What is your favorite product for cleaning your muzzleloader bore?

[132 eight pointer]

Just wanted some opinions on what works for you.I know it depends what powder is used.Also do you swab the bore with gun oil when you are done cleaning?

[skyzmine]

I will strip everything off the barrel (scope, hand guard etc.) then use warm soapy water and plunge it a few times then repeat with clean warm water, dry, then plunge with oil. all done.

[nyantler]

Use to use a product called Lehigh Valley.. it might even still be available.. great stuff... now I use a mixture of denatured alcohol and Murphy's Oil Soap...

1/2 cup murphys wood oil soap

1/2 cup peroxyde

1/2 cup rubbing alcohol.

Leave out the peroxyde if you will not be shooting the gun for a while... if you shoot patch and ball its great as a patch lube.. you will be able to put ball after ball down with ease without cleaning between.

[Bballhunter11]

Nyantler why do u use peroxide?  Peroxide is an oxidizing agent and it would seem to me to encourage corrosion

[Fletch]

Hot soap water, then my Otis cleaner, then a warm dry out by the stove then an oil patch.

[bubba]

now that i shoot bh 209, Iuse hoppes then gun oil. Before it was hot water and dish detergent, then gun oil.

[sbuff]

BH209 - a little hoppes oil

T7 and Pryodex - windex then Montana Xtreme

Swiss and Goex - soap and water..

After all powder is out of the barrel a little rubbing alcohol then a few dry patches.

[132 eight pointer]

Thanks everyone.I will have to try some of these methods.I have a product called Rusty Duck that is a blackpowder solvent.It seems to work on T 7 also.I have heard but never tried acohol.I have used soap and water before.

[SteveMcD]

I use boiling hot soapy water and a douse of T/C #13 Black Powder Solvent on the cleaning patch. Run through a few times until patches come out clean. Let Barrel stand until dry, run through with dry patch to be sure, than lubricant barrel with 1000+ lubricant.

I use to love using "Rusty Duck" Cleaner.. but I have not been able to find it in years.

I never use oil or petroleum based solvents or lubricants in my muzzleloader, petroleum oil only adds to fouling powder and increasing chances of a misfire.

[132 eight pointer]

I believe I bought Rusty Duck at Walmart several years ago,not sure if they still have it or if it is still manufactured.

[wztirem]

I believe I bought Rusty Duck at Walmart several years ago,not sure if they still have it or if it is still manufactured.

You can find Rusty Duck products on Amazon.com and most everything else these days.

[hang fyre]

I shoot 777 pellets.  I read on here someone said to use windex to clean the bore.  Being that I am cheap and had windex in the house, I gave it a whirl and damn if it didnt work great!!  I dont use bore butter (too cheap)  I run patches soaked with wd40  and wipe everything outside with wd as well.

[SteveMcD]

Hangfire... that is because of the alcohol content. A lot of the old timers use Windshield Wiper fluid for cleaning for the same reason. 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

For cleaning immediately after using the gun(highly recommended with BP guns) I use Dawn dish detergent and boiling water, brass bore brush and patch jig.

I have cleaned some nasty guns that had been left dirty; Rusty Duck,T/C #13 Bore Cleaner and Bore Butter are all great products.

I had a friend who owned a Knight in line that no matter how good he cleaned the barrel it would rust inside the barrel every time, I worked on that barrel for several days with Rusty Duck and Bore Butter, cleaning and seasoning the barrel per say. To this day it stays good without rusting after he cleans it...............I honestly believe the Bore Butter penetrated the pours in the metal and seasoned it like you would an ole cast iron skillet.

FDXX75

[nyantler]

I shoot 777 pellets.  I read on here someone said to use windex to clean the bore.  Being that I am cheap and had windex in the house, I gave it a whirl and damn if it didnt work great!!  I dont use bore butter (too cheap)  I run patches soaked with wd40  and wipe everything outside with wd as well.

Just a word of caution.. WD40 works great short term if you are continually cleaning.. but if used and put away for too long it will turn a shellac type consistancy.. not good... I learned the hard way before being told by a gunsmith friend that Break Free is actually better

[132 eight pointer]

...........I honestly believe the Bore Butter penetrated the pours in the metal and seasoned it like you would an ole cast iron skillet.

FDXX75

I believe you are right,I remember reading something to that effect a long time ago now that you mentioned it.

[loworange88]

I have a CVA Optima, and through out the season I'll use the CVA brand gel cleaner and patches to give it "rough cleaning"  Usually while at the range or what ever.  For a propper cleaning I break the gun down, and use the foaming barrel blaster to clean out the barrel, then use a few patches till the barrel is clean and dry.  Next I put Bore Butter on a patch and run that through a number of times.  Then I wipe down all exterior surfaces with RemOil.  I had a problem with my barrel rusting, until I started using the Bore Butter.  I also used the Barrel Blaster on my .270 as I noticed some copper build up, it took care of it no problem.

>>Mat

[eagle rider]

Birchwood & Casey Black Powder Solvent then TC Bore Butter.

[SteveB]

Modern steel barrels are nothing like cast iron - they cannot be seasoned. Bore butter is

a rust inhibitor, not a rust preventer. Unless you clean your barrel down to bare steel with

scalding water, the borebutter will build up, possibly trap moture and will eventually effect accuracy.

[nyantler]

Nyantler why do u use peroxide?  Peroxide is an oxidizing agent and it would seem to me to encourage corrosion

The peroxide is in the formula I'm guessing for its cleaning ability.. I eliminate it from my formula... for the oxidizing reason... short term though I have been told it won't hurt the barrel at all.. just can't store the gun for long periods if you add the peroxide to the formula... I shoot in a ML league all winter and there are guys that use the formula with peroxide throughout the ML league... when it comes to putting the gun away for long periods they clean with soap and hot water and coat with bore butter.

[Renegade]

I use hot soapy water and the rinse with warm water then dry the barrel thoroughly. I run a lightly soiled  patch with Balistol oil and I'm done.

[Chromeslayer]

Montana Xtreme Blackhorn 209 cleaner followed by Montana bore conditioner

[eagle rider]

the T17 products from TC work well on modern powders like 777 and are designed for new steel barrels:

https://secure.tcarms.com/store/t-17-natural-lube-1000-plus-cat-no-7479.html