Muzzleloader Cleaning

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cvamuzzlefun

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Can anyone help me with a step by step guide to cleaning my CVA inline loader?? Products to use, and how to clean between shots would be great as well. Also what to do and use to prevent rust while storing. I know this probably sounds very stupid to most of you out there but to me as a new person to muzzleloading, there are just so many products out there it can be a bit overwhelming. Thanks to all.
 
Welcome to the magnificent obcesion! I dont know what model you have , but there are some universal "must do's". first be thorough.Muzzleloaders are a high maintenence committment.At the range I use either windshield washer fluid or rubbing alcohol to swab between shots.The benifit over typical solvents or plain water is that those 2 evaporate quickly.Rubbing alcohol is preferred in cold weather. Clean the rifle as soon as posible after you're done for the day espicially in high humidity conditions.Pyrodex and black powder residue will turn your bore into a chimney quicker than you think!For unavoidable delays squirt a mess of WD40 down the barrel.The fouling will absorb it and not the moisture from the air.Actually , its the only use I have for the stuff.Make sure you thoroughly clean the barrel threads.Some models are more difficult than others but you will have more than a headache if you get lazy in this area.I use a 20 ga. bore brush to hold the pacthes and begin with ww fluid and Q-tips along with the patches.I then use several solvent( Hoppes) to tidy things up and give alittle rust prevention.Ditto for the breech plug.Make sure you plug's flame channel is clean.Pipe cleaners work wonders for this.When reassembling grease the plug threads and the barrel threads well.There's no need to get sloppy though.Get a plug mouth full of breechplug grease and there will be no joy! Dont crank hard on the plug.Snug is nice, tighter will mean more effort to get it out later.Its much like a choke tube in that regard.The bore...I uses ww fluid on patches until clean.Then after drying with several patches , I use Hoppes on a couple patches for rust prevention.After 3 days I patch her out with Hoppes again just to be sure.Hoppes may not be as good as oil for rust prevention, but I shoot frequently and the Hoppes come out of the bore easier when getting ready for that first shot. depending on the type of inline you have, refer to the manual as to the particulars of breaking it down for cleaning.But again I say be thorough.Its the ONLY way to preserve the accuracy and dependability( nt to mention safety) of your boomstick.Plunger fired inlines are the dirtiest , followed by the bolt guns and break open/drop blocks.I prefer the plunger types myself. Some dont like the maintenence involved, but its part of the game and for real loonies like me its actually quite enjoyable.I started muzzleloading as a reenactor( 1st Texas Volunteers C.S.A.) and believe me it IS a good time cleaning out my battle scarred '53 Enfield rifle musket after a busy day giving Yankee grave diggers something to do! Have fun!
 
I got this off another forum......saved and printed it.
I am sorry I forgot who wrote it but I will pass it on to you.


Here's what I do with my ML (Genesis) after every time I shoot it...

1. Disassemble weapon. To include removing the trigger group and torch cam breech block assembly.

2. Put the breech plug, torch cam breech block, firing pin, firing pin spring, breech block retaining pin in a jar of Remington Express Clean Parts Bath. (Same as Traditions Clean Parts Bath). Let them soak until the end of the cleaning.

3. Depending on the extent of required cleaning on the trigger group, I usually don't do anything with it. If there's any dirt or fouling in there, I use Remington Action Cleaner to blast it all out. Then I apply some Remington Dry Lube to the trigger parts. Sometime I will disassemble the entire trigger if I have the time. But it hasn't needed that detailed of a cleaning yet. I just do it for fun when I'm bored.

4. Using q-tips and rags, I soak them with Remington Express Clean Spray Solvent (same as Traditions) and begin to work on the lower receiver. I focus primarily on the breech area as it tends to accumulate the most fouling. Sometimes it requires the use of an AP brush or even a bore brush if the fouling is really baked on. Keep going until satisfied with cleanliness. Then I apply a thin film of RemOil on all the metal parts.

5. Begin on barrel. I start with two patches soaked with the above listed solvent and then I use a bore brush also soaked with solvent. Then I swab the bore rotating between solvent soaked patches and clean patches. Once I'm satisfied with cleanliness I move onto cleaning the breech end of the barrel.

6. I wrap a solvent soaked patch on my bore brush and INSERT IGNORE it into the breech end of the barrel while spinning it. This allows me to clean the threads where the breech plug goes. Sometimes I'll use aerosol shotgun cleaner to blast the threads with but I use the above mentioned method most of the time because I clean inside the house. I also spray some solvent on q-tips and work all the bevelled areas of the breech end of them barrel.

7. Once the breech end is clean, I apply some bore protectant to a patch and run it all the way through the bore. I flip it over and run it again.

8. Then I clean the outside surface of the barrel with RemOil and a rag. I use q-tips with RemOil to get into tight places.

9. Then I wipe down the scope and use my Nikon Lens Pen to clean the glass. Then I'm done with the barrel assembly.

10. By this time the breech parts have soaked quite a while and are ready for cleaning. I start with the torch cam parts. I scrub them and q-tip them with spray solvent until I'm satisfied with their cleanliness. I usually have to use a small flat-head screwdriver to scrape off the baked on fouling that accumulates on the face of the torch cam.

11. Then I dry the parts with a rag, apply RemOil and reassemble them.

12. Then I work on the breech plug. The majority of the fouling has become gunk due to the bath. I swab all that off with q-tips and use a .22 bronze bore brush to scrub the remaining fouling off. Then I run an 1/8" drill bit down the firing channel while spinning it with my fingers. A final spray of solvent, some q-tips and a couple pipe cleaners finishes off the breech plug. It always looks brand new when I'm done.

13. I don't use teflon tape or grease on my breech plug since I have yet to encounter a problem removing it after firing Blackhorn 209. I just apply a very light coat of RemOil on the threads and re-install it in the barrel.

14. Then I reassemble everything. I apply a small amount of RemOil on the threads of all the hex screws before installing them.

15. Once everything is reassembled, I wipe off any part of the gun I touched during the process with a rag sprayed with RemOil.

After that I just put it in my gun case and it's good to go until the next time I want to fire it.
 
Welcome cvamuzzlefan
You've found a great site with friendly folks who know their stuff.
I'm sure many will chime in with their cleaning routine.
I am currently using Hoppes elite in the bore and like stated above I use either windex patches or alcohol patches for swabbing.
I am using windex multi surface in a plastic jar for soaking my breech plugs.I use different brushes and drill bits to remove primer fouling from the fire channel,also pipe cleaners and some special dental floss.I use a bore brush with hoppes patches to clean the breech threads.
I use shooters choice high temp gun grease for the BP threads and the inside threads,a little goes a long way.I am using shooters choice rust prevent on the outside of my ml's and hoppes elite oil on the inside of the bore.
I cover the muzzle with finger cots when I'm done on put a spent primer in the BP to seal the deal.If I'm not going to be shooting for a while I check my ML's every week with a patch or bore light to make sure all is well.
All this will change soon as I have ordered some Esozs (sp) and will be trying that.
It claims to do it all,we shall see
What ever method you choose,be through.Once you get the hang of it you can be done in a short time.
 
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