best way to clean a muzzleloader

[BowerR64]

Yes it mixes with water but it doesn't suck it out of the air. And in fact if you clean a black powder gun with "moose milk" made from Ballistol in water the water content does a fine job of removing the fouling and afterwards the water in the MM dries away and leave ONLY the oil behind. Which then protects the steel just fine.

Thats what ive found also.

IMO the ballistol is WAY to strong straight from the bottle i like it watered down a little. It still cleans well and isnt as oily its weird.

I have a seperate bottle i take with me in my range bag that has a mix of water and ballistol and i use it when i notice enough fouling that my guns bind up.

The moosemilk mix thing reminds me of G96 that stuff cleans simmilar and leaves an oil behind but im trying a different cleaner to see if i can mimimize the binding from the fouling. I like the G96 but it might be petrolium based wich people on here said isnt good with substitutes

Thats the thing about black powder you are on a never ending quest it seems like. I have a favorite gun (Remington) i have a favorite powder (swiss or T7) a favorite cap (remington #10) a favorite ball size (.454) and a favorite load (20g) everything else i think im still searching for. Im getting closer but there are still missing pieces.

 

[1911 guy]

Use hot water to clean, T/C goop (I forget the name, comes in a tube and smells like mint) as a bore protectant. Lots less fouling next time out shooting. All the petroleum based stuff makes BP fouling worse.

 

[BowerR64]

Use hot water to clean, T/C goop (I forget the name, comes in a tube and smells like mint) as a bore protectant. Lots less fouling next time out shooting. All the petroleum based stuff makes BP fouling worse.

They both smell like mint to me, i think they use the mint oil?

Bore butter smells like mint and the Tompson Center T17 super lube 1000 or something like that.

Ive seen another bore butter at cabelas in a green tube but i havnt tried it. I think it might smell even more like mint?

I have this othe rstuff i havnt used yet my dad had in his muzzle loader bag and it looks like crisco its called "wonder lube" says black powder ball and patch lube and made by Ox-yoke but it has noe smell or a smell like crisco. It might be an animal based oil like whale or something.

 

[Pete D.]

water

All we need is water. lots of good comments about the effectiveness of adding soap.
I use Moose Milk - for which there are a gazillion recipes. Mine is two cups of water, one quarter cup of Balliistol (or any water soluble cutting oil), a couple of tablespoons of Murphy's Oil Soap.
For guns that have a barrel that I can remove, I start with the bucket of water-pump with a patched jag method, then patches with MM and then dry and oil.
For pinned barrels, I run a scraper down first to scrape the breech, then i plug the vent hole and fill the barrel with warm soapy water and let it sit for 15 minutes. Dump the water and then MM and dry patches alternately until clean.
About pinned barrels....before starting, i put a coat of Minwax Paste Finishing wax on the entire exterior surface of the gun...wood and metal. After cleaning, I buff it off. The gun sparkles.

 

[Temp430]

Post deleted

 

[BowerR64]

When im cleaning the barrel and around the frame and hammer i drop the cylinder into the water/ballistol mix and its soaking the whole time im cleaning the barrel.

I first use a brass brush on the barrel till the water comes out clean when i dunk it. Then i wrap a patch around the brass brush and run it threw a few times i found this scrubs and holds crud like a swab but its cheaper then a swab.

I do the same thing with the chamber in the cylinder. I brass brush it first then brush and patch it after.

Sometimes when everything is clean and dry ill run a patch threw it with bore butter on it to lube the barrel and the front of the chambers.

 

[Mike OTDP]

I clean with diluted Simple Green, rinse with hot water, dry, then run a patch coated with Ballistol for rust protection.