How to clean.

[Nsghunter]

I just got a new CVA Wolf. I've never fired a muzzleloader. So therefore. I've never cleaned one either.

I watched a video from CVA and they showed a method using the great CVA products but I can't really afford them right now.

I hope to take it to the range today or Monday. Do I have to clean between shots? I'll be using sabots Hornsby xtp
300 grain.

I have pyrodex rs powder.

The Gun is black and synthetic it is scoped.

Can you guys please list your tried and true methods that you use to clean.

I have a jag, mop, barrel brush and a cleaning rod. I think I have some R.E.M. oil, and I think some hoppes #9 solvent cleaner. I believe some brand of foaming cleaner, not the Barrell blaster from CVA though.

Without the special breech plug cleaning tool how can I clean the threads of the breech plug?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wobblyshot1]

If you are using black powder or any of the substitutes(less BH209) water with a little dishwashing soap will do. With BH209 any regular gun solvent.

 

[TN Larry]

You say that you are using pyrodex in the other thread. I always used Thompson bore cleaner when I shot black powder. As said above though, soap and water will clean black powder very well.

First take the breach plug out and then run patches of soapy water through the barrel until you don't get any more black residue. You can also stick the end of the barrel in a bucket of water and run a patch from the breach side and pull water in and out of it if you want. It creates a suction / plunger affect and brings the water into the barrel.

You can take an old tooth brush and clean the threads in the barrel where the break plug goes and the threads on the breach plug. When you get the barrel clean and the threads with the breach plug clean, run some patches with super hot water through them. After that run, clean dry patches through it until everything is super dry. When you think it is dry, run another one through just to make sure. Any moisture will cause a misfire.

For the breach plug, you can clean it with the toothbrush on the outside. For cleaning the inside, you can use a pipe cleaner to get it clean inside but watch for the fibers of it getting inside the breach plug. I got to where I would roll up a patch or paper towel as small is I could get it to stick down in the breach plug. I would get as much black as I could out of it and then make sure it is dry.

It took me a while to clean one even though I could have done it quicker because I made sure to get all of the black residue out and then made sure that it was super dry prior to loading.

I now shoot a smokeless so I don't have to worry about that aspect but cleaned one many times over the year.s

 

[Nsghunter]

Will I need to clean between shots for the sabot to work?

 

[TN Larry]

Just posted on your other thread about this, some guns shoot different between a clean barrel and fouled barrel. When I was lining a gun up, I would run two to three patches (once on each side of the patch) with cleaner through the gun to get the majority of the residue out. I would then follow it with a couple of dry patches. I didn't take the breach plug out at that time but wanted every shot that I made while lining it up to be with a clean barrel because I refused to take a fouled barrel in the woods. After getting it lined up, I would fire a shot or two through the fouled barrel just to see what it done.

If you shoot several times lining it up, at some point your breach plug make get stopped up. After swabbing, I would always look through the breach plug while still in the gun to make sure that I could still see daylight and that it wasn't stopped up. Another thing that you definitely need is some anti seize on your breach plug threads. If you shoot a bunch with it in, the breach can get stuck. Don't put a lot of the anti seize on the threads to get in the barrel but enough to coat the threads.

 

[SES]

I shoot loose pyrodex in my CVA as well. I put a pot of water with a little bit of Dawn on the stove and bring it to a boil. Using a measuring cup with a handle on it I get some of the soapy hot water and start pouring down the barrel. I use some heat resistant gloves, the rubber ones, to hold the barrel. It will get way too hot to handle. With the barrel being so hot, you won't have to worry about drying it out. It will dry itself. After it cools off, I'll run a brush, then a dry patch until no residue is seen. Everytime I loosen any screw or the breach on mine I clean off the old lithium grease and apply fresh grease to all the threads.

