Lubricate rotating parts with oil and sliding parts with a good gun grease. Black powder is just one more area of the shooting world to conquer, and we’re going to help you do it. Unfortunately, these may not fit other breeches because the dimensions of them are not uniformly consistent. 2)Remove the breechplug (if possible), and primer-nipple.
of course, i know next to nothing about guns... The Thompson "Hawken" breechplug is also removable, but few do, and so few carp about it. With the breechplug and/or nipple removed, clean it. The solution was to use a slightly larger than bore size, plastic bristle brush that gets into the vent recess and loosens the fouling that collects there.
A flush nipple pictured here works just as well, is less messy, and I don’t need to remove the barrel to clean it. They've been really developing good ones over the last few years. Remember that thing about oil and black powder fouling making tar? I think it's awesome that you're building em, but I've nearly lost some hearing in one ear and feeling in one hand from messin with the stuff. And where was this wet fouling I was finding in the pan after a shot coming from? Use a "nipple pick" or a needle to make sure there is no fouling in the tiny orifice. Some of the earlier lubricants were outstanding, like sperm whale oil. on Introduction. It wasn't because I didn't know how to clean a muzzle loader. Reassemble and check function. The next two photos are views of a drum removed from a CVA rifle. Though I'm hesitant to state there is only one "best" or even "better" way, it need not be a frightening or formidable task. The cap won’t seat firmly and the hammer drives it down without firing it. i did permanently attach the nipple/breech plug but i am not quite sure how to thoroughly clean it as well as the barrel. If I asked 100 Pew Pew Tactical readers the best way to clean your centerfire rifle, I’ll get 100 different ways to get the job done. As you may have guessed by now, I was poking a hole through this crud with my vent pick so occasionally the gun would fire and the pressure was blowing some of that wet crud out of the vent and into the pan. By the way, muzzleloading weapons are still evolving. First, we scrub out some fouling by pushing a tightly patched ball down the bore. Yes, the mixture looks like milk. It seems that the vent liner in my gun has a cone shaped opening on its inside. Again, hotter is better. If this happens chuck the nipple in a drill, rotate it and file it down to size. i tried initially cleaning it with some pipe cleaners, it worked but it was a pain in the arse because of the small bore and being so long. Then I pour enough cleaning solvent down the barrel to fill the patent breech and let it soak a bit. So I followed it and cleaned my rifle with hot soapy water and cotton cleaning patches followed with a good coating of gun oil.
ALWAYS ensure that any excess oil is removed from the barrel before firing. thank you for your concern, the reason i made it .177 is because of the minimal chamber pressures, therefore making it less likely to blow up, also since pellets are dirt cheap i would not have to cast or buy lead ammo! i'm sorry, but i just have to say again...
9 years ago In these views it is easy to see why a cleaning patch on a cleaning jag is not going to remove the fouling that collects inside the drum or on the threads which extend across the breech inside of the barrel. Cleaning is a meticulous process that will preserve the barrel and firing mechanism of your gun from the damage and corrosion that result from a lack of cleaning. If I asked 100 readers the best way to clean your centerfire rifle, I’ll get 100 different answers. Some of you may have been intrigued by my last article and found someone at the local range to walk you through the basics of muzzleloader rifle shooting. Flintlock guns are different. But I, so many questions on this topic I decided it would be expedient to describe the method I use and why I use it. . that... that is amazing. I don’t know why this solution removes black powder fouling better than dish washing soap and water, but it does. The whole process may seem a little overwhelming and counter intuitive. threads of the breech plug before you thread it back into the barrel. It is typical of percussion guns utilizing a drum. Very likely, the same kind of opinion would surface with regards to the cleaning and maintenance of the black powder rifle.
Regardless, proper maintenance is critical to get the most out of your muzzleloader and to insure when you squeeze that trigger you get a big puff of white smoke and a big lead bullet heading downrange. Okay, I buy that idea. Hooked breech barrels are easily removed from the stock for cleaning but I find that an unnecessary step for percussion guns. Good luck!! Likewise, coat the. A good irrigant, squeak stopper and penetrant, it is a very poor lubricant or protectant, with a low film strength. Black powder enthusiasts have universally praised Dan's personal favorite barrel cleaning solvent, "Butch's Bore Shine.".
Now that the fouling has been loosened the water will flush it out. In many states, there's also an extra hunting season for those willing to use these "out of date" weapons. With the latest formulations of polyethylene, it is not the issue that it once was. Step 1: Disassembly. Again, I repeat, we have never seen a problem with ammonia in the concentrations found in commercial cleaners, in either our chrome-moly or stainless steel barrels. }.
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It makes me feel a little like a chump, because I issed one at about 8O yards yesterday! This method is one way to clean a. . Copyright 2004, 2016 by Randy Wakeman. We also recommend Montana X-Treme’s Bore Conditioning Oil treatment. i recently started building a black powder rifle for plinking or taking small game (i could not afford to buy one) in 177 caliber. Black, sticky tar (fouling) creates all sorts of trouble in the bore of a muzzleloader.”. With the breechplug and/or nipple removed, clean it. 4-H, Boy Scouts, Ducks Unlimited and a few other groups used to offer some pretty good opportunities.
