doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Greenhorn Muzzle Load Question

Cheers fellas will get a cap dispenser poste haste! Thanks for the tips...going to try and fire it today!

T

Tony,
Everyone's pretty well has your answers covered. Now what I suggest is that you use that gun for some "rough" pheasant hunting. I have a 12 bore Pedersolli that I often use for hunting wild pheasants. It only weighs 5.5 lbs, think about it, where can you find a 12 bore capable of shooting a 1.25 ounce shot load that weighs only 5.5 lbs. While you may not want to shoot heavy loads through your vintage gun, it will add another level of pleasure and satisfaction to your hunting experience. Trust me, when that bird drops you'll almost hear the "ghosts" in that old gun cheering. KABOOM!!!
Steve

Steve, fired it today, tremendous sound and flames out of the muzzle...amazing! I shot it dry of lead because I hadnt shot one before but now I'm ready...just got to get the weights right etc and Jerry is helping me with things!

T

Now you have fired it comes the joy of cleaning it!!!!
This is how I do it but I know others have different ways.
If I can't clean it properly within a few hours I give it a good spray with WD40 which should temporarily kill off the corrosion.
You have two problems to overcome. Firstly the residues of the BP explosion are corrosive and secondly moisture.
The residues of the BP are acidic but the good thing is they are very soluble in water.
What I do is to remove the nipple and flush the barrel out with plenty of water, giving it a good brush with a bronze brush. This is best done in a bucket. Next I put some BP cleaning solvent through the gun to kill off any remaining acidity. You can repeat this till the barrels are clean – check with a clean piece of 4x2 on a jag. I then flush through with very hot water and leave to drain and dry. I aid this by blasting compressed air from the air line through the nipple chamber as this is the most likely spot you will get retained moisture. I then usually leave it upright on the boiler for a few hours till absolutely bone dry. It then has a light oiling inside and out, grease the nipple threads after it has been cleaned and replace it, then store it barrel down to allow drainage. Bear in mind that the combustion chamber is normally a smaller diameter than the barrel so you need to get some oil down there to protect it – this could be sprayed oil through the nipple chamber or down the barrel.
There are lots of different ideas about cleaning but if you follow this and use some common sense you can’t go far wrong.
John

I recommend V. M. Starr's classic little book, "The Muzzle Loading Shotgun, It's [sic] Care and Use". The book can be Googled. The book is a fascinating read from an old-timer who "had been there". About the only problem with reading the book is that spitting down loaded gun barrels and loading directly from flasks and pouches is no longer recommended. The rest of the information in the book is as timely as it ever was and it is presented in an enteraining and readable form.

Cheers John. I've cleaned in a bucket as you suggest but I'll WD40 now. Jerry has been extremely helpful with loads and so on too. Great help all round! Will check out that book Ding.

One thing I've realised is that I've used a traditional beeswax finish on the barrels and hot water cleaning and so on isnt that good a combination with them getting sticky...so might have to remove that and maybe lacquer over to finish...any views?

Cheers
T

The idea of the hot water is to heat up the barrels so that they dry out quickly and don't leave moisture in the nooks and crannies. Cold water will dissolve the residues perfectly well. If you use cold water then you need to dry it very thoroughly. I’ve never heard of wax finish on the barrels - on the woodwork yes, but not the barrels. Is your gun an old one with brown Damascus barrels or a latter one with a blacked finish. I only wipe the metal work over with a slightly oily cloth. The browning or black/blueing finish is to prevent it rusting and only requires a wipe over with an oily cloth when dry.
Looking back over what I suggested for cleaning I didn't mention that you should always remove the barrels from the woodwork before cleaning - usually there is a peg holding the barrels on to the for-end wood and a hook on the rear of the barrels - just push out the peg - not all the way as they are usually retained -and then lift them off the hook.

Hi John, using beeswax was an old method of finishing the barrels off when they were browned. I'm thinking of removing it on this gun and giving it a lacquer finish which was the other method of finishing the barrels.

Thanks for the advice.
Regards,
Tony

Aren't they hoot to shoot....I tired of the nastiness and sold all mine.

WD 40 is the last thing I'd ever use on a blackpowder gun....Petrolerum based lubricants don't go well with blackpowder. Soapy water or Balistol and water for cleaning and John Deere Fluid Film as a protectant.

Ah maybe Joe but I'm keeping mine as a piece of history and I intend to game shoot with it this season too...nastiness and all.

Thanks on the cleaning tips!
T