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Cleaning traditional flintlocks

4K views 24 replies 15 participants last post by  ROOSTER COGBURN 
#1 ·
What method is best for cleaning a traditional flintlock Hot water, boiling water, or chemicals? What is best used for protecting the inside of the barrel through the long off season?
 
#2 ·
I clean mine with just hot water from the tap as hot as it will get with a threaded plug in the touch hole with a hose on it in the bucket of hot water and a patch on my cleaning jag and start plunging away with the ram rod....once clean water comes out of gun it should be clean, then take gun after bout 5/10 seconds after to allow the hot water to evaporate I then hit the bore with a gun oil till next time I use it....when I go to use it I just dry swab it till the patches come out clean of oil and load and go....
 
#3 ·
Pretty much the same. Hot water with dishwashing soap with jag and cleaning patch to clean; plain hot water with patch to rinse, then run patches to dry, and finally a VERY lightly oiled patch to keep bore clean till the next time. Run a couple dry patches to clean the oil out and then load.
 
#6 ·
Pump warm soapy water.
Pump warm rinse water.
Pumping will swirl water in that breech area.
Barrel on a couple blocks of wood angled down toward muzzle with hair drier pointed down muzzle about 4 inches away for 10 minutes or so.
swab patch with Balistol ONLY at end of season.
 
#7 ·
I gave up on using hot water years ago, but other than that, I basically follow the procedures outlined above using cold, soapy water. When I get clean patches, I'll run a couple of patches with Ballistol, followed by a couple of dry patches, and then a patch with Barricade for rust protection.
 
#8 ·
Blackpowder on here gave me a fool-proof way to clean the muzzy without any water. I don't want to pass along his method without his say so. If he want's to pass it along I'll let him. Thanks you SOOO much BP.

For protection I just use Wonderlube. Never had a problem with corrosion. Makes the next season easier. No cleaning needed.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I use boiling water with a small amount of Murphy's oil soap added. Gets the bore spotless. I have one of hose and clamp like affairs that is attached over the touch hole on my guns with pinned barrels. I've found the best way to do this is with the gun turned upside down, with the muzzle end of the gun slightly lower than the butt. This way all the water will flow away from the breech, and out the muzzle. With the gun upside down, no water seeps into the stock and any leakage at the touch hole just drips onto the table and not under the barrel. About a dozen or so strokes with the cleaning rod and the gun is spotless. I then rinse with plain hot water. After cleaning I dry with patches and an old hair dryer, then I oil the bore with Break Free before storing away.
 
#10 ·
thanks TJ. its nothing magical, but it has worked for me for years. take the lock off and spray down with windex and set aside. plug touch hole with a tooth pick, stand gun up and spray about 8-10 times down the barrel( that's for the.62, about half that for the smaller ones.) put my finger over the end and slosh it back forth then dump. I lay the gun in a gun rack/stand with the barrel lower and run 2-3 windex soaked patches through, which usually are coming out clean by then. I have air in my gun room, so I blow air in the barrel and hold a paper towel over the vent to keep any excess from blowing all over. at that point I run a rem oil soaked patch down the barrel and follow that up with a dry one to get out any excess. the lock I then spray again and scrub with an old tooth brush then blow dry with the air hose. I then spray the entire lock liberally with rem oil and either blow off excess or wipe off with a rag. spray the entire barrel length with rem oil, wipe off excess and put the lock back on and its ready to go. it really doesn't take long at all and its worked for me for a long time. one note: that is windex brand in its original formula. others have used windshield washer fluid with good results.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I like to remove the barrel from my rifle and then remove the flash hole screw. Put very hot water and dish washing soap in my deep sink deep enough to go a couple of inches over the flash hole. Stick the breech end into the water, then use the ram rod with cloth wrapped around a .45 cal brush, my bore is .50 and make the cloth wet then run it up and down the barrel. It sucks water in the flash hole and pushes it out with the alternating strokes. Then I repeat the process with clean hot water. Then pour boiling water down the bore. Then run patches through until they come out clean, then some lube patches and finally dry patches. Every couple of cleanings I remove the lock and clean it. Then use G96 on the outside of the barrel and other metal and put it away, I always store gun barrel down as I do all my long guns.
 
