We have several cap & ball and one flint lock. Most are kits. Three revolvers, one a Colt Walker. Smallest bore .32, largest .58 that uses a 620 grain civil war bullet.
We are into traditional muzzle loading only. None of this modern inline stuff.
The modern belief is a black powder weapon needs cleaning after each use. Think of it a minute, did Crockett or Boone meticulously clean their rifles after a days use? Did they have the bore brushes and the solvents of today?
I’ve let rifles hanging on the rack for up to a year with no cleaning to prove this point. But I do run an oil patch down the bore first, and I sorta suspect the frontier folks ran an animal grease patch down the bore in lieu of a thorough cleaning.
I come from a different time. I shot muzzleloaders competitively back in the 1970’s. Even won a state championship or two.
Now I see all these modern “muzzleloaders” and just shake my head. Don’t get me wrong, the times have changed and I stayed behind. The yutes of today wouldn’t have a clue if I started talking about what a real muzzleloader is.
It is another area where people want technology to replace skills that are learned over a long period of time.
Very good points, no doubt about it. Thanks for your experienced backed comments.