What do you do to prevent primer rust?

[NJCOP]

I'm new to using Musket primers and cleaning up after them. (Using CCI's at present) They leave a nice black layer of soot on the barrel and bolster which takes a lot of work to clean off and I've been fighting surface rust to boot with PB Blaster, WD40 and the like and the it keeps reappearing. I thought these primers were suppose to be non-corrosive. I'm going to clean it up yet again and slather it in RIG. Other than that I need some experienced advice.

[Francis J. Miller Jr, 02601]

NJCOP,

After a Shooting Session at the range, Match, etc. I clean my musket, carbine, etc. with warm to hot water and dish soap. I use an old toothbrush to clean the nipple bolster area, and other nooks and cranies in the breech/tang area, lifts the dirt and carbon right up, then I dry, and wipe on gun oil. Have had no problem doing it this way for 36 years. Not experiencing any rust afterwards. I don't know what the composition mixture is in the CCI caps, but for this day and age I would assume it is non-corrosive. I use the RWS Dynamit Nobel wingless caps, and so far, have never had a problem with them. Hopes this helps.

[NJCOP]

Thank you much. I'll try the soap. Ive been using a Nitro solvent and it doesn't work all that well.

[Francis J. Miller Jr, 02601]

NJCOP,

Forgot to mention that after using the water/soap solution, rinse the gun with clean warm to hot water then dry. I clean the whole gun this way, inside and out.

[matt]

NJ,
Try simple green mixed with a little bit of water. It also works great inside the barrel. You need some water to neutralize the BP fouling Hoppes and the like is great for smokeless and copper but isnt really good for BP. Make sure you use plain old hot water after cleaning than dry well and then oil. I like Balistol but any good gun oil will work. The simple green is also great for getting rid of the lube that builds up and can hold fouling.
Matt
Winslow's Battery D 1st NY LT Artillery 9775v

[NJCOP]

Thanks guys. The barrel wasn't the issue with the BP. It was where the primer residue blackened the breech/bolster and barrel. As I said before I thought these were non-corrosive and that's why I cleaned this with modern solvents. Go figure, I'll just use soap and water from now on.

[Ken Hansgen, 11094]

NJCOP, Before shooting, I used to coat the nipple area with some Vaseline to make cleaning there easier. Thanks for reminding me. Should clean off same as BP residue.

[Tom Magno, 9269V]

If you allow the gun to sit for any appreciable time before cleaning (more than 24 hrs), that residue around the nipple area becomes hard as concrete, and that's what it seems to me you are experiencing. As others have recommended, use hot water with a bit of dish soap. What works very well, is to remove the barrel, remove the nipple, and stand the barrel in a bucket of the hot soapy solution breech end down so that the water level covers the bolster. Let it sit there a good 15-30 minutes if the stuff is caked on hard. Then, flush the barrel with a patch/cleaning rod. When you are happy, take the barrel out, and using a nylon toothbrush (do not use brass - it will remove the blueing), scrub that affected area, and it should come right up - it should be softened.

[Fearless Frank]

Spray it with windshield washer solution. It works great, it's cheap and easy to find. Just $3 a gallon in my area.
P.S. It cleans the bore great and it's self drying. Try it you've probably got some in the garage.
Fearless Frank

[NJCOP]

Thankyou one and all.