Cleaning 73’ After Shooting BP

[Dalion]

Howdy all, I am switching to shoot Black Powder and would like to know if there are any cleaning tips you can provide for a tyro in this field.  My Uberti 73' in is 357 and I shoot 38s through it. 

Thanks.

Dan

[Short Knife Johnson]

I hade made a "Bore Bong" for my .44-40's and would flush the bore out with hot soapy water.  Problem is that sooner or later you get water in the action.  I'm thinking of fashioning a pull through bore snake of some sort. 

[Russell40]

A friend of mine informed me that after cleaning the bore, he removes the side-plates and sprays the action out with a can of bore cleaner, dries it and then oils the parts.  He shoots BP at most matches. I took the plunge today, fired mine with BP and cleaned mine as he advised.
Just my 2 cents!

[Okefinokee Outlaw]

I use Ballistol.

[Short Knife Johnson]

Oh yes indeed, Ballistol is the ticket.  I don't have a probem with fouling in the action.  You should not have any blowback around the case.

[w44wcf]

Dalion,
I would first suggest getting a good 1 piece steel cleaning rod along with a muzzle guard.
http://secure.armorholdings.com/kleen-bore/product376.html

Turn the rifle upside down so that when the patches are pushed through they along with the accumulated fouling will fall outside and not into the action.

Ballistol, which has been mentioned, is a good solvent as well as a bore protector from oxidation.

w44wcf

[The Swede]

Watch Bottom Dealing Mike's video on cleaning cowboy guns on Youtube.
Search for Deulist1954's videos
They pretty much show you how most of us do it

Swede

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Well, here's what I do. I take an empty case and chamber it and close the lever. Then I stand the rifle up vertically. Then I take a patch, insert it in the slotted end of my cleaning rod, soak it with my favorite water based BP cleaning solution, and twirl it down the bore. Do not use a jag, use the slotted end of the cleaning rod. Pull it up and it will be covered with black crusty fouling. Repeat. After each patch, they come out cleaner and cleaner. When the patch comes out dirty gray, with no crusty stuff, all the fouling has been washed down into the empty case in the chamber. The bore is basically clean at this point.

Turn the rifle upside down and eject the empty case onto the ground. A spray of filthy, black powder solvent will come out with it, so don't do this on the wife's new white carpet.

I shoot nothing but 44-40 in my lever guns, which seals the chamber beautifully, and almost no fouling gets past the case into the chamber. You will probably have a bit more with a 357 Mag or 38 SP case. Anyway, take another patch soaked with solvent and clean around the bolt, the carrier, and anywhere in the action where fouling may have accumulated. Follow up with some straight Balliistol down the bore and on the carrier and bolt. I like to soak a patch in Ballistol, twirl it down the bore, then follow up with a dry patch to mop up most of the Ballistol and just leave a light coating behind.

This entire procedure only takes about ten minutes. I DO NOT take the side plates off my rifles and clean out the insides every time. I have previously coated the insides of every thing with Ballistol. Ballistol (or any oil) will soak down any fouling that gets into the action and prevent it from wicking moisture out of the air. BP fouling that has been saturated with oil is harmless and will not cause rust. I only take my BP guns apart maybe once a year, to clean out all the oily, black guck down inside. There is always plenty of oily black, guck there is never any rust.

P.S. The reason you don't use a jag is it can get jammed in the empty in the chamber. The slotted end of the rod is narrower and less likely to jam.

[Grapeshot]

=1 on Driftwood Johnson's post.  I do it almost like that excepy I use a jag and the fired case.  The next time I shoot my '73 I'm going to try his method.

[Wayne the Shrink]

I do it the way 44WCF does it, tilted down with soapy water and a jag and patches.  I don't push the jag all the way into the chamber, it gets cleaned with a mop.  

Wayne the Shrink, proud member www.Castbolits.gunloads.com

[Buck Stinson]

I have a gun cradle , so in cleaning black powder fowling out of my original 1873 and 1876 Winchesters, I lay the rifles in the cradle up-side-down and open the lever just far enough that the brass carrier block is still in it's bottom position.   Cleaning with soapy water is a piece of cake and nothing will flow down into the action.   If you keep the butt end of the rifle slightly elevated in the cradle, everything falls out the top of the reciever.   Works everytime.   

[1860]

OK, you are all Pards and I kin trust use....her is me super-secret way of doin it...

http://www.larrys.org/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=P-3000

Get one of the above and put it on you garden hose, attach a clear hose to it(close to chamber size is ideal), insert clear hose into the chamber, push the little button and flush out the bore a few times.  Put an empty case in the chamber and close the action, run the correct size nylon brush through the bore a few times and then lay the brush on the gound.  Re-insert the water balloon gizmo and flush the bore while aiming it at the bore brush on the ground so it gets cleaned at the same time.  You will need to wipe out the bore and chamber with a simplegreen dampened patch and then dry it.  Lube of your choice and you are done...

60

[1860]

Forgot to mention....no need to spend the three bucks on the water ballon gizmo....

Just have a couple of daughters and you will end up with a few of them fo-free...LOL

60

[Buck Stinson]

Kinda crude, dont' you think?

[1860]

Just what do you find Crude?

60

[sail32]

I use a mix of Ballistol and water at the range so the black powder residue is soft by the time I get home. (shake the mix well) I use patches with mix to clean and finish with just ballistol.
I also use the water ballistol mix for muzzle loading my Hawken. The patches are soaked in it and squeezed to damp before loading.

[Rye Miles]

I use Murphy's mix (Murphy'd oil soap, alcohol and peroxide) and spray it down the barrel and then turn the rifle upside down put in a spent case and first use a brush down the barrel then an old brush with patches, 4-5 usually does the job. I then use Balistol to lubricate it. I take off the side plates about twice a year and there's hardly any crud in there! I shoot .44-40 and BP.

I love my 73's, one in 20" and the other in 24" Both Taylor's by Uberti

Rye