If I asked 100 Pew Pew Tactical readers the. … No patent breech or percussion drum to worry with.
Fouling around the outside of the barrel and on the lock is easier to remove because we can see it. Perhaps a chemist among you would have the answer.
Simply remove the nipple from the rifle and replace it with the flush nipple. Workin' On Our Night Moves Night Shooting Helmet Setup Overview. Thompson/Center has, I follow with a dry patch, then a cleaning patch saturated with. A quick summary is that all you really need is hot water and elbow grease to clean, then Breakfree CLP to protect, with an anti-seize for your breech plug. This means the fouling produced when these products are ignited attract and hold water molecules. Many use a "209"(shotgun shell-type) primer for ignition, and a few are even designed to fire modern smokeless powder (NEVER mix or substitute modern smokeless powder for black powder/pyrodex!). It was about 2 hours ago. This photo shows a percussion rifle with a patent breech. Reply The bore is now cleaned and lubed and ready to store.
Hopefully I’ve been able to open your eyes to some new horizons in the shooting sports. Since I started using that brush the gun fires every time and its lock time is just as fast as my percussion guns. In the early days I chalked those misfires up to the “unreliable nature of muzzle loaders”. However, if you experience hang-fires and misfires, or your final cleaning patch is still showing rust or fouling, you may want to reconsider your cleaning methods. none the less, 5 stars! To maximize the performance of your firearm, we recommend you clean it regularly using the following procedures: Blackhorn 209 Cleaning Solvent is specifically designed to clean firearms that shoot Blackhorn 209 Propellant. Shake well. That, a handful of patches, your jag, and a small "to go" bottle of Breakfree is all you need. Add 16 ounces of filtered or distilled water. Randy Bauman was lead instructor for seven years at the Boy Scouts of America National Camping School-Shooting Sports Section, and he has a lifetime interest in teaching others about firearms. '&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=
I have a TC Thunderhawk 54 caliber muzzle loader and have been enjoying great accuracy using Hornady sabots (orange color) with 0.452 JHP bullets. You can always use them if you want to make these steps even easier. I use, Again, use a non-petroleum based lubricant that allows easy removal for cleaning and, if necessary, tear-down in the field if you have an issue. But I receive so many questions on this topic I decided it would be expedient to describe the method I use and why I use it. Then dry the metal and put a new coat of oil on it inside with a patch and outside with a rag. Windex or Butch's Bore Shine can speed along the barrel cleaning process a bit, as can Brownell's TCE or Gunscrubber for the small, primer residue fouled parts. When he said two deer, I thought they had each shot one.
Hooked breech barrels are easily removed from the stock for cleaning but I find that an unnecessary step for percussion guns. The more aggressive gunmetal cleaners as Brownells "TCE" or "Gun Scrubber" work just as well, if not better. display: none; You may temporally remove some of that obstruction by clearing the vent or nipple with a pick and get the gun to fire but the root of the problem (the fouling) remains to cause another obstruction after a few more shots. Smokless powder is never a safe substitute for black powder. Remember to clean the rifles nipple with a pipe cleaner or nipple pick. hmm... once apon a time, i was in boyscouts, and i know that troop had some outings where they had target shooting with shotguns...the most i ever did while i was there was learn how to clean just the barrel... Yeah, I was in Scouts for about a year. Maybe when you get a bit older, you can find an organization that teaches gun safety or something. After the bristles loosen dirt and fouling, the mop holds all that crud and carries it out of the hole. Read (and follow! By thoroughly lubing the bore any remaining fouling stays soft and easy to remove during final cleaning at home. nspect your cap, sometimes the priming mixture falls out or wasn’t put in at the factory, if so toss that one in the trash. These days I shoot much more frequently. This is the lock of one of my CVA rifles. Now you are ready to hunt or target practice. Pump the water up with the ramrod with a patch on the jag and you will get all the black soot out of the barrel. I use the modern, more reliable muzzleloaders because I can't afford to come home empty-handed! You will not have any bullet residue unless you are shooting full diameter cast bullets. stevesells1955@gmail.com. The patch jags I use have a concave shape to the face. Remove the lock, clean and lubricate it. You will feel the barrel heating up. 12 years ago You’ll need to first dampen a cleaning patch with bore cleaner oil. Triple Seven, a sugar-based propellant, has gained a reputation for causing problems in a few guns. The hot water and cleaning patches were not cutting it. It shows the flash channel and chamber inside the breech. Just remember to wipe it out of the bore before you load the gun. Think of them as tiny scrub brushes with built-in mops. The main ingredient is water, so I would not recommend letting it soak in your barrel any longer than you would allow it to soak in plain water. When they come out clean, move to next step.