Cleaning rifle barrels by both forces American Civil War ?

walkman · May 8, 2024

How did infantry clean their rifle barrels between battles during the American Civil War ? I am familiar with replicas and black powder but
How did the infantry clean their weapons in the field ?

OpanaPointer · May 8, 2024

Hog bristle brush following boiling water down the tube. The quality powder they had then would gum up the barrel something awful. Tried some replica formula powder* once, three rounds and my fun was over.

*Said that on the can, no guarantee it was actually same formulation.

Matthew Amt · May 9, 2024

Black powder fouling is water-soluable, so as OpanaPointer says, it only takes hot water and a bore brush or just cloth patches. Then an oily patch and you're done.

Mind you, I've only worked with flintlocks and matchlocks. Civil War guns mostly used percussion caps, and I believe the residue from those is not so readily cleaned with just water. So it either needs more scrubbing (wire brush?), or some kind of solvent. I would assume everyone knew how to deal with that, and had the supplies to do it, or their weapons would have ceased to function pretty quickly!

Matthew

SocialistBlitz · May 9, 2024

very time consuming If you're in combat

Chlodio · May 9, 2024

In Philadelphia there's a museum called the Chew House which the British turned into a fort during the Battle of Germantown (1777). At one point on the floor there are several overlapping circles or arcs approx. 3/4 of an inch in diameter. They were burned into the floor by a hot musket barrel when a British soldier had to stop in mid battle and clear his barrel of powder residue by turning his musket upside down and tapping the muzzle on the floor. The hot barrel indicates it was done in mid battle, but may have been only one soldier whose musket required that kind of attention. Maybe the other soldiers took better care of their guns and kept them cleaner between battles?

walkman · May 9, 2024

SocialistBlitz said:
very time consuming If you're in combat

I read somewhere that some rifles were picked up on the battlefield with as many as 8 Bullits in the barrel .I wonder how many rifles were picked up with burst barrels ?

I think it was normal carry 60 rounds and I am pretty sure at some point troops would have to run a patch through the barrel ?

OpanaPointer · May 9, 2024

SocialistBlitz said:
very time consuming If you're in combat

That's why you clean your piece before you eat.

OpanaPointer · May 9, 2024

walkman said:
I read somewhere that some rifles were picked up on the battlefield with as many as 8 Bullits in the barrel .I wonder how many rifles were picked up with burst barrels ?

I think it was normal carry 60 rounds and I am pretty sure at some point troops would have to run a patch through the barrel ?

The patch was to contain the round and the powder. If you're firing hot you don't worry about accidently titling the barrel and having the ball roll out.

walkman · May 9, 2024

OpanaPointer said:
The patch was to contain the round and the powder. If you're firing hot you don't worry about accidently titling the barrel and having the ball roll

Chlodio said:
In Philadelphia there's a museum called the Chew House which the British turned into a fort during the Battle of Germantown (1777). At one point on the floor there are several overlapping circles or arcs approx. 3/4 of an inch in diameter. They were burned into the floor by a hot musket barrel when a British soldier had to stop in mid battle and clear his barrel of powder residue by turning his musket upside down and tapping the muzzle on the floor. The hot barrel indicates it was done in mid battle, but may have been only one soldier whose musket required that kind of attention. Maybe the other soldiers took better care of their guns and kept them cleaner between battles?

Interesting . I recently read Washington’s Crossing and there was a lot of firing yes they likely had fouled musket barrels
( smooth bore ) . Friend who taught me how to load and fire percussion and flint locks told me that .30 flint lock rifled
Rifles were harder to clean . But they had a method I am sure .

walkman · May 9, 2024

I have watched muzzle loader shoots out here in Wyoming several times .About every three shots the shooters
Stop and clean their rifled barrels , even .62 calibers . Just thinking and curious , thanks folks !

walkman · May 9, 2024

OpanaPointer said:
The patch was to contain the round and the powder. If you're firing hot you don't worry about accidently titling the barrel and having the ball roll out.

Good point !

Matthew Amt · May 9, 2024

SocialistBlitz said:
very time consuming If you're in combat

You don't stop and do a full cleaning during battle. In the Civil War, ammunition packets of 10 or 12 rounds often included a "William's Cleaner Round", a bullet with a zinc (?) disc at the base, that would help clean out some of the fouling. Remember, these are "Minie balls", conical bullets that fit loosely in the bore, but with a hollow base that would expand upon firing, engaging the rifling with a tighter fit. So some fouling wasn't really an issue.

In the same way, smoothbores firing round ball used a smaller diameter than the bore, again to ensure fast loading even with quite a bit of residue build-up. There was usually not a separate patch, instead the paper of the cartridge was left on the ball to serve as wadding. And if you want to clear excessive fouling from the bore, yes, you can run the ramrod down the bore and then rap the muzzle on a hard surface to knock some of the crud out.

