Cleaning the Muzzle Loader
This FAQ is disorganized into three parts: cleaning before we shoot, cleaning while we are shooting, and cleaning afterwards (which also rambles on about and long term storage). I suppose that means this is more a HOWTO than a FAQ, since it's not in question-and-answer format. We will cover rifles, smoothbores, and revolvers; flint and percussion. We will concentrate on paper punching, but we will also expound on considerations for the chase (i.e., gab about hunting).
Our focus will be on black powder. We will not discuss Pyrodex ® or any other substitute, because the various techniques presented below apply equally well to the substitutes. (When deciding which solvent to use, perhaps you will find advice on the propellant's container.)
Oh, yeah-- we will not clean your gun for you.
When we burn black powder, products of powder combustion called "fouling" are deposited in the bore. The deposit is thickest at the breech, just ahead of where the loaded ball is seated. The coarser the granularity of the black powder, the more fouling we'll get. (Of the two most commonly used granularities, FFg is coarser and fouls more heavily than FFFg.) This fouling is larded with potassium salts, which are highly hygroscopic: they suck moisture out of the air, and so promote dampness deep down inside the bore. That dampness leads to rust pits. Half the reason we clean our guns is to get rid of those salt deposits and then coat the clean metal with an oxygen barrier, to slow the rusting process to an acceptable rate. (The other half is to promote accuracy.)
This hobby of ours is rich in mysteries, but, "What's the best method of cleaning my gun?" is not one of them. There is only one best method, and that is... the one you will discipline yourself to use, religiously, every time you shoot. So don't get lost in the details below. It always reduces to just three steps: get the fouling out, dry the metal, protect the metal; and you're done.
Basic Equipment
cleaning rod
muzzle protector
rod tip implements
screwdriver(s)
toothbrush
fouling solvent
cleaning patches
oil/grease (oxygen barrier)
flashlight
something to plug the vent or nipple with
You'll need a cleaning rod. The absolute best kind to get, without mentioning brand names like Kleen-Bore, is a one-piece uncoated, polished steel rod with an 8x32 female thread at the tip. We want steel because it is harder than the other common choice, aluminum. Rods tend to get dropped, and pick up grit in all sorts of other ways, and we don't want that grit to embed itself into the surface of the rod so that it abrades the muzzle every time we slide it down-bore. It's just plain harder to embed grit in a steel rod than in an aluminum one. For the same reason, we want a rod whose bare metal is exposed for its entire length. Some rods are coated with a colorful plastic whose purpose is to make them prettier and so sell more of them. Avoid these like the plague; grit will embed itself into the coating faster than it would have in aluminum. The one-piece rods available at your local gun store are, unfortunately, typically made in lengths that are too short for many muzzle loaders. Several mail-order suppliers (Dixie, Don Eads, Thunder Ridge, etc.) offer suitably long rods, however. Otherwise we're stuck with the jointed rods that come as screw-together sections.
The tip of the rod should be threaded for 8x32 tools. The '8' identifies the thread diameter, and the '32' specifies the pitch (32 turns per inch of threaded length). The metric equivalent is 6x1mm. (Equipment made by Thompson-Center is usually threaded 10x32, which limits its interchangeability with that of other manufacturers. Hoppe's uses a thread gauge all their own, and their equipment interchanges with no one else's.) With the tools commonly available with 8x32 or 10x32 threads, we can equip ourselves to clean any gun up to .45 caliber. For larger bores, we'll want a shotgun adapter that permits the rifle rod to take big-bore tools, which are frequently threaded for shotgun cleaning rods. (Of course, if big bores are all you have, you can simply use a shotgun rod directly. Just don't blame me when you buy that little squirrel rifle later on and can't use your fat shotgun rod with it.) The shotgun tools are a convenience only; smaller tools will serve a large bore too.
We recommend that a rod have a T-shaped handle that does not swivel. Many of the costlier rods' handles spin, which is meant to allow a tight-fitting tool to "follow the rifling" as it twists the length of the bore. This feature isn't necessary-- we can let the rod twist in our hands; and worse, the swivel makes it nearly impossible to "pull" a ball. (To use a ball puller, we must get a strong grip on the rod and twist it forcefully, which we can't do if the handle spins in our hands. Imagine twisting a corkscrew into a lead cork. That's what a ball puller does.)
