Gentlemen,

The Forth Texas has discovered the most effective, low cost, bio-degradable, and readily available rifle barrel cleaning solution, bar none! And, this magical solution is - HOT COFFEE!

We discovered the magical properties of hot coffee quite by accident. Bill Harding, who found himself without fire or the ability to boil water, used left-over coffee to clean out his musket with amazing results. He informed me of his discovery this weekend. On Saturday, I used a 50% mixture of hot coffee and boiling water to clean my rifle with excellent results. I never have a problem cleaning a freshly fouled weapon, so I wasn't too impressed. But, I took a dirty rifle home on Sunday afternoon and didn't get around to cleaning it until late Sunday night. Figuring that if a little coffe was good, a lot of coffee would be better, I made a cup of instant coffee using three spoons of coffee. Two barrels full of coffee, followed by three barrels of hot water gave perfect results. The rifle barrel was totally clean and dry after only four patches. That forth patch was as clean coming out of the rifle as it was going in. The entire process took less than ten minutes.

Greetings Bill,
An old Navy veteran from WW II, told me that on board ship they used the old but still hot coffee to clean the ground in dirt and grease and oil off of the deck in the ship's passage ways.
It truely is a magical solution.

Your Obedient Servant, Comm. Sgt. Dan Girton  Co. A , 6th OVI

 Hallo!

Two barrels full of coffee, followed by three barrels of hot water gave perfect results. The rifle barrel was totally clean and dry after only four patches. That forth patch was as clean coming out of the rifle as it was going in. The entire process took less than ten minutes.

Hmmmmm.  The next time, try five (5) barrels of hot water without the coffee, and see if there was a difference?

(I have been cleaning my 18th century guns with just hot water in a "period" manner with tow and a wiper for about 12 years now although I believe they clean easier and faster with 3-4 barrels full of water is due to them being shot live with lubed patching which has an effect on barrel steel not previously stripped of "wax/grease" down to the surfact textured "porous metal each time by modern solvents or soaps... I clean "Civil War" the same way as I am not a coffee drinker...)

Curt
Cleaning Heretic

Quote :

Curt Schmidt wrote :  Hallo!   Hmmmmm.  The next time, try five (5) barrels of hot water without the coffee, and see if there was a difference?

Curt,

I've been a disciple of the boiling water school of barrel maintenance for longer than I care to remember. Like you, I never use soap or petroleum products in my muzzle loaders. I do cheat and use a brass jag and cotton patches.  

Flat out, hot coffee is the first thing I've found that works better than plain old pure boiling water. I believe it may be, that since coffee is slightly acetic, it helps disolve the fouling.  

Five barrels of water, five barrels of coffee...man that's a lot of water and coffee.  Oh....five rifle barrels...I get it.

Greetings Men,
Tom, I believe the "die - hard" coffee drinkers in good old Co. A of the 6th OVI would shoot the cook if all the coffee was poured down a rifle barrel.
Some times I have trouble having enough coffee made now.(Even with our 2 1/2 gallon pot.)I believe coffee would clean better than hot water.
One barrel of coffee and the rest hot water. I put at least two gallons of water over the fire when the company marches off to battle.

Your Obedient Servant, Comm. Sgt. Dan Girton  Co. A, 6th OVI

Hey Curt,

Give the Coffee method a try. You don't have to drink the stuff, just pour some down your muzzle loader's barrel! I can't see how it could harm your weapon in any way and you might be surprised.

It didn't make any sense to me either, until I tried it.  

Hallo!

  "Give the Coffee method a try. You don't have to drink the stuff, just pour some down your muzzle loader's barrel! I can't see how it could harm your weapon in any way and you might be surprised."

 I am intrigued, and shall give it a try.  (I can always start by searching for the historical references first). My wife is a coffee drinker... so we always have some on hand so I have do not have to roast green beans over the campfire.  ;)    )

 Besides, coffee sounds MUCH BETTER than the urine stories.  

