BP maintenance Back in the Day?

[Steppenwolf]

Water, worm and tow - clean. Sweet oil, brick dust and tow - shine.

 

[BSA Jack]

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.

I find this thread quite interesting, and tend to agree with tiriag and others on this. While I am pretty old I can,t go back to the days of the buffalo hunters or Kit Carson but would like to share what I remember from being around my Uncle in the 50,s and 60,s. He was a old bachlor with a huge collection of old BP guns from his homesteading days and kept a big keg of BP at all times and guns were made to be shot. Seemed almost daily he would shoot some old BP gun, especialy when some young fella like myself came to visit. A lot of lead in the sidehill at the old farm. Here is what I remember, 1. He had no running water, It was carried from the well. In the winter a tub of snow melt sat on the old coal and wood range. 2. Cleaning a gun with boiling water didn,t seem to happen often. May have been just a winter thing. When it did, water heated in a tin basin and a old steel cleaning rod (from some old military rifle) cloth patch sluiced up and down till it pumped the black water out the barrel. No soap. A lamp funnel with copper pipe soldered on for breech loaders. muzzel loaders and anything that could be, were taken apart and barrel (action) were put on top of stove to dry, I can remember almost burning my fingers taking them off. Dry patch--rag run through bore till sort of clean, then oiled with Hoppes number 9 , the only gun oil I ever remember him having, brown bottle in a cardboard box. In later years when I aquired these guns, yes some of the bores were not good and pitting and corrosion was there. Was this from him shooting them or Kit Carson in earlier times I don,t know. And some did have shiny bores and were just fine. I wonder if the dry saltless Sask air had a lot to do with this. He was kind of a private fellow and I do not remember him urinating down the barrel. I do things differently now when I shoot BP guns. I know it,s a silly little story. Cheers

 

[Musketfire]

BSA Jack, that was a great story , thankyou!


The only reason I can see using your urine would be if you had limited access to water ,

In that circumstance your canteen contents would be too precious to use on the musket/rifle.


"Side note, I would much prefer a properly built musket to the average rifle of the period"