Cleaning a Sidelock

[Smyrnagc]

I messaged Idaholewis asking him his cleaning procedure for his sidelocks and the detailed response that I got made me want to share it, with his permission.

Here it is:

Sure, When i walk in the Door everything is Routine I guess that comes with Shooting them a Million Times LOL

When i walk through the Door after Shooting, i push the Wedge Key out of the Stock, and Lift the Barrel out, Set the Stock Aside. I then Pull the Nipple (I use a TC 3 N 1 Tool) I Run my Water in the Feed Bucket (Just Warm Water)

Here is the TC Tool i use, and ABSOLUTELY Swear By, It has a Nipple Wrench Built in, it is a Little Hammer for Pecking the Wedge Key over, then you simply flip the Tool around and use the Little Claws to Get under the Wedge Key to Finish Removing it, AWESOME little Tool that i use EVERYTIME i Shoot. I did have to make a Few Little Modifications to Both of mine though (I have 2 of these, one for my Truck, and 1 in my House) The Nipple Wrench was a Little to Tight so i had to Open the Gap Slightly, I used my Dremel with a Cutter/Grinding Wheel, And the Claws were also a Little Tight, i used the Dremel to Open the Claws a Little as Well, Both we’re SIMPLE Fixes! Just go slow, and Check fit often til you get it. Maybe i got 2 Flukes that were Tight?

 

[Smyrnagc]

I use a Bucket of Water, you could literally get away with a Soup can of Water, But i like a Rigid Plastic Type 4-5 Gallon Bucket, a Heavy duty Feed Bucket is exactly what i use, My reasoning for the Bucket is the 3 Gallons or so of Water i ad keeps the Bucket STABLE, so when i place my Barrel in, it Won’t Tip over.

With the Nipple Removed, And my Water in my Bucket, i place the Barrel (Breech end) in the Bucket, I use an Actual Cleaning Rod that is Long, this allows me to get a Good Grip if needed. I use a Good Jag with a Steel insert (Treso Brand) And i also use a Loop Through Bore Brush, Nylon is ALL YOU Need, mine are CVA Branded

CVA Muzzleloading Cleaning Brush 50 Cal 10 x 32 Thread Nylon
The CVA Nylon Cleaning brush is a great accessory for cleaning your CVA rifle. The nylon brush is a great follow up to the copper brush and will remove...

www.midwayusa.com




Jags i use. Be aware these Come in Different Sizes (10-32 COMMON for Muzzleloader, But they also come in 8-32 which is more for CF Rifle) They also Come in 2 Shank sizes to Fit your Cleaning Rod, 3/8 (what most of use for Larger .45/50/54) And they come in Smaller 7/16 for the Smaller Cleaning Rods used for Small Bores such as 32/36/40

.50 Caliber Cleaning Jag 10-32 Male Thread for 3/8" Diameter Ramrods
Cleaning jags will fit our ramrod tips and other makes with 8-32 or 10-32 threads. Jags are made from brass with a steel threaded stud to prevent the breakage that can occur with brass studded jags. These jags also feature a spherically cupped end allowing the user to load without removing the...

www.buffaloarms.com

 

[Smyrnagc]

That’s simply showing what i use for tools, You probably already have those things, And By all means use what you have, and are Comfortable with

With the Barrel in the Water, Run a Patch Back n Forth, 2-3 of them, The first few will obviously be REALLY NASTY, With the Nipple out of the Barrel you will Hear the Water being pulled up in the Bore as you Pull the Rod out (Assuming you have a Correct Fitting, Snug Patched Jag) Pull up about halfway way up the Bore, Now push Back to the Breech FAST, This is RACING Water Through the Flash Channel, and back out of the Nipple Hole. I do this PULL/PUSH Several Times, This Does a REALLY good Job of Cleaning the inaccessible Powder Chamber (Patented Breech) and Fire Channel

Here you can REALLY see what i am Talking about with this Old Cut out Breech Plug i did to this .50 Cal Renegade with a HORRIBLE Pitted Bore. See the The Little Dish Shaped Powder Chamber, the Jag stops short of it, and then you see the Small Flash Channel that runs over, and under where the Nipple Sits. This RIGHT HERE is where Hangfires occur, 99.9% of Hangfires happen here due to Corrosion, Oils Etc. This is an IMPORTANT Step to Clean this Properly You can imagine how Well my Little Steam Cleaner does here, Blasting SUPER HOT Steam Through the Nipple Hole, It literally makes them BRAND NEW again! But i NEVER trust the Cold Clean Bore Shot after using the Steam Cleaner Through the Breech like this, You really Only need to perform that Depth of Cleaning Now n then, I only go that far every 12-15 outings

 

[Smyrnagc]

I also use GOJO Hand Cleaner to Cut the Grease, Bullet Lube that Sticks in the Bore, I use the Original Stuff WITHOUT Pumice, You Don’t wanna push Rocks down there I use a Few Saturated GOJO Patches and Scrub Back n Forth. When the Bore is GOOD N CLEAN, I literally hold the Muzzle end at Running Water and FILL the Barrel Full, letting it Run Through the Nipple Hole, Dump the Barrel out, And Maybe Repeat 1 more time for Good Measure

Once i get the Barrel Good n Clean, where i am Pulling Nice Cotton White patches. I run some Dry ones Through, Then i use my Little 2-3 Gallon pancake Air Compressor to Blast Air Through the Nipple Hole to Push any moisture out of the Fire Channel/Patented Breech, then Run Another Patch or 2 down the Bore to make Sure you get that Moisture Up

I then Blast Air Around my Sights, Barrel under Rib, Thimbles, Etc. I am holding my Barrel in an old Bath Towel while doing this, absorbing any moisture i Blow out.

