Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders In-line cleaning after using 777 and sabots

Just getting started in muzzleloading. I understand that 777 can be cleaned out using only patches wet with water. And my T/C Omega manual states no lube in bore in when using sabots. What do you guys use to clean the sabot plastic fouling from the bore? Also, I have been told to wet patch between each shot. How wet should the patch be, very wet, damp or??? After how many shots should I be concerned about cleaning the plastic fouling? And what do you recommend for a bore lube after clean up? I plan to run several dry patches though the bore to remove all lube prior to each shooting session. Any other hints for a newbie? All advice is appreciated. THANKS!!!

4214chip

Definitely take your breech plug out and clean after every 7-8 shots at the most. Failure to do so , will cause a siezed up plug. Gets some very good anti sieze grease to use on the plug threads. ( I'm not sure about Omegas, but standrard TC inlines this does apply to). There are several on the amrket. TC sells one called Gorrila Grease

Patches between shots should not be dripping, but more than just damp.

Iwa sjust browsing through Cabela's catalog. CVA makes a sabot plastic solvent that they sell.

On my Encore I put a little tetra grease on the threads, evenly spread out, then whatever antiseize I have handy. Works great at keeping the plug from getting stuck. +20 shots without a problem. Tetra by itself is to thin.

Choke tube lube is good for breech plugs.

Almost all plastic sabot manufacturers have improved the past few years. Use a bore brush with any rifle solvent that states it removes plastic wadding & if necessary - copper too. Birchwood-Casey 2 in 1 Bore Scrubber is fine. So is Butch's Bore Shine. You should only need these after extensive range work using sabots. Otherwise, get a small spray bottle of plain Windex & swab with it after every 2nd shot. Use both sides of a non-dripping patch.... then both sides of a dry patch. The idea is not to remove all fouling.... leave a little in the bore until the range work is completed.

The best Breechplug lube I've found is CVA Breechplug & Nipple Grease. It has anti-seize in it. With 777, there's no need to remove the plug every 8 shots. Just get yourself a 7/16s socket for your Omega plug, socket wrench & small extention. Then crack loose the plug after every 8 shots.. then re-tighten. Do not overtighten & make sure all threads are smothered with grease before installing it.

After your last shot, immediately loosen the breechplug a few turns until you get home. Run two oil swab-patches also.... just in case you forget to clean your rifle for a few days.... few weeks... few months.... lol.

Any good gun oil will do. Remington/Teflon, Shooters, Breakfree CLP, Birchwood Casey Sheath or Birchwood Synthetic are all good oils.... much better than any lube like Bore Butter or Wonderlube 1000. Before you head out to the range next time, you need to get rid of the oil in the bore. Use an empty small spray bottle for that with rubbing (isoprophyl) alcohol on two patches. Then pop three 209 primers to clear the breechplug of any oils or moisture. Now you are ready to load & shoot.

You can buy small spray bottles filled with car scent at many dollar stores. They are usually around the cash register. Dump the scent - rinse good - fill with all kinds of stuff like gun oils, windex, rubbing alcohol, solvents... etc.

Hey, Nebraskan, how far west? I grew up not far from Swanson
Lake in SW Nebraska.

I have a lot of problems using 777 in my Encore........extreme
"crud ring" and very little accuracy. If you can get along with the
stuff, more power to ya. Have tried every suggestion to be had
on several forums and still have it. Am about to try MagKor's
BlackMag3, but it has its problems, too. One day, I will be out
of the powder which works best in my Encore, Clear Shot, and
they no longer make it.

You've gotten good advice here.......the only thing I would add
is that I've been able to successfully retard plastic buildup using
a Wonder Wad between powder and sabot. It seems to protect
the sabot from a lot of the heat. CVA's Advanced Sabot
Shooters solvent works pretty well (need to use a brush as
well as a patch) but it leaves a slight oil residue in the bore
which needs to be cleaned out with alcohol or pure acetone.

Get a nice racked mulie for me this fall, ok? I'm "stuck" with
whitetails! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for all your help guys. I had some good luck with 3 pellets 777 and the Barnes 285 gr Spitfire, as well as the 300 gr Hornady SST. Three shot groups all under or at 1.375". I got some 1" groups with 2 777 pellets and the 300 gr SST's. Those groups were shot with a 12x Leupold on the Omega for load development.

DB, you probably have some BIG whitetails over there in Iowa. My group of 5 guys have been hunting the same ranch in the sandhills for the last 22 years. Mostly whitetail there, but nothing huge...yet. We usually manage to take at least one or two in the 140-150 range each year. Last year we saw two great looking mule deer, one I estimated 28-29" wide. Had some shallow forks on one side, nice on the other side. I left him for this year, hoping he gets bigger. Now if I can just find again on the 80,000 acres we hunt.

I know your home area well. I am farther west and north of your old stomping grounds, about straight south Ogallala. Do you get back this way much?

4214chip,

That's a nice area. One of my favorite places to camp and hunt is the NE Nat'l Forest by Halsey. Ever get out there??