Cleaning my Musket?????

All the above is correct. I take my 61' Springfield apart and do the big tub scouring of all Black powdr residue. I clean all the metal. My Musket has a awesome patina to the metal parts. I also restain the stock to the correct Walnut color. Bayonet and all looks great together.
 
I had a chemistry professor that claimed water is the most plentiful "solvent" in the world-and he had a good point as 60% of the planet's surface is covered by water!
 
I would hasten to add this to the discussion, what products you prefer or whatever works best is less important than cleaning the weapon thoroughly and making sure it stays that way. As stated above (I think by Southron who knows his sh*t) I don't like to remove the barrel or other metal parts from the stock too often and for the reasons he states, as well as keeping things like the lock geometry where it should be...the more you remove and replace the lock and barrel, the less time it takes for those components to mis-match.

Keep it clean, go easy on the oil...everything will be copacetic. My Parker Hale is at least 35 years old and it looks and functions as well as the day it came out of the box. Actually, it looks better because the historical inaccuracies have been remedied and the stock refinished with boiled linseed oil. I know Joe Bilby fires an original US 1863 (or used to) in N-SSA matches and all he has had to do is put a small shim under the barrel tang to allow for 150 years of wood compression. Point is that the functional life of these weapons can be extended a long time, it can be done, and is being done. However, they have to be maintained properly and kept clean. What products you use to achieve that is less important than being vigilant about the basics.
 
With statements like this: "Keep in minds that the Kraut Army adopted Ballistol and then managed to lose two World Wars in a row-could it be because they had rusty guns? In other words, I don't trust Ballistol."

You really must be kidding.

Southron's insights on the lack of German success in the two world wars are his opinions on the merits of Ballistol obviously made in jest and have nothing to do with his knowledge on the subject of Civil War arms, which is non-pariel. And that is not just a baseless opinion either. The more you know about the subject at hand the better you can appreciate the depth of his insights into Civil War-era firearms. Southron Saunders can take the Pepsi challenge with anybody I know on the subject at bar.
 
Southron's insights on the lack of German success in the two world wars are his opinions on the merits of Ballistol obviously made in jest and have nothing to do with his knowledge on the subject of Civil War arms, which is non-pariel. And that is not just a baseless opinion either. The more you know about the subject at hand the better you can appreciate the depth of his insights into Civil War-era firearms. Southron Saunders can take the Pepsi challenge with anybody I know on the subject at bar.

So nothing he says can be taken seriously?

I've been collecting and shooting competitively longer than most here. From my experience no one with real knowledge of firearms care is using Break Free. And if you are a historian of the Civil War you might want to boycott Walmart.

Also, as a side note I use a 100% rather than the 25% - 75% (water) mixture Ballistol recommends. It works great! Never had a rust problem.
 
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So nothing he says can be taken seriously?

I've been collecting and shooting competitively longer than most here. From my experience no one with real knowledge of firearms care is using Break Free. And if you are a historian of the Civil War you might want to boycott Walmart.

Also, as a side note I use a 100% rather than the 25% - 75% (water) mixture Ballistol recommends. It works great! Never had a rust problem.
Someone told me that you were on the Army Rifle Team, and you refused to transition from your trapdoor to the Krag when the rest of the team embraced the Krag!:rofl:
 
Well there in lies the problem, you were in the Army. Us Marines were taught one shot one kill and of course our IQ was to high to be allowed to enlist in your branch. We were told the army does not teach weapon cleaning.
 
Well, Gentlemen, I am a heretic. Two reasons.

#1 Grampa told me that he cleaned his rifle with cold water. As he never shot a breechloader until age 18 I figured he knew his stuff. Seemed to in everything else he said. Now those of you who are chemists will know that potassium carbonate, a.k.a. potash, a.ka. much of black powder fouling, dissolves slightly better in cold wather than in hot. The reaction of dissolving gives off a little heat. So it seems to me unlikely that hot water will clear out that fouling much better than cold.

Others who might know about corrosion know that chemical reactions go faster in hot water than in cold.
Translation: hot water corrodes steel (rusts) faster than does cold.

I used to clean my muskets & sporting rifles with hot water. They invariably got a flash of rust before I was finished.

Cold water, cold water. Dry & oil with your favorite Magic Oil.

#2 Salt rusts steel. Yeah, we all know thatl.

Soap - all soap, which really is not soap anyway these days - contains salt. One reason the soap makers put salt in the product is that salt does to soap much what it does to a garden slug when you sprinkle salt on it. Makes the soap (or the slug) flow better.
The Process Guys like this because they pump the stuff through pipes from vat to vat. I worked as metallurgist for a supplier of specialty heat and corrosion alloys. It was good for our business that Proctor & Gamble, and their competitors, liked to use so much salt. Meant we could sell really high alloys, stuff that makes stainless look downright wimpy by comparison.

Don't use soap. Soap rusts steel.

You like to think tradtional? Well, before Rachel Carson got people to thinking about ecology, soap had a little phosporic acid in it, and that served as a corrosion inhibitor. So if you supply of soap comes from the 1950's, go ahead and use it. It may have salt, but that phosphoric acid (used tp neutralize the lye) makes a good rust inhibitor.

Otherwise, Cold Water, Cold Water, Cold Water - no soap, not even Murphy's Oil Soap or Dove.
No soap. Hot soapy water will rust your rifle barrel.

Do oil it, of course.
 
