rod a couple times to soak all the internals with the Barricade. Remove rod, take soaked patch off of worm and do a thorough wipe-down of all external metal surfaces of the entire barrel assembly, paying special attention to the underside of the barrel where the ramrod goes. Place this now soaked barrel flat on your cleaning bench, as it's ready for re-assembly.

 

CLEANING & LUBING THE STOCK & LOCK:

 

First take some paper toweling and wipe-down the stock. Take the wet paper towel with cleaner already on it (from cleaning nipple) and soak some more Butch's into it and scrub all around the hammer while it's in full-cock position. Suds will appear to indicate the corrosive residue is being chemically eliminated. Continue until suds are gone. Using a small screwdriver and Butch's wet & folded paper towel, dig into the face of the hammer that strikes the caps on the nipple. Lots of dirt here, so do it until it comes completely clean! Using the Butch's soaked paper towel, wipe-around the metal surfaces all around the breech mount. Butch's won't hurt the stock, so don't worry, just get the residue/fouling off of the metal parts. Dry with clean paper toweling. For Lock Cleaning, remove Lock from the stock and apply some oil as needed. Use a clean paper towel or rag and reinstall Lock into stock. Note: This doesn't have to be done more than a few times a year when the rifle is being used on a monthly competitive basis. Using oily cleaning patch left-over from cleaning barrel, do a wipe-down of all of the exposed metal surfaces about the Lock. Now take a few drops of a heavier oil and apply oil liberally to the locking lug on the rear of the breech. Rifle is now ready to re-assemble, so simply reverse take-down procedure. Wipe-down ramrod with Butch's soaked paper towel, paying special attention to the end closest to the muzzle. Dry rod and then apply a coat of Barricade via the soaked paper towel. Re-install ramrod, then store rifle (you're DONE!).

 

STORAGE:

 

RIFLES and SINGLE SHOT PISTOLS ARE TO BE STORED MUZZLE-DOWN ON A PAPER TOWEL!!

 

This prevents oil seepage into the ignition pathway, which is the main cause of missfires!!

 

Basically the gun absorbs what it needs and the rest drips out onto the paper toweling. A simple single dry-patching with a worm and snapping 2 caps PRIOR to loading and she's ready to load & fire again all day long!

 

 

Continued success with your Black Powder exploits!

 

Dave

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Dave...if you're not going to give details please refrain from posting :-)

 

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

 

Droll, very droll! LOL! We gotta get together & shoot again! Like Telly Savalas used to say, "Who luvs ya Baby!"

 

Dave

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

 

BUT also depends on what your shooting.................but it is essentially correct............

 

Cleaning a 12G ML Shotgun is a bit different that the .54 cal Hawken or an inline etc....ONLY from a method standpoint not from how to clean....does that make sense...??? :)

 

 

After shooting say my 54 Hawken....I remove the barrel from the stock remove the nipple and flush with hot water...VERY HOT WATER...I wear gloves....I want that barrel hot...

 

I swab with any detergent I have...flush with hot water...VERY HOT WATER.....visually inspect for accumulations...of BP....do again if necessary....they FLUSH with VERY HOT WATER AGAIN....

then swap the barrel and bore with BORE BUTTER...and let cool....

 

I like the hot water to assist in drying the excess water off the steel....

 

I then check back the next day

 

The Bore butter routine also works, but it has been proven to be conducive to rust in very damp environments and high humidity since it's WATER BASED. That's why I choose the oil routine. Either way works fine, as long as all of the crud is pumped-out of the bore AND as long as there isn't any goo in the ignition pathway (bore butter, fouling, oil, etc.) that will cause missfires. My way doesn't require any checking the next day/week/month. I just case the rifle and store it muzzle-down until the next match, not having to worry about anything leaking out of the muzzle from storage in hot areas.

 

I clean my 10 ga. double ML essentially the same way, only using a custom hickory range rod with a jag pinned in place by Gregg Dixon.

 

Take care and hope to meet & shoot with you soon!

 

Dave

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