BP and cleaning the Ruger New Vaquero?

[McCrower]

Hi guys.
I have been shooting CAS for about 7 years, but only with smokeless powder. I recently bought a pair of Ruger New Vaqueros in 45 LC and I am thinking about joining the dark side and trying out black powder in these guns. But what about cleaning the RNV's? Do I have to do a complete dissasembly for cleaning after every BP session? These revolvers aren't the simplest guns to take apart after my opinion..

[leatherjunkie]

I use old model vaqueros 357and shoot black powder cartridges.
clean up is easy no disassembly required.
you will hear of some secret mixes to clean out the fouling.
I mix ballistol with water.
I use a spray bottle and mark from the bottom of bottle to 1/8" up to 3/16" up. this is the line I pour ballistol to.
then I fill up the bottle with water.
this is about 10% ballistol to 90% water.
just spray down the barrel, frame and cylinder. wipe clean. takes about 5 mins to clean.
i carry the spray bottle mix and a bore snake in the gun cart. i can do a quick clean at the match when needed.
i also use same cleaning method for rifle and shotgun. if you are using the plastic wads in shotgun, you may wanna use windex in the barrel to help remove the plastic left from the wads

[McCrower]

Thanks for your reply and advices. But doesn't the BP residue get into the internal mechanism of the gun at some point? 

[hellgate]

If you shoot light BP loads you may well get more fouling into the internals than a more stout load that expands the case and seals the chambers. The 44/40 and 38/40 have thinner case mouths and do a better job of sealing the chambers than the straight walled cases. I usually shoot cap&ball and get tons of fouling everywhere since it spews out both ends. The "newer" guns like the SAAs have a gas ring that keeps fouling off the cylinder pin. The only "internal" part that I check is the ejector rod that I carefully oil after wiping off. I just push it out to expose it and wipe clean then oil. I don't take the housing off lest I get loose screws that can work loose and fall out under recoil. Otherwise, cleaning is punching the barrel, cylinder, and wiping the frame and cylinder pin before oiling. I might break down the internals once a year if that. I also drop oil into the "works" (into the hammer cutout) after each cleaning.

You would be amazed at how much gunk can eventually get into the works and not effect function significantly. I have a '61 Navy that I could not get the trigger/bolt screw out to remove the other parts so I could only clean the barrel & cylinder and wipe down or Q-tip the rest. After SEVERAL YEARS of shooting I finally learned a stuck screw technique and got the gun completely apart. There were fragments of caps and a huge amount of black sludge inside that gun but not a speck of rust. Ever since I have not gotten too excited about internal fouling as long as I could keep it oiled. Obviously, any top shooter reading this will or should cringe but I'm no top shooter.

[Drydock]

Been shooting BP in revolvers for 30 years.  Leave assembled, clean them with water, wipe down and oil with Ballistol.  Dribble a few drops of Ballistol into the action after cleaning.  Disassemble once a year or so.  Find greasy black soot in there, but no corrosion. 

Process.  Remove cylinder, place in sink under hot water tap, let water run over cylinder.  Slide frame over tap so hot water runs down barrel for a few seconds.  Shake cylinder and place on paper towel.  Wipe off all visible fouling on frame with damp rag.  Dry cylinder and frame with rags, run dry patchs thru cylinder and barrel.  A few q-tips for various crevices.  Run ballistol patch thru cylinder and barrel.  Dribble Ballistol in action and work a few times.  Dribble in ejector and cross bolt retainer as well.  Reassemble and wipe down with old greasy rag kept for purpose.  Takes about 5 minutes a gun.  Colts, Rugers, S&W/Uberti top breaks.

My tip: I have a nose spray pump with the sucker straw removed, filled with water.  Take that to a match with me, use to mist gun and wipe down with rag between stages, just to keep them pretty.  Also, stick in rifle muzzle and pump once to keep fouling moist and soft.

Water is your friend!  So is Ballistol, though there are other BP friendly oils and solvents out there.

