So I got a Pietta reproduction of a Colt 1858 Army black powder revolver from my dad for my birthday and the thing is a lot of fun to shoot but it’s a bitch to clean. I used hoppe’s and butch’s bore solvent and while it worked that black powder is some stubborn shit

I played around with a Ruger Old Army in the early 2000s using real black powder. The fouling is thick, tenacious and corrosive. Conventional cleaning solvents are not meant for it. You need to flood it with hot soapy water so the fouling is carried away.

Ammonia is a good thing. Boiling hot water can work, too. Worked for corrosive center fire, as well.

For a "quickie" cleaning at the range (if feasible), take along a bore brush, a spray bottle of cheap window cleaner, and wipes or rags to clean your hands and wipe down the gun. The water is what actually does most of the work, however. This isn't a substitute for a good cleaning when you get home, more for cleaning out the bore as accuracy degrades from fouling filling up the rifling.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

Hot, soapy water always worked well for me.

Hot, soapy water was my schooling. I used Dawn.

I use Simple Green when cleaning my muzzleloader. Works well, no nasty “egg” smell. Be sure to lube after whatever you use

Again with the tried and true hot soapy water for the barrel and cylinder, dry them thoroughly and oil them like crazy.

Unfortunately, that does nothing for powder that makes its way into the frame and messes with the moving parts, so an occasional complete teardown is required. Plenty of instructions for disassembly are available on-line, and all the Colt-designed pistols are the same except Ruger. I neglected a couple pistols before I learned this lesson the hard way.

Windex with vinegar, followed by Ballistol.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cas,

I did put the cylinder in my ultra sonic cleaner which I use simple green and distilled water and that seemed to work well but I figured that was more the ultra sonic part than anything doing the cleaning

Like the others have said hot soap and water is good. Clean it right away. Don't let it sit over night. Another solvent the works quicker is mixing equal parts of isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxided, and Murphy's Oil Soap. Make sure you whip the bore and other parts completely dry and oil them after.

I have that same pistol. I use a bucket of CLP. The type of powder makes a difference.

I have a stainless Ruger Old Army.
The grips, cylinder, and nipples get disassembled.
Everything except the grips goes in the kitchen sink with hot soapy water.
Then it gets a boiling water rinse with a teakettle.
Then two hours in the oven at 225 F°
After cooling to room temperature, oiled and put away.
Seriously...

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Hot, soapy water was my schooling. I used Dawn.

This, followed by Ballistol. Make sure the water is really hot so it will evaporate quickly. When shooting my Sharps or 1873 Springfield I run Ballistol soaked patches down the bore every few rounds to keep the fouling down. Lots of Ballistol soaked patches down the bore and chambers until the patches come out clean and leave a film of Ballistol in the bore. I also use Remoil on the outer surfaces as a protective coat.

I use Thompson Center no. 13 bore cleaner on a rifle muzzleloader. It is easy as it gets cleans very easy and no smell.

Many copper solvents (like Hoppe’s and Butch’s) don’t effectively remove the salts left from percussion caps and black powder. The Windex formulation with Vinegar is popular with some of the black powder shooters I know. Hot water with Murphy’s Oil Soap in it, for a thorough cleaning at the end of the day. Many use Ballistol as a final step, after making sure the gun is thoroughly dry. Some type of a protectant oil is essential to prevent rusting after cleaning BP residue.

You are just making a mess with an oily nitro solvent like Hoppe's or Butches.

Water is the answer, it doesn't even have to be hot, although soap helps.

I cleaned my BPCRs on the range with Mike Venturino's recommendation of diluted Windex with vinegar. When I couldn't find Windex with vinegar at the grocery store and did not want to put ammonia on my Winchester and Browning, I went to diluted M-Pro 7.
Dry and oil with smelly Ballistol.

I usually recleaned at home.

Cleaning a black powder single shot is less trouble than trying to get the copper out of my .308.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:
Hot, soapy water always worked well for me.

Me too...but keep in mind cleaning a black powder revolver is not like cleaning one shot with smokeless powder... you need to break the gun completely down .... every screw and spring inside the thing.... wash all these in hot soapy water, rinse, dry and then lightly oil....

they are fun to shoot put a pain and time consuming to clean.

I used to clean the bore with water or a little soap in water, then I'd take the rife minus the stock into the shower with me just to flood all the metal parts with water and remove any powder residue.

Hot water and dish soap.