I have a question about musket cleaning.  I picked up a bottle of Thompson's Number 13 bore cleaner.  Does this eliminate the need to pour hot water down the barrel for between battle cleaning?  Or, would you still do that, then use the bore cleaner afterword?

Can't help you here.  I strictly stick to the way they did it and field clean it often with cold water.  Then run a few patches and I'm fine.  

Ken

Like you I stick to using HOT water to clean it during and after an event.

When I am home, then I may run a couple of patches with some Hoppes solvent on them before I put it away for the next event.  And then a couple of dry patches to get the excess out.

But I haven't used any of the bore butters or cleaners.  And my rifle pings quite well come inspection time.  

--Last edited by lhsnj on 2007-01-24 16:20:04 --

Greg,

I use to use hot water, but many times on the CPH of the hobby you don't get time to heat any.  But, I have read a number of times where canteen water was the only thing used and patches weren't readily available either.  

I will do the Hoppes thing at home after an event, but that is about it.

I am super anal about my weapons. First, after 14 years as a First Sergeant, I can't bring myself to be any different. Second, I truly believe the real Civil War soldiers took good care of their weapons. Just look at the photographic evidence. You don't see any rust on those rifles! There was a reason the Union Army Sutlers sold emery powder. Above anything else, the soldier's lives depended on their weapons. You can believe they took good care of them.

I use period correct methods of cleaning my weapon at CPH events, but it gets a detail cleaning when I get home. I use vegtable based rather than oil based lubricates on my blackpowder firearms. You don't seem to get as much fouling.

A hint, hot coffee does an excellent job of cleaning a rifle barrel. I've yet to attend an event where you didn't get a chance to brew up coffee at some point. A little for you, a little for the shooting iron. Everybody is happy.

 

Thank you gentlemen.  That's helpful information.  If water works, that's what I'll use at the event, to reduce the risk of someone spotting that plastic Thompson's bottle.

There's a couple reasons I bought Thompson's though, over Hoppes.  1) I had a couple recommendations (for Bore Butter) from some experienced folks.  2) Because of the natural non-toxic, food grade ingredients. I've got a baby daughter (16 months currently) and though the stuff is locked away out of her reach, it's better to be safe, then sorry.  

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TheBaldYankee wrote : There's a couple reasons I bought Thompson's though, over Hoppes.  1) I had a couple recommendations (for Bore Butter) from some experienced folks.  2) Because of the natural non-toxic, food grade ingredients. I've got a baby daughter (16 months currently) and though the stuff is locked away out of her reach, it's better to be safe, then sorry.

Good stuff. I usually carry a small tin of Bore Butter in my pocket or haversack. Just rub a little on a patch and run it down the barrel, after washing with hot liquid. Take the same patch and wipe down the exterior metal parts.

Congrats on the new family member.  

Quote :

Bill wrote : I am super anal about my weapons.

Bill

I never would have guessed that about you...  

We still laugh about your musket at McDowell a couple years back when it looked like you had pulled it out of a river..

When I first started in the hobby I was using a loaner rifle, so I made sure it was as clean or cleaner than I received it.  Then when I got my own, I just carried on the tradition of keeping it clean..

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lhsnj wrote :   Bill We still laugh about your musket at McDowell a couple years back when it looked like you had pulled it out of a river..

Greg,

I was one unhappy puppy that morning. If you'll remember, everybody else hung their rifles in the supports holding up camp swampy, while I wrapped mine up in my blanket. By morning, both blanket and rifle were under about three inches of water. To add insult to injury, of all our weapons, mine was the only one that wouldn't fire. I stayed behind as camp guard, while everyone else went off to fight the Yankees.    

I recall that scene. I made the mistake on taking my rammer out that morning, and the stock had swelled from the amount of water, that I had to take the bands off the rifle to get it back in place..

This is an article I wrote for our Company News Letter a few years ago. I thought some of you might find it interesting:

Detail Cleaning Your Rifle Musket
By Bill Rodman

You have been a Reenactor for a year or two, and have finally figured out how to pass the Ordnance Sergeant's weapons inspections. This means your “shooting iron” won’t blow up in your face, and the exterior looks pretty good. Well, the Season is almost over, and it’s time to give your weapon a real cleaning. A complete cleaning, and inspection, will protect your investment, and reduce the mechanical problems that can ruin a weekend. Next spring you might even get a smile from the Sergeant.