If you cannot find a steel rod, then use an aluminum one. If you cannot find a one-piece rod a few inches longer than your barrel, then use a jointed one. In any case, and as long as you are careful to re-tighten the jointed rod every few strokes, and you always use a muzzle protector, almost any kind of rod will do. It's far better to clean a gun with a poor rod than to not clean it at all! My rifle has a 42 inch barrel and I have been using a jointed aluminum rod to clean it for six years now, yet it still shoots one-hole groups, because I use a:
Get one and always use it. A muzzle protector is a flanged sleeve or a conically-shaped object that fits closely around the cleaning rod and yet can be inserted a short distance into the muzzle. The cleaning rod fits through it, so that as we work the rod it remains centered in the bore, sliding up and down against the sleeve; and so does not come into contact with the barrel's muzzle. The muzzle is the most important part of the bore because a gun with a damaged muzzle cannot be made to shoot accurately. Don't let your grit-embedded rod abrade the muzzle... let it abrade the muzzle protector instead! Muzzle protectors are usually made of brass, but the material doesn't matter as long as it's softer than barrel steel. If you can't find one at your favorite gun shop (and the rod didn't come equipped with one, as many don't), then fashion one out of a tin can, with a pair of scissors! Get creative if you must, but get a muzzle protector!
We've discussed thread sizes already. The basic kit for any gun will consist of three tools: a cleaning jag, a worm, and a ball puller. The ball puller is not used in cleaning, so we won't discuss it further. A jag is a short cylindrical tool with several deep rings making up its just-smaller-than-bore-diameter circumference. Most are made of brass, which is recommended as it's softer than barrel steel. To use, one simply drapes a cleaning patch across the muzzle and pushes it to the breech with the jag. The fabric should bunch up around the jag, otherwise withdrawal may be unreliable. If the patch does drop off the jag down-bore, the jag is too small for the gun, or the patch too small for the jag. To remove the lost patch, attach the worm to the rod and fish it out. A worm is a pair of helically twisted wires that vaguely resembles a corkscrew. Push the patch to the breech, twist the worm, and the wires will bite into the patch so you can pull it out.
Some folks get by without a jag at all, by just using their worms to hold the patch. Impale the patch on the ends of the wires, fold it over and wrap it around the length of the worm. Use enough cloth so that you reach the bottom of the rifling grooves. For rifles, we feel a snug-fitting jag is best, but for smoothbores a worm used this way will serve nicely.
Jags are marked for the size bore intended. It is important to use the proper size; a slightly too-small jag does a much poorer job than the proper size. And do choose one made for black powder use; most of the jags in the gun store's display will be for smokeless barrels which have shallower rifling, and are really just a bit small for black powder bores. Revolvers are an exception, however; smokeless tools usually work fine in replica black powder revolvers. The Treso brand is an excellent choice, but there are others.
Rifles benefit from our thoroughness in reaching to the bottoms and especially the corners of their deep rifling grooves, which even a properly-sized patch might not do. If you find this to be the case, then by all means add a bore brush to your kit. This is a bristle affair which may be made of nylon, bronze, or stainless steel. Avoid the stainless steel! Either the nylon or bronze are fine. Take your gun into the shop to try-fit the selection available. Beware that a too-large diameter bronze brush may be reluctant to turn at the bottom of the bore-- you may have trouble getting it out. Many originals are rifled according to patterns not seen today, for example an English pistol in your correspondent's collection has extremely deep vee-shaped groves that no patch could possibly reach. For these, a bore brush that reaches the everywhere can be a necessity!
