Cleaning BP (777)

[LeScouse]

So took my new Ruger Old Army out for its first session on Tuesday (7 1/2 Stainless) - 22 Grains of Triple 7, Wonder Wad and .457 Lead Ball = So much fun. My first experience shooting anything but .22 and I have to say I am glad I made the purchase.

However what I did'nt expect was a serious cleaning project when I got home - 2 hours to get the thing clean. Main problems were the nipples and rear end of the cylinder, I found it very difficult to get clean - felt like the BP (Substitute) was baked on

Was using WD40 and also Tried a Nitro Solvent (think the WD40 worked better)

Suggestions please on how to speed up the cleaning process - Comments and opinions on the following
1. Would spraying the gun with WD40 before I leave the club make cleaning easier when I get home
2. Has anyone tried using Window Cleaner to clean Triple 7
3. Would soaking in hot soapy (Fairy Liquid) water get the Cylinder and Nipples Clean
4. I am just gonna have to learn not to shoot my Old Army on a school night because it takes ages to get the thing clean.

Your help appreciated cos I need to shoot the beast really soon, I think I could be addicted to BP:)

[jkata]

Try removing the cylinder and then dumping it in boiling water for a bit.

[markp1169]

I have the same issue with school nights, I tend to shoot monday evenings and get home at around 9.30, put my daughter to bed before starting to clean my gun.

I remove the cylinder, nipples, grips and put the whole lot in bowel of boiling soapy water for 15 minutes and put the oven on.

First of all I clean the frame and clean the barrel with a phosphour bronze brush, followed by 4 x 2 patches.

I then use a various tooth brushes to clean the cylinder and nipple area.

I use wire wool wrapped around a plastic tube to clean out the chambers.

I clean each nipple by hand with wire wool and use a large pin to make sure that the holes in the nipples are clean.

Rinse everything off with more hot water and put them in the oven in a roasting dish to dry off for 10 mins and then allow it to cool.

It usually takes me about 40 mins and everyone still thinks my gun looks like new.

[Chocchip]

I use 777 in my ROA and just use boiling water and a bit of washing up liquid to clean mine - it is the stainless version which may be a bit easier than the blued version.

Once a month or so I also put the cylinder and nipples through a few cycles of an ultra-sonic cleaner. This REALLY gets off the dirt including stuff I could never scrub off.

[LeScouse]

Thanks to all - However further clarification please

Yep I have the Stainless version

Remove grips - OK, are you then sticking the entire pistol into boiling water, such that water is getting into the trigger mech ? I was worried about getting water into the trigger mech incase anything in there rusts.

I assume once clean, you then re-lube

Ultra Sonic cleaner - fantastic idea - shall go hunting one

Apologies if my questions seem dumb, but I want to get this right and I am new to the BP game

[Smokeless Coal]

Its not the 777 on the nipples, its gonna be percussion cap residue, nasty stuff. I use a toothbrush and detergent in hot water to scrub at it but I'm never fully happy. Every third session I take the nipples out and use a bronze brush on them.

Try to get hold of some of that copper containing grease they use in car brake kits. Its very high temp stuff so is perfect for nipple threads.

[john paul]

I take the nipples off my pistols and use a pipe cleaner after each use, works great.

Cut pipe cleaners down should get about four cleaners out of the one.

After every use I clean the nipples soak em in very hot water with washing up liquid added.

Also get some cotton woolbuds essential for getting into difficult areas.

You should be able to get your cleaning regime timescale down to about 50 mins, you'll develop your own technique after a time.

I keep a record of how many rounds I've fired for each pistol, and do a complete clean/lube strip down after 250 rds.

[markp1169]

Remove grips - OK, are you then sticking the entire pistol into boiling water, such that water is getting into the trigger mech ? I was worried about getting water into the trigger mech incase anything in there rusts.

I assume once clean, you then re-lube

Ultra Sonic cleaner - fantastic idea - shall go hunting one

Yes I stick the entire pistol into boiling water. You will find that percussion cap residue will have got into the trigger mechanism, I use a .22 phosphour bronze brush to clean through where the hammer strikes. Your gun is stainless and if rinsed and dried properly shouldnt rust. I then tend to just give it a spray over with wd40 before I put it away.

I have considered an ultra sonic cleaner, but just havent found the need yet.

[LeScouse]

Excellent advice - Hot soapy water and baking in the oven it is then - next Friday night

Wife will think I have gone insane putting the pistol in the over

[john paul]

You can also use a hairdryer....

[markp1169]

Excellent advice - Hot soapy water and baking in the oven it is then - next Friday night

Wife will think I have gone insane putting the pistol in the oven

Just make sure that you allow the parts to cool down. I would also get yourself a bowel that you use just for cleaning your pistol and keeping any other cleaning kit in.

It will keep your kitchen sink clean and your wife happy, a bottle of wine might also help?

[mr_colt]

In the Nov '07 issue of Gun Mart; They advocate the use of a dishwasher to speed things up regarding the Uberti stainless job they were testing.

