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Musket cleaning question


Trigger Mike

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When I target practice with my repro civil war musket I pour boiling water down the barrel with the barrel canted so some flows out the nipple and then turn it upside down to empty the rest.  I then swab it and use a brush and repeat the procedure until it is clean.  I once in a while pull the nipple and re lube the threads.

 

Today I  fired once at a deer.  She was 120 yards out, I missed.  

 

Do you go through the entire process for one shot or just scrub it with lobbed patches and a pipe cleaner for the nipple?

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I pull the barrel out of the stock, remove the nipple, stick the nipple end in a 5 gallon pail of hot soapy water. I put a patch on the cleaning jag and pump it until the hot water flows out the top of the barrel. Change the soapy water once do it again. Then I flush it out with clear hot water. When I say hot I mean HOT, I have to use a glove or pad to hold the barrel. It drys quickly and I lube it up and reinstall in the stock after I can touch it with a bare hand. Works every time. 
That is why the Hawkins have keys to hold the barrel into the fore stock. I don’t have a Hawkin, I have a Dixie Gunworks “Poorboy”. It uses thin pins, which makes removal a little more difficult. Same for the lock, disassemble and scrub clean with hot soapy water then lube.

More work than smokeless powder, still worth it to be sure of thorough cleaning. 
 

CJ

 

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1 hour ago, Cactus Jack Calder said:

I pull the barrel out of the stock, remove the nipple, stick the nipple end in a 5 gallon pail of hot soapy water. I put a patch on the cleaning jag and pump it until the hot water flows out the top of the barrel. Change the soapy water once do it again. Then I flush it out with clear hot water. When I say hot I mean HOT, I have to use a glove or pad to hold the barrel. It drys quickly and I lube it up and reinstall in the stock after I can touch it with a bare hand. Works every time. 
That is why the Hawkins have keys to hold the barrel into the fore stock. I don’t have a Hawkin, I have a Dixie Gunworks “Poorboy”. It uses thin pins, which makes removal a little more difficult. Same for the lock, disassemble and scrub clean with hot soapy water then lube.

More work than smokeless powder, still worth it to be sure of thorough cleaning. 
 

CJ

 

Jack pretty well nailed it.  Don't forget to thoroughly clean the flint and the face of the frizzen if you're shooting a flintlock, too.  I oil them and leave the oil onuntil I'm ready to hunt, then wipe the oil away with rubbing alcohol (a small container and a clean cloth are part of my hunting kit). Don't forget to re-oil them when you're done for the day if you haven't fired the gun.

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49 minutes ago, Trigger Mike said:

I use GOEX powder and I won't miss next time 

I use a lot of subs but for hunting it's Goex only. The smell brings back 40 years of memories. 

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I’m another who uses Jack’s method.  After the final cleaning for the season, I swab the bore with a CLP for rust prevention.  I know, conventional petroleum lubricants don’t play well with BP fouling, so before I load again I remove the CLP with a few dry patches.

 

You will be surprised at the additional stuff the CLP pulls out of the bore after sitting in there for a few months.

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