Make sure they are absorbent! Almost everyone uses cotton cloth patches, but some shooters report good success with paper towels, which sounds thrifty to me. Patches should be absorbent and of a proper size. So, what's a proper size? That depends on the size of your gun's bore and on the tool you plan to use in it. Store-bought patches are marked with a range of intended uses, typically .22, .38-.357, and .45 caliber. For black powder bores .40 and up, try the "shotgun" size. If this proves too big, bring along a knife to trim them. Of course, you will use a jag of the proper size. If you plan to use a worm instead of a jag, you'll need a bigger patch. If you're cleaning a 12 gauge, you'll almost need a diaper!
Patches purchased at your local shootin' iron shop will do fine even though they are intended for smokeless barrels, or you can cut up an old tee shirt. Whatever the source, 100% cotton is by far the best fabric.
Oh, grab a pack of pipe cleaners-- not the bristlecone kind, just plain pipe cleaners of the kind you played with in grade school.
Screwdriver, gun lock, for the removal of, one each.
We include under this heading, "nipple wrenches" for you percussion wretches. If you are a studly flint shooter, some means of removing the stone will prove handy. Some caplocks have clean-out screws on the drum. The rocklock's equivalent is the removable vent liner. In either case, be equipped to remove same, but be careful when removing parts that thread directly into the barrel! Barrel steel is fairly soft, and the threads are easily worn out or crossed.
Any old retired toothbrush will do. In a pinch, use your current one and leave your teeth in the glass.
This is surely the most controversial subject. There are many commercial preparations available, and you can mix some excellent stuff at home too. Rather than recommend one over all the others, I'll discuss some pros and cons as I see them:
These are expensive and do not, as far as I know, do any better a job than some home made mixes for cleaning. If you intend that your solvent do double-duty as a rust preventive, then I can't say anything other than follow the directions on the bottle and hope for the best. Some names I've heard: Hoppe's No. 9 Plus, Rusty Duck "Black Off." (Several list members have reported happiness with Rusty Duck, but "yours truly" has never tried it.)
1. "Ed's Red" is a home made solvent intended for smokeless arms. I have no experience with it, so will refer you to the rec.guns newsgroup if you want more information on it (such as how to make it).
2. "Moose milk" is a preparation of water and water-soluble oil, used as a patch lubricant. It will also clean your gun for you.
3. "NMLRA racing oil" is a mixture of equal parts isopropyl ("rubbing") alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and Murphy's Oil Soap ®. All three ingredients are available at any pharmacy. It is sovereign on black powder fouling, but some shooters shy away from the peroxide, as it is a fairly potent corrosive. Substitute plain tap water for the peroxide, if it will make you more comfortable. (I use the peroxide and have not noted a problem yet.) If you use the high octane formula, keep it in in a dark colored container as sunlight degrades the peroxide. Shake before using. (This stuff is a first rate after-shooting hand cleaner, as well. Unmixed peroxide is even better.)
4. Windshield washer solvent. This is the blue stuff sold in gallon jugs at K-Mart. It is an alcohol-water mix and does an acceptable job on powder fouling, although it's not as good as the NMLRA mixture. It is also fairly hard on an oil finished stock, so go easy.
5. Hot soapy water. Black powder fouling is water soluble, and as long as your bullet/patch lubricant is non-petroleum based, you won't be able to get a cleaner gun than with this stuff. One point: the water needs to be hot, but not scalding, say 140F (60C). Use a liquid dish soap or Murphy's Oil Soap. Naturally, this is done at home. If Her Royal Highness is in residence, it is definitely an outdoor job.
Although slightly less controversial than cleaning solvents, various rust preventives will have their bigots... sorry, "champions," too.
RIG ®, and Cosmoline ® are petroleum-based greases that do a wonderful job of keeping moisture and oxygen away from steel; but before you shoot, be careful to remove every trace of them with a suitable solvent (such as isopropyl alcohol or a grease cutting liquid dish detergent), because the presence of petroleum compounds in the bore significantly increases black powder fouling.
Marvel Mystery Oil ®, motor oils, transmission oils, etc.: good for your car.
WD-40 ® is a penetrating moisture barrier that several folks on the mlml list have recommended against, as it (apparently) does not serve for long-term storage. "It is said," also, that prolonged applications will slowly remove bluing. I can't confirm or deny that myself.