I also pull the Hammer and Clean it Well, the Hammer gets Blow By all over it (especially in the Cup/Face where it hits the Cap) These areas are NOTORIOUS for being Rusted and Nasty on a Gun that Was Improperly Cleaned. I use a Qtip to get inside the Hammer Cup, Everything else i use an Old Tooth Brush with a Little bit of Dawn Dish Soap, Barrel Exterior, Etc.

Once the Barrel is BONE DRY, I Coat Liberally with a Good Gun Oil that i Trust to Protect from Rust. If I don’t plan to Shoot the Gun for awhile, i apply Enough oil that i see just a Little of it Spit out the Nipple Hole When i push an Oily Patch Down

The procedure sounds time Consuming, But its NOT, I can COMPLETELY Strip, Clean, and Oil a Sidelock in 6-7 Minutes, 10 if i want to Be Lax about it

 

[Smyrnagc]

I swear by this Stuff, Which is now Called Venom I believe? EXACT Same Product. This Stuff REALLY does a Good job of Protecting a Rifle, You will have ZERO issue with Rust/Corrosion with this Stuff.

This is what it looks like Now, again it’s the EXACT same Product, Same Hoppes Co. Just Re-Named to Bore Snake Venom Gun Oil with T3

 

[Smyrnagc]

If I didn’t have so much of the Gun Oil above on Hand, This is UNDOUBTEDLY the Stuff i would Get, I believe this Stuff to be some of the VERY BEST Gun Oil a Guy can Possibly get. EVERY SINGLE Manufacturer of Gun oil TRIES to measure up to this Product, This Stuff is REALLY Good!! I have Watched Excelled Salt Water Tests to Find out the Best oils out there, This EEZOX ALWAYS Comes out on Top. And it’s not Ridiculously Priced

If you look here, you can This Eezox in Aerosol, Fine dropper, Regular Dropper, and in VARIOUS Size Bottles, A Small Bottle would go a LONG LONG WAY
https://www.amazon.com/Eezox-Premium-Synthetic-Gun-Care/dp/B07FCRVTDL

 

[MSalyards]

https://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/threads/how-i-clean-a-sidelock-muzzleloader.32558/

 

[GM54-120]

I finally got a can of this. It placed in the top three in a huge comparison test. IT IS NOT SYNTHETIC THOUGH. Its about the same price at Lowes/Home Cheapo.
WD-40 Specialist Long-Term Corrosion Inhibitor https://www.amazon.com/WD-40-300038-Specialist-Corrosion-Inhibitor/dp/B00631GWS4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&fst=asff&qid=1586357370&refinements=p_89:WD-40&rnid=2528832011&s=automotive&sr=1-1

 

[Matthew323]

Make it a sticky. It doesn't get any more succinct than this.

I followed a similar procedure with my pinned to the stock barrel's flintlocks back in the 70's and 80's.

First I removed the lock. The lock gets cleaned and lubricated while the barrel is soaking.

I just put a folded up bath towel under the butt plate, plugged the touch hole tightly with a round toothpick, filled the barrel with cool water, let it sit for 5-10 minutes to soften the fouling, dumped out half of the water, slowly scrubbed the bore with a bronze bore brush, dumped out the dirty water, filled the bore up with cool water halfway, held a rag over the muzzle, shook the barrel up and down several times, dumped out the dirty water, filled the bore halfway with cool water, held the touch hole over the laundry sink, pulled the toothpick and allowed the water to flush out the touch hole, cleaned the touch hole with a pipe cleaner, patched the bore clean and dry, applied lubricant liberally, replaced the lock, store muzzle down on an old folded up bath towel.

It takes about as much time to clean the lock as it does the barrel, about 8-9 minutes.

Once, or twice a year I would push out the pins, remove the tang bolt, carefully remove the barrel from the fragile forestock, and proceed to clean almost exactly as Lewis described above.

Only no steam cleaner in those days, nor compressed air.

I did, however, heavily wax the underside of the barrel where it was concealed by the stock, with Johnson's Paste Wax before reinserting the barrel back into the stock.

 

[snapbang]

I love my side lock. My cleaning version is close to this. For a final rinse I heat a teapot of water, wrap a towel around the muzzle, and pour the hot water into the barrel and let it run through into the sink. I wipe the barrel down and run several dry patches through it. The barrel is very hot so handle it with a towel. The hot barrel dries almost instantly. I then put some grease on a patch and run it up and down the barrel. The hot barrel melts the grease so it feels more like oil.

