New Muzzy question

[Deebz]

Hey All,

I picked up a CVA Buckhorn muzzleloader at a gun show last weekend. It's the first ML I've ever owned, and i'm pretty excited. I gave $100 for it and it even has a scope on it already.

The only thing I'm disappointed in is that the barrel has some fouling in it... I've used all of my basic cleaning methods: Hoppe's #9 and brass brush, the foaming bore cleaner stuff, even hot water and Dawn dish soap, and it's a lot cleaner than when I brought it home. The gun is supposedly fairly unused. According the guy I got it from it was his brother's gun. He sighted it in, hunted one season without shooting a deer, then passed away from cancer. I suspect that the gun was just never properly cleaned after being sighted in and has simply sat in a closet.

It's not terrible, I can clearly see the rifling threads all along the length of the barrel, and the only place I would consider it to be thicker is right along where the powder charge would sit at the base of the barrel.

Any suggestions as to what might work to get the rest of the gunk out?

Do you think a small amount of fouling in the barrel will affect accuracy and performance of the gun?

Do you think this is something I need to worry about as far as safety issues are concerned? (my wife wants me to put it in a sled and shoot it with a cord the first time...just in case )

[shaman]

Even with pitting, you may have a gem of a rifle.

Here's what I'd do. First hit it with some PB Blaster. Let it set a bit, then brush it really good then get it good and clean with patches. When you start getting clean patches, get some 4/0 steel wool on a shotgun jag and brush it a bit to get anything left.

Get some Flitz and polish the bore, running the Flitz up and down for about 100 strokes.

Clean with PB Blaster once more and then keep running patches until you are all cleaned up.

Shoot it like it's new.

[Deebz]

thanks Shaman!

[shaman]

PB Blaster is a penetrating oil that gets under rust and also lifts crud. It's relatively cheap.

If you need a cheap classic black powder solvent, take equal parts of iso-propyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Simple Green, and Murphy's Oil Soap. A teaspoon of each will be enough-- mix and use.

I used to use human urine to clean bores the way the old-timers did it. It worked GREAT!!! Until . . .One day I left my barrel sitting in it to go answer the doorbell. 20 minutes later I went back down the basement, and all the bluing was gone from the back section of my TC Hawken-- perfect in-the-white clean. Ouch!!!

[Ohio farms]

You might want to alter your diet a bit to raise the ph of your urine Shaman. Lay off the cranberry juice for a while.

[shaman]

I spent the winter putting a plum brown finish on it. It was easy, but time consuming, and it wrecked the resale value.

I guess I'll never have to worry about kidney stones, huh?