Cleaning the Zouave

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oldknotty

New member
Ok guys here i go again . How do I go about cleaning the Zouave after it has been to the range ?? Also where can i get a cleaning kit that is for a 58 cal rifled musket , seems to be like rocking horse s**t around here ?? I await your expert advice folks :-)
Thanks martin
 
Get a cleaning rod and 58 caliber cleaning jag
http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/25...-cleaning-jag-58-caliber-10-x-32-thread-brass
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/93...8-polymer-10-x-32-thread?cm_vc=ProductFinding


Get a foot of Tygon tubing ~3/16 - 1/4 ID

Get a handful of pipe cleaners

1. Jam the Tygon onto the nipple base to extend the drain distance

2. Pour hot soapy (dish soap) water into the bore and pump it through the nipple/out the tube using patch on jag

3. Using that same soppy patch, scrub up and down the bore a 1/2-dozen times

4. Dry patch it out several times to remove softened fouling

5. Repeat steps 2-4 once or twice

6. Remove nipple, and use a soapy folded patch on small screwdriver to clean out wetted fouling/threads in nipple area.

7. Holding rifle horizontal/upside down, use another sopping patch to clean caked-on gunk around snail surfaces where nipple screwed in. Repeat (since this is really hardest fouling)

8. Use last/cleanest sopping patch to clean nipple and its thread surfaces.

8. Use pipecleaner(s) to clean out flash hole/into bore/inside of nipple

9. Use oiled pipecleaner for final clean/protection of flashhole/inside of nipple

10. Use folded oiled patch on screwdriver to final clean/protect nipple threads

11. Use same oiled patch to clean/protect snail surface(s) where nipple screws in

12. Use same oiled patch to final clean/protect the nipple sufaces/threads

13. Screw nipple into barrel

14. Use oiled patch on cleaning rod jag to final clean/protect bore

15. Use same oiled patch to wipe down barrel exterior/other surfaces

~~~~~~~ about 15-20 minutes as this point ~~~~~~~

16. Mix up some Margaritas :cool:
 
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Put the other end of the tubing in a bucket of soapy water. Put a bore mop on your cleaning rod and it will pull water up the bore and push it out the nipple on the down stroke with some force. I hardly ever pull the nipple.
 
Good advice from others already.

You do not have to unship the barrel every time you clean it.

I use Ballistol for cleaning. I do remove the nipple when cleaning so that I can clean out the fire channel. I use pipe cleaners for that.

You will want a brass bristle brush and a breech scraper in addition to the jag for patches.

Steve
 
I would skip the brass brush. Water dissolves all the residue so its not needed. I've been shooting bp since 69 and I don't even know what a breech scraper looks like.
 
I would skip the brass brush. Water dissolves all the residue so its not needed. I've been shooting bp since 69 and I don't even know what a breech scraper looks like.
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You may be right on the brass brush, but a breech scraper is an absolute necessity. When cleaning, your patch pushes a lot of carbon down onto the breech face and won't lift it out. This can build on the breech face and result in a hard, coke-like material on the face of the breech. Under rapid fire conditions, this material will begin to glow like an ember and can set off powder as you pour it down the barrel.

Here is what they look like:

fs-50_0.jpg


Every time I use mine I bring up carbon fouling from the face of the breech.

Steve
 
As I said before I don't use patches, I use a bore mop. The hydraulic action of the mop creates enough pressure to flush it all out and if it doesn't the mop will get what's left.
 
One thing to consider about those scrapers is whether the maker did a good job of facing the breechplug. There's still probably some lines on the breechface and plug scraper won't get it all. They're nice to have, but not an absolute must. Pulling the breechplug is about the only way to ensure you can get to the breechplug and clean it. I can't recommend that for normal cleaning or even annual cleaning.

BTW, after years of use I pulled the breechplug on my Markwell Arms .45 caliber rifle. It wasn't bad at all.
 
Put the other end of the tubing in a bucket of soapy water. Put a bore mop on your cleaning rod and it will pull water up the bore and push it out the nipple on the down stroke with some force. I hardly ever pull the nipple.
Click to expand...

Ditto: This is the method I have used to clean my P-H 1853 Enfield for the last 40 years and it is quick, easy and thorough. I have always removed my barrel from the stock to do it, and place the nipple end in a 5 gallon bucket with some very hot soapy water. The hydraulic action does a good job of cleaning, and rinsing afterwards using hot clear water heats the metal so the water evaporates quickly. Then, merely swab bore with some good oil.
 
your patch pushes a lot of carbon down onto the breech face ...
Click to expand...
While less so for a military musket, this is a particular problem with many civilian-rifle/patched-ball barrels which have a "patent" breech of as much as a half inch reduced diameter at the bottom.

There I use a shotgun rod with a slotted jag (patch folded over the end) to get down into that area and clean out every session. Hardened carbon doesn't build up that way. (But if it did through my inaction over several shooting sessions, I'd simply squirt auto Carb Cleaner down into the bottom; let it sit for 5-10 minutes to dissolve; then patch it out as usual)
 
Where can i get a 58 cal bore mop from ???? I have looked at the usual places but did not see one of that caliber ??
Martin
 
As I said before I don't use patches, I use a bore mop. The hydraulic action of the mop creates enough pressure to flush it all out and if it doesn't the mop will get what's left.
Click to expand...

It might depend on how much shooting you do and how diligent you are during flushing and mopping. I doubt that a mop or any amount of flushing is going to bring up the stuff baked onto the face of the breech the way I shoot, with 75-100 rounds fired before a good cleaning. But maybe I should soak my barrel more or something during cleaning to try and soften it up so that it will flush/wipe out.

When I use my breech scraper, even after what I thought was a thorough cleaning, most of the time I can feel the scrapper cut into and remove the baked-on fouling, and it sticks to and comes up with the scraper wedge. Sometimes it comes up clean, often it does not.

Do as pleases you. I've seen cook-offs during competition and it's easy insurance against getting a "powder tatoo" or worse while loading. It's rare but it happens. Our team commander has had 3 cook-offs in 30 years until he learned about the scraper.

Pulling the breechplug is about the only way to ensure you can get to the breechplug and clean it.
Click to expand...

This is true. But the breech scraper gets you a long way between flushing/wiping and disassembly.

Where can i get a 58 cal bore mop from ???? I have looked at the usual places but did not see one of that caliber ??
Click to expand...

Here's one:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/89...e-cleaning-mop-58-caliber-10-x-32-thread-wool

But a 20 gauge mop from any sporting goods store will probably work just as well.

Steve
 
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