 

[Nsghunter]

So when you're at the range what's the best way to clean between shots? Because I won't have hot soapy water.just regular solvent. I'll be shooting Saboted bullets

 

[TN Larry]

I swabbed with the T/C black powder bore cleaner in between shots. This is what I used for the most part to clean my gun but have used the hot, soapy water a few times. I would squirt a little on a patch to get it damp and then swabbed in and out of the barrel. I would then turn it over and repeat. After 2 or 3 patches, the bore should be relatively clean. I would then follow with a couple of dry patches and then look through my breach plug to make sure it was clear before shooting.

 

[GMB54]

A very popular homemade solution is call MAP.
5 parts rubbing alcohol, 3 parts peroxide, and 2 parts murphy's oil soap

Another very good product is Ballistol. Mixed with water its a good cleaner for blackpowder/subs and straight is not bad for smokeless or BH209. IIRC the blackpowder mix is 1 part Ballistol to 2 parts water. The stuff has been around for over 100 years. Ballistol is especially good for use after using soap and water for cleaning.

It will mix with water that might still be left in the bore because it contains some isobutyl alcohol. Its also non toxic containing mostly light medical grade mineral oil.

Whatever one you choose just make sure to clean Pyrodex fouling as soon as possible after you are done shooting. Pyrodex fouling is highly corrosive. I would even double check it a day or 2 after cleaning to make sure its clean.

 

[Nsghunter]

Can I use hoppes number 9 at the range? I'm going tomorrow and that's all I'll have.

 

[smyrnagc]

Can I use hoppes number 9 at the range? I'm going tomorrow and that's all I'll have.

Only if you are shooting Blackhorn 209 but if so you don't need to swab between shots. If you are using Pyrodex you need to use soap and water or a cleaning product that is water based. Windex with Ammonia works great! I have also just spit on the patches and used that to swab the bore between shots.

 

[GMB54]

Hoppes Elite is ok but NOT #9. The Elite is water based. NEVER used a kerosene based cleaner with any sub other than Blackhorn209.

Hoppes does make a black powder cleaner also.

 

[smyrnagc]

Hoppes Elite is ok but NOT #9. The Elite is water based. NEVER used a kerosene based cleaner with any sub other than Blackhorn209.

Hoppes does make a black powder cleaner also.

Only has #9 per his post...Just use Windex or a spit patch.

 

[Wobblyshot1]

This photo represents most of what I use to clean my muzzle loaders. GMB54 in a previous post mentions MAP but my formula is a little different than his and really works. By the way, his post took the words right out of my mouth, especially what he said about Pyrodex. I suggest that you invest in a good range rod. Mine is stainless steel with a muzzle protector and a proper sized jag. Since I'm mostly a traditional guy, I usually first remove the lock and then carefully plug the vent hole with one of those tooth picks. I'll the pour a little cleaner down the bore, cover the muzzle with my thumb, slosh back and forth, and set it aside to soak. While it's soaking I use this time to clean the lock with the same cleaner. Now, WD40( WD=water displacer ) is your friend. Hose the lock down with it and turn your attention to the barrel. Next, pour out the excess cleaner and remove the tooth pick. You might want to protect the vent area by wrapping a rag around it because some cleaner will continue to drip out. Moisten a fairly snug fitting patch with cleaner a give it a fairly swift push done the bore. A bunch will be forced out the vent and this usually takes care of most the crud. Continue with a few more wet patches until cleaned to your satisfaction. Again, hose down with some WD40, wipe down, reassemble and give it a light coat of your favorite gun oil. All this may sound like a pain, but I can clean my gun using this method in about 5/10 minutes and usually at the range.

 

[GMB54]

WD40 original is a great product for using at it was originally intended....TO DISPLACE WATER....So in other words, if you used soap and water for cleaning...Run a dry patch after its clean and then hose down the bore with WD40. It will pull any water out of spots you might have missed. Give it a minute or 2 to do its job then use your preferred gun oil. Synthetics and light mineral oil based are better for use with most subs or real black powder. They wont have any negative reactions with those powders.

WD does offer a excellent corrosion inhibitor too but its MUCH different than the original.

