What I enjoy is after shooting I like to get a cup of coffee and set out back and clean and take my time wiping it all down. It's almost as enjoyable as shooting. Sounds weird I know but I do.

As someone who knows nothing about black powder, pouring water down the barrel seems absolutely insane. I had no idea this was how you do it.

With all the misinformation out there, you hit it right on, "black powder residue corrodes metal, water neutralizes BP residue, water rusts metal, oil, inhibits rust." Would that someone had given me that good, simple advice when I was a lad. Also, that Mike Brooks rifle is so doggone sweet. When I saw it for sale a while back I would have sold my favorite rifle for it if I'd have had the time. Sure hope whoever has it appreciates it and shoots it often.

ALL Gentlemen of class and substance use Balistol....  🧐

I started shooting nothing but traditional BP guns in 1993. I have never used petroleum based solvents.
I disassemble the gun fill a bucket with hot water and soap. I drop the lock in to soak while I clean the barrel. When satisfied the barrel is clean, I use a brush and scrub the lock work. If its a percussion gun, I'll  remove the cone, and use a pipe cleaner to clean the cone & flash channel while cleaning the barrel.
Then I rinse with hot, HOT tater, running patches till dry. While still hot, Ill oil the lock and barrel with sweet oil. Setting these aside, I'll rub linseed oil into the stock. Then reassemble. Takes about an hour...if I hurry. Its a labour of love, every bit as fun as shooting it!

Bob, I just rewatched your video on cleaning blackpowder guns.  For 20 years I used the method  you showed and thought I had it down pat.  After I finished my 54 which I sent you pictures of the other day,I shot the rifle and of course cleaned it after shooting.  I used a round toothpick in the touchhole, as I always did, then filled the barrel 3/4 of the way to the muzzle with water.  I set it aside for a few minutes to get some patches and when I came back some water with the BP residue had leaked from around the toothpick and ran across my newly finished stock.  There were two horizontal stripes  on each side or the stock about 1/4 of an inch wide, running from the lock panels to the buttplate.  To say I was sick would be an understatement.    I started to rub it with a rough cotton cloth and it made no difference.  

Now I had sealed the stock with two coats of a sealer, followed by three coats of finish(a small amount rubbed in by hand), followed by two additional coats of the sealer.  After it dried I put a light coat of paste wax on it .

About 5 hours later and checking on ALR with some gunmakers I really respect, I came to the conclusion that those horizontal stripes will go away with time or I could strip the entire gun and start all over again(UGH!).  Before bed they were lighter , and lo and behold, the next morning they were gone, and I mean GONE!  You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

So the hydrogen in the water must have mixed with the sulphur and oxygen to form a mild sulphuric acid solution, which was not capable of penetrating to the wood.  It then evaporated, leaving  the finish intact.  Whatever I had on there protected my wood.  I will be pulling pins in the future, I never want to see that again.  Maybe the toothpick was not perfectly round.  I don’t know, but I wanted to share my experience with you.  Best regards and keep up the awesome work.

Bob, I just realized why I had the water leaked around my touchhole leading to the stains on the stock on my 54 caliber rifle.  DUH!!  I thought we always had round toothpicks.  This morning I discovered otherwise-  my wife bought square toothpicks, which to the unaided eye, appear round IF one does not bother to put his or her reading glasses on.  Low and behold, the reason for my leak became crystal clear!  That was my mistake, I didn’t know they made square toothpicks.  Flat ones, yes, but we have never had them in our household.  Learn from my mistake, guys and gals, and make sure your tooth picks are perfectly round!

i still use thompson's #13 works excellent

I have a full stock Hawkens plains style flintlock, so the barrel comes away from the stock easily.  After that, a bucket of hot tap water, a kettle of heated water, a funnel and some hot pads (to hold the barrel with) and I'm all set.  Immerse the breech end in the bucket, using the funnel fill the barrel with heated water from the muzzle end.  Pump a mop attachment up and down the bore several times, repeat until the water squirting out of the touch hole is clear.  A bit more hot water followed by a breech scrapper, then a brass bore brush to clear any stubborn residue.   Take the barrel out of the water and run a dry mop attachment through it a couple of times.  Mostly the heated (near boiling) water just evaporates away from the now hot barrel but the mop helps speed things up.  Next run some dry cleaning patches until happy, followed by lubed patches (lube the first one a bit heavy so some of the lube runs into the touch hole pocket - helped by the hot barrel), Finish the barrel with some lightly lubed cleaning patches to reduce any excess lube.  I finish by using pre-used patches to wipe and lube the stock, especially around the touch hole, and the lock (especially around the pan).  Very last thing is a light lube wipe down of the entire rifle.  Of course, if you're recreating a private Mountain Man Trapper camp in some remote wilderness you immediately reload the rifle and proceed to sharpen and lube your knives and hawks.  If you're at a Rendezvous skip the reload until you're on the range.
I can do the same in the field but without the bucket, boiling water, hot pads and funnel; it's not quite as clean but it will do until I get home.