Keep in mind I usually put it away for months at a time. I dont shoot as often as Lewis. If I was shooting it more I think the oil is a much better choice. I use the greasy patch to wipe down all the steel.

 

[ihookem]

Has anyone ever used air tool lube for nail guns? I wonder if that would work. The only reason I ask is cause I have so much of it. I just dont see any reason it wouldn't work really good. Kind of shy to try it though. I used it one time but cleaned it out the next day. Seemd to work and is made to not let insides of nail guns rust.

 

[Idaholewis]

 

[Idaholewis]

Here is a link from a “Sticky” above, Lots of info in here, This Goes over most of my Cleaning stuff as well. It is a Lot of the Same Stuff as posted above, But at least now its all Combined here in this Thread

Sidelock Patented Breech/Fire Channel

 

[Idaholewis]

Something i came up with not long ago, Fighting that “Tinge of Rust Color on thr Drying Patch” This Stuff Works AWESOME to Cut Grease/Bullet Lube from a Bore! YES Bullet Lube DOES get stuck to the Bore Walls, and Burnt (hence the Brown/Rust Colored Drying Patch) And NO you are NOT getting it all out when you Clean, I will soon prove this with my Bore Scope and a Quick Cleaning Video



This is the Stuff i use, Make sure its NOT the one with Pumice in it! You don’t want Pumice Rocks in your Barrel

 

[Idaholewis]

I finally got a can of this. It placed in the top three in a huge comparison test. IT IS NOT SYNTHETIC THOUGH. Its about the same price at Lowes/Home Cheapo.
WD-40 Specialist Long-Term Corrosion Inhibitor https://www.amazon.com/WD-40-300038-Specialist-Corrosion-Inhibitor/dp/B00631GWS4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&fst=asff&qid=1586357370&refinements=p_89:WD-40&rnid=2528832011&s=automotive&sr=1-1

GM54, I have looked high n low here for that Particular one, Nobody Around here Carries it? I figured sure that our North 40 Outfitters Would? Maybe our New Tractor Supply? I haven’t checked there yet. I would like to try this on my Steel Bullet Molds before they go in their Storage Boxes. I like the idea that it’s an Aerosol Can, easy to get Good, Thorough Coverage

 

[GM54-120]

I think i only found it at one place locally. Other "Specialist" versions were common but that one is a pain to find. Its also WAY more expensive. Can is half the size for about the same price or more.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WD-40-SPECIALIST-6-5-oz-Long-Term-Corrosion-Inhibitor-300035/300719560

 

[Idaholewis]

I think i only found it at one place locally. Other "Specialist" versions were common but that one is a pain to find. Its also WAY more expensive. Can is half the size for about the same price or more.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WD-40-SPECIALIST-6-5-oz-Long-Term-Corrosion-Inhibitor-300035/300719560

Ok, i see they have it in Stock at our Local Home Depot (Conveniently Next to BACO ) I will get a Can of this next trip there

 

[Ninering62]

I messaged Idaholewis asking him his cleaning procedure for his sidelocks and the detailed response that I got made me want to share it, with his permission.

Here it is:

Sure, When i walk in the Door everything is Routine I guess that comes with Shooting them a Million Times LOL

When i walk through the Door after Shooting, i push the Wedge Key out of the Stock, and Lift the Barrel out, Set the Stock Aside. I then Pull the Nipple (I use a TC 3 N 1 Tool) I Run my Water in the Feed Bucket (Just Warm Water)

Here is the TC Tool i use, and ABSOLUTELY Swear By, It has a Nipple Wrench Built in, it is a Little Hammer for Pecking the Wedge Key over, then you simply flip the Tool around and use the Little Claws to Get under the Wedge Key to Finish Removing it, AWESOME little Tool that i use EVERYTIME i Shoot. I did have to make a Few Little Modifications to Both of mine though (I have 2 of these, one for my Truck, and 1 in my House) The Nipple Wrench was a Little to Tight so i had to Open the Gap Slightly, I used my Dremel with a Cutter/Grinding Wheel, And the Claws were also a Little Tight, i used the Dremel to Open the Claws a Little as Well, Both we’re SIMPLE Fixes! Just go slow, and Check fit often til you get it. Maybe i got 2 Flukes that were Tight?

View attachment 8443

That's a cool little tool, does TCA sell them? Well Hallofin ya knew who to ask for this type of thing. Thanks for the great question, to the right guy for that question. And thank you for sharin his reply with the class. That's class & cool.

 

[Ninering62]

I swear by this Stuff, Which is now Called Venom I believe? EXACT Same Product. This Stuff REALLY does a Good job of Protecting a Rifle, You will have ZERO issue with Rust/Corrosion with this Stuff.

This is what it looks like Now, again it’s the EXACT same Product, Same Hoppes Co. Just Re-Named to Bore Snake Venom Gun Oil with T3

I was literally raised using Hopps gun cleaning products from 8yrs old on to this day.

 

[toytruck]

That's a cool little tool, does TCA sell them?

https://www.amazon.com/Thompson-Cen...931&sprefix=thompson+center+,aps,520&sr=8-102