Blackhorn 209 cleaning ?

Guys,
What solvent do you all use for cleaning BH209? I have a TC pro hunter. Is hot water still a good method of cleaning?

Thanks!

BH209 is not like black powder or Pyrodex and hot water and/or water based BP cleaners do not work on BH209. I use Hoppe's9 or Shooters Choice--the same stuff I use on my centerfire rifles and shotguns. Bh209 is kinda like smokeless powder in disguise...

Ones I have tried and liked...

Montana Xtreme Solvent, Hoppe 9, Birchwood Casey Bore Scubber, Isopropyl Alcohol 91%, Butch's Bore Shine..


All of these work. One trick I do before cleaning is, blow the barrel and parts off with an air compressor. It will surprise you how much of that blows out of the rifle.

+1 on the above advice.

Two things to add, Push at least one Dry patch all the way through the bore before using a solvent patch. That dry patch will remove most of the Ash left from BH. It will clean up with just a few patches then. I use either Hoppies or Butches myself. Also you should add a drill bit to your cleaning box. Depending on the rifle you have, it might be 1/8, 3mm, or 5/32. Spin the bit "By Hand (fingers) in the Flash channel of the breech plug to scrape out the carbon buildup.

All of the above will do the job. My preference is Hoppes Elite it is easy to find and the only thing that works as well for me is Montana X Blackhorn solvent.

X3

rayer:

Montana Extreme for me...Works like a charm. I learned something today though. I have never run a dry pat h down the barrel. Have to give that a try.

BINGO!!!

Push at least one DRY patch all the way through the bore before using a solvent patch. That dry patch will remove most of the Ash left from BH

Click to expand...

Removing the residue in its "dry form" makes less "mud" to remove. A single dry patch removes most of the fouling and aides the solvents. I run a brush through the bore next to loosen the rest. Then i use 2 solvent patches ( both sides). I finish up with MX Bore Conditioner. I doubt it conditions anything but it works and a little goes a long way. After several of these cleaning/oiling routines MXBC, fouling seems slightly easier to remove and the T7 crud ring has been known to be reduced.

I use any centerfire solvent (FOR BH209 ONLY) and i don't see much difference except some are less toxic. Mil-surplus Rev E CLPs do a fine job and cost a fraction of a small bottle of Hoppes. The newer Rev E mil-spec CLPs also have less or even no solid additives like Teflon which serves no purpose IN the bore.

There are some premium quality solvents that do a slightly better job. Eezox, Montana Extreme BH209 solvent and their Cowboy blend work a little better. Butches BoreShine is another good one and the fumes are not nearly as bad. Some claim it smells good. Ballistol also works fine and is chemically similar to the MX products. Hoppes Elite is also a good solvent.

Solvents labeled as "copper creams/killers/removers" do a little better job of removing sabot residue but i don't have much of a problem with modern sabots leaving excessive fouling. I only use them sparingly a couple times a year. Do NOT leave them in your bore over night.

smyrnagc said:

Montana Extreme for me...Works like a charm. I learned something today though. I have never run a dry pat h down the barrel. Have to give that a try.

Click to expand...

What I noticed was that the first wet patch sort of caused a slury of powder and solvent. If I ran a dry patch first the bore cleaned up with fewer patches.

My KRB7 is an odd duck too as I find my groups are a bit better if I swab with a dry patch between firings. I know most don't need to do this, but like I say this rifle is odd. It also got a crud ring with BH when I first modified it. Not like 777 or Pyro, but it was still there. I think there was an irregular spot in the bore that causes it. The ring had deminished a lot since switching to and treating it with Montana Xtreme Bore Conditioner too, good stuff. So if I swabed with an solvent in between shots I had a time getting it back out and it would really cause a mess in the BP.

Hey GM54-120...Balistol will work as a cleaning solvent on BH209? Love that stuff!

NO WATER for 209. I use HOPPE'S :!: :!: :!:

Ray........ :wink:

smyrnagc said:

Hey GM54-120...Balistol will work as a cleaning solvent on BH209? Love that stuff!

Click to expand...

Originally Ballistol came out during the transition from BP and early corrosive nitrated propellants to real smokeless. The main ingredient is the same as MX, light medical grade mineral oil. Only the solvents differ. Ballistol uses isobutyl alcohol and MX uses ether.

http://images.woodandmetal.com.s3.amazo ... l_MSDS.pdf

http://www.montanaxtreme.com/wp-content ... olvent.pdf

GM54-120 said:

smyrnagc said:

Hey GM54-120...Balistol will work as a cleaning solvent on BH209? Love that stuff!

Click to expand...

Originally Ballistol came out during the transition from BP and early corrosive nitrated propellants to real smokeless. The main ingredient is the same as MX, light medical grade mineral oil. Only the solvents differ. Ballistol uses isobutyl alcohol and MX uses ether.

http://images.woodandmetal.com.s3.amazo ... l_MSDS.pdf

http://www.montanaxtreme.com/wp-content ... olvent.pdf

Click to expand...

So...I can use Ballistol only to clean up BH209? I have been using Montana Extreme and it works well but might just switch to Ballistol if it does as good of a job.

smyrnagc said:

GM54-120 said:

smyrnagc said:

Hey GM54-120...Balistol will work as a cleaning solvent on BH209? Love that stuff!

Click to expand...

Originally Ballistol came out during the transition from BP and early corrosive nitrated propellants to real smokeless. The main ingredient is the same as MX, light medical grade mineral oil. Only the solvents differ. Ballistol uses isobutyl alcohol and MX uses ether.

http://images.woodandmetal.com.s3.amazo ... l_MSDS.pdf

http://www.montanaxtreme.com/wp-content ... olvent.pdf

Click to expand...

So...I can use Ballistol only to clean up BH209? I have been using Montana Extreme and it works well but might just switch to Ballistol if it does as good of a job.

Click to expand...

I use straight Ballistol in all my modern guns, shotguns too. Works great. In ml guns, mixed 3 or 4 to 1 with water, it makes a great bp & bp subs solvent.

So...I can use Ballistol only to clean up BH209? I have been using Montana Extreme and it works well but might just switch to Ballistol if it does as good of a job.[/quote]

I use straight Ballistol in all my modern guns, shotguns too. Works great. In ml guns, mixed 3 or 4 to 1 with water, it makes a great bp & bp subs solvent.[/quote]

Can I use straight Ballistol without mixing it with water?

Yes, you can use Ballistol to clean BH209 fouling. I cant say if it will be any better or worse than MX products. No need to mix it with water unless you are cleaning other subs.

I like the CLP cleaners like Break-Free and Eezox. Eezox is my favorite. The breach plug gets a soak in whatever cleanser (windex, 409, simple green, method, whatever) the wife has underneath the sink.

I use a local product called SQCG. Stands for Super Quick Clean Guns. It is the only cleaner/protectant/lube that I use on all of my guns. It was created for Blackwater, the FBI, & other agencies. Many police depts. including ours use it religiously. I even hooked them up with Carlos & he has just begun using it & likes it.

Yes, Hoppes 9 or something similar for B209, save the water based stuff for Pyrodex & the like. Leave a light oil coat inside once clean, you will never have a rusty M-L.

Is there a certain procedure to follow when prepping a new barrel? Products to use?