One good tip for Revolver Cleaning

[Guest CigarGuy]

Old guy, but relatively new to the sport.  Love my revolvers.  My problem is I am probably the most

NON-handy man you would ever meet.  I'm talking having trouble screwing in light bulbs and getting

keys to "work" in locks ineptitude.

Anyways, with that confession, I have NO intuitive skills when it comes to cleaning the revolvers. 

What one(or two) tips could you give an idiot that probably hasn't figured it out himself, yet.  Something you

learned along the way or a tip someone gave you once?

Thanks, fellas!

[Dolomite_supafly]

Get a bore snake for the caliber you need. Nothing easier. Pull it through each hole in the cylinder and through the bore. Then take a rag and wipe down the outside with a little bit of oil.

 

Dolomite

[Ebow1]

I love the bore snake, especially for revolvers. Runnin those brushes and bristles through all those cylinders gets old.

[jhc77]

[quote name="Ebow1" post="879141" timestamp="1357682630"]I love the bore snake, especially for revolvers. Runnin those brushes and bristles through all those cylinders gets old.[/quote] The cylinder is the dirtiest part. I use KleenBore Lead Away for the cylinder face. Other than that the bore snake is the easiest for the barrel.

[TrickyNicky]

[quote name="JHC77" post="879163" timestamp="1357685397"]The cylinder is the dirtiest part. I use KleenBore Lead Away for the cylinder face. Other than that the bore snake is the easiest for the barrel.[/quote] +1 the cylinder face and forcing cone are two areas to give some special attention. If your truly as mechanically disinclined as you say my tip is to NEVER take the side plate off. It's very rare to have any reason to do so but if you feel that situation has arrived, take it to a competent gunsmith. BTW, when people say "a light coat of oil" they really do mean a LIGHT coat of oil. Apply a little to a clean rag and wipe off with another. Or use a silicone impregnated cloth found at any gun store. If your revolver is stainless, go nuts. If its blued, don't over do it, a few quick wipes with not a lot of pressure should keep it rust free. Also if its blued, make sure to wipe it down after handling the metal else the acids in your skin can reap havoc with the finish. Sorry if any of that was stuff you already knew, just wanted to be thorough.

[Raoul]

Buy some Hoppes.

[hipower]

Buy some Hoppes.

 

Yes.  But make sure the wife isn't repelled by the fragrence. Mine has a fit everytime I clean. Says it stinks up the whole house when I use it in the garage. 

[frankmako]

i am old school.  hoppie #9, bronze brush, patches, and hard work.  the lead away products are good also.

[Guest CigarGuy]

Jeez, I go away for the evening and already 7 responses.

No, NEVER would take anything "off".  I know I wouldn't get it back together.......

I use the bore snake and rods with brushes and pads.  The one thing that I am

uncomfortable with is using the rod, with the brush on the end, and inserting it into

the "crown"(is that correct) as you can't insert in the breach end(is THAT right?).

I know I was always "told" to run everything the way the way the ammo runs, but,

obviously impossible with a rod on a revolver.  The bore snake definitely works

for the barrel to run the "right" way.

Yes.  Love my Hoppes.  Although, not suppose to use on blued revolvers, correct?

I did get some of those lead pads and really try to scrub around the forcing cone.  Just

kinda use the nail from your finger to get around there?  How about the top part? 

So narrow there about the only thing you could get in there is some dental floss, then

you need 3 hands.   :(

[DaveTN]

Lean some minor disassembly and you don’t have to scrub anything. This is not really a hobby you can enjoy without having the ability to disassemble a gun.

 

You need a good set of screw drivers and use the screwdriver fits the slot properly so you don’t damage the screw of the surrounding area. (If you bought a Smith & Wesson revolver new one came with it)

 

Yes, you can use Hoppes on a Blued gun, but like Hipower my wife raises heck so I switched to M-Pro 7. I have a tub with enough M-Pro 7 ( I bought a gallon jug) in it to submerge the gun. I remove the grips, and soak the gun overnight or longer. Carbon rings wipe right off and a tooth brush removes everything in the corners.

 

All my revolvers anymore are stainless so I don’t have to baby them, but be real careful with blued. If you use something that scratches or damages the finish; it’s expensive to refinish.

Edited January 9, 2013 by DaveTN

[Guest CigarGuy]

Oh, besides two blued, the stainless ones, I have a nickel-plated one.  I'm REAL careful with that.  No Hoppes, right?!

[Raoul]

Yes.  But make sure the wife isn't repelled by the fragrence. Mine has a fit everytime I clean. Says it stinks up the whole house when I use it in the garage. 

 

I love the smell of Hoppes in the morning.

