Properly Cleaning Your New Muzzle Loader.

I recently received a new CVA Optima .50cal with the Black Thumbhole stock and so i decided that i would pass along some info on how I clean my Brand New Muzzleloaders.

I know there are a lot out there that think " Ahhh just wipe the oil off the outside, clean out the bore and it's good to go".

Not so! I used to be like that until i got tired of gummy feeling triggers that always leaked out heavy doses of grease when the gun sat out in the sun while sighting it in. This grease/oil must be removed and replaced with a much lighter gun oil.

Why? One reason i stated above, that grease melts in heat and makes a mess all over you and the gun and will attract every kind of debris you can think of. More reasons to clean it is again, it can make your trigger feel gummy when you squeeze it and actually add weight to the trigger pull.

A list of items i use for proper cleaning:

Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber
Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber
Birchwood Casey Barricade
Birchwood Casey RIG #2
Brass Cleaning Patch Jag
Nylon Bore Brush
JB Bore Paste
Lots Of Cleaning Patches!!
A Couple Shop Towels Proper
Tools for Disassembly Of The Stock and any other parts that are easily removed.

Now to explain why the need for the items above.

Gun Scrubber is AWESOME for removing the packing grease from inside the Bore, Exterior of the muzzle loader and for removal of the heavy grease inside the actions of todays modern break action muzzle loaders. When i hit a hard to reach spot, i add the plastic straw extension and position it and hit it with a short but heavy dose of cleaner. I do this throughout the action of the muzzle loader until i feel i did as good as human possible. So basically, use this product to easily remove grease from the exterior of the muzzle loader, the external action and internals.

Bore Scrubber is what we will use if we are shooting Blackhorn209, Highly recommend this cleaner for Blackhorn209 as it easily cuts out the fouling with just Two to Three patches. After you have degreased the barrel with Gun Scrubber, You may not switch over to BORE SCRUBBER which is an oil based cleaner for Nitro Powders as well as for removed Copper fouling. This product will basically mop up any grease that may have been missed by the Gun Scrubber. It also has an Anti Rust Preventive in it that allows you to clean with the same product and protect against rust/corrosion.

Barricade is what i use on the Internals of the action. I basically just get as much as possible and give it a good solid spray down inside the action and all its moving parts. Give it a good soaking and then set it on a shop towel and give in time to do its job. Wipe off whatever dips out of the action. Once the dripping has stopped, the Barricade will dry over the next day and will no attract dirt particles like the factory grease does. This is a light weight oil.

RIG #2 is a fairly new product to me but one i have grown to like and store in my gun closet. RIG #2 i consider to be a heavy weight oil best used on non moving " Triggers,hammers, ext" due to the thickness of the product once it dries. This product is excellent for rust protection on the outside of the barrel and frame. Spray it down heavy and directly onto the metal and allow it to work for a couple hours before lightly wiping excess off with a soft clean cloth. I find that when thicker oils, even when dry, create "drag", especially on Triggers.

Brass Cleaning Jag of course is used to mop out your bore of debris. Dirt, grease, fouling, moisture.

Nylon Bore Brush is another new deal that i recently switched to a few months ago and really like them the best. I used a lot of Bronze bore brushes over the years and absolutely hate them. They bend up, they shrink in size with heavy use and i honestly think they do not get into the little nooks and crannies due to their stiffness. Nylon for me has been the best way to go.

JB Bore Paste is a WONDERFUL item to have on hand. It is basically a lapping compound meant to be used inside a new bore to smooth out any roughness, burrs, any small errors that you can not see. It is not an harmful abrasive product either so don't be afraid to use it in your bore. When using this product you need a nice tight fitting patch, lightly lubed with oil and then rub some JB Bore Paste into the patch as well.

The oil keeps things running smoothly. Also be sure to leave your breech plug in and do this work from the muzzle. Pay some attention towards the muzzle as that's where you'll mainly find your small burrs and such. A minimum of 60 passes with JB Bore Paste i recommend. Change your patch out after 30 strokes and get you a fresh patch. JB Bore Paste can easily be cleaned out with Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber, followed up by Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber. Run a few dry patches after the Bore Scrubber has sat and been allowed to work for a few minutes. DONE!

JB Bore Paste i found comes in Two different colors. Pink and an Olive green. The little tub that you want is white with blue lettering and will have the olive green paste inside. I believe the other compound which is a super fine polishing compound, is again white but with red lettering? I am unsure of its actual text color so please forgive me on that one.

Depending on the powder you shoot, I shoot Blackhorn209, I normally will fire 10 rounds and then go and completely clean the bore free of fouling and shoot another 10 rounds and repeat the cleaning. I do this basically to just inspect the bore for any obvious flaws in the bore and to let it break in slowly. Keep the Lead/Plastic fouling down as another reason on the list. After that though, its time to get dirty and start shooting for groups!

Our new CVA Optima! She is one sweet shooting machine and very light weight. It will be used on my first out of state hunt in Northern New Mexico. Its preferred load is 100 grains Volume Blackhorn209 with a 250 grains Aerolite Powerbelt and a CCI 209 Magnum Primer. The scope is a Konus Pro 3-10x44mm and is crystal clear. Good solid equipment makes things easier on you and much more enjoyable in the field.