Departments | Sportsman’s Corner

Joe Byers

Muzzleloader Maintenance

“Oil is a muzzleloader’s best friend,” says Michael Mattly, marketing manager and a 14-year veteran with Knight Rifles. “There has been an old wives’ tale that if you get oil in your muzzleloader it won’t go off, yet with today’s in-line ignition models that’s an entirely different story,” Mattly said, alluding to sidelock and flintlock models where oil in the barrel can block the fire channel. This is a non-issue with in-lines.

Joe Byers

Another common misunderstanding in muzzleloading involves “stainless steel.”

“It’s not rust-proof,” says Mattly. “Alloys of stainless steel like the 300-grade are used in food service, but aren’t suitable for firearms. Rifle barrels and parts are made from 416-grade, contains carbon, and therefore will rust.”

The necessary degree of muzzleloader maintenance and cleaning depends on timing and weather conditions. If you want to test the zero on your rifle a day or two before the season, a cursory cleaning by swabbing the barrel and assuring the fire channel is clean will work. Contemporary rifles can be opened or have the bolt removed so that you can look through the fire channel. Aim the empty rifle at a light source. If you see a tiny dot of light, you are good to go.

The Case For “The Box”

Gun cleanup, especially muzzleloaders, can be a real challenge on the range or in camp. Recently we had the opportunity to get our hands on the newest product from MTM Case-Gard called the Shooting Range Box. Our final verdict…Wow!

The Range Box is of a two-piece design that features a removable top storage box suitable for stowing all of your small cleaning items such as oils, solvents, brushes, patches and the like. Unlatch the top box to reveal the deep-storage maintenance center. Here you can stash your larger items (ammo, powder, etc.). Best of all, the box includes two adjustable gun forks which mount to either end of the case. This allows you to set your gun securely in an upright position to perform all manner of maintenance and repairs. Whether muzzleloader, centerfire rifle or shotgun, the Shooting Range Box by MTM Case-Gard gets our nod for the best new firearm maintenance tool of the year.

Joe Byers

In bad weather, where the gun has been exposed to a lot of moisture, Mattly recommends tearing the rifle completely down and cleaning it. This may take 10 or 20 minutes, but will give you the confidence the rifle will fire in the morning.

A quick cleanup just before and throughout the season will keep your gun booming, however, before putting the rifle away for the winter, maintenance becomes critical.

“Muzzleloaders have many little nooks and crannies that will harbor powder residue from blow-back or general shooting,” says Mattly. “Even a speck of powder residue will cause rust, and if your gun has been sitting for 11 months, you can have a problem.”

To thoroughly clean a rifle, dissemble all the pieces as much as you can—a process that has become fairly simple with modern muzzleloaders. With all the parts laid out, work on the barrel, and take out the breech plug so that you can clean from the breech.

“I put solvent on a bottle brush to scrub out the breech plug threads,” says Mattly. “When most of the gook is broken lose, I put a cleaning patch around the brush to finish the job. Then I use a cleaning rod with a nylon or brass brush to clean the barrel, always working from the breech end so as not to damage the muzzle crown. Also, don’t reverse the brush midway through the barrel. Use full strokes from end to end and finish up with dry patches until the barrel shines.”

Joe Byers

The trigger mechanism is the next critical element and will become contaminated by blow-back regardless of the model or manufacturer.

“If you don’t get that cleaned out, the residue will sit on the springs and cause them to rust, corrode and possibly fail,” Mattly says. Luckily, cleaning is easy. “Use a foaming solvent and squirt the heck out of every little hole. Let the liquid drip out and dry for ten minutes. Then use canned compressed air to blow everything out. Lightly oil all your parts and reassemble.”

Finally, if your breech plug is stuck, remove the barrel, plug the fire channel with a toothpick and pour penetrating fluid down the barrel and let sit for a day or two. In an emergency, soak the breech in very hot water. “I’ve done this many times in a motel bathtub,” said Mattly with a smile.

—Joe Byers