anyone know how to get rust out of a muzzle loader barrel?

E

elvenbladesmith07

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Jul 29, 2004
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i just bought an old muzzle loader for $80, its an old kentucy rifle going for about $250 now days. this one is about 20 years old and needs some clean up. ive tryed hoppes #9 solevent and hot water and a bronze brush but i cant get it all out, any suggestions?
 
Let's move this to Gadgets & Gear real quick before Collucci sees it and has a cow! :eek:
 
I've heard ammonia works pretty well, have you tried oiled patches?
You would prob. have scrub with them but they may work or maybe
oil up your bore brush. Just a thought.
 
Vinegar does a job on rust without being too aggressive. Ammonia is not an acid, and thus will not "eat" the rust.

There should be some muzzleloaders on here to lend their expertise in this one.
 
Rust is almost a natural thing with muzzleloaders as blackpowder and pyrodex is corrosive. The only thing you really have to be careful with is the threads that hold the nipple in. You get too much rust on that and you can shoot the whole nipple assembly into your eye. VERY IMPORTANT... inspect the nipple and the threads for any excessive corrosion or damage. If there is, the barrel and nipple is unsafe and should be discarded
If it's inside the bore, use a Hoppes Tornado brush to take out as much as you can and then inspect the bore. If you still see the grooves and they are distinct (be sure to look for major rust pits and craters or anything that might consitute a weak spot in the barrel) just go ahead and oil it and shoot it. Care for it promptly after shooting and in a few sessions, you will wear the rust away.
 
Cougar Allen said:
Let's move this to Gadgets & Gear real quick before Collucci sees it and has a cow! :eek:
Click to expand...
How dare you deny me having a cow!!! You, you, you bastid!!! Move it back to Community so I can have the cow I so rightlyfully deserve!!! :D ;)
 
Thatmyguy you're right I thought it was vinegar but ammonia is the
the right one.
Could you use a heli-coil and re-thread the nipple on a kent. long rifle?
Is it a flint lock or a cap loaded rifle?
 
Head over to the makers section and ask Peter Knap, he is a muzzle loader maker IIRC.
 
its a percusion, i dont have problems with the nipple just the barrel wasnt well taken care of for a while. looked like someone shot it then tried to sell it and put it away for a while. no pitting just a even coat of rust and burnt powder. it wasnt like it rusted by water, just by changes in humidity and no cleaning so there isnt any deep pitting.
 
Pull the breechplug and make a lead slug that will fill the lands and grooves snugly. Then drill this slug and attach it to a stout cleaning rod. Secure the barrel firmly, then coat this slug with light valve grinding compound, Pull and push this coated slug back and forth through the barrel aboout 25 times. E mail if you like and I'll give you my number and you can call if you need to. This procedure not only cleans out the rust, it also "freshens" the rifling.
 
well i used hot vinegar and a hoppes .45 cal. bronze brush and got almost all of it out it looks really good. just a little left in the rifleing but that will probly shoot its way out with a few minie balls. now i just gotta refinish the outside of the barrel with some sanding and some oxpho-blue. gunna sand down the rough ground brass on it too. maybe refinish the stock. i need to make a ramrod too, the one it came with is warped! it probly seems like alot of work but i new found past time is gunsmithing/restoring. i already fixed this old .16g kessler bolt action shotgun my dad had, and a mosin nagant 91/30 i refinished. hopefully my next fixer gun will be an springfield o3a3!
 
shoot it out baby!
Sounds like you did all that could be done. Enjoy it.
 
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