#12 ·
WW. You really do not need to remove the touch hole liner when cleaning your barrel. In fact, alot of people say not to do it because over time you can cause damage to the threads of the touch hole. Now whether or not that's true, I don't know. I used to remove the liner on my GPR but I don't do it anymore. And with my more custom guns, you can't remove the touch hole liner without having to replace it.

now as long as your gun has a hooked breech, then its ok to remove the barrel. On a gun that has the barrel pinned to the stock, I would not recommend removing the barrel, as repeated removal of the pins will erode the holes in the wood over time and make the fit become too loose.
 
#13 ·
Yeah, My rifle has a hooked breech so all you have to do as you know is remove the wedge. It would be a lot harder to clean a rifle with the barrel still in the stock.
 
#17 ·
I use a small bucket of very hot soapy water. The water is deep enough so that when I put the base of the barrel in it (breech plug) the water covers the touch hole. I use a patched cleaning jag and pump water up and down the barrel. I do this until the water coming out doesn't look too dirty. I remove, dry the outside with a clean rag, and heat the barrel a little (blow a hair dryer etc). While the inside of the barrel dries, I wipe the lock clean. Then I use a dry patch to ensure the inside of the barrel is good and then follow up with wonderlube covered patches. I also use the wonderlube on the outside of the barrel and on the wood of my stock.

Not too tough to clean the gun this way.
 
#19 ·
Hoppes 9+ does a decent job, but I don't think I've ever gotten one **** 'n' span with it, and it alone.

I do want to try the Windex idea. I like that one.

I DO take the pins out of my traditional rifles, at the guidance of the rifle maker who made them. My 62 is in my hands 3 years now, been taken down a fair amount, and the holes are very snug. I asked him about the holes getting bigger from taking it down frequently, and he said, "then you bring it to me and I'll make them a smidge bigger." Since it's 3 years, lots of shooting, and they're nowhere near loosening up, I'd say it'll be ok.

I tried the Chambers flush kit, and the construction of the rifles won't let it sit square enough to seal.

I do want to try the toothpick plug for water and also windex, just to save the time of pulling the gun down.

For my current method, lukewarm water with a drop or two of Dawn....swab clean, swab dry, WD40, then swab dry from that. Nothing more.

Check the bore occasionally for any issues. So far, none. I leave them all year like that, although I shoot weekly through April, then I try to shoot periodically after that, so they never sit for a year unused.
 
#21 ·
We use windshield fluid winter kind to clean and I also use it on patch to clean between shots at range ..WD-40 is great for getting water out BUT no good to protect..Breakfree Clp is what we use to store ...

Many have their own ideas and all will work...Also most use Dawn and warm water to clean bore I do also buut i clean most of my bore at range with windshield winter formula its cheap then some Hoppes black powder to finish..Hoppes bp is great patch lube also at anytime and it winter its great..We did tests on it and ROUNDBALL who shot over a 50 shots a day SWEARS by it he said it improved his shots and barrel was clean after shots like no other patch lube he used ...

Just adding some things others have tried and never says what you use does not work ...
 
#22 ·
I've used Hoppes 9 as patch lube at the range, and it works well. I find similar results...both accuracy and ability to shoot without cleaning, with just a plain old spit patch, so I go with that at the range.

I usually do run a few Hoppes-soaked patches at the range, as it knocks off the majority of the fouling and especially the sulfur smell that us blackpowder loonies love, but my family...well...not so much. I get that done at the range and then the stink is mostly gone and the family doesn't complain so much when I bring the rifles in the house.

I want to try the windex idea, because if that works, I'll just clean the guns at the range before coming home and then be done with it.

I've never needed anything to keep rust off the bore long term, but again..maybe I'm lucky. I do think horizontal storage is a big help, because nothing is going in the bores like one stood muzzle up getting dust in it if it's not in a cabinet. My two long rifles hang on curtain rod hooks over the doorway out to my back room addition, and they're in a nice spot that's not visible from outside, not subject to direct sunlight, and is relatively stable for climate year in and year out.
 
#23 ·
I do not wash my muzz at home now just use tight patch with WINTER windshield fluid in bucket or small bottle sucking it into touch hole just like you would at home with soap/water in bucket and clean it near camp outside then patch with Hoppes bp to top it off and dry etc ..Then when I get home another patch of bp and dry bore with patch then Breakfree clp ..Thats it..
 
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