  Curt  

--Last edited by Curt Schmidt on 2008-06-08 11:34:21 --

Quote :

Curt Schmidt wrote :  Besides, coffee sounds MUCH BETTER than the urine stories.

That's just coffee, come out the other end....

  Hallo!

 May be "coffee" for cleaning is just a quaint polite Civil War Victorian euphemism for "urine."  

  Coffee Cooler Curt

Curt,

I have never seen anything in period sources concerning the use of coffee to clean rifle barrels. If I had, I probably wouldn't have waited 45 years to try it! I started out shooting an original Colt Special Model back in 1963.

We came up with this purely by accident. It was the end of an event, the fire had been put out and the only hot liquid
was in the coffee pot. Bill Harding figured the hot coffee was better than cold water from his canteen and was he ever right!

I have also read the accounts of the fur trappers using urine soaked patches to clean their weapons. I think the acid in both urine and coffee is the key to why this works so well.    

Thanks for the info.  I'm going to try that at the next event.

I seem to recall having heard/read of it a few years ago.  Not being a coffee drinker, I haven't made use of the information.

I'd suspect it is both the acidity and the oils that contribute something to the cleaning process.

Seems like the best use of coffee to me.

I don't drink the sh&&& umm stuff but since I'm an early riser the ones who do expect me to have a nice fire going when they actually roll out of their blankets so they can "start their morning".

Bob,

As a fellow who sometimes gets up at 4:30 a.m. to get the fire going, after the usual night owls stood around the mess fire bullhooting until 1:30 a.m., only to let it burn out -- let me say "thank you" for every piece of wood you ever put on that fire in the wee hours of the morning.

Naturally, not being a coffee fiend, you aren't the fellow grinding his beans at 4:29 a.m. either.

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Charles Heath wrote : Naturally, not being a coffee fiend, you aren't the fellow grinding his beans at 4:29 a.m. either.

Charles,

I'm always surprised by the number of reenactors who don't drink coffee. The 4th. Texas starts the day with two big pots of coffee and there's a pot by the fire from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.

I borrowed one of our pots for the "Winter '64" Event and found that half the guys in the "Cooler Hut" didn't drink coffee. There wasn't room on the stove for both the coffee and tea pots! Funny, before the event, I was concerned that a gallon pot of coffee wouldn't be enough for eight guys!

Charles and Bill,
The 6th Ohio must be a lot like the 4th Texas.
Two pots of coffee to get started and a pot by the fire all weekend. I was also a bit surprised at the number of men that avoid coffee. I cannot get these old eyes open without the stuff.
I have an old bladder, so I visit the sinks several times a night and throw another log on the fire on the way.( Or two in rainy weather or when the host gives us fresh cut green wood.)
I am up at about 5:00 am and after the sinks then the coffee.
When the company is in Garrison mode. I provide tea, hot chocolate and spiced apple cider mixes for the non-coffee troops.
Must keep the men happy. They have guns.

Your Obedient Servant, Comm. Sgt. Dan Girton , Co.A , 6th OVI

Quote :

Bill wrote :   I'm always surprised by the number of reenactors who don't drink coffee. The 4th. Texas starts the day with two big pots of coffee and there's a pot by the fire from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.

I didn't used to drink the stuff, and then there was a cold morning at Cedar Creek standing by the fire and the cup got passed around.  From that point on, I will boil up a cup in the morning but after that it is water for the rest of the day.

We have our displaced Back Bay Biloxi Cajuns who insist on putting a little coffee in their chicory.  They intentionally make the noxious stuff as strong as possible.  That means there are two pots of coffee on the fire.  There is one pot of coffee and another that more closely resembles asphalt in liquid form.  The latter might be toxic.  I wouldn’t trust it in a weapon barrel.  It might take off the bluing or put bluing on armory bright.  That stuff is so stout if the uninitiated/inexperienced gets hold of it he will power wash the back side of a port-a-let.

Thanks Curtis, I needed a laugh.