muzzleloader question

[TrophyHusband 0]

my dad just gave me a 54 cal muzzleloader. now what? what's the best way to clean it? how much and what kind of powder do i use? i used this gun as a kid (the brass butt fucking killed my scrawny shoulder), but niether my dad nor I remember how much powder to use and i'm sure things have change with black powder since then, so i don't even know what to get.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[dan_iv 0]

That is a decent link with some basic information, however I would look for more specific information to your gun.

Here are two links one about different loads, and another about basic cleaning information...
http://www.bp-outdoors.com/firearms-muzzle-loading-cleaning.html
...
http://pages.sssnet.com/go2erie/muzzle.htm

Enjoy!

edit: missing bracket on the second link.

[Guest]

Depends. Is it flint or percussion? Doesn't matter in the barrel, but in the priming.

mh
.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[Rookie120 0]

My advice would be to go to a good respectable gun shop and have a guy there help you. He will be able to help you with everything you need. The shop I go to has the men behind the counter to help me with anything I need.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[NewGuy2005 53]

Muzzleloaders are very difficult to clean and it is critical that you get them clean because the powder residue is corrosive.

Use a mixture of:

1/6th Murphy's Oil Soap
1/6 water
1/3 rubbing alchohol
1/3 hydrogen peroxide (the kind you pour on cuts, not the kind you bleach your hair with)

Remove the barrel from the gun. Hold your thumb over the nipple and fill the barrel about half full.

Hold your other thumb over the muzzle and swish the solution back & forth in the barrel for about one minute.

Pour it out and follow up with patches soaked in the solution until the patches come out clean.

Nothing works better or faster. In fact, most anything you buy in the store doesn't work very well.

Don't substitute any other kind of soap for the Murphy's Oil Soap. If you mix detergent with the hydrogen peroxide it will cause rust.

[D22369 0]

My family travelled all over the west coast when I was 7-18 yrs old competing in muzzle loading competitions, tons of fun, till the cleaning began sunday night.... usually about 30 guns for me and my dad to clean - somehow my sis and stepmom skated on this task....

what we used was a bucket of very hot soapy water and a bucket, we mostly used dawn dishwashing liquid but would substitute others as needed - when we first started competing we were using fancy cleaning solutions but tips from the veteran shooters got us started using simple soap and water, I never got into flintlocks, and can't recall ever cleaning one - so my experience is only with percussion.
Remove the barrel from the stock, remove the nipple and place the end in the soapy solution, put a cleaning patch on the ramrod, and work it up and down, it will draw the hot water in through the nipple opening, when you first start the patch will be fouled right away, put a new one on - repeat till the patch comes out clean. once the patch stays clean replace the soapy water with clean hot water and swab with several clean patches till the soap is gone then Remove the breach end of the barrel from the water,
Time to dry it out, keep swabbing the barrel with a dry patch - forcefully to expel the water from the nipple chamber, when the barrel is dry take a cue tip and dry the remaining moisture from the nipple threads

its very important that all the moisture from the breach area is gone, when it seems dry, seat the patch and twist the ramrod back and forth a few times - dont get in a hurry at this step!

with a nipple pic and a tobacco pipe cleaner, make sure the nipple itself is clean inside.

use a high quality gun oil (no wd-40) and lightly oil the barrel inside and out, using a cue tip in the nipple chamber, remove all excess oil with clean dry cloths/ patches - replace the nipple, put the barrel back on the stock - done

This is the simplest and cheapest way to clean a muzzle loader, we competed 1-3 weekends per month every year all year during the time that we were active in muzzle loading. Our guns almost never misfired and none of them had any rust ever.

