Bore and brass cleaning

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pcc9433
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2003 6:43 am
Location: Texas

Bore and brass cleaning

Post by pcc9433 »

I know this is a worn out topic that has been discussed several times; but I was not smart enough to print the replies last time it was kicked around. I have most of the stuff collected that I need to start shooting black powder. The big scary area is cleaning. Would you seasoned BP shooters mind running through some of your tried and true formulas / methods for bore and brass cleaning? This time I'll print the responses. Thanks.
Scarlet Knight
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Location: Central Ohio

Post by Scarlet Knight »

I'm sure others will chime in with their favorite methods, but I find that plain old soap and water works best for me.

I use Dawn dish soap (because that's what the wife buys when she goes shopping :D ) I have a large tupperware tub, I fill it with hot water from the tap, put in a couple of squirts of dish soap, and agitate it a little until bubbles start to form. I soak a couple of cleaning patches in this, and run them through the barrel until they come out clean. Then a few dry patches to get the moisture out of the barrel, and an oiled patch to finish the job.

After scraping the primer pockets on the cases, I dump them into the tub, and use a small nylon brush to clean the inside of the cases. I use the small nylon brushes that we used to use to clean baby bottles and nipples, back before the kids turned into big food eating machines. You can probably find these at the supermarket where they keep the baby bottles and such. Then I change the water in the tub, put the lid on, and swish the cases around. Repeat until the water isn't black anymore, usually 2-3 water changes. I let the cases air dry, then put them in a vibrating tumbler overnight with corn cob media and a couple capfulls of Dillon brass polish.

There are probably better ways, but the above method has been working fine for me for the past 3 months (I'm a newbie at this BP thing, too!)
If all gun owners voted like gun owners, we wouldn't have to worry about keeping our guns.
Gunny
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Post by Gunny »

Scarlet Knight,

Man oh man is that a loaded question. You probably could get about a hundred answers to those two qestions. At least. You say that cleaning is the scary part of this to you, well you are not alone. I have this theory about cleaning any rifle that shoots BP. I believe that this one reason keeps a lot of people from shooting BP in there rifles. They see the cleaning as some form of Black Art and feel that BP is just to messy and not worth the effort. And nothing could be further from the truth. Cleaning our type of rifles after a day of shooting BP, is to me, far easier than cleaning after using smoleless powder. But one big difference is when using BP you "MUST CLEAN". There are probably a couple of dozen formulas for cleaning solutions, and if you look around you can find all of those formulas. Some of these contain some of the damndest concoctions you ever heard of. Some of these formulas are probably real good and a bunch of them are for sure real bad. So that brings up the question, What do I have to have to clean my rifle? Thats pretty simple really what you need is "Water" and that's really all you need. Pure water has been cleaning BP rifles for a couple of hundred years and today it will do just as good a job as it did 200 years ago. Now if you get to reading and find some formula that gives you a warm and cozy feeling, and putting some more stuff in your cleaning solution makes you feel better, go ahead, but all you need is "Water". Now after you get the bore clean you will need to dress the bore with some type of rust protection, here again ask differnt people and you will get a lot of different answers. Some feel that using any type of petrolium product will ruin the rifle for all time. Maybe it will, however I shoot a Silhouette match almost every weekend so I clean my rifle a lot and I protect the bore with wet patch of "Break Free" or sometimes "Kroil Oil" no problems for me after hundreds of cleanings. So here is the way I clean after shooting. First I run a pretty wet patch soaked in pure watr down the bore, this first patch will take out most of the fouling. I then run another wet patch, followed by a dry patch, sometimes this all of the cleaning I do between rounds. But if the bore is still fouled and dirty I will run another wet patch follwed by a dry patch until the bore is clean, rarely do I need more than 3 wet patches. After the last dry patch comes out clean I will run a patch soaked in Kroil Oil as this will remove any lead if there is any. If I am in a match this bore is nw ready for the next bank of animals. If I am done for the day i will run a wet patch soaked in "Break Free" down the bore as a rust protestor. That's it, simple Huh ?

Your other question had to do with case cleaning. There is a new product on the market that makes your brass look brand new inside and out. This is a ceramic media sold by a feller by the name of Dave Mayer, I think I have that last name correct. This stuff is really great, and the easiest way to clean your brass. You would be served very well by trying this new leaning procedure. I do not have contact information for Dave but I know that Kelley O knows how to contact him. Maybe he will chime in here when he see's this post.

