BP maintenance Back in the Day?

Brutus

Brutus

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I'm a relatively newer enthusiast to muzzleloading/black powder firearms fellas. We have many modern tools and chemical resources at our fingertips for cleaning/maintaining our newer smokepoles. And we live in relative luxury.

These simple facts makes me wonder how mountain men/trappers/settlers, (basically persons with no military support & often in the outdoors and exposed to weather much much longer then we are) managed to keep thier day to day working firearms in good working order 24/7. Especially under perpetutal cold & wet conditions?

This must have been a constant chore??

Everything I read seems to point at some kind of animal fat as a protective coating and lubricant. I guess this is where the small axe or bowie serves as a real and valued backup?

Hard to imagine the constant hardship and fear endured by so many back then.
 
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Brutus said:
We have many modern tools and chemical resources at our fingertips for cleaning/maintaining our newer smokepoles.
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BP cleans up with water, so it wouldn't have been too difficult for them I would think. Water is what I use, with a bit of soap.
 
clean up with water and animal fat to protect and for lube back then most had a long gun(most likely smooth bore) and a pistol(back up/put down shot if needed)

and of corse they used real BP so no issues with the water clean up witch is not all that hard nor does it take long
 
Looking at the erosion/corrosion around the nipples of a lot of guns, as well as the bore conditions, I'm of the opinion that a lot of guns were not well maintained. Water washing is only practical/possible if the temperature allows. I do have antiques which have obviously been used, and which still have fine bores, and little or no corrosion at the breech, but these are the exception.
 
Will cold water cleaning versus hot water cleaning of a BP barrel take it's toll over time? I cannot practically see that 100% of the time for tactical reasons a trapper or pair of trappers, could always have the luxury of hot water from an open fire in hostile places.

Maybe the 'freshing out' out your existing barrel was more common then huh?
 
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I think that smoothbores were more common than rifles. Maintenance is a lot easier with a smoothbore. Easier to scour out a smoothbore than fresh out a rifle. Water doesn't do any harm, as long as the bore is dried and wiped with something to preserve it.
 
tiriaq said:
I think that smoothbores were more common than rifles. Maintenance is a lot easier with a smoothbore. Easier to scour out a smoothbore than fresh out a rifle. Water doesn't do any harm, as long as the bore is dried and wiped with something to preserve it.
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yeah smooth bore flintlocks all you needed was powder and you can shoot it using sall rocks as shot if needed
 
I knapped out "flints" from bits of quartz I picked up behind my house on the shore of Hudson Bay. Not as good as real flints, but would fire the lock. Recovered bullets were also reused.
 
Not to keep harping about shooting in anger, but I've read that at the Battle of Blood River in 1837, the Voer trekkers claim thier flintlock smoothbores mostly saved the day.
They had the river as one natural barrier and hollow reeds of just about the right inside diameter from the water's edge, provided improvised lead shot moulds. (one time use) The long strands were cut up into lead segments for almost immediate use as a sort of buckshot load.
 
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Brutus said:
Not to keep harping about shooting in anger, but I've read that at the Battle of Blood River in 1837, the Voer trekkers claim thier flintlock smoothbores mostly saved the day.
They had the river as one natural barrier and hollow reeds of just about the right inside diameter from the water's edge, provided improvised lead shot moulds. (one time use) The long strands were cut up into lead segments for almost immediate use as a sort of buckshot load. Of course literally chaining thier circled wagons together and the use of two light cannons were also considerable advantages. :)
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yep and flint arrow head could be used for the flint if needed

even today brass shells and a slingle shot shotgun could fit the same place as long as you have a good supply of LG pistol primers or white tip strike anywhere matches fired bullets could be used and or cut chunks of lead
 
My impression is that the guns were rarely cleaned. I also think they were shot every few days which while not cleaning the bore did somewhat reduce deep pitting rust. When they did clean their guns, I think they used tow (hemp fiber) and water but for the most part if they were out on the trail, the guns were loaded and left that way until the next shot was required. In one of the narratives about Kit Carson, he comments on shooting his gun so that he could clean it as it had not been cleaned for several days. He failed to reload it and during the night they were attacked by indians but survived the occasion.
Much like Tiriaq, my experience with original guns is that the bores are often in poor condition, particularly near the breach

cheers mooncoon
 
Dirty muskets are unreliable, while a moderatly clean flintlock musket functions very well.

If your life and/or your next meal depended on it functioning I imagine you would devote significant time to its maintenance when you had the time.
The British army during the flintlock area vigorously promoted a maintained musket within its ranks, I imagine that was one of the reasons they were very successful.

Water sloshed in the barrel until it runs clear and then dry it with rags and a wee bit of oil.
 
Freshing out a rifled barrel may have been required as much due to corrosion as to uneven ramrod wear at the muzzle, I believe. In purely practical terms, a barrel can be cleaned with a damp patch or two then lightly oiled to prevent rust with a charge and patched ball in place and I don't doubt for a minute that after having a loaded gun out on a damp day that a lightly oiled patch was passed down the barrel, with the charge still in place. Regardless, in the field I doubt that gun cleaning was done as often as we would do it now. As for using urine, the only references I have seen were about using it as a patch lube for RB's and also buffalo hunters cooling their barrels ( and probably flushing fouling) by urinating through them (breech loaders, not muzzle-loaders).
 
Most mountain men just made sure the flash hole was clear on their primary rifle, and had a second rifle for back ups and second shots. Trapping was probably the main way to put meat on the table.
 
Regarding urinating down the barrels - Bernard Cornwell's novels of the Napoleonic Wars featuring Richard Sharpe are full of references to the use of urine to clean out fouling in the Baker rifles. I know these are fictional but Cornwell usually has most of his facts straight.
 
Ol' Flinter said:
As for using urine, the only references I have seen and also buffalo hunters cooling their barrels ( and probably flushing fouling) by urinating through them (breech loaders, not muzzle-loaders).
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I have always found the chamber to be too small for efficient cooling that way :>) :>)

cheers mooncoon
 
Goldenlakepete said:
Regarding urinating down the barrels - Bernard Cornwell's novels of the Napoleonic Wars featuring Richard Sharpe are full of references to the use of urine to clean out fouling in the Baker rifles. I know these are fictional but Cornwell usually has most of his facts straight.
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you do know most of the Sharpe series is fiction a mean heck sharpe shure gets shot and cut alot only to survive not a likely thing back then
 
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