[McCrower]

Thank you all for your replies. I will give the dark side a try

[greenjoytj]

I have a pair of SASS Ruger New Vaqueros in SS.  My black powder cleaning routine is as follows:

I start my cleaning by removing the base pin & cylinder and grips.

Take just the frame to the laundry tub where the faucet has a short length of garden hose screw on to the water outlet.

Use the hose with tepid temperature water flowing and flush water down the barrel forcing cone towards the muzzle.
A nice gush of black foul flows out the stops.  I must push a brush up to get more fouling to flow out.

I force the hose against the hole where the cylinder locking bolt is standing tall in.
Water is forcefully sprayed into ever hole from every angle.
I look to see if any fouling colour is ejected in the water flowing out of the frame.

I shake all the water droplets out of the frame.
I squirt into the frame 99% rubbing alcohol then shake it out. Repeat the frame interior alcohol rinse and shake out.
Alcohol absorbs water droplets that cling in the frame.

Sometimes I will spray non chlorinated brake cleaner into the frame after the alcohol flush.
A small cloud of grey fouling will flow out in the clear brake fluid, don't blink or you'll miss it.
Shake out and what fluid remains the rest will evaporate.  I accelerate the evaporation by pulling air through the frame holes my with the shop vac.

Rinse and brush the cylinder charge holes at the laundry tub.

Now at my work bench I clean the frame, cylinder & base pin just the same as after firing smokeless powder using solvents then applying oil and grease.

I will admit I am an over oilier particularly inside the frame. I roll the frame to get the oil to flow into every nook and cranny.
I wipe off the revolvers before firing but after a few shots a re-wipe is required as more oil bleeds through at the trigger guard to frame seam.

My revolver are about 5 years old now and are working perfectly, even better now the cylinder throats have been ream to the proper diameter.

[Blackpowder Burn]

Make some Moose Milk (about a 90/10 mixture of water and Ballistol).  It forms a nice emulsion.  Spray down the gun (external and internal), swab the barrel wipe down and forget it.  The water dissolves the BP fouling, and when the remaining water evaporates it leaves behind the Ballistol to lube and provide corrosion protection.  Simple and easy.  I've been doing this for over 10 years and never had a single corrosion issue. 

I do the same thing with my rifles.

[Bunk]

I use distilled water for making moose milk. It evaporates and leaves no mineral spots.
Play safe
Bunk

[Coffinmaker]

I'm not much of a fan of Ballistol.  I find plain water hard to beat, warm if you have dainty hands.  Just make sure to dry and oil after.

My other "Go-To" is PAM.  Great stuff and cheap to make.  Equal parts Hydrogen Peroxide, Denatured Alcohol and Murphy Oil Soap.  Works a treat.  I also haul my small spray bottle with me to matches to keep my BP/Sub guns happily banging along.

People are Still Contagious.  Avoid 'em

[DeaconKC]

I have a pair of SASS Ruger New Vaqueros in SS.  My black powder cleaning routine is as follows:

I start my cleaning by removing the base pin & cylinder and grips.

Take just the frame to the laundry tub where the faucet has a short length of garden hose screw on to the water outlet.

Use the hose with tepid temperature water flowing and flush water down the barrel forcing cone towards the muzzle.
A nice gush of black foul flows out the stops.  I must push a brush up to get more fouling to flow out.

I force the hose against the hole where the cylinder locking bolt is standing tall in.
Water is forcefully sprayed into ever hole from every angle.
I look to see if any fouling colour is ejected in the water flowing out of the frame.

I shake all the water droplets out of the frame.
I squirt into the frame 99% rubbing alcohol then shake it out. Repeat the frame interior alcohol rinse and shake out.
Alcohol absorbs water droplets that cling in the frame.

Sometimes I will spray non chlorinated brake cleaner into the frame after the alcohol flush.
A small cloud of grey fouling will flow out in the clear brake fluid, don't blink or you'll miss it.
Shake out and what fluid remains the rest will evaporate.  I accelerate the evaporation by pulling air through the frame holes my with the shop vac.

