Wondering what i need for cleaning and shooting a .50 caliber Renegade Hunter?

[isaacdavis1214]

That's the one i'm thinking of buying.The only drawback is it is only 4 oz,but i'm sure it will last a while since it only takes a few drops.

[Red Badger]

I'll throw my 2 cents in on this part of the topic... I don't use anything except good old vegitable oil on "Patience" for Lube after cleaning.  Now remember I do use her quite frequently and she is always on display so I don't forget to clean her.  I might use something else if I was going to store her for a couple of months without any use.

[isaacdavis1214]

So you use Vegetable Oil as a rust prevenative correct?If it works just as good as Rem Oil i could just buy Vegetable Oil as a rust prevenative and use WD-40 as a water displacer and as a lubricant.

[Red Badger]

Yes I use veg oil only no wd 40 at all or any other oil. Clean with boiling water and it dries very fast poin barel down and water will drain out wait 1/4 to 1/2 hour, run some patches to make sure she is dry then run 1 or 2 with oil, and wipe with veg oil and stick her on the rack...  I lue the internals of the trigger and lock mechs wth veg oil also and have not had gumming issues when it gets nice and chilli out... (Oklahoma rarely gets below 0 f)

That might be a concern to think about..  Temp in your area could play havoc with whatever lube/ cleaning solution you go with... I have heard that Bore Butter is like water above 95 degrees....

[flintboomer]

I have a bottle of very rancid canola oil that I use a lot of the time. Canola oil used to be called rapeseed oil and was used for fuel and lubrication in various applications. If you use it and store the gun for more than a couple of weeks it would be best to store it muzzle down because otherwise it tends to slowly drain down into the breech area and create problems.

I have used canola oil to free up a balky lock when there was nothing else in camp and it worked fine. The rifle belonged to a friend who only shot it a couple of times a year and didn't take very good care of it.

[Hawken50]

  Extra virgin olive oil is a great natural oil that you can use as a lube for patches and rust prevention wont harm the stock either.Sweet oil is just highly refined olive oil.The odimers used it from what ive read.I like to experiment.I use olive oil in my 50 hawken,bore butter in my 50 pennsylvania,ans mink oil in my 45 senaca.Been doin this for a year now sorta as a long term test.well they all work fine so far.The olive oil makes it easier to load but not by much=Cleanup is a breeze with all three,i just use warm water,two wet patchest three dry patches then whitchever lube im using with that gun.No rust as yet and cleaning seems easier each time.
Inmnsho,,,,,,I beleive if ya stick to the oils that are not petroleum based ya will have a more harmonius outcome.Plus ya probbly have a least one ihn yur kitchen cabinet right now.

[isaacdavis1214]

Yep there is a big thing of Olive Oil in the kitchen,i might try using that as well.Since you are from Virginia Hawken 50 and i am from Eastern Tennessee our climates should be very similar.So if olive oil is working fine for you as a rust prevenative and lube that would save me money quite a bit.It seems people on here are having great success with said oils so i should to (hopefully lol).That is what they used in the old days i guess and if it worked for them it should work for us.One thing i have noticed though,is when you aren't shooting your gun you should store it barell down after lubing it ect.

[Renegade]

Isaac
I also have used olive oil with great results.

[isaacdavis1214]

Hey everyone i purchased a Patch Puller,Powder Can Funnel (for my Pyrodex RS can),100 .495 round balls (they were cheaper than the .490 balls at thegunworks.com ,and 100 pre-lubed .50 cal shooting patches lubricated with wonder lube 1,000 i believe it was for $43.00 yesterday.The only thing i believe i messed up in was i went and bought some Break Free Powder Blast to clean my muzzleloader today at Wal-Mart since i believe some of the fine folks here said they have used it with good results on their muzzleloaders.And it appears to be a powder solvent but it looks like i need to go and buy Break Free CLP and use that as a Lubricant/Rust prevenative,that's what i get for not reading the can thoroughly lol.Will the Break Free Powder Blast be alright to use?And i have already asked this question,just wanted to see if i remember the answer correctly,when i am shooting my gun i should swab the bore every 4-5 shots correct?But i can't remember if i should swab with a dry cleaning patch or put something on the patch to swab the bore,thanks.

[Blackfeet]

A note of caution on using the powder can funnel with Pyrodex; cap it with the original cap after the range session as the cap funnel is not an adequate air tight seal and Pyrodex with suck up water even a room humidity levels. I had a bottle turn into a solid chunk just over the span of a couple months. I got it broken up and used it and it was a good introduction for flintlock shooting with a caplock, every shot was a hangfire

Also, clean the hammer recess really well with a toothbrush and oil it with a q-tip. This is one of the most neglected areas in addition to the breech area behind the nipple on TC rifles. I have seen rifles with pristine bores have rotted out hammers.

[isaacdavis1214]

Thanks for the tips Blackfeet,is the hammer Recess the part where the part of the hammer strikes the percussion cap?And where is the breech area?I plan on wiping down all the parts on the rifle,and scrubbing the metal parts like crazy and oiling them,except the wooden stock of the gun,although i will wipe it down very thoroughly.I like to have very clean guns if possible.

[Blackfeet]

Yes, that is the cup that surrounds the cap when fired. Get in the corners really well with the soapy water and toothbrush. The breech area that is generally missed is the crevasse just behind the nipple seat where it slopes down. Again, get down into the tight spaces with the brush.

[Red Badger]

Woah there... lets take these comments one at a time...

...Will the Break Free Powder Blast be alright to use?  I do not know, but I would say take it back and just use Hot soapy water to clean your rifle.

And i have already asked this question,just wanted to see if i remember the answer correctly,when i am shooting my gun i should swab the bore every 4-5 shots correct?  But i can't remember if i should swab with a dry cleaning patch or put something on the patch to swab the bore,thanks.  I swab mine with a dry patch when loading gets hard.

And you asked where the breech was - that is the very rear of the barrel where the powder sits when loaded... your not supposed to take the breech plug out so you have to clean it from the muzzle with your rod and patches...

[isaacdavis1214]

Thanks Red Badger,i will be sure to pay extra special attention to the breech area when cleaning the gun.Oops,i know hot soapy water is what is used to clean the gun,i was just wondering if Break Free CLP is adequete as a lubricant and rust prevenative?

[Red Badger]

That I don't know.  Like I said I use vegitable oil for that.... I have been called a cheap Ba$&%#d...