Rem-Oil ® in a spray can has most of the disadvantages of any petroleum product. It is easier to remove, however, and is very easy to apply. I use it on the insides of locks because the spray reaches everywhere.
Break-Free ® is a lubricant, not a rust-preventive. The bottle's label makes the claim of providing rust protection, but one list member has reported that it gives short term protection only. Although it is a petroleum product, the report continued that for some reason Break-Free does not increase fouling as other petroleum products do, when used in the bore as a short term protectant.
Rust-Guardit ® is a spray-on compound that dries to a thick waxy film in seconds. It gives excellent protection to the outside of a gun for long term storage. Unfortunately, has proved difficult to use inside the bore, as the spray cannot reach the breech, and coating a patch does not work because it becomes a wax before you can shove the patch in.
Wonder Lube ®, a.k.a. Natural 1000 Bore Butter ® is a beeswax preparation sold in tubs as a black powder bullet lubricant, and in squeeze tubes as a patch lubricant. I and others have had excellent success with it as a rust preventive. After cleaning the gun, I run a patch, smeared generously with the patch lubricant, through the bore several times, and finish by wiping down barrel and stock with the same patch. This regimen has kept my .40 flinter rust-free during several New England winters in an unheated basement. Before first use, thoroughly wet the bore with a grease cutting solvent to dissolve and wipe away all traces of any petroleum based compounds you may have used down-bore before switching to this stuff.
A simple substitute for Wonder Lube can reportedly be made by melting beeswax in a double boiler and adding an equal part (by volume) of neatsfoot oil or a vegetable oil. (Add more oil for a softer mixture. Experiment!) Add a dash of oil of wintergreen to make it smell like the real thing. Personally I see no advantage to this as the commercial preparations are dirt cheap, but if you are a determined do-it-yourselfer, make sure you use clean beeswax! This makes an excellent bullet lubricant too, of course.
Used for examining the bore. You'd think any old flashlight would do, but I swear the MagLite brand in the smallest practical size (which takes two AAA batteries) is best. This may be because it's small enough that it's not in the way--- you can see around it to peer down the bore.
There are two uses for a plug: for keeping solvent from leaking out, and to keep rain from leaking in. Either way, you want it to be waterproof. I haven't tried it, but it seems to me you couldn't beat a little dab of beeswax or bullet lubricant for the purpose. I just whittle a toothpick, which doesn't work so well now that I think about it.
Our goal is to remove the rust-preventive coating we left in the barrel when we last put the gun away. (The manufacturer will have coated the bore of a new gun for the same reason, so this is the place to start with your new toy.)
Whatever you have coated the bore with, use your cleaning rod, jag, muzzle protector and some patches to dissolve it and dry the bore. Most of the above can be removed with alcohol. If you used Wonder Lube / Bore Butter, you can just run a dry patch through a couple of times, but then don't be surprised if your first shot is thrown wide of the group.
Revolvers and other caplocks: make sure nipples and flash channels are clear and dry; same for flint vents.
Ye men of the flint tribe, wipe dry the steel (frizzen). Want to distinguish yourself from the mob? Forget you ever heard the corruption, "frizzen." Frizzen is how those people bring home their fish while you and I are landing trout on our fly rods. (Extra points for fusil shooters: "la batterie.")
That's all. Load 'er and give fire.
Every few shots (for best accuracy, after every shot), wipe the borewith the NMLRA mix or Moose Milk. Except when developing a hunting load, it's silly to try to get the bore sparkling clean; we'd spend all our time cleaning and no time shooting that way. So we generally don't "clean" the bore while shooting, instead, we "condition" it by removing the worst of the fouling of the previous shot, then drying the bore.
Perfection (noun): in shooting, having it so that the bore is in the same condition as the previous shot, for shot after shot. Interpretation: this does not mean "clean," it means "as fouled as, but no worse than."
My usual regimen on the firing line is to keep two cleaning patches handy, one dampened with my favorite preparation, and the other dry. After each shot, I use rod, jag and muzzle protector to wipe once with the damp patch and once with the dry. After three or four shots, I discard those two patches and use new ones. Better shots than I use new patches for every shot.
