Waterless cleaning?

A few years back I found Dutch Schoulz's website called blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com. I purchased his info pack and have enjoyed a good bit of success. There is one section, however, that I have been hesitant to try and that is his 99.999% waterless cleaning technique which can be found here:

http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/wcs.html

I would really like to hear your thoughts on this practice and any experiences you may have had. Thanks fellas :yeah:

I haven't used water to clean my sidelocks in over twenty years. To me water and steel just don't mix well. I used to use the old Murphy's Oil, peroxide, alcohol mix to clean with. Still use it for patch lube. I switched to MP-7 gun cleaner and have never looked back. Just apply it to patches until they come out clean. MP-7 also seals the metal and resists rust so I don't even dry patch or oil the bore when I'm done.

Don't know what is wrong with their website - none of the links for them work at the moment. Oh well, it was an interesting read and I thought that there might be some interesting feedback about the use of WD40 in the barrel. Sounded like he was using the WD to displace any microscopic water/dirt particles over the course of a few regular cleanings. I know WD is not much of a lubricant as much as it is a solvent (DMSO) and water displacement agent. I guess if you displace all the water, maybe that is just as effective at rust prevention.......... :huh?: :shock:

Ive used WD-40 as a cleaning agent, it works good, but if you store the gun for a length of time, it turns into a sticky substance and attracts dust and particles. Its OK when fresh, but not so good long term so I stopped using it on guns altogether. My father used to swear by it, and used it for everything, even moms kitchen sink faucet, to keep it swinging smoothly. BUT after a week or three it would gummy up and get sticky again..he would just keep reapplying. After he passed, mom called me up with a sticky faucet. well I figured theres something wrong inside and took it all apart. (figured I might as well rebuild the stem and change out any washers and such) It was all full of a greasy plastic like stiff substance. After mom told me, it just needed this spray, (and produced a can of WD saying its what dad always did) The lightbulb went on. I ended up getting a whole new faucet and wont use WD on much anymore. Its a water displacer, or a cleaning agent, but in my opinion its not a lubricant. theres much better stuff out there

Squeeze said:

Ive used WD-40 as a cleaning agent, it works good, but if you store the gun for a length of time, it turns into a sticky substance and attracts dust and particles. Its OK when fresh, but not so good long term so I stopped using it on guns altogether.

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I've seen the same thing too. I wish you could read the article. He was describing his cleaning technique that was pretty similar to what most of us have done. Hot water, soap, etc. His big complaint was a couple days after cleaning & oiling he would check the bore & get dirty patches. He changed his routine to cleaning with Ballistol & water (not exactly waterless), dry patching and stuffing a WD soaked patch down the barrel & leaving it there with ramrod/crown protector in place. Then he said after a few more range trips, the post cleaning, check patch two days later started producing less & less schmutz until there was none. His final statement was he left some rifles in the WD condition for more than a year, unfired. When he pulled the WD patch it was schmutz-free. I would not have considered trying that but I'm never afraid to learn something new.

I bought that dutch schultz pamphlet a few years back. Well worth the $20 or so it was. He explains the why in great detail. Im pretty sure it was just after reading it I stopped with the water too

He let his domain expire that is the reason for the links not working right.
I myself would of liked to read that.

Thanks Muttly, for the update.

He was a member of the traditional forum, and would post there from time to time. I know they all used to say he was easy to get a hold of through e mail, but the last few years his eyesight was fading and correspondence dropped off. I think he was in his 80s they said.

Link just worked for me!

There is certainly more than 1 way to skin a cat, and his way is as good as any, but I just don't like the "gunk" that WD/40 attracts. So I usually still clean my barrel with water, thoroughly dry it, THEN apply Montana extreme bore conditioner. This product should displace any water and keep my barrel oiled until the next use. And I get good results.

So I think there is a middle ground. As long as you use a good penetrate/light oil at the end you are good to go. And my bores shine.

That said, lately I have been experimenting with running a few patches down, the filling the barrel with Bore Blaster, letting it set, then run patches until clean, then apply Montana extreme bore conditioner. Seems to work pretty well too.

all I ever use is amsoil mp spray, three dampened patches usually do it, then I use amsoil foodgrade grease on breechplugs and anything with threads, touch hole liners ect, never had a stock one