"Centerfire Cleaning" of a BP Barrel

[Old No7]

To make a long story short, I started with what I thought was a "clean" blackpowder barrel, but you'll see that it really wasn't...

Rifle:
T/C .45 cal Cherokee with peep sight rear and fiber-optic front (for when the deer are in the thick fir thickets).

Symptoms:
Using Pyrodex, 777 or Clean-Shot powders with patched round balls, T/C Maxi-Ball, Maxi-Hunter and even PowerBelt bullets.  I would get 2 of 3, or 3 - 4 of 5 shots grouping nice & tight, but 1 or more shots would miss the paper at only 50 yards.  And that's fired off the bench using the set trigger.

Bore Condition, Before:
Looked a little "rough" or fouled halfway down.  This was after numerous hot water cleanings using a brass brush as well.  Theoretically, this was a "clean" BP barrel.

Background Info:
Have read numerous pro & mostly con reports lately about Bore Butter and the problems that a build-up of that lube can cause.  All the patches and T/C conicals that I have used contain that lube.

"Centerfire Cleaning" Process:
2 days following a routine blackpowder cleaning (hot water, brush, etc.) I figured I had nothing to lose by trying some modern solvents on the bore, just to confirm that it was clean.  For solvent, I used Shooter's Choice, then 100 strokes with J&B, followed up by 3 Lead-Away patches.  The bore was then rinsed & cleaned of J&B etc with the Shooter's Choice again.

Cleaning Results:
GREEN patches on the first two tries -- lots of copper in the bore!  Didn't expect to find that much!  Must have been from the PowerBelts.  The J&B and Lead-Away patches really seemed to help smooth/clean-up the grooves, which now look 100% better when inspected with a little LED light that drops down the bore.  I couldn't believe what was coming out on the first patches using the SC.  Visually and by feel, the grooves are now much cleaner.  This was helped by wrapping a patch on a .50 cal (not .45) bore brush to really force the patches deep into the grooves.

Shooting Results:
Darn it all!!!  Have not tried it at the range yet, but I can't wait to see how this "really clean" barrel performs now.  I will post within the next 2 weeks to let you know.

Some folks swear at Bore Butter, others swear by it.  My post isn't intended to sway you either way.  But just for kicks, try some centerfire cleaning solvents on your "clean" BP barrel and see how she looks.

Tight groups.

Old No7

[roundball]

Yes, buildup (of any kind) usually results in accuracy problems.

I've bought a couple of used TC Hawken barrels in the past that I couldn't get clean, and finally had to use Shooter's Choice Black Powder Cleaning Gel to get them restored to bare, raw metal condition again.

All I use is Natural Lube 1000,  and as long as barrels are cleaned properly with steaming hot soapy water after every use, so no buildup occurs, they stay just like new, remain accurate, and fun to shoot without wiping between shots.

[crow_feather]

And no oil!
CF

[riddleofsteel]

I do not think it matters if you are using T/C Bore Butter or Natural Lube 1000 or mutton tallow/bee's wax or pure bear grease. As long as you clean your barrel after use with boiling, hot water and clean it inside and out to remove powder and cooked lube residue. However, the use of sabots and powerbelts may require modern solvents to remove palstic and copper.
Old timers used to put a cap on the nipple or plug the flash hole and stand the rifle up. Then they would pour boiling hot water from a kettle down the barrel and fill it up. Let stand, empty, swab, repeat until the water and swabs come out clean. Be sure to lube the clean barrel with some natural grease during storage to fight rust and swab the excess grease out before loading.
I have one Renegade barrel that has had nothing but T/C Maxi Lube or Bore Butter or hot water down it since 1990. It shots just fine. Remember the old timers did not have any fancy solvents. Grease, hot water, and in a pinch, a little soap will more than do the job.

[Old No7]

Thanks for the replies above...

For those who followed this post, the rifle grouped MUCH BETTER following the centerfire cleaning it got.  Following that session, I cleaned it up well using hot water and soap.  Then tonight, I put a heavy dose of "Wipe Out" in the bore from the muzzle (since it's a front-stuffer) until it ran out the breech with the nipple removed.  After letting it sit for an hour, I got more blue and black patches out of it, and after a few more passes with a bronze brush, the bore felt better than ever and the patches came out clean.

Upon inspection with an LED bore light, it now appears that all of the fouling build-up is long gone.  Man, this bore has never looked or felt so good!

I'll be sure to clean & inspect it well after I use it from now on.  I thought I had cleaned it after buying it used at a local gun shop, but it obviously wasn't clean enough.

Now...  If I can only be so lucky to see a deer within ~75 yards on Saturday morning...

Tight groups!

Old No7

[R J Talley]

I recently bought a used Lyman GP rifle. I cleaned the bore with hot water and soap and then went out to the range. Using a .490 RB and pillow ticking and my own BP lube, I shot four rounds and the barrel was so fouled that I had to hammer in the last ball as it jammed half way down. I got home and did a scrubbing with hot water and soap. I then poured boiling water down the barrel. Patches run through it came up greenish and black. A visual inspection showed what looked like a pitted bore. I then ran several patches covered with Shooters Choice down the barrel. They came out filthy black and you could feel rough spots in the barrel. I decided something more drastic was in order. I had some LBT bore lap paste and figured "What the heck, the bore is usless as it is now so why not?"  I took a 45 cal brush and wrapped sweveral turns of pillow ticking around it until it was a snug fit in the bore. I then coated the ticking with bore lap paste. Using a muzzle guide, I ran it in and out 40 times, pulled it, re-loaded it with compound and then did 20 more back and forth strokes. I then cleaned the barrel using boiling water. I made another lap and loaded it with JB paste. This I ran 20 times back and forth. I then cleaned the barrel with boiling water and followed that with a couple of patches soaked in Ballistol. These came out brilliant white. The bore looks smoother and feels much better. Rifeling near the muzzle still looks sharp. I'll be shooting it next Saturday and I'll repot back with the results.