This stuff is great FOR STORAGE protection. ITS NOT A CLEANER

 

[Nsghunter]

This photo represents most of what I use to clean my muzzle loaders. GMB54 in a previous post mentions MAP but my formula is a little different than his and really works. By the way, his post took the words right out of my mouth, especially what he said about Pyrodex. I suggest that you invest in a good range rod. Mine is stainless steel with a muzzle protector and a proper sized jag. Since I'm mostly a traditional guy, I usually first remove the lock and then carefully plug the vent hole with one of those tooth picks. I'll the pour a little cleaner down the bore, cover the muzzle with my thumb, slosh back and forth, and set it aside to soak. While it's soaking I use this time to clean the lock with the same cleaner. Now, WD40( WD=water displacer ) is your friend. Hose the lock down with it and turn your attention to the barrel. Next, pour out the excess cleaner and remove the tooth pick. You might want to protect the vent area by wrapping a rag around it because some cleaner will continue to drip out. Moisten a fairly snug fitting patch with cleaner a give it a fairly swift push done the bore. A bunch will be forced out the vent and this usually takes care of most the crud. Continue with a few more wet patches until cleaned to your satisfaction. Again, hose down with some WD40, wipe down, reassemble and give it a light coat of your favorite gun oil. All this may sound like a pain, but I can clean my gun using this method in about 5/10 minutes and usually at the range.

DO you use the Ballistol? I had all the ingredients for the homemade solution except the ballistol.

 

[Nsghunter]

I got around to cleaning it today. Once the patches passed clean I sprayed some WD-40 in the barrel waited and after a couple of minutes I ran more patches down. when I did this the patches came out with a small amount of light brown/tan residue. What would this be? Is the WD a brown color? Could this have been the beginnings of rust in the barrel? or maybe some fouling that had managed to adhere to the barrel that the WD had broken down.

This is my first muzzleloader experience and it has been a REAL learning curve...

Thanks for your help.

 

[Wobblyshot1]

This photo represents most of what I use to clean my muzzle loaders. GMB54 in a previous post mentions MAP but my formula is a little different than his and really works. By the way, his post took the words right out of my mouth, especially what he said about Pyrodex. I suggest that you invest in a good range rod. Mine is stainless steel with a muzzle protector and a proper sized jag. Since I'm mostly a traditional guy, I usually first remove the lock and then carefully plug the vent hole with one of those tooth picks. I'll the pour a little cleaner down the bore, cover the muzzle with my thumb, slosh back and forth, and set it aside to soak. While it's soaking I use this time to clean the lock with the same cleaner. Now, WD40( WD=water displacer ) is your friend. Hose the lock down with it and turn your attention to the barrel. Next, pour out the excess cleaner and remove the tooth pick. You might want to protect the vent area by wrapping a rag around it because some cleaner will continue to drip out. Moisten a fairly snug fitting patch with cleaner a give it a fairly swift push done the bore. A bunch will be forced out the vent and this usually takes care of most the crud. Continue with a few more wet patches until cleaned to your satisfaction. Again, hose down with some WD40, wipe down, reassemble and give it a light coat of your favorite gun oil. All this may sound like a pain, but I can clean my gun using this method in about 5/10 minutes and usually at the range.

DO you use the Ballistol? I had all the ingredients for the homemade solution except the ballistol.

I normally use it mixed with water as a patch lube at the range when I'm target shooting with a patched round ball. As others have said, a water and Ballistol solution can be used as a cleaner too. It has many applications. I use the MAP most often.

 

[451LRML]

I only use Black Powder and in my in-lines, I've found nothing faster to clean the bore than this. Use the wipe to clean the breech plug as well.
Oil patch thru the bore afterward and done.

 

[Nsghunter]

I only use Black Powder and in my in-lines, I've found nothing faster to clean the bore than this. Use the wipe to clean the breech plug as well.
Oil patch thru the bore afterward and done.

Well regular ol Lysol?

What order do you follow? Lysol then patch or patch then Lysol?

 

[bulld]

just remember H20 is just as corrosive as the black powder, make sure to remove all water from every nook and cranny, I used to pour boiling water down my old smoke pole to end cleaning process, the hot barrel steamed away any excess moisture