Revolvers: use Wonder Lube or Crisco or what-have-you on the cylinder pin to keep the cylinder turning freely. Put plenty of the stuff in your chamber mouths. Contrary to popular disinformation, this does not prevent chain fires (chain fires are caused by loosely fitting caps that you had to pinch on). The lube is to keep fouling under control. You have a special problem, too: revolvers can get leaded pretty badly. Leading is the rubbing-off of bullet metal onto the walls of the barrel. (Bad cases require mechanical removal. Consult a smokeless specialist if you have this problem; but do get the lead out. There will be black powder fouling underneath it, corroding away....)
If you don't keep a conditioned bore while shooting, then you may be asking for trouble. After prolonged shooting, the fouling build-up at the breech gets so heavy that you may be unable to seat the ball firmly on the powder charge. Leaving an air space between powder and ball is asking for trouble; this condition has been blamed for burst barrels on more that one occasion (or so I have heard, never having witnessed the event myself, amen).
We've had our fun, now it's time to settle up. Begin by clearing away that which is needed for shooting, such as the powder can, and bringing out that needed for cleaning. Using rod, jag and muzzle protector, run a couple of patches down the bore: wet followed by dry. Finish with a thoroughly wet one, and let the bore soak for a while.
If your rifle really needs the bore brush, as discussed above, wet-brush it now. Plug the nipple or vent, pour in some solvent, scrub and slosh it out. Repeat two or three times.
This is probably the time to preach the gospel of scrub, and that is, you gotta do it! Do not make the mistake of believing that simply pouring a solvent down bore and pouring it out, will clean the bore. Mechanical action, via brush or cleaning patch, is absolutely necessary!
The outside of the gun will benefit from a thorough wipe-down with a solvent soaked patch or two. Near the breech, heavy fouling of barrel and lock works needs the application of a toothbrush. Percussion nipples should now be removed and set aside to soak in a little solvent, say in the upturned cap of your solvent bottle; and the same for any clean-out screw. Using brush and pipe cleaner, wash the drum or the flintlock's vent. This is the also the time I usually wipe down the loading rod with a few dampened patches.
Clean and dry the nipple (or vent liner, if you felt compelled to remove it), but don't install it until you've rust-proofed it.
It is somewhat controversial as to whether the lock should be removed. Many guns (especially flintlocks) will experience a build-up of fouling behind the lock plate which definitely does need to be cleaned away, especially if you live in a humid area or if the gun is to be stored for a long time. The problem with removing the lock routinely is that it accelerates wear on the lock screw threads, and endangers the surrounding wood. If you do remove the lock, clean it with the toothbrush and solvent, and coat (sparingly! don't oil-soak the wood!) with a spray rust preventive, such as Rem-Oil. Lubricate the tumbler, place a small bead of Bore Butter around the edge of the plate and on the lock screw threads, then reassemble.
Toothbrush the outside of the lock. Flinters, be sure to hit the undersides of everything! Remove the flint to clean the insides of the jaws, and consider replacing the flint now-- you'll thank yourself for thinking ahead, the next time you go shooting.
Now return to the bore, and continue alternating wet and dry patches until they no longer come out dirty. Most people will stop here, but not you! There's one more part to scrub, and that is the face of the breech plug. To clean it, fit your worm to the cleaning rod and wrap a patch around it so that a generous portion of patch material hangs off the end of the wires. Stuff this wad of cloth into the muzzle, solvent-soaked of course, and shove it to the breech. Push firmly and twist on the T-handled rod. Bring up the patch, experience shock and disgust, and repeat, wet-dry as many times as it takes. Now dry one last time and shine that flashlight down bore. Enjoy the rewarding view of a shiny breech and bore smiling back at you!
Wipe down the cleaning rod. In fact, wipe it frequently.
There's another very convenient, quick method of getting the bore clean that's available to anyone who is allowed to clean the bore at home: the famous hot soapy water bath. You'll need a snug-fitting jag and patch, a plastic pail of water, and you'd best be outdoors!
