Patches keep coming up rusty?

[Pete112288]

I just started Muzzy hunting in the last couple years and from everything I have heard about muzzleloaders I have strived to clean mine spotless and bore butter it when I am done cleaning to prevent moisture collecting. It is always stored in a safe in the heated garage. I have taken it out twice after being stored like that for a week or two and looked down the barrel and saw more gunk. I run a patch and it comes up rust colored. Both times when this happend I spent another half hour to an hour cleaning it, bore buttered it and put it back in the safe. The gun was brand new in Nov 2012 and has less than 40 shots through it. Between hunting trips I have tried to make sure it is clean and dry just like if it was the end of season. I will admit that on days where I hunted day after day that it did just get whiped down, dry patch ran through it, and put in the softcase in the cab of my truck. I may have missed doing this once, twice tops, but at the end of the next day I would make sure to do it. I know CLP will do this if the gun is not clean all the way. If you CLP it and leave it for a night it will pull more gunk to the surface. Is the bore butter doing the same thing? I dont want to destroy my practically new gun. At the end of each cleaning before I put bore butter down it I use a bright light to look through it as close as possible and all the surfaces of the inside of the barrel look pristine and shiny. No dull spot or odd looking spots. Any ideas? If it is rusting the inside like this then what should I do?

[JLS]

Are you getting any surface rust also?  I never leave guns in a soft case because depending on the quality of the case, they can hold moisture.  In addition, you are going to have sweating issues with a truck cab that is warming and cooling.

[jackmaster]

I dont believe its possible to not have that problem, if you can keep it inside in a dryer air environment, if you really worried about it put a heavier layer of oil on a patch after you clean it, inside the barrel of course

[Pete112288]

I have small spots of surface rust where the sights attach and such due to when I wipe it down at the end of a wet day and going hunting the next day I missed those small areas. I didnt think the warming and cooling of the cab was going to be that bad. I didnt use the heater at all during muzzy season and left windows cracked the whole time as long as it wasnt pouring rain. I guess my body heat and the running of the truck still warms it up enough to have some sweating issues. Maybe I should just get a lock box in the back of the truck (it has a good canopy) would that help with sweating/condensation on the day to day hunting?

[ghosthunter]

I would say relax.
I think you are getting condensation in the barrel. (Warm to cold area)I leave mine in a cloth case unzipped and not in the safe or gun vault.
I too use bore butter. Many on here do not like Bore butter.
I clean mine twice a year between hunting seasons, just because I like too.
I often leave mine in the gun vice a couple days in the gun room to make sure it is dry.
Just try leaving it where air can get to it. 

[ghosthunter]

I have small spots of surface rust where the sights attach and such due to when I wipe it down at the end of a wet day and going hunting the next day I missed those small areas. I didnt think the warming and cooling of the cab was going to be that bad. I didnt use the heater at all during muzzy season and left windows cracked the whole time as long as it wasnt pouring rain. I guess my body heat and the running of the truck still warms it up enough to have some sweating issues. Maybe I should just get a lock box in the back of the truck (it has a good canopy) would that help with sweating/condensation on the day to day hunting?

Look really I think you are over thinking it. Just wipe it down at day end, Patch it if its unloaded and lay it on the back seat of the truck.
If you are hunting heavy rain I unload and start fresh every day. I use w-d 40 on outside if its really raining never a problem. 

[CAMPMEAT]

I cleaned mine with very hot water and soap in the bathtub. Dried it off really good and never had any rusting.

Air hose it off maybe, if you have one......

[Pete112288]

Thanks everyone. I thought I might be over reacting but with my lack of experience with it I wanted to be sure.

[MountainDevil54]

I'd ditch the bore butter first off. Stuff is nothing but a cause for rust.

[bobcat]

I'd ditch the bore butter first off. Stuff is nothing but a cause for rust.

Exactly what I was going to say. No need for bore butter. Use something modern that will actually prevent rust.

[Skillet]

 
I lost a barrel to rust years ago and only use a modern rust inhibitor now (I use the Knight stuff but any of them will work)

[Bullkllr]

  Who started the rumor that Bore Butter prevented rust? Maybe in a really dry climate

Had bad experiences with it, personally.

[RG]

I've been muzzleloading for 40 years.  Bore Butter does not prevent rust but I use it on my patches because it keeps the barrel from fouling when I'm shooting.  I clean my gun with hot water, wipe it till it's dry with clean patches, then run a patch with gun oil on it down the barrel.  I store it muzzle down since I learned years ago a puddle of oil might form in the breach if it's butt down and keep it from firing.  I don't have rust or misfires ever.  Somewhere back in history some guy decided gun oil and black powder are a bad combination and it causes fouling.  Hogwash, it doesn't.

[Pete112288]

Good to know, thanks everyone. 

[ML_Hunter]

Who started the rumor that Bore Butter prevented rust? Maybe in a really dry climate

Had bad experiences with it, personally.

 

[Kowsrule30]

Bore butter will hold moister and all kinds of debris that can hold moister as well... It's more of an inhibitor then anything...

[TriggerMike]

I used to use bore butter but switched to the old faithful, hoppes #9 oil last year to protect and prevent. The hoppes seems to prevent rust and protect the rifle a lot better than the gunky bore butter. Also, I clean mine with Blue Wonder and it seems to work a lot better than hoppes solvent or CLP. My muzzleloader will be having it's 13th B Day this year and the rifling is still money.

[kerrdog]

I prefer bore butter on popcorn. It smooth and has a clean minty taste. But it builds up on the bowl and makes it rusty.

[ML_Hunter]

I prefer bore butter on popcorn. It smooth and has a clean minty taste. But it builds up on the bowl and makes it rusty.

  Thanks for the laugh!

[Wilderness Addict]

Thanks for the info, I couldn't get patches not to show rust and I thought I was doing everything right. I do use bore butter. Maybe I'll have to try other products. Thanks for this topic.

[Bullkllr]

Thanks for the info, I couldn't get patches not to show rust and I thought I was doing everything right. I do use bore butter. Maybe I'll have to try other products. Thanks for this topic.

That's what the older Thompson Center owners manuals all said was the way to go, "all natural" bore butter. In my experience modern solvents and lubricants work much better at cleaning and preventing rust.

[BiggLuke]

What kind of gun are you using?
What kind of powder?

Bore Butter should only ever be used with traditional black powder. Not the synthetic stuff of today.

I only use Hodgdon 777 pellets.
They are water soluble, so clean up is easy. I only use water. This way, not bore butter or oils are needed. Makes clean up easy, and never had an issue with rust.