Flintlock cleaning, revisited

[RobD]

there are a whole bunch of good and not-so-good ways to clean a muzzleloader, and fwiw here's what i do and what works best for me ...

immediately after taking my last shot at the range i make SURE to completely soak down the barrel (using a patch on a jag) and lock with either a moose milk spray (1:6 mix of ballistol:water) or just good ol' wd-40.  we're looking to keep the bp residue soft, and away from the air.

this is my at-home cleaning kit ...

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the cut out gallon water jug gets 1/3rd or so filled with tepid (not cold, not hot) tap water.  i put the lock on half cock, unscrew the lock off the gun, put the lock/stock screw back into the lock so i don't lose it, remove the flint and leather, dunk the lock in the jug of water and leave it there.

i take a round toothpick and shove it tight into the touch hole, plugging it up good.  pour some tepid tap water down the barrel and fill it.  leave it filled, leaning against something to keep the water in the barrel.

take the lock out of the jug and run the toothbrush all over it, breaking up the bp residue.  dunk and brush as needed.  when finished, shake the lock to remove excess water, paper towel it reasonably dry, spray the entire lock with wd-40, let it sit good 'n' wet on some paper towels.

pull out the toothpick from the touch hole and watch the water shoot out.  when it's empty, run patches on a jag that are wet with either moose milk or wd-40 down and up the barrel.  when they come out reasonably clean (it will NEVER be perfect), run down dry patches, then a patch that's soaking wet with with straight ballistol or wd-40.  put back the ramrod.

pat off the excess wd-40 from the lock, screw the lock back into the rifle, put back the gun flint, take the gun off half cock and drop the cock down.

with an extra ramrod, run a ballistol or wd-40 soaking wet patch on a jag down the barrel and leave it there.  case the rifle.

done!

[Paulk]

Rob, that's basically what I do with the exception of WD 40 on the lock. I usually dry that off good with a hair dryer then spray with ballistol. I'll start keeping some WD40 handy for when I don't have electricity.

i prefer ballistol spray over wd-40, too, but wd-40 is easiest to get and cheaper.  no need to heat dry off the lock to near bone dry because a good spraying of either ballistol or wd-40 will either dissolve or wick out any water that's in the nooks and crannies.

[Ohio Joe]

Pretty much the exact thing I do as well Rob. Only difference is I use cheap windshield washer fluid (since I have a water softener and no outside tap plumbed in to a non softener water line). I like my Birchwood Casey Sheath oil for all my, lube, moisture displacement, and rust preventive. I also use a few q-tips, couple cotton balls, and a pipe cleaner with each cleaning session. 

[Maven]

Pretty much what I do as well, although I don't leave a WD-40 or ATF soaked patch down the bbl. (on a cleaning rod, of course).  Certainly a case of great minds thinking alike!

[Winter Hawk]

Pretty much what I do as well, although I don't leave a WD-40 or ATF soaked patch down the bbl. (on a cleaning rod, of course).  Certainly a case of great minds thinking alike!

Wow, same thing I do also, except that I use Ed's Red.  Come back the next day and run a dry patch down, followed with more Ed's Red, just to make sure.

Kees

[Uncle Russ]

Blessed is he who uses Ed's Red!
The planet's are in alignment, the seas have risen, and the Moon is one beautiful giant Harvest Moon.

I have been an addicted user of Eds Red since old Shep was a pup!

When I try to explain who Ed Harris was, what he did, or why I prefer Eds Red, the eyes of a "Deer in a set of headlights....look", seems to be the preferred response.

Thank you, Mr. Keez. 

[Bigsmoke]

Russ,
IIRC, is not Ed's Red a solution with an ATF base?
I dun forgot what all is the formula?
Reckon you could post it for the benefit of those of us with defective rememberers and new guys that might not have been around earlier on when it was posted?
From what I have heard, it is pretty good stuff.
Thanks
John

[Winter Hawk]

I put Ed's Red formula in a separate post (under that title) so everyone can find it.  Good stuff, and yes, instead of sperm oil it uses ATF.  The first part of the write-up explains why the various components were used.  It is based on the formula in Hatcher's Notebook but uses modern materials.  Good stuff.

Kees

[Uncle Russ]

I put Ed's Red formula in a separate post (under that title) so everyone can find it.  Good stuff, and yes, instead of sperm oil it uses ATF.  The first part of the write-up explains why the various components were used.  It is based on the formula in Hatcher's Notebook but uses modern materials.  Good stuff.

Kees

Kees, I have done the same thing, in fact several times over the years, but I always got the same kind of comments; "I'm not so sure I want to put this, or that, down the bore of my nice rifle".

I'll be the first to admit that if you've never made it before, or don't have at least some of the required "components" on hand, your first batch is going to be on the spendy side. (The Anhydrous Lanolin is optional, and it's spendy, but I use it.)

However, you'll have enough cleaner to last you a life-time....and most of all, it works better, make that much better, than anything I have ever used, and I have used / tried a bunch over my lifetime...I still try different 'stuff', although I always have some Ed's Red sitting on the bench, or in my shooting box, just to make sure the job gets done right.

http://www.majorsgunclub.org/edsred.html