[jdw174]

Make sure that you always scrub underneath the ejector star.  Unburned powder flakes can get trapped under there, making the cylinder hard to rotate.  You'll get those flakes lodged there when you eject the empty casings.  Also, if you shoot lead bullets, clean the forcing cone.  There used to be a tool available that was a cleaning rod with a "T" handle.  This had an accessory that was a tapered rubber plug over which a small piece of round copper screen was placed.  The rod was inserted from the muzzle and the rubber plug screwed in.  It was then pulled back into the cone and rotated several times.  I used one religiously when I was shooting a lot of lead WC's in competition.  Don't know if they're still available or not.

[Rowdy]

I love the smell of Hoppes in the morning.

It smells almost as good as Ballistol. I get it out when I want to be alone.

[BigK]

Put a little extra elbow grease into each chamber if you shoot many .38 Specials through your .357. If you don't, a ring will build up in the chamber that will prevent you from being able to put the longer .357 shells in over time.

[DaveTN]

Oh, besides two blued, the stainless ones, I have a nickel-plated one.  I'm REAL careful with that.  No Hoppes, right?!

Hoppes is fine on nickle also.

 

The gun solvent isn't what is going to damage a finish (provided its a good gun solvent) how you move abrasive material around on the finish is what is going to damage it.

 

You can't hurt stainless unless you drag it on a rope behind you.

Nickel is pretty tough but will scratch and you can't really remove the scratches.

High gloss blue finishes are fragile, some of the flat blue finishes are more forgiving.

[Guest Papabear]

Make sure that you always scrub underneath the ejector star.  Unburned powder flakes can get trapped under there, making the cylinder hard to rotate.  You'll get those flakes lodged there when you eject the empty casings.  Also, if you shoot lead bullets, clean the forcing cone.  There used to be a tool available that was a cleaning rod with a "T" handle.  This had an accessory that was a tapered rubber plug over which a small piece of round copper screen was placed.  The rod was inserted from the muzzle and the rubber plug screwed in.  It was then pulled back into the cone and rotated several times.  I used one religiously when I was shooting a lot of lead WC's in competition.  Don't know if they're still available or not.

 

You are talking about a Lewis lead remover. It's a good tool to have if you shoot alot of cast bullets.

 

http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/patches-mops/lead-remover/lewis-lead-remover-prod21587.aspx

[mikegideon]

There's something wrong with a woman that doesn't like the smell of Hoppe's. :) I honestly can't say how my girlfriend stands on the issue. I ignore those complaints :)

Edited January 9, 2013 by mikegideon

[10-Ring]

I use a large eraser to clean stubborn burnt powder off of the frame and cylinder.  Comes right off without a lot of elbow grease.

[TrickyNicky]

[quote name="10-Ring" post="879850" timestamp="1357762095"]I use a large eraser to clean stubborn burnt powder off of the frame and cylinder.  Comes right off without a lot of elbow grease.[/quote] That's a great tip. I'll have to give that a go. Also, love the smell of Hoppes. I've been using balistol and the smell is growing on me, but sometimes I open the Hoppes while I clean just to make the room smell "right" for gun cleaning.

[hipower]

It smells almost as good as Ballistol. I get it out when I want to be alone.

 

 

EEWW.  Way TMI!

[Guest sbcman]

Good advice given so far. Here's my :2cents:

 

You can clean the barrel with a regular cleaning rod/jag, etc. Just unscrew it, put the rod through the barrel muzzle end first, reattach at the forcing cone and pull back through.

 

Soft bristled tooth brush with the longest bristles you can find. Put a bit of cleaner on it and go nuts scrubbing the ejector star, under the star and the end of the cylinder. You can also hit that hard to get spot above the forcing cone (barrel) with it. If stuff is real stubborn there, grab a thin dental pic.

 

Never tried the snake, but I use a stainless steel "tornado" brush for inside the cylinders. I think Hoppes makes them. You can also use Chore Boy brass cleaning pads on a regular brush. Don't let either of these touch the interior of the barrel.

 

Hoppes is ok on nickel as long as its all wiped down. If you're concerned about it setting on the finish, grab some Hoppes Elite solvent and rest easy.

[MarkInNashville]

One tip (not about cleaning but revolvers, in general). Don't ever flip the cylinder of a revolver closed (as seen on TV), it will ultimately cause the crane to bend.

[MarkInNashville]

Yes.  But make sure the wife isn't repelled by the fragrence. Mine has a fit everytime I clean. Says it stinks up the whole house when I use it in the garage. 

 

I'm sorry but if the little lady can't get on-board with the smell of Hoppes you may need to think seriously about finding someone else!

For those of you that, like me, actually enjoy that smell D&T Arms has vehicle air fresheners that look just like their bottle! I wonder if once it looses it's wonderful fragrance you could dip it in a bottle of #9 but I bet it would just disintegrate.

Edited January 14, 2013 by MarkInNashville