If your going target shooting then 50-70 grains is a good load - Hunting I would bump it up to 90 at least. use 3-F powder, 2-F is for shotguns, and 4-F is for primer only, dont 4-F for shooting, get a can of 4-F for when the inevitable happens... you dryball it - remember its powder - patch- ball.... sooner or later nearly everyone forgets the powder. you can get an attachment for the ramrod that will extract the ball, but they suck.... easiest way to remove the ball is to pull the nipple off, fill the nipple area with 4-F tip the gun on its side and tap the barrel with your palm till the 4-F trickles into the barrel behind the ball, replace the nipple, fire it downrange, this will foul the nipple area quite heavily, pull the nipple and clean the fouling out before trying to shoot it again.

oh yeah, you could use pyrex instead of traditional gunpowder, its less corrosive but doesnt give the awsome "crack" that a rifle should give.. more of a "ponk" sound, I never used it myself

Always swab the barrel between shots !! it cuts down on the lead fouling and will put out any embers that may be left in the barrel, one of our clubs members had his powder measuring tool blown out of his hand cuz he skipped this step years ago

Have fun, I still have my 58 cal and still love to go to the range and shoot. aint nothing like all the modern shooters bitching and complaining cuz of the smoke and smell to brighten your day

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[TrophyHusband 0]

thanks for the recipe, i'll give that a try.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[TrophyHusband 0]

this is a percussion gun. this gun has been sitting in a very dust void under the stairs for about 15 years. how do i tell if there's corrosion inside the barrel? there's minimal rust on the outside, but i'm doubt it has been cleaned since last time it was shot. also, about how many times can i shoot it at the range before i have to break it all down and do the deep cleaning?

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[NewGuy2005 53]

You can get a little tiny LED light that you can drop down the barrel for inspection. But first, shine a light into the breech vent and look down the muzzle. If you can't see light, it may be loaded.

You have to clean it every time you take it out to shoot, Really, you do.

[TrophyHusband 0]

i understand it has to be cleaned every time i take it out, but would it need to be cleaned in the middle of a single visit to the range, or could i shoot it 20 times at a sitting with only a patch ran through it between shots?

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[ExAFO 0]

I never understood wanting to Bowhunt or use a muzzleloader...we've developed far better firearms, and whitetails aren't exactly endangered, why not whack more of them?

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[beowulf 1]

Quote

I never understood wanting to Bowhunt or use a muzzleloader...we've developed far better firearms, and whitetails aren't exactly endangered, why not whack more of them?

Some people like the challenge and the nostalgia of using muzzle loaders or bows. Hunting isn't just about killing.

[ExAFO 0]

Quote

Quote

I never understood wanting to Bowhunt or use a muzzleloader...we've developed far better firearms, and whitetails aren't exactly endangered, why not whack more of them?

Some people like the challenge and the nostalgia of using muzzle loaders or bows. Hunting isn't just about killing.

Ah. Gotcha. kthxbai.

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[NewGuy2005 53]

Quote

i understand it has to be cleaned every time i take it out, but would it need to be cleaned in the middle of a single visit to the range, or could i shoot it 20 times at a sitting with only a patch ran through it between shots?

I see. When you're at the range, just run a cleaning patch through it from time to time.

I just meant you shouldn't store it dirty.

[TrophyHusband 0]

my hunting time is limited. there is a muzzleloader season for cow elk during the rut. i feel this gives me the best chance of filling my freezer with meat.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[jm951 0]

I used to shoot a .577 Enfield. The best cleaning method I've ever found- very hot soapy water. Be sure to run an oily patch down the barrel after it dries.

[D22369 0]

how do i tell if there's corrosion inside the barrel?***

run a oiled cleaning patch down it a few times, if its rusty the patch will come out reddish. or if you really want to know the condition of the barrel, take it to a gunsmith and have them run a scope down the barrel, one of our members was a gunsmith and he had a very cool borescope (not sure if thats what its called) that had an led light on it (spendy I am sure)


about how many times can i shoot it at the range before i have to break it all down and do the deep cleaning?
***
you can shoot it all day long without the deep cleaning if you swab it between shots, just make sure to do it before storing it at the end of the day.

most I have ever shot a single weapon in a day was 75-100 shots - your shoulder will hate you for it you will know when its getting really dirty, it will misfire or hangfire more frequently. if the cap pops but the rifle doesnt fire, wait a second keeping the barrel pointed downrange and toss on a new cap the powder may be smoldering. - I never experienced this, but better safe than sorry

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.