Gunny
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out and defiantly shouting "WOW, what a ride!"
Gunny
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Post by Gunny »

The above post should have been directed to "pcc9433" and not to the "Scarlet Knight" sorry about that!!

Gunny
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out and defiantly shouting "WOW, what a ride!"
Timberlake
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Post by Timberlake »

pcc9433,

As far as cleaning guns goes, Gunnl's advice is good. Water is the best and simplest.

Cases? Again Gunny gets it right. Dkittydave@aol.com will get you to the ceramic media. Excellent stuff! One more thing I would add is to purchase a Thumler's Tumbler rather than a vibrator cleaner. Thumler's is to cases what water is to bore cleaning. The best and simplest.

TL
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Ken Hartlein
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Location: Floresville, TX

Post by Ken Hartlein »

The fellow that sells the ceramic media is Dave Maurer, his phone # is 517-669-9801. You have to have a wet tumbler to use Dave's kit but it is the best I have ever seen for cleaning cases. They look better than new, I'm not kidding!! I use a Thumbler's tumbler model B but any wet media tumbler will work. As the others have said, for your bore it is really simple, one wet patch ( I use water with just a little ballistol in it), then a dry one, another wet patch and then a dry one until it's clean. After the days shoot is over do the same except the last patch is soaked with breakfree or ballistol. Simple!!
Shiloh Rules!!
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Smokin
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Post by Smokin »

pcc9433,

Timberlake and Ken are absolutely correct about the ceramic media cleaning system sold by Dave Maurer (Shooter2). If you use his stuff and a Thumlers Tumbler, your brass at the second cleaning will be mirror bright inside and out and your primer pockets will be clean as well. It don't get no better than this, really. Good luck, Smokin
Smokin

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IronSight
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Location: Indiana

Post by IronSight »

pcc9433,
I always clean the bore at the range right after shooting - mainly because it won't get done at home. I wrap a patch soaked with a good BP solvent or patch lubricant(I use old slickum from Dixie) around a worn .45 cal bronze brush and run it through the bore. Repeat with new patches and solvent until they come out 'relatively' clean. Then run more new patches and solvent using a tight fitting .45 cal jag until they come out clean. Follow up with a few dry patches to soak up remaining solvent in the bore. Finally, soak a patch with oil(i use Birchwood Casey Sheath) and run it through the bore a few times. Use the same patch to coat the outside of the barrel and rifle with oil. I have never had a lick of rust in the barrel using this method..even when the rifle was not used for over a year.

As for cases, I deprime at the range and drop them into a jug of a couple table spoons of Murphy Soap Oil, few drops of dish detergent and of course a quart or two of water. I feel the oil in the soap slows any case corrosion due to electrolysis. At home, rinse the cases and place them in bowl of the same solution this time with hot water. I use a nylon bristle test tube brush to scrub the inside of the case. I do not air dry as I have noticed sometimes discoloration (possibly corrosion) starting to form on water droplets before they dry. Instead, I immediately throw the wet cases into the tumbler where the corn cob media will soak up any moisture. Whew, getting tired of typing. Any how these methods work for me.
IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT WORK..AT LEAST MAKE IT LOOK GOOD!!
Jim Kidwell
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Bore and brass cleaning

Post by Jim Kidwell »

Ken,

"You have to have a wet tumbler to use Dave's kit ......................."

Not true. I have been using a Dillon 500 vibratory with no problems. As a matter of fact, no one in my local area is using a Thumlers Tumbler with ceramic. Contact Dave and he will confirm.

Did not want to discourage someone with a vibrator from using the ceramic media. FWIW....................................Jim
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Ken Hartlein
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Location: Floresville, TX

Post by Ken Hartlein »

Jim, you're right. I guess what I meant was if you use the media wet you need a tumbler that won't leak it all over your work bench, but you are right, you don't HAVE to have a "wet" tumbler. Thanks for correcting me.
Shiloh Rules!!
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Timberlake
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Location: Born and Raised in Iowa

Post by Timberlake »

Jim is correct. A vibrator will work with ceramic media. That's how I did my cases for several months. However, I did buy a Thumler's Tumbler, model B and cut my cleaning time by two thirds. I shoot enough to make that difference important to me.

TL
Ron B
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Location: Colorado

Case cleaning

Post by Ron B »

I use vinegar and water mixed to kill the corrosion that the black powder causes, then dry the cases then tumble them if i want to, I have read of this used in an old ideal loading book if I am not mistaken. Be sure and de prime cases first. :D
Born a hundred and 10 years too late !
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