Cleaning new rifle

[RobD]

Alot of good advice in the previous posts.  To RobD, I add an extra step in cleaning the lock.  After the water and tooth brush routine, I use the blow tube on my compressor to blow away the excess water, then lightly spritz with WD-40 to remove the hidden water.  Blow dry again with the compressor, and lightly oil (in the warm months) or spritz with Powdered graphite in the cold months before re-assembling.

good stuff! 

[Ohio Joe]

Alot of good advice in the previous posts.  To RobD, I add an extra step in cleaning the lock.  After the water and tooth brush routine, I use the blow tube on my compressor to blow away the excess water, then lightly spritz with WD-40 to remove the hidden water.  Blow dry again with the compressor, and lightly oil (in the warm months) or spritz with Powdered graphite in the cold months before re-assembling.

good stuff! 

I seldom ever will pull a pinned barrel unless there is a need - and seldom does the need ever arise.

I also use my small air compressor to blow out hidden water in/on my lock's (be it flint or cap) then oil it with Sheath oil using q-tips and pipe cleaners to get in between those springs and tight places on my locks. There is very little cleaning my locks need (flint or cap) as my locks are fitted very well, but they still get the scrubbing with the tooth-brush regardless. IMHO, there is no more work involved in cleaning a flintlock then there is a caplock. Maybe that's just me?

I do make it a point every Spring to run an oiled sheath patch followed by a dry patch down each rifle bore making sure they all wintered good, and that no unforeseen surface -or- interior rust shown up over the winter... Happy to report; so far - so good,,, always have clean rust free patches. 

[gmoodyii]

I had always pulled the barrel, but now I am going to try to just pull the lock and follow the directions in several of these posts. Instead of moose milk I use DGW BlackSolv I believe it is called to clean.
Anyone else use tallow as the final swab inside the barrel? I also wipe the outside of the barrel with tallow before putting it away.

[RobD]

some of these commercial solvents, cleaners and preservers are chemical nightmares that i prefer to avoid.  read the labels, if the manufacturer even bothers to address exactly what ya just bought.

if i have been diligent about immediate proper post shooting swabbing and spraying, then i prefer to use the simplest, most "natural" of cleaning solvents = water. 

beyond water, as aid to cleaning and sometimes for fouling control, i prefer a non-toxic water soluble oil such as ballistol - either cut with water for intermediate cleaning/preservation, or full strength for a final preservative oiling.  ballistol is extremely non-toxic, you could literally drink it - and it will not harm gunstock wood, so no need to remove pinned barrels.  this is a late 19th century german military product that has stood the test of time all the way to here, the 21st century.  i can trust in stuff that has that kinda endurance and effectiveness track record.

i don't know firsthand the worth of tallow for preservation, but i do know some tallows will go rancid faster than a new yawk minute.  mutton tallow won't, which is why is use that tallow for greasing ball patches, or mixed with beeswax, or mixed with beeswax and canning wax.

it's wonderful that we have all these choices for maintaining our guns.  choose wisely.