I have an older .50 caliber CVA Hawken and use Swiss or Goex Black Powder in it. I clean it the OLD, recommended way using very hot water with very little liquid soap in it.
After removing the barrel from the stock and removing the clean-out screw from the drum (I leave the nipple in place), I put the bottom end of the barrel down into a small bucket of VERY hot, slightly soapy water maybe 4-inches deep and run a new, clean patch on the jag up and down in the bore maybe 10 or 12 times... drawing the slightly soapy hot water up to and out the muzzle on the "up" stroke and out the open screw hole on the "down" stroke.
Then I take my wooden cleaning rod with a cleaning jag on one end and a .50 caliber NYLON bore-brush on the other end which I had built to be used strictly as a "cleaning" rod with threaded brass pieces on both ends to accommodate attachments and push the NYLON .50 caliber brush DOWN and and pull it UP the bore several times, twisting it a quarter of a turn once it clears the top of the bore after each down and up motion to insure I touch all areas in the bore with the brushes bristles.
I don't use a bronze bore-brush because it is very difficult, if not impossible, to pull back up the bore once it is pushed to the bottom whereas the nylon bore brush comes back up easily and still does a fine job of cleaning out the "crud" from the lower edges of the rifling. At this point, the bottom of the barrel is still sitting in the smallish, plastic bucket of water.
By then, the soapy water is beginning to cool off and is very dirty, so I pour it out and replace it with clean VERY hot water only (no soap) to clean the suds and soap out of the bore.
I add a new, clean, cotton patch to my cleaning rod's jag and work the jag up and down in the bore while the bottom of the barrel is sitting in the clean, hot water maybe 10 times or so... and then, removing the barrel from the water, I remove the barrel from the bucket and put the bottom end of the barrel into a clean, just-emptied waste basket to "catch" any water and blow compressed air from my very small air-compressor down the barrel to blow out all the water. I then turn the barrel over and also put a "shot" of compressed air into the open screw-hole in the drum while the muzzle is inside the waste basket to insure the flash channel is also dry.
I then put the tiny bore light down the bore and look things over. The bore should be bright and clean with no dark areas near or at the bottom of the grooves.
Normally, by then... the bore is VERY clean and shiny... and the barrel is still very warm from the use of the very hot water. I remove the bore-light.
I then blow compressed air from my small air-compressor down the bore again to blow out any remaining water... and I also blow compressed air in the open screw hole again in the drum and the flash channel to blow out any remaining water in that area as well.
Then I run a very oily patch lubed with Ballistol on the cleaning ram-rod's jag down and up in the bore a half a dozen times, rotating it a quarter of a turn each time the jag comes out of the top of the bore until I'm sure all areas of the bore are oily.
Then I spray a little Ballistol from a small, pressurized can of Ballistol into the screw-hole in the drum, then I blow compressed air down the bore and into the screw-hole as well to insure a Ballistol oily coating remains, but not in an excessive amount. Then I check the bore's lube by sliding the small bore-light down the bore and checking it out.
At that point, the work is over... so I clean up the outside of the barrel and put the barrel back into the cleaned out stock and store the rifle, muzzle DOWN, with the muzzle resting of a folded over paper towel to absorb any remaining lube that might drip out of the bore.
Next time at the range, firing a single percussion cap with the muzzle pointed at some grass or something that will be moved by the percussion cap's "blast" is all that's necessary to insure the bore is open and dried out enough so no oil will contaminate the load of black powder when I load the rifle to shoot at the target.
Using the above cleaning methods, I have never had any light rust on or "in" the barrel, the bore has remained perfect and like new... and firing a single percussion cap just prior to loading the rifle at the range was always adequate to insure the rifle is ready to be loaded and fired without any further precautions.
Plain, clean HOT water with a tiny bit of liquid soap in it cleans the rifle's bore out perfectly and a rinse of clean HOT water removes any soap left over. Yes, it's the "old cleaning method and it still WORKS really well !!!
You don't need any fancy, costly bore-cleaners to do a fine job. Give this inexpensive method a try... you won't be disappointed.
Incidentally, I read a report recently about a test conducted by the use of scientific methods concerning the use of various oils and rust-preventives and their effect on pieces of raw steel coated with these various items and left out in the weather for 3 months.
Only 2 of the raw steel plates had absolutely NO RUST on them after 90 days... one on which a very expensive rust preventative was used and one on which Ballistol was used. All 48 of the other raw steel plates coated with many well-known oils and lubricating products had some or considerable rust on them... so using Ballistol is an excellent idea.
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