First, you will need the proper tools and equipment. The most important tools, you will need, are screwdrivers that fit the screws on your rifle. The blade of the screwdriver must exactly fit the slot in the screw. In some cases, you will have to file down a screwdriver to fit a specific screw on your rifle. Trust me, it is worth the trouble. You will also need a nipple wrench, a cleaning rod (not the rod that comes with your rifle, that’s a ramrod), a bore brush, a cleaning jag, #0000 steel wool, 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper, a wood or plastic dowel and bore patches. You will also need cleaning products such as WD-40, gun grease, or the some of the non-petroleum products that are on the market. A bore light is also very helpful for inspecting the rifle’s bore.

The first step is to field strip your weapon. Remove the tang screw, and then remove the barrel bands. On Enfields you must loosen the screws on the bands. On Springfields, just depress the band springs and carefully slide the bands over the barrel. If the bands will not come loose, tap them gently with a dowel. Be sure your lock is on half cock, and carefully remove the barrel from the stock. Don’t just pull the barrel and stock apart, as you may split the wood around the tang. If you haven’t had your weapon apart before, the barrel may be very tight in the stock channel. Stand the rifle upright, and pull the barrel up and away from the stock. The secret is to take your time and be careful. After the barrel is off, you should remove the lock from the stock. The best way to remove the lock is to loosen both lock screws a couple of turns, and tap them with a plastic hammer, or the handle of a screwdriver, to free the lock from its bed in the stock. Continue unscrewing the lock a few turns at a time and insure that the lock is coming free. Again, be sure not to split the wood around the lock plate.    

After you have your weapon in three pieces, set the stock and lock aside and go to work on the barrel. First remove the nipple, using your nipple wrench. If you have a model 1861 Springfield or Richmond Rifle, you will also have to remove the cleanout screw in the bolster. If the nipple won’t come out there are a few things you can try. First, make sure your nipple wrench fits your nipple, then soak the nipple and bolster with WD-40 or Liquid Wrench. While the nipple is soaking tap it gently with a hammer. If that doesn’t work, you can apply heat to the nipple, using a blowtorch. Do not overheat the barrel. Please note, the torch will destroy the bluing on an Enfield barrel. If the shoulders of the nipple are rounded over you may be able to use Vice-Grips to grasp the nipple. As a last resort, you can drill out the nipple and remove it with an easy-out bolt extractor. You may want to take the barrel to a gunsmith for this job if you are not familiar with the work.

After the nipple and cleanout screw are removed, place the breach of the barrel in a bucket of hot soapy water and scrub out any powder fouling, using the cleaning rod, jag, and patches. There are two types of cleaning jags. One type has a slot to slip a patch through. The other is sized for the bore, and holds the patch with a friction fit. The friction fit jags do a much better job, but you must be very careful, as they can get stuck in a rough bore. If you have any doubts about the condition of your bore, I would suggest you get a jag sized for .54 caliber, rather then .58 caliber. It is far better to have a jag too small, rather then too tight. It is relatively easy to remove a patch that slips from the jag; but removing a stuck jag can be a almost impossible, without removing the breach plug. Be sure that all fouling and corrosion are removed from the channel between the nipple and breach. This fouling can be as hard as concrete. Break Free cleaner seems to work well to dissolve these deposits. Dry the barrel and inspect the bore. It should shine like a mirror, If it doesn’t, wrap #0000 steel wool around a bore brush and scrub the bore with WD-40. The idea is to remove any rust, and smooth out any pitting in the barrel. After the bore is completely clean, wash it out again, dry it carefully, and lubricate the barrel. I use non-petroleum lubricants,  but a  good gun oil, such as Hoppe’s, or Outer’s also works well.

After you finish the bore, clean the exterior of the barrel. You may find a good deal of rust on the bottom of the barrel that is hidden by the stock, If your rifle has a bare steel barrel you should soak a piece of 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper with WD-40 and wrap it around the barrel. Carefully sand the barrel from muzzle to breach in smooth strokes to remove any rust or discoloration. After you finish sanding, polish the barrel with auto rubbing compound. The finished barrel should shine when you are done.

If your rifle has a blued barrel, rub any rust spots with a piece of wood soaked in WD-40. Removing the rust will also remove the bluing. These spots can be touched up with commercial cold bluing. Just follow the directions on the container. You should also touch up any nicks on the muzzle caused by the bayonet socket.  

The next step is to clean and inspect the lock. Scrub the lock with WD-40 or carb cleaner, using a stiff toothbrush. Be sure that all rust and corrosion is removed. After the lock is clean, wash the lock with soap and hot water. Use a hair drier to dry the lock. After the lock is cleaned, inspect it for any defects. First, look for any cracks or broken parts. Then check that all screws are tight. Insure that there is little or no play in the hammer. If there is play in the hammer the lock needs work. In most cases, you will need to replace the hammer, the tumbler, the lock plate, or all three. Spare parts are available from Lodgewood  Mfg. or the Regimental Quartermaster. The lock mechanism is rather complex. I would recommend you get help before you disassemble the lock, or take it to a gunsmith for repair.

