Back to Basics “Cleaning”

By Tom Wiegand

In other words, care, and maintenance of firearms. If you want it to work and work safely, it must be properly cared for. There are stories, apocryphal or not, of small museums that lose quality displays like original muskets from the American Civil War to lack of care. Don’t do this. Please. If a person wants their car to keep working for years and miles, they change the oil regularly and attend to other maintenance duties. Our firearms are the same, machines that need to be maintained. Even if you don’t use it all the time, keep it clean and lubricated to prevent rust and rot.

Original period firearms and new reproduction versions still require good maintenance. Metallurgically, there may be differences, probably are. That doesn’t matter to the basics of cleaning the firearm after it has been used.

The first concern is cleaning immediate grime and carbon (coke) build up. As with much relating to this pastime, there are a lot of varying opinions but a few things are held in common as truths. First of all, do not use any harsh chemical cleaners (Editor Note, I personally use Frog Lube for long term storage it’s all natural). Those solutions formulated for modern firearms and smokeless powders are corrosive and will hurt the barrel and bore of a muzzleloader. Mild cleaning solutions and warm to mildly hot water work best. From dish soap to peroxide mixes to commercial black powder cleaning solutions the choices are many. Take your pick.

I mention warm to hot water but not steaming or boiling water (Editor note; A good trick is to run water through your coffee pot and use that). Those familiar with cast iron frying pans, pots and skillets know that when they are heated, the pores of the metal expand allowing oils and other things to be trapped when it cools. This is why a cast iron skillet is oiled hot and allowed to cool, giving it a non-stick surface if properly treated.

The same properties belong to the barrel of most muzzleloaders and all originals. Steaming hot water will microscopically expand the metal allowing carbon build up and other dirt to be trapped in the metal when it cools. Warm water will do a good job in combination to the cleaner to soften, loosen and dissolve the residue built up in and on the barrel. Give it time to do its work. After disassembly of the firearm, noting how it came apart so it can be reassembled properly, let the barrel soak in a bucket of solution ensuring that the breech is fully immersed. The coke built up at the breech is the most important dirt to remove and the easiest to miss. Clean the stock using a soft brush and some of your chosen solution. Clean any parts disassembled from the firearm, the hammer, the nipple, the barrel bands if necessary. This gives time for the breech and barrel to soak and soften. A bore scraper can be used next to clean the base of the breech. While called a bore scraper this cleaning head doesn’t really scrape at the bore, that could hurt the firearm’s rifling. It scrapes the end of the breech plug, cleaning out built up carbon residue. Failure to clear this part of the barrel assembly will lead to a plug being formed. If the plug gets to big, the spark from the cap or firepan will not reach the powder charge in the barrel, causing a fouled firearm.

Rinse the barrel to wash out any loosened coke. Then swab the barrel with dry patches until they come clean. This process may take more than one repetition. Using a bore light to check the barrel and breech’s cleanliness is recommended. If the patch is dry but the barrel is still dirty, running a wet patch would show it still has cleaning to go.

Once the inside of the barrel is clean and dry, clean the outside primarily around the nipple or pan. Use a nipple pick or fine wire to ensure that the touch hole is clean and not obstructed. A soft brush is good for surface work. The tight spaces and hard coke can be cleaned using a cleaning or dental pick. Be gentle with these as scratching the barrel is not an optimum goal.

When all is cleaned, oil lightly and reassemble. To much oil will only serve to attract more dust or clog the touch hole. Regular damp patching and oiling is recommended for any firearm that is not in frequent use. Depending on climate and humidity, more frequent applications of oil may be required.

As an alternative to disassembly and the cleaning process above, range or field cleaning may be done with patches and solution. Cleaning wipes are a good option as they are self-contained, patch and cleaner in one convenient package. Tear the wipe into strips and run down the barrel with a cleaning jag. Repeat as necessary. Then oil. Use the wipes on the exterior as well. Once back from the field, do a full cleaning to protect the firearm. (Editors note; I personally like to clean my firearms after shooting them to a semi clean state, after I will oil them liberally and let it soak for a few days coming back to clean it then for storage.) CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

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