Matthew

OpanaPointer · May 9, 2024

I don't remember having that much time, but I had two loaders for my .50s so it might have been me, not Father Time.

SocialistBlitz · May 9, 2024

Matthew Amt said:
You don't stop and do a full cleaning during battle. In the Civil War, ammunition packets of 10 or 12 rounds often included a "William's Cleaner Round", a bullet with a zinc (?) disc at the base, that would help clean out some of the fouling. Remember, these are "Minie balls", conical bullets that fit loosely in the bore, but with a hollow base that would expand upon firing, engaging the rifling with a tighter fit. So some fouling wasn't really an issue.

In the same way, smoothbores firing round ball used a smaller diameter than the bore, again to ensure fast loading even with quite a bit of residue build-up. There was usually not a separate patch, instead the paper of the cartridge was left on the ball to serve as wadding. And if you want to clear excessive fouling from the bore, yes, you can run the ramrod down the bore and then rap the muzzle on a hard surface to knock some of the crud out.

Matthew

yeah you don't think I know that only a autistic insane person would try to clean there rifle with the enemy fireing bullets at you well its eithier that your a neat freak Im just saying cleaning your rifle in general is time consumeing

Matthew Amt · May 9, 2024

SocialistBlitz said:
yeah you don't think I know that only a autistic insane person would try to clean there rifle with the enemy fireing bullets at you well its eithier that your a neat freak Im just saying cleaning your rifle in general is time consumeing

Um, "very time consuming If you're in combat" *did* sound to me as if you meant "in combat", so I hope you'll forgive me if I misunderstood.

Otherwise, no, you can strip down a musket and give it a good cleaning in about 15 minutes. I suspect cleaning a modern rifle takes as long, maybe longer if a sergeant is standing over you screaming about every spot you missed. Since MUCH of a soldier's life is spent cleaning *something*, that's not so bad.

How long will it take to clean up that disrespectful attitude of yours? Or your spelling?

Matthew

SocialistBlitz · May 9, 2024

Matthew Amt said:
Um, "very time consuming If you're in combat" *did* sound to me as if you meant "in combat", so I hope you'll forgive me if I misunderstood.

Otherwise, no, you can strip down a musket and give it a good cleaning in about 15 minutes. I suspect cleaning a modern rifle takes as long, maybe longer if a sergeant is standing over you screaming about every spot you missed. Since MUCH of a soldier's life is spent cleaning *something*, that's not so bad.

How long will it take to clean up that disrespectful attitude of yours? Or your spelling?

Matthew

About as long as it will take you to figure out a proper understanding of time. last time I checked 15 minutes Is long enough for you to get shot by a lead bullet and die

SocialistBlitz · May 9, 2024

SocialistBlitz said:
About as long as it will take you to figure out a proper understanding of time. last time I checked 15 minutes Is long enough for you to get shot by a lead bullet and die

especially in the hornets nest
Sun Tzu the art sick burns

Matthew Amt · May 9, 2024

SocialistBlitz said:
About as long as it will take you to figure out a proper understanding of time. last time I checked 15 minutes Is long enough for you to get shot by a lead bullet and die

What are you going on about, in such a rude way? I thought you were trying to imply that cleaning a musket takes too long *in combat*, and I said, No, they did not try to clean them in combat, i.e., while bullets are flying. (Except possibly trying to knock some fouling out quickly, which takes only seconds.) You replied very rudely that you did not mean cleaning during combat. I replied that "Otherwise" it only took about 15 minutes to clean a musket, meaning NOT while fighting. You now see to be talking again about cleaning during combat. If you can't understand English, I'm not sure I can help you.

Also, could you please be more respectful to experienced people who are trying to answer your questions?

Matthew

AlpinLuke · May 9, 2024

SocialistBlitz said:
About as long as it will take you to figure out a proper understanding of time. last time I checked 15 minutes Is long enough for you to get shot by a lead bullet and die

Or to be suspended by a mod ...
Keep in mind that this is the message board of a history forum.

zincwarrior · May 10, 2024

OpanaPointer said:
Hog bristle brush following boiling water down the tube. The quality powder they had then would gum up the barrel something awful. Tried some replica formula powder* once, three rounds and my fun was over.

*Said that on the can, no guarantee it was actually same formulation.

Not just a Civil War thing. Shooting a Martini Henry with actual blackpowder makes it unworkable after about fifteen rounds.

I shot great great great whatever grandad's ACW Colt Revolver once. After about two cycles (12 rounds) it was pretty fouled, and you had to manually help turn the cylinder. Stopped after that.

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Cleaning rifle barrels by both forces American Civil War ?

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