Good to see how someone else does it. I was taught a similar method when I first started with a cap lock. I’ve developed a method of my own you may find interesting. I take the barrel out of the stock, put a ramrod with a wet patch all the way down the barrel and leave it, then I set the breech end in a gallon container of very hot soapy water. Then I pull the ramrod up almost to the top very fast, and that will suck water up into the barrel. Then I work the ramrod  down to the breech plug and back up to muzzle, change patches, work back down and up until patches start coming out clean-ish. Then I remove the barrel from the water and continue wet patches until clean, I scrub the outside of the barrel that experienced powder fouling and the touch hole, then I run dry patches until I’m satisfied the bore and touch hole is thoroughly dry, then dry the outside of barrel then run a patch soaked in Bore Butter through the barrel and over the outside to protect it. I also clean the wood around the barrel and lock channels/inlets while I have the barrel and lock out. I don’t disassemble my lock when I clean it, though I probably should. It gets the same hot soapy water scrub/dry/bore butter the barrel does. I have to run a dry patch down the barrel before I shoot the next time to remove the bore butter, but I feel that’s a good practice anyway.

Yep, I used to go nuts trying to get a patch to come out clean. You fianlly explained why I  couldn't . Thank you!!

Yes, I am Austrian and speak German & English!
👍 = es gibt nichts mehr zu sagen! Alles perfekt!

I love cleaning my Hawken as the prior comment mentioned. Like therapy. Part of the black powder experience. Great video thanks for your knowledge and sharing .

I take the barrel off my flintlock, I remove the plug in the flash hole, and I pour boiling water down the barrel. I boil a kettle and pour right from the kettle. I also remove the lock and pour boiling water all over it. I also wipe down the stock and pour boiling water around where the lock goes. The great thing about boiling water is that it dissolves deposits and evaporates quickly. I flush out the barrel several times, I forgot to mention that before I flush with boiling water, I run a brush down the barrel a few times to loosen up the junk. Now, after water flushing, I run a few dry patches down the barrel. After that I use standard method of CLP, brushing, and patches until clean. I also soak the lock with CLP. I clean the flash hole plug, then I re-assemble it all. Looking down the barrel with a flashlight, it looks shiny like new. The entire process is 15-20 minutes. I few squirts of CLP down the barrel before putting it away.

I have done this for 5-6 years now and the flintlock looks and operates like new.

I've been using water for years. I use the ballistol after I'm done cleaning

You forgot to run a dry cloth down the barrel after the grease patch

Heard you mention "CLP".  Dang, that brings back Marine Corps memories.  Used to LOVE the smell of the gun cleaner / armory after a day at the range.  OOH RAH!!!
I still use military grade CPL on my caplock's.  Found this channel for the desire to get a flintlock.  You've got some Great videos, most of them straight and to the point and no messing about.  Been learning a lot.  Thanks a bunch!!

I am making paper cartridges today and enjoying watching your videos, Black Powder Maniac's, Duelist54, and other guys. There is one younger man that makes pretty cool pistol videos as well. I hope more younger people get into our beloved sport by watching you guys very informative videos. Keep up the good work Mr. Bob!

I always thought moose milk was made of oil soap, alcohol and water.

I used to spray my black powder pistols with WD 40 and they were still good after a few weeks before i gave them a good clean. Before shooting just brushed and swabbed out the bore and cylinder wiped over the gun with a clean cloth and poked out the nipples with a small pipe cleaner. Today corrosive primers or no longer so theres no worry with the corrosive salts from old primers. The soot from the blackpowder just absorbed moisture that activated the salts to rust out the barrels. You will find that flintlocks have better bores than the later percussion and cartridge guns that used these corrosive primers but back in flintlock days there was no WD40. Up to a certain time you still had to clean a modern rifle with a oil called Youngs 303, you mixed it with hot water which looked like milky machine coolant and swabbed out your barrel, this got rid off the corrosive salts from the surplus ammo that still used these type primers, no type of oil will remove these salts only water. If you use old surplus ammo from WW2 with corrosive primers its the only way to properly clean your gun, it will rust in the bore big time if not done properly.

I have a Thompson Center .50 cal percussion rifle that is 32 years old.  The barrel is held in place by wedges and it has a hooked breech plug so it is a simple matter to remove the barrel from the rifle for cleaning.  i rigged up a cleaning kit consisting of a plastic tube that fits tightly over the nipple so i just pull the barrel, fill a bucket with how soapy water and run a tight cleaning rod down and up the barrel drawing the hot soapy water in through the nipple and into the barrel until the water comes out clean.  This gets the inside of the nipple and barrel completely clean.  When finished i tilt the hot barrel facing muzzle down and the water runs out and, since the barrel is hot, it dries rather quickly.  Sometimes i will heat the barrel up a bit with a blow dryer forcing hot air down the barrel to make sure it is completely dry.  After i let it sit for 30 minutes or so i run a dry parch down to make sure it comes out clean and dry. When i am satisfied it is clean and dry i run a patch impregnated with bear grease to prevent rust and i’m good to go.  Before the next shoot i run a patch with alcohol on it to remove the grease and she’s ready to shoot.  My barrel is 32 years old and still has a mirror finish inside the bore.  I recently ordered a Kibler SMR and a Woods Runner flintlock kit and the barrels will be pinned and not so easy to remove.  I am going to have to put some thought on how to connect my plastic tubing to the touch hole so i can clean them using the same method.  Maybe i can remove the touch hole liner and rig up something that screws into the touch hole where the other end has a fitting for my plastic tubing.  Good video, thanks for sharing.