Muzzleloader Solvent

Apollo

Apollo

Jason Stanley
I realize this is not a Benchrest question - however many Benchresters are also hunters. Is there a different solvent (other than the typical solvents you use for your centerfire rifles) that you use for your muzzleloaders? Many of the resources that I have read suggest using hot water and dish soap. Would prefer not to do that.

Edit = I use Hodgdon Triple Seven Pyrodex Pellets



Thanks for your time

Stanley
 
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My brother has been using hot water and dish soap on his muzzle loading barrels for years and years with great success.

Call your muzzle barrel manufacturer and see what they suggest.

Maybe things have changed. :)
 
no more soap & water for me,i just use bore tech eliminator as I do cf's//pyrodex is corrosive so clean & oil @ least twice & check stored barrel periodically.

in our state smokeless is legal so no more smoking here.

might want to check out this outstanding high performance crowd

http://dougsmessageboards.proboards.com/
 
Hot water and soap. Theres a reason people use it still. You get out there and your rig hang fires or fails to fire youll be thinking back wondering if you shoulda went along with the rest. Smokeless powder is a whole different thing
 
To reduce the mess, find a flexible tube that fits tight on the nipple, and run it into a bucket of soapy water. Running a patch up and down will swish the water back and forth in the barrel. Dry and oil for storage.
 
dusty- respectfully smokeless powder has nothing to do with this scenario- I am assuming the poster was looking advice for storage as I see no reason to oil for any reason say during a hunting season internally.

regardless of cleaning method oil will be present for storage-imo this is best removed by my choice "carb cleaner" whether it is goex,t7,pyrodex or smokeless.

with over 35yrs mz experience including patch & round ball I see no difference or advantages with soap & water only to be followed by oil/griggs etc

don't get me wrong I used to clean w/ soap & water & laying barrels on wood stoves to dry up water & to apply oil for storage..... I just found it totally unnecessary & choose to just do em like I do cf's & have had no problems with all old lyman,hawkin & even our custom smk barrels which resemble custom 6ppc barrels.
 
Number 13

Thompson Center makes a #13 bore cleaner that's all natural. It works very well. I just use T/C Bore butter to protect the bore now & stopped using any oils whatsoever years ago after my breech plug & nipple seized up.
Keith
 
The reason its different is the black powder and black powder subs are corrosive. Smokeless powder is not per se. I have used spit bath in years past but now I use bore butter for bullet lube and protectant and soapy hot water to clean. No petroleum product should ever be introduced into a real black powder gun. I still use a couple thompson centers from the early 80's with true black powder and maxi balls I cast myself. I also have an encore when i want to cheat. All look exactly like they did the day i bought them and it takes very little effort to clean em. The petroleum products introduce a whole new level of fouling into the mix. Nasty carbon and fewer shots.
 
Ditto here

linekin said:
Thompson Center makes a #13 bore cleaner that's all natural. It works very well. I just use T/C Bore butter to protect the bore now & stopped using any oils whatsoever years ago after my breech plug & nipple seized up.
Keith
Click to expand...

on two different TC muzzleloaders and have had no issues at all. I do take the breech plug out at the end of the season to give it a good breech to muzzle cleaning from the back. --Greg
 
BP Bore Cleaner

Apollo said:
Is there a different solvent (other than the typical solvents you use for your centerfire rifles) that you use for your muzzleloaders?
Click to expand...

For my .45 Hawken I made up a batch of 'Moose Milk'. It's soluble lathe cutting oil based and useful for patching at the range.

As the other members said, at the end of the day I pull the nipple, drop the butt of the barrel into a bucket of boiling hot soapy water and pump with a rod and tightly fitting patch until the black crap stops coming out (wear gloves).

Let the heat dry the barrel then annoint with 'Bore Butter' - I used to make my own too, from beeswax, oil of wintergreen and ??? but have lost the recipe.

Regards * Doghunter *
 
I use a version of moose milk that I know has murphys oil soap in it. There is pink colored version that we got for the US International Team, we would put it in old Pepto-Bismol bottles to mess with the German shooters.
 
I used Ballistol for the first time this fall, mixed about 1/4 oil w/?the remainder water. Worked very well.
 
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