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and out) or in keeping with the all natural approach of seasoning your bore,wipe it with a patch saturated with Natural Lube 1000+. Reassemble thefirearm.GENERAL COMMENTS ON CLEANINGYou will note that throughout this manual, references are made about usinglubricants (patch lubricant, bullet lubricants and bore cleaners) which areboth petroleum based such as T/C Maxi Lube, and non petroleum based likeour Natural Lube 1000+ .While we have no intention of changing your successful practices of lubingor cleaning, we do want to point out that our experience in using non petroleumbased lubes has shown us that it does improve performance and easeof loading, while also eliminating the need to clean between shots. Naturalproducts were used in the early 1800’s with a great deal of success, and it wasn’tuntil petroleum based lubes were used that the corrosive nature of blackpowder fouling seemed to present a problem in both maintenance and in reloading.Fouling is fouling, and regardless of the system used to lube and cleanyour muzzleloader (petroleum based oils versus all natural non petroleumbased products) excessive fouling will be evident to the shooter as he experiencesmore difficulty in loading from shot to shot.The advantages to using all natural non petroleum based lubes and cleaningproducts are many; the elimination of having to wipe your bore betweenshots or of having to immediately clean your gun after use; and the increase inaccuracy due to more consistent velocities and more uniform pressures.However, the responsibility to clean your muzzleloader thoroughly beforeputting it away still exists. It’s a tradition that has always existed and for goodreason. A well maintained firearm is a safer firearm, and it’s up to theowner/user to keep it that way.USING CLEANING IMPLEMENTSThompson/Center muzzleloading rifles and pistols are supplied with acleaning jag which is the proper size for the particular caliber. For cleaning usecommercial cleaning patches (round or square) or pieces of discarded clothing.When using the cleaning jag, patch size and thickness are important. Startwith a patch that is approximately 2 1/2" square (or in diameter). Position itover the jag as pictured in the illustration and try it in the bore of the firearm(wet patches will enter more easily than dry ones). If it seems to be too tight -don’t force it. If your trial patch proves to be too tight, use a smaller size patchand/or thinner material.A patch which is too small or thin will pull free from the jag teeth duringthe cleaning process. Such “lost patches” can be quickly retrieved by use of the63