Would you use normal caustic soda though or just put it through with water only?

mr_colt.

[Mousemann]

Looks like there's already a lot of advice on here, but I'll toss in my two penneth. I haven't yet tried 777, using mostly BP, so hopefully it should be quicker for you. This is how I do mine (1858 Remington), and I've cut it down to just an hour since getting an ultrasonic cleaner.

1. Spray down with WD40 before leaving the range. Especially barrel and chambers/nipples.

2. Drop the whole thing completely to bits, set the wood grips to one side and put the frame and barrel in boiling water with some screenwash. Leave for a bit.

3. Everything else: cylinder, nipples (which I remove each time) and all screws and moving parts, into the ultrasound. Warm water and lots of screenwash. Buzz it several times to get the worst off.

4. Brush and clean barrel and frame, spray with WD40. Same with all the small bits. Clean individual nipples with a .22 brush if problematic.

5. WD40 each bit & leave on paper ready to reassemble.

There is no magic cure with cylinder dirt. No two ways, it's the worst bit, but the ultrasound really helps loosen the grime.

[Old Fart]

There's something to be said for shooting a single shot pistol:rolleyes:

Seriously though if you have a dishwasher take the grips off and put it in there it will do a far better job than you will.

A good hairdryer will soon have it too hot to hold,relube till next time!

[barryeye]

Gentleman. I don’t own any black powder pistols but I have been fascinated by this thread.
After reading about Ultra sound, dishwashers, hair dryers, cotton buds, WD40 and various other chemicals I can’t help but wonder how the military and civilians of the 1800s managed to clean and maintain their weapons. And few were doing it just as a hobby.
I have purchased a black powder Enfield rifle and carbine reproduction (that I have yet to shoot) but speaking as one for whom the novelty of cleaning guns has long worn off your comments are no doubt accurate but a bit daunting.
Barry

[LeScouse]

I took the Ruger for a spin on Friday night and returned home to face the cleaning session. (I am using 777 and wads)

However this time I went for the bowl of bolling water and fairy liquid approach. Removed the grips, cylinder and nipples and dumped it all in the bowl.

WOW ! - talk about easy cleaning, the cap residue on the nipples wiped off as did the black gunk on the rear of the cylinder. Insides of the cylinder, pretty much cleaned themselves as did the barrel. The hammer also cleaned up very easily.

I dryed the Ruger and lubed with WD40 - Ready to rock for the next session

Thanks for everyones advice - who would have belived that old fashioned soap and water would be the route to easy cleaning

[Smokeless Coal]

Yep,nylon bottle brush and teapot spout brush from the local pound shop work well for me. And a toothbrush on the nipples.

I dont like WD40 though,particularly on the cylinder. Its good for penetrating around the trigger and hammer but I find it affects caps more than oil. I always "cap off" before shooting but you can get "damp squids" after WD40. It seems to penetrate the cap quicker than you can let it off but plain oil does not.

[Smokeless Coal]

A thing about 777 is you should not use lube.

Hodgdons say just a wonderlube patch is enough.

Lube is used with BP to keep the residue soft and easier to clean. Pyrodex is modified BP so also needs lube. 777 does not make the same sort of residue, leave it on for a while and all you get is a white powdery coating. It does not need lube.

I'm uncomfortable with the thought of unlubed lead going up the barrel so I coat my projectiles with Alox. For those who dont know of Alox its a cheap and easy way to lube bullets for reloading ammunition. Put your bullets in a plastic tray, dribble on a little Alox, swirl it around a bit then put the bullets on a hard surface for a few hours to dry. It gives them a coating similar to a varnish. No mess at the range. You can do over a thousand with one bottle of lube that costs 3 to 4 quid.

Thats all the lube I use, my range dont allow over ball grease. We have a tube range and the guys used overball lube for a while and it built up a greasy coating containing unburnt BP down the tube. One day one guy let one off which ignited the residue and sent a ball of flame the length of the tube. Very spectacular but frowned upon by the RO.

[LeScouse]

Interesting point - regarding WD40 on the nipples, since I did not cap off and on my first cylinder 4 out of 6 chambers misfired, I recapped and no problems.

Lessons to be learned, will cap off next time I take the Ruger out for a session and will use oil on the nipple threads, since the nipples are stainless, next time I think I will clean and dry them but not lube the insides.

Also point of note, I purchased some wonderful looking wads from McAvoys in Standish (they have a web site) same price as normal 1/8" wads but these babies must be close on 1/2" thick, should close the air gap between powder and ball very nicely (22 grains of 777) - not tried them as yet

[lilguy43uk]

Hot, soapy water to start with followed by Hoppes solution

[Smokeless Coal]

Mc Avoys website

http://www.guns.gb.com/#1X0

The wads sound just the job LeScouse.

[Jochen L.]

What I've learned ( on the hard way ) is that soap will degrease the barrel and it starts to rust from that second on you did the first pull through.

Its of course not much, but the surface inside the barrel will become bigger and rust become more every time.

To use an oil-emulsion ( hot water + a suiting oil / solvent ) is far saver and works astonishingly even faster.