Rinse and brush the cylinder charge holes at the laundry tub.

Now at my work bench I clean the frame, cylinder & base pin just the same as after firing smokeless powder using solvents then applying oil and grease.

I will admit I am an over oilier particularly inside the frame. I roll the frame to get the oil to flow into every nook and cranny.
I wipe off the revolvers before firing but after a few shots a re-wipe is required as more oil bleeds through at the trigger guard to frame seam.

My revolver are about 5 years old now and are working perfectly, even better now the cylinder throats have been ream to the proper diameter.

To avoid over-oiling, which can eventually cause it's own set of problems, try spraying the innards down with something like CLP and then wiping off the excess. If you have wood grips on your revolvers, they will thank you.

[wildman1]

Try dipping the nose of the bullets in bore butter when you are on the loading table before you insert them in the cylinder, at the end of the shoot they will wipe clean with a dry paper towel. Also works very well with smokiless powder. It really keeps them running smooth thru a whole match. You may have to run a wet patch or two thru the barrel when you finish 6 stages.
wM1
PS I shoot nearly every weekend and have been doing this for years, it also works very well with C&B revolvers.

[Trailrider]

I hope my next selection won't cause gastric distress amongst you, but to avoid the BP mess and cleaning, there is this new propellant that has recently (in about the last century plus) been developed. It's called smokeless powder!   

[medic15al]

Its only a fad, and is inferior to the True Holy gunpowder that is black powder.

[Blackpowder Burn]

Well.........I've been using Ballistol and Moose Milk with black powder for ALL of my shooting for the past 15 years.  Never even a microscopic speck of rust anywhere.  Simple and cheap.

[R.M. Conversion]

I also use Ballistol.  Some anti-seize grease on the arbor and nipple threads.  If you like, a little CLP wipedown on the external parts finishes things up.

[Crow Choker]

Have shot 45 Colt black fueled loads in my Old Model Vaquero. No different cleaning practices vs a open top Colt type conversion. A few different nooks and crannies. Cylinder rachets and ejector need some TLC as does any gunk that may enter via the hand or bolt cutouts. I've used Ballistol for pushing 20 plus years now. Greatest thing IMO for black powder firearms. Cleans great, lubes great, great surface rust protection. Works well on smokeless firearms also. Has taken years of old copper fouling out of alot of my MILSURP bolt action rifle collection. Swab, let it sit for several days and the greenest guck ya ever saw comes out of the barrel. Sometimes I do a 2nd soaking.

Has to be some reason Ballistol has survived since back in WW1 when Germany created it as a do-all oil for firearms and other things. Smell doesn't bother me that much, although the Mrs likes Hoppes better she says. My firearm wipedown rag for outside rust prevent is to use a 12x12 or tad bigger flannel cloth saturated moderately with pure Ballistol. Have used it for as long as I've used the big B. Never a speck of rust or the beginnings of it. Rag gets dirty lookin I toss it and start a new one. Bought several yards of tan flannel some years back. Use the flannel for guitar wipe downs too, but with different product on it. I keep several full cans of B on hand in case there's ever a shortage or price climbs crazy. Jubal Starbuck turned me onto it at the time.

[Froogal]

Ballistol stinks, but it works, and works quite well. I set a floor fan behind me to keep some fresher air moving and then it doesn't bother me.

[Bunk]

As long as you are shooting real honest to goodness Gunpowder or APP anything mixed with water or just plain warm will do the job but water is the essential ingredient.
On the other hand if you are shooting "rust that burns" ( the"P" stuff) to quote  a well known retired gun plumber...
(And at this point I will steal a line from Blazing Saddles)
Son, you are on your own.
Respectfully
sort of
Bunk

[Abilene]

Ballistol stinks, but it works, and works quite well. I set a floor fan behind me to keep some fresher air moving and then it doesn't bother me.

It actually takes my breath away and I can't breathe.  So I definitely use a fan as well indoors!  I describe the odor as 'licorice' (which I also don't like).