The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

mykeal · January 19, 2011, 06:46 AM

It's probably best to start a new thread with your questions as you will get wider distribution; many folks won't see your posting in an old thread of general interest that they've already read a number of times. One of the great advantages of internet forums is the wide variety of experience available - you don't want to cheat yourself of that.

Vegetable oils will provide adequate rust prevention and are often used for short term storage. They have the down side of becoming rancid over long periods, however. I personally use Birchwood Casey's Barricade; there are many similar products available. Most are mineral oil based and do not have the issues associated with petroleum based products.

Many folks do a complete teardown and cleaning after every shooting session; regular cleaning and maintenance is not too great a price to keep fine tools working well. However, in my opinion it's not absolutely necessary. The action parts inside the frame are not subject to combustion chamber temperatures and thus do not accumulate the more corrosive black powder fouling compounds. They do require occasional cleaning, however, as dust and powder residue do build up inside. I do a complete teardown about every 3 to 5 uses; guns that rarely get used get a semi-annual complete cleaning regardless of usage.

January 19, 2011, 06:46 AM	#69
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	It's probably best to start a new thread with your questions as you will get wider distribution; many folks won't see your posting in an old thread of general interest that they've already read a number of times. One of the great advantages of internet forums is the wide variety of experience available - you don't want to cheat yourself of that. Vegetable oils will provide adequate rust prevention and are often used for short term storage. They have the down side of becoming rancid over long periods, however. I personally use Birchwood Casey's Barricade; there are many similar products available. Most are mineral oil based and do not have the issues associated with petroleum based products. Many folks do a complete teardown and cleaning after every shooting session; regular cleaning and maintenance is not too great a price to keep fine tools working well. However, in my opinion it's not absolutely necessary. The action parts inside the frame are not subject to combustion chamber temperatures and thus do not accumulate the more corrosive black powder fouling compounds. They do require occasional cleaning, however, as dust and powder residue do build up inside. I do a complete teardown about every 3 to 5 uses; guns that rarely get used get a semi-annual complete cleaning regardless of usage. Last edited by mykeal; January 19, 2011 at 06:51 AM.