Also its an advantage to use compressed air to dry the barrel entirely before its oiled to put it away.

I'm now down to 15 minutes on my Hawken :)

Cheers Jochen

[Mousemann]

Fwiw, most here will remember my similar questions when I first got my pistol a year ago. I've got the cleaning ritual down to about an hour and a quarter now and that's dropping it all to bits in scalding water with screenwash. All components that will fit, go in the ultrasound.

Some do and some don't remove the nipples each time. But it's a very good idea to lubricate the threads with copper grease. This also helps in other locations where residue can cause problems (the cylinder pin on the 1858 Remington for example).

I found everyone on this section very helpful LeScouse, so don't worry about asking what seem like dumb questions. They're not at all.

[Smokeless Coal]

If I'm laying the gun up for a couple of weeks I take the grips of and bake it in a low oven for a while to get rid of the last of the water. Then liberally spray with WD40 wrap in a musin cloth and store.

But if I do it then a real good wipe and pull through before going to the range. I use a bit of meths on an old toothbrush on the nipples and be sure to cap off.

[John Bedford]

I'm another fan of Alox. Balls lubed in the way described earlier.

If you shoot a Remy try a little Alox on the underside of the cylinder spindle (the flat area) too - I find it helps reduce fouling build up.

[lilguy43uk]

I've always used boiling, soapy water in the shotty, although you have to wear gloves whilst doing it.
Recently I've tried Hoppe's No.9 with good results.

[Wobbly 2]

I clean my Stainlees Ruger Old Army in the dishwasher.

Strip it down, and remove grips, place the small items in the cutlery tray, and the nipples in one of those net bags you put washing tablet in the washing machine.

Run the dishwasher on a full cycle, the pistol comes out spotless and dry, quick squirt of WD40, then reassemble, ready for use.

[middaycowboy]

Fwiw, most here will remember my similar questions when I first got my pistol a year ago. I've got the cleaning ritual down to about an hour and a quarter now and that's dropping it all to bits in scalding water with screenwash. All components that will fit, go in the ultrasound.

Some do and some don't remove the nipples each time. But it's a very good idea to lubricate the threads with copper grease. This also helps in other locations where residue can cause problems (the cylinder pin on the 1858 Remington for example).

I found everyone on this section very helpful LeScouse, so don't worry about asking what seem like dumb questions. They're not at all.

as in screenwash in the cars screenwasher bottle ???:confused:

[DJS]

as in screenwash in the cars screenwasher bottle ???:confused:

I use neat screenwash at room temperature, it dries very quickly. I always had problems with 'flash rust' when using boiling water.
Daz

[Neil Marshall]

The best & easy way to clean Black powder.............

Take the pistol apart.......into the major bits, remove grips put to one side.
Then put all metal parts in a container of neat car screen wash solution, leave for about the time it takes to have a cuppa then with an old tooth brush, clean off residue.....
It works in M/L rifles as well, just plug the flash hole then fill barrel up & leave. then just put hand over end & flush back & forth, pour into a container for reuse. Just leave it to settle out.
After this, just dry & oil the gun as normal.
This is the best B/P solvent i have found. Also the cheepest.
It also works in B/P cartridge rifles

[pmercer]

wow, I'm glad I got a ss version. I pull the cylinder out, and put in sink of warm soapy water. Clean the frame with a toothbrush and once I'm done with that I do the cylinder. I made the toothbrush narrower so it fits in the chambers. Leave to dry and that's it. Reckon it's a 15min process. I don't oil anything on it. Should I?

[310cadet]

You probably want to put a drop of oil in the center hole in the cylinder where it rests against the rod it revolves around.

[pmercer]

Will do. I've only used it twice. Should have thought about that. Cheers.

[Pixie]

sell yours , buy my stainless one in the other post:p

[Simon G]

Goodness me, are you guys going the hard way cleaning Triple 7!:eek:

One of Triple 7's greatest attributes and selling points, is the ease of clean up. All that is required is plenty of cold, fresh, running water and an few patches on a rod or a small toothbrush.

Just before leaving the range, I actually give mine a little rub over with a baby wipe. Once home, strip it down and run it under the cold tap and a little rub and scrub. Dry it, oil it, put it away.......... 15 minutes!

[LeScouse]

When I first placed this post, I had really struggled to clean my stainless old army, but now I have had the pistol for six months or so, I have to say the best way (quickest, cheapest) to clean the pistol - which I came across cos I was in a rush to get out one evening after shooting, is - cold water (I am using 777 of course) - man I would never of believed cold water would get all that black gunk off so easy.

So I clean with cold water under the kitchen tap with an old tooth brush, I push some kitchen roll thro the barrel and then drive the excess water off in the oven before lubbing with either WD40 or 3in1 oil depending on my mood.

Also have taken to using RWS caps 10.7s - which has resulted in no need to cap off next time out and the fit the nipples of the Ruger perfectly

[LeScouse]

Sorry - The main point was....Simon G is bang on the nail correct - cold water baby