Well there in lies the problem, you were in the Army. Us Marines were taught one shot one kill and of course our IQ was to high to be allowed to enlist in your branch. We were told the army does not teach weapon cleaning.

You really are hilarious.... and talk is very cheap. The Army tested and contracted Break Free... the Marines followed the Army example (as usual). It is simply to make life easy in a field environment, but no service teams use it and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless nothing else is available.
 
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You really are hilarious.... and talk is very cheap. The Army tested and contracted Break Free... the Marines followed the Army example (as usual). It is simply to make life easy in a field environment, but no service teams use it and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless nothing else is available.

And this is a forum called "CivilWarTalk." Talk being cheap or not let's confine ourselves to discussions on the subject (musket cleaning) and the mid-19th century time period. It's okay to ask for general cooperation in that regard, right?
 
And this is a forum called "CivilWarTalk." Talk being cheap or not let's confine ourselves to discussions on the subject (musket cleaning) and the mid-19th century time period. It's okay to ask for general cooperation in that regard, right?

Read post #29. I have no idea what your qualifications are but I've probably forgotten more than most here. So ask me any questions you like.
 
Oh, I don't like to talk about myself. Talk is cheap. Just done a bit of reserach and published a few things here and there. Since my real name is provided in the signature line it would be very easy answer your own question on my qualifications, at least in terms of research and publishing. Nothing that impressive really, I'll admit.

But enough about me...I see you won a trivia game and have 2,967 posts on the CivilWarTalk internet forum which is impressive, but that's not quite the same thing is it? How about you provide your real name and research publishing credentials and let's google it? See what comes up. As a general rule, if questions arise it seems most useful to direct them to those who have done more research on a particular subject matter or published more widely. Feel free to disagree if you like.
 
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Oh, I don't like to talk about myself. Talk is cheap. Just done a bit of reserach and published a few things here and there. Since my real name is provided in the signature line it would be very easy answer your own question on my qualifications, at least in terms of research and publishing. Nothing that impressive really, I'll admit.

But enough about me...I see you won a trivia game and have 2,967 posts on the CivilWarTalk internet forum which is impressive, but that's not quite the same thing is it? How about you provide your real name and research publishing credentials and let's google it? See what comes up. As a general rule, if questions arise it seems most useful to direct them to those who have done more research on a particular subject matter or published more widely. Feel free to disagree if you like.

I'm sure someday you'll gain a lot of respect in the field of research and publishing. Continue to post here and if wrong it will be noted and dissected.
 
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Craig's writings and published books have already gained him a lot of respect, especially in the field of the Enfield rifle. Anyone who collects civil war Enfields must have his books on the matter. I haven't run across anyone in that field that knows more. Before buying any Confederate Enfield, I would run it by him first. I would then have a signed letter from him authenticating such a gun. I would then have an authenticated Confederate Enfield that would never be questioned in the future. He is a great resource.:thumbsup:
 
"I'm sure someday you'll gain a lot of respect in the field of research and publishing. Continue to post here and if wrong it will be noted and dissected."
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Figured that much. Pretty brave from the anonymous safety of cyber space. No name or credentials provided upon request. Pulls back a bit when asked to back it up. This is common on the internet forums. Final thought, you don't research and publish for respect, you earn respect by what you research and publish. Try it out. As the old saying from Poor Richard's Almanac goes, "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about."

So, how about let's just keep the discussion on topic? Let's help this guy with info on how best to clean his musket and forget the Germans, Krag rifles, the Army vs Marine thing, what you've forgotten that none of us will ever know or my qualifications on Civil War muskets?
 
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Figured that much. Pretty brave from the anonymous safety of cyber space. No name or credentials provided upon request. Pulls back a bit when asked to back it up. This is common on the internet forums. Final thought, you don't research and publish for respect, you earn respect by what you research and publish. Try it out. As the old saying from Poor Richard's Almanac goes, "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about."

So, how about let's just keep the discussion on topic? Let's help this guy with info on how best to clean his musket and forget the Germans, Krag rifles, the Army vs Marine thing, what you've forgotten that none of us will ever know or my qualifications on Civil War muskets?

Go back and read the thread. I wasn't off topic, you were the one that went off half cocked. Do the research.... here I'll do it for you... read Post #32.

Back what up? My knowledge over yours.... go ahead and shoot! I've done more than just reenacting.
 
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Craig's writings and published books have already gained him a lot of respect, especially in the field of the Enfield rifle. Anyone who collects civil war Enfields must have his books on the matter. I haven't run across anyone in that field that knows more. Before buying any Confederate Enfield, I would run it by him first. I would then have a signed letter from him authenticating such a gun. I would then have an authenticated Confederate Enfield that would never be questioned in the future. He is a great resource.:thumbsup:

No need there Bob... I'm not an import rifle collector. However, I do have an early one that is ID'ed to a member of the 4th Georgia. Always best to do your own research than to rely on others to do it for you, especially when it involves your own money.
 
Couple things, none of which will win me any friends I'm sure...

Mr. Barry, I have purchased and enjoyed your book on muskets, presently "skimming" it for the umpteenth time and still picking things up.

That said, I am a bit surprised that someone of your obvious intellect would allow himself to be baited into this kind of exchange.

And you, 101combatvet, we do try to keep it civil here, at least in my limited time on these forums. "My knowledge over your? Go ahead and shoot"? Really- sounds like a third grader. And as far as "just reenacting" goes, I may be a newbie about to join his first unit, but I've seen enough and talked to enough reenactors to know that "just reenacting" shows how little you actually know.
 
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