The point of the question is cleaning and there are many ways to accomplish the task easy and effective. Plain water or various solutions all get the job done. I use plain water to clean my muzzle loader's at a rendezvous or in the field. I favor hot water when the opportunity of a camp fire presents itself. My breech loaders clean completely with a solution of water and water soluble oil. A few patches, dry and oil...done. After a heavy day with the shotguns the dish soap and water make quick work of cleanup. The thing is to get people to enjoy a black powder experience and not over clean or worry about rusting their fine firearms. With common sense it just does not happen. When it is time for a strip and clean, a light coat of oil on the internal parts is sufficient. Any fouling that gets into the action will setup on top of the oil film and not cause problem. (45 years of cap and ball revolver shooting have proved this to me). On breech loaders, the seal of the case or hull and the cartridge rims provide a pretty good stop of blowback powder residue. Heavily used guns a strip and clean once a year is about right. There is just no reason to completely strip the firearm every time it is used with black powder. Load some black powder and give it a try. Fun, effective and not a chore to clean up. Your fine firearms will not turn into a pile of rust and you will get to experience what shooting was like a hundred and fifty years ago.