If the barrel is easily removable, do so; but guns with pinned barrels may use this procedure also. Percussion shooters may use a sacrificial nipple drilled out to have a very large passage, and a piece of surgical or other tubing that fits snugly over the nipple. Flintlock shooters may need to remove the lock to get adequate access to the vent, which can then be taken out (carefully!) and replaced with a percussion nipple as described, or else you can buy a special implement available from several suppliers. The flintlock implement consists of a C-clamp affair and a fitting that covers and seals the vent, from which a tube leads away. In any case, immerse the barrel breech (or the end of the tube) in the water and pump up and down with the jag. This combines a scrubbing action with a very effective solvent to quickly clean the bore. It does not, however, relieve you of the need to scrub the breech face as described above; but even that chore is much easier when the barrel is full of water. Now rinse well with hot, clear water, dry thoroughly, let air-dry completely, and treat with your favorite rust preventive.
Before reinstalling nipples or vent liners, you may place a tiny amount of Bore Butter on the threads. Use just a small amount! Refer to the warning regarding revolver nipples, it applies equally here.
There's just no substitute for a plastic dish tub full of hot soapy water. You will drop nipples and little screws from your slippery fingers. It's just as well to have something to drop them into!
Field strip per the maker's instructions. For open-frame (Colt) types, knock the piece apart into barrel, frame and cylinder; remove the cylinder on solid-frame designs.
Toothbrush the nipples, then let the cylinder soak underwater. Meanwhile:
Clean the barrel as above with rod, solvent and patches. Colt shooters can clean from the breech so needn't bother with a muzzle protector. Hit the outside, especially all the little cavities, with the toothbrush and wipe dry inside and out. Examine the bore for traces of a dull gray color on the forcing cone and bore at the breech. This is leading, and must be removed either mechanically, with a bronze brush; or for heavy deposits, with a wire-mesh tool made for the job; or chemically, with a lead-removing bore solvent. You're lucky that smokeless shooters suffer from the same problem. You can use the same tools and chemicals that they use.
The frame should really be cleaned thoroughly after every shooting session too. The trouble is, the only really satisfactory method is to remove the wooden parts, immerse the frame in hot soapy water, and scrub with a toothbrush. This method is bound to result in damaged screws eventually, but there is no other way to get those complex works absolutely clean. One alternative is to clean as best you can without disassembly, and then soak well with a spray oil. This will leave the wood grips oil-soaked in time, and is only a half measure at best. Here and there in the frame, oil-soaked fouling will build up. It may not lead to rust, but if the oil ever dries it may certainly bind operation.
(You have a real dilemma! You either damage the gun by not cleaning it well, or you damage it trying to. The old-timers apparently had the same problem. From the condition most of their revolvers have come down to us into, it appears they usually took the don't-clean approach!)
After the bath, dry thoroughly. Camera stores carry "air-in-a-can" for cleaning lenses-- this is wonderful stuff for blowing water away. Finish in a warm oven (200F/90C) if need be, but be careful of arms with color case hardening! Your correspondent once oven-dried a Navy Arms replica of the Remington Model 1875. It was a very high quality replica, with a lovely color case hardened frame. I put it in the oven, lying on a tee shirt. It came out covered with cotton fuzz. From this I learned that color case hardened parts are often given a coat of clear lacquer, which I had just melted. Some lacquer thinner removed the fuzz, the lacquer, and the shine.
After the steel is dry, spray with a rust preventive oil.
Now that they've soaked for a while, you can probably get the nipples off without using excessive force. Thoroughly scrub the cylinder and nipples, especially the threads, with toothbrush and hot soapy water. Pipe-clean the nipples. Jam a few toothbrush bristles through their holes, if they're too tiny to pass a pipe cleaner. With your pistol cleaning rod, work a bronze brush into each cylinder and rotate. Make sure the twisted wire at the end of the brush protrudes into the nipple passage-- this way you know the brush is reaching the bottoms of the chambers. (Hot tip: one mlml member reports that a tool used to dye leather, consisting of a ball of wool or sheepskin at the end of a metal rod, reaches the chamber bottoms well.) Rinse, dry and coat with Wonder Lube / Bore Butter (especially threaded parts-- but just a little!); do the same for the bore and all other parts that you haven't already sprayed with oil.
