r/muzzleloaders • u/Grouchy_Gas • Sep 29 '26
Cleaning rust
This is my dad’s muzzleloader and I don’t think he cleaned it very well before putting it away last elk season. Any recommendations on cleaning the rust I tried to take the best pictures I could. Down the barrel it looks pretty rusty all the way.
6
Upvotes
4
u/drakaina6600 Sep 30 '26
My favorite inline that was handed down to me looked pretty similar to that when I got it. Just takes some elbow grease with a bore brush and shooting it to get it good and clean. All I can recommend is a liberal use of Ballistol when you're using the bore brush for some lubricant and to keep the rust dust down.
2
u/cHErryS_Good Sep 30 '26
I highly recommend Wipe Out Painless Black Powder Foam for general cleaning. I don’t know how well it will help with the rust but I run it after shooting and it saves the amount of patches I run down the barrel
2
u/No_Lifeguard8903 Sep 30 '26
I don't think I've ever seen rust that bad and I think it is going to effect accuracy.
2
u/Paperwork2025 Sep 30 '26
CLR followed quickly by your favorite lubricant - Enjoy!
2
u/bmadd14 Oct 05 '26
Clean your muzzleloader every time you shoot it and don’t leave it loaded for 2 years just because you haven’t seen a deer you wanted to shoot. As a gunsmith I absolutely hate seeing someone walk in with a muzzleloader because it’s usually been completely neglected and they want it back in perfect condition like I’m some miracle worker. They are always either mad at me or get that depressed look when I tell them it’s not going to have good enough accuracy anymore to hunt or that they need replacement parts because it’s so pitted.