Finally check the stock. Look for any cracks or splits in the wood. Minor splits and cracks can be repaired with wood glue and clamps. Check the inletting under the lock plate. Look for places the wood may be binding against the lock mechanism. The wood will shine where it rubs against the metal. Use a small file to remove the wood. Do not remove more wood then is necessary to free up the lock. In many cases, small dents can be removed by steaming. Place a small wet cloth over the dent and heat it with an iron. The hot steam will often raise the dent. Remove any rust or corrosion from the butt plate, trigger guard, and nose cap. On steel parts, use #600 wet or dry sandpaper and oil. On brass parts, use Brasso. When the stock is done, wipe it down with linseed oil and finish with a coat of furniture wax.

Now reassemble your weapon. First coat the underside of the barrel with a thin coat of gun grease, then carefully install it into the stock. Be sure the tang is seated into the stock. Replace the tang screw and the barrel bands. Do not tighten the tang screw at this time. . Coat the threads on the nipple with gun grease and  screw into the barrel. Be sure the nipple is seated against the bolster and is tight. If you have an 1861 Springfield install the cleanout screw at this time. Coat all the internal parts of the lock with gun grease. Be sure that the hammer shaft gets lubricated. Place the lock into the inlet on the stock. Be sure the trigger lever is under the hammer release on the lock. Replace the lock screws. Tighten both screws equally to insure that the lock is seated in the stock. After the lock is seated, tighten the tang screw, which will pull the barrel down into the lock.    

After you reassemble your rifle, test the action. Make sure the hammer is centered over the nipple, and hits square. Insure the half cock works. Put the weapon on half cock and lift it by the trigger. The hammer should not fall. There should be little, or no play in the hammer. Put your weapon on full cock, put your hand over the nipple and pull the trigger. The hammer should fall with no binding.  

This is also a good time for maintenance on your bayonet. Remove any rust with sandpaper or steel wool and oil. Make sure there are no burrs, or rough spots inside the socket, that will scratch your rifle’s barrel. Clean the inside of the socket with sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. Repro bayonets are poorly made and not very authentic. I would suggest you obtain an original bayonet. Nothing on the market compares to the originals.  

There are many different ways to clean muzzle-loading rifles, but these methods have worked well for me. If you have any problems call me at 610-265-8852, or you can send a message over my boring E-mail address: wrodman1@aol.com. I am sure any of the other “Gun Nuts” in the Unit would also be glad to help.

Quote :

TheBaldYankee wrote : Thank you gentlemen.  That's helpful information.  If water works, that's what I'll use at the event, to reduce the risk of someone spotting that plastic Thompson's bottle. There's a couple reasons I bought Thompson's though, over Hoppes.  1) I had a couple recommendations (for Bore Butter) from some experienced folks.  2) Because of the natural non-toxic, food grade ingredients. I've got a baby daughter (16 months currently) and though the stuff is locked away out of her reach, it's better to be safe, then sorry.

If you want to have a bit of solvent at an event, you can do what I have done. I bought a small tin from the Village Tinsmith (I think) and added an insert made of gasket material in the lid (to ensure sealing)and keep solvent in that at an event. The only thing not period correct besides the solvent is the gasket material in the lid.  

--Last edited by toptimlrd on 2007-01-26 23:29:44 --

Thanks again for the info.  Switching gears a bit.....

How often do you all take you muskets apart and give it the real good cleaning?  Is it just after the season, or kind of whenever it's needed?

Quote :

TheBaldYankee wrote : Thanks again for the info.  Switching gears a bit..... How often do you all take you muskets apart and give it the real good cleaning?  Is it just after the season, or kind of whenever it's needed?

I'm a bit particular and do it after every event and have been known to do it at an event.

Quote :

TheBaldYankee wrote : Thanks again for the info.  Switching gears a bit..... How often do you all take you muskets apart and give it the real good cleaning?  Is it just after the season, or kind of whenever it's needed?

Typically I will do that at the end of each season.  

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Bill wrote : This is an article I wrote for our Company News Letter a few years ago. I thought some of you might find it interesting: Detail Cleaning Your Rifle Musket By Bill Rodman

Bill

Can I have your permission to post this to our units webpage?

I detail clean my weapons every time I use them. Since I often carry around a big cheese knife at events, it may be months before I'll use the same weapon twice.

Greg,

I'll send the cleaning instructions as an attachment to an E-mail.