Re: MtMan-List: Patch Lube / BP Cleaner

[cwebbbpdr@juno.com (Charlie P. Webb)]

I have some questions, and a few thoughts.
Why do you use hot water to clean your firearm?
Do you believe that every time a woodsman wanted
to clean  his fire arm, he stopped built a fire and heated
water?  What if he was in hostile territory with a fouled
firearm. Would he take the chance of being discovered
by enemies or spooking game by building a fire for heating
water to be used for gun cleaning purposes?  Hot water
will clean a muzzle loading firearm, but is it the best choice?
The world has long known that when hot water is poured
over a piece a metal  that oxidation occurs  very rapidly,
much faster than with cool or ambient temperature water.
As a certified instructor I  demonstrate muzzle loading
firearm cleaning  using  Ice water, (Ice floating in water)
ambient temperature water, ( would be typical of water
carried a skin or canteen by a hunter)  and hot water
which I believe they seldom used.  The ice water is a bit
slower softening the fouling, but it does soften enough
that it is entirely wiped from the barrel and breech with
three to four patches.   The ambient temp. water is some 
what quicker,  but like the ice water the firearm barrel
wipes clean with a just a few patches.  You know about
hot water, so I won't  discuss it.  The bottom line is, they
all work!   They will clean a firearm as well as any 20th
Century magic elixir or solvent existing!  When I am
in the field I suppose that I am one of those purist types
and try to live the experience as it may have been done
during the time frame of my interest.  I do not heat water
in the field for gun cleaning,  I do so for personal hygiene.
But then we all know  that one can bathe and get clean
with cold water.  I hate breaking half inch thick ice early
in the morning  just  to wash the sleep out of my eyes.<gg>
	There has been mentioned on this list of several
concoctions for patch lubes. One that has lived long and 
works well for target shooting is Moose Milk,  it is very
inexpensive and when your whole family shoots one needs
to get by as economically as he can.  Moose milk,   I make it
up in a twenty four ounce bottle, ( because that is what I have)
one ounce of water soluble oil to twenty ounces of ambient
water.  then to the whole mixture add two ounces of Murphy's
Oil Soap,  (soap, not a detergent!)  Shake it up and use it.
You might note I said  nothing about including Hydrogen
Peroxide in the mix!   Hydrogen Peroxide is an oxygenator
that when used as a gun cleaner causes instant oxidation
on any part of the un browned barrel it touches, meaning
in this case the barrels bore.  A test you might try  is
clean your muzzle loader as clean as you can get it with
peroxide in your mixture,  I mean so clean that  the patch
comes out as clean as it went in, no streaks, just plain white.
Stand  your fresh clean barrel in the corner, then clean the
lock and stock.  Now run a fresh  snow white cleaning patch
down the barrel to the breech and with draw it,  it will now
have gray green streaks instead of clean white,  oxidation
is the cause. This test is a bit tough to do when using tow 
due to it's natural color.  I personally prefer tow for my
cleaning, but again that choice is yours.  I have antiqued
or patina ed  many "Bess" barrels with peroxide, it is much
more gentle than Clorox or nitric acid, there fore it's easier
to con troll.  It is my belief that hydrogen peroxide
was not carried in any ones possible sack for gun cleaning
purposes.  It does not clean a bit better than plain old
plentiful and inexpensive tap or stream water.  The NMLRA
has long preached the sin's of peroxide in muzzle loaders. 
Since  Peroxide was not used for gun cleaning purposes on
original firearms,  why is it so popular today with some folks?
And  why do so many  sing it's praises?  why would a person
attempting to recreate what our Grandfathers lived, choose
to use it to desolve fouling on our replicas when it is  something
Grandfather probably never dreamed of and most likely never
used?  I have never seen "Bridger Approved"on any peroxide
bottle. <<<ggg>>> I do sometimes miss the fine print with my
failing eye sight.  Thank God for contact lenses, without them I
I coulden't see through my tri-focals!NAPA Auto Part stores
carry or can order Water Soluble Cutting and Grinding Oil. 
Machine shops use  it for cooling  parts being milled or shaped 
on a lathe.  The part number is  # 765-1525  for a gallon, nearly a
lifetimes supply for most folks, sells for around $27.00,  and a pint
bottle for about $8.00. # 765-1526 For cold weather  you might 
add an ounce of alcohol to the mix, I don't because I never felt 
the need to.
	I have no idea or intention that what I have written
here should change  what anyone is presently doing, I simply
would like for  you to think about it, possibly try it, if you are
totally happy with your present methods fine, shoot center and
have fun! Any cleaning method is far better than not cleaning
at all.  The quality of many of todays replicas will probably allow 
them to be around and useable long after  we'ins has gone under.
	      The water soluble oil is actually very similar to 
some of the available lubricants used thru the mid 1700's through
the 1860's  When I bought my last gallon of W.S.O. it contained
no petroleum products, but who knows now?  Have a good day!!!!!!!

Old Coyote
CC CO.
  
>OK, I'll bit. What's a purist? Am I one of those purist fellas?
>guess I could
>figure it out by analyzing my choices and ways of doing things.
>
>I'm interested in muzzleloaders, black powder and early American 
>history. I shoot
>a muzzle loader and use lead balls and black powder. I don't just 
>dress and camp
>funny, I try to do it the way I believe it was done in the 17th and 
>18th century.
>I clean my muzzle loader with hot water and grease it up afterwards 
>with the
>lard of one critter or another using a tow worm and linen tow. My guns 
>have shot
>well and lasted me some 30 years now.

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