We said coat the nipple threads with just a little Wonder Lube, and we do mean just a little! There is danger that too much thread lubricant can disguise worn or ill-fitting parts; on the other hand excessive lubricant may fail to squeeze out of a close fit, preventing you from tightening a nipple to its seat. If the nipple wobbles excessively, that may be an indication that it's time to replace it. Don't wait until it blows out under fire! Last, don't ever use a thread lock compound on a nipple or vent liner. If it won't stay put, replace it NOW
Primitive Cleaning
Re-enactors may be interested in a technique I observed the costumed staff using at the reconstruction of the fort at Jamestown, Virginia. They cleaned their matchlocks with plain hot water using their ramrods and a bit of tow. Messrs. Funk & Wagnalls define "tow" as, "a coarse, short hemp or flax fiber prepared for spinning." OK, a bit of old rope will do. Using a pre-1640 twine, wad a bunch of tow into a bundle, bound about its middle. Tie off the twine and cut it to length, about barrel-length plus a hand-grab's worth. With the ramrod, shove the tow to the breech, then drag it out by the twine. Repeat 100 times. Finally, dry the bore, somehow.
It's clean, but it's gonna rust terribly if you stop now. So coat a patch generously with Wonder Lube / Bore Butter, and thoroughly rub down breech face and bore. Go over the outside of the gun, including the lock, the trigger where you touched it with your grubby finger, and even the stock wood.
Tomorrow, run another dry patch down-bore. If it comes out with nothing on it but Bore Butter, you have attained nirvana. Otherwise, another couple of wet/dry patches and more Wonder Lube will be necessary. What's happening is, some fouling has leeched out of tiny cracks and flaws (and rust pits) in the bore. Clean it away and repeat tomorrow.
For long-term storage, a generous coating of Bore Butter down-bore is fine, or you can use something like RIG. Store the gun in a bag made for the purpose, available from several suppliers (such as Dixie, Brownell's, etc.) and also found at gun shows.
Hunters have special problems. It's possible that a gun might be loaded and carried all day (in rain and snow) without firing a shot. Exposure to the elements will give the outside a very used look that many find handsome. It will give the inside a very used look that many find ugly. To prevent the latter, hunters may use a different loading procedure than that used by paper-punchers.
Begin by dissolving away your rust preventive and dry the bore thoroughly. Load powder and shot, but do not prime! (Flint shooters, plug the vent with a toothpick or small quill, and keep the pan open.) Now coat a patch with a small amount of Bore Butter and wipe the bore. You want the thinnest coat possible while not leaving bare metal exposed anywhere. In heavy rain, cover the muzzle with a condom, a toy balloon, or something else that's safe to shoot through. No, it's certainly not "period correct," but then neither is your blaze orange hat, Gomer. Prime last, and seal nipple or flash pan with Bore Butter.
It's reasonable to expect that a shot loaded this way will find a different point of impact than one fired from a dry bore. One of the chores of hunting load development arises from the fact that our most important (and hopefully, only) shot will be fired from a either a clean, lubricated bore (if using this method) or a clean, dry bore (otherwise). Firing for group while developing that load requires that we scrupulously clean the bore after each shot, and prepare it as it would be in the field. That's a lot of work, but fortunately we only need to do it once (unless we decide to change the charge, use a different ball and patch, etc.).
At the end of the day, if we did not take a shot and do plan to hunt tomorrow, and it's safe to do so, we can remove the cap/prime, plug the hole, and leave the loaded gun outside. Otherwise, bring it into the warm cabin, where the high humidity will instantly coat it with condensation-- now you have to pull the charge, dry and re-rust proof!
If you do pull the charge on an unfired gun, it is certainly not the chore to clean that a fired gun is. Just get all the unfired powder out and re-coat with a little bit of Bore Butter. Unfired powder is hygroscopic, but not nearly to the extent that fouling is!
©1997 Douglas Frank