Question for the black powder guys

[ponycarman]

What type of oil should be used down the bore to protect it while it is stored? I've read that anything petroleum based will gum up badly with black powder.

One of the reasons I'm asking is that a friend that I work around every now and then just sent me a basket case muzzleloader. Unfortunatly no he didn't give it to me haha. It is his brother's. He had borrowed it to hunt with. Neither of them know how to care for a black powder firearm. The rifle was left uncleaned with pellets and a powbelt still loaded in a case in his closet since last season. After he had mentioned it I brought some concerns to his attention. The dangers, rusting possibilities, and such. Well he finally check it and it was so rusty that he didn't want to mess with it and sent it to me.

I told him I would help. It isn't his and he doesn't have the finances to replace it. I've been working on it most of the morning and Ive got it cleaned up as best as I can.

Upon returning it I would like to include instruction of the proper care for a muzzle loader. Any help will be much appreciated because I'm not an expert on them yet myself.

So to sum it up, what is the proper way to care for a black powder muzzleloader? I would like to try to make it as fool proof as I can to minimize confusion. The rifle is a modern inline cva wolf 50cal.

I have a good idea how but I would like to hear some others ways so I'm sure what I send him is right.

Thanks,
Mark

[Junk Yard Dog]

Since it will be stored between seasons for many months I would use a heavy oil, or better yet Cosmoline.

http://www.cosmolinedirect.com/

[ponycarman]

Would normal gun oil be acceptable as long as it is cleaned out before fireing? Like firing a couple 209 primers with out powder to burn out the oil?

[Junk Yard Dog]

No, not with any rifle should you leave oil in the bore when firing. Simply swab out the bore with a patch before setting off to hunt, and pop a cap before loading. With cosmoline in the bore you will have to do a full bore cleaning to remove it before setting out, something that should be done before using the rifle anyway.

[ponycarman]

Alrighty that will probably be my best bet because I know he won't invest the money to use anything heavier like cosmoline. Ill just let him know to swab the bore or fire a primer alone before loading to hunt.

In my post above I ment to say cleaned before fireing not by fireing lol. Stupid phone

[Junk Yard Dog]

An inline that uses 209 primers? That's good, the primers are not corrosive. He might consider switching to something like triple 7, or one of the other substitute powders that require only boiling water to clean much like corrosive ammo in our Mosins. It would be easier for him to clean the rifle.

If he shot that thing with pyrodex pellets and didn't clean it then that bore must have been a serious mess.

[ponycarman]

Alot of the newer inlines use 209s now. I believe he was using pyrodex pellets.

I cleaned it with a bucket of hot soapy water. And used a copper brush and my pioneer metal cleaner for the rust. Then just cleaned normally with hoppes and oiled. It came out alot nicer than I expected with only a little light pitting from the rust.

Is this an acceptable way to clean after shooting something black powder?

It was a nasty mess. Took a few hours but it looks almost new now with a nice shine too it. Just with the light pitting. I wish I had taken some before and after pics.

[Junk Yard Dog]

That's exactly how you should be cleaning black powder or pyrodex fouling

[ponycarman]

Excellent! Now I know what to write up for him. Maybe the poor rifle won't be neglected like this again.

I don't get why everyone says its so hard to clean a muzzleloader. There was nothing hard about it if you take the time to do it.. Guess I'm just used to cleaning the mosins

[Junk Yard Dog]

They are not difficult to deal with, just soap and water.

[ponycarman]

I had a couple friends tell me they were to hard to deal with one time a while back. It makes me laugh when someone says that. Its no harder to clean than a normal firearm. They said they tried them and even after cleaning the rifles rusted. That is a sign that you did it wrong haha. They probably didn't protect the metal. People today are in so much of a rush. Got to have it now. That even carries over to firearms. People don't clean them because it takes too much time supposedly. I don't think it does. Its just the care and matinence that goes along with owning them. I enjoy cleaning my firearms. It helps me become more familiar with then.

[mogunner]

I just use a liberal application of bore butter on mine and pull it out every couple of months to shoot it, having a firearm that you only shoot once or twice a year is just goofy...

I use the bore butter on the breech plug of my inline as well, no anti-seize, but then I believe that I probably take more care with mine than most. I clean it like JYD says, with HOT soapy water then a dry patch then two patches with bore butter on them. I don't store it with the breech plug in it either. One thing to check on the inlines, as well, is the breech plug (on mine at least) has like a little "chamber" inside that's a tad larger than either end. A few pipe cleaners (or "fuzzy sticks" as Walmart calls them in the craft section now) run through it until no more carbon comes out then a bit of bore butter there as well.

I run some dry patches through it before shooting, then a fouling shot and then get down to business. I shoot it probably every other month year round, I like the slow pace of the BP every now and again, just seems to be very relaxing to me...might be all the smoke I breathe in though...

[ponycarman]

Haha thanks mo! What type of inline do you have?

[tjtM38]

I don't use any petroleum based products in the muzzleloader. I clean with super hot water (soap is optional) and dry the bore completely. Then I protect with patches of TC Bore Butter. It is a lube that smells like bees wax; it is all natural.

If you use petroleum based lubricants, you will end up with gummy black residue every time you shoot. It will get worse over time.

With the flintlock rifle, I do the same process. However, prior to going to the range, I will clean all the bore butter residue out of the bore with Everclear pure grain alcohol (the kind you can drink if you are brave enough), This is a natural cleaner that cleans the bore (and also the frizzen) to aid in drying the rifle for better ignition.

If you care for your rifle in this way, it will become "seasoned" like a fine old cast iron frying pan and future loadings and cleaning will be much easier and more consistent. It will actually improve accuracy.

[ponycarman]

Thanks for the info! I'm not expecting this fellow to go so far with the matinence. But I will be using all the info gathered on my own blackpowder stuff.