[vega]

I was reading Gatofeo's post and the cleaning caught my eye. I don't want to make another mistake so I might as well ask in advance.

1) Do I need to fully strip my revolver for cleaning? Is there a manual somewhere which will guide me to do it?

2) Is there a blow-up diagram available?

3) I got a brass frame, is it safe to put it on an oven at 150-250 F heat?

4) Is the screw at the bottom of the grip the one that holds the wooden grip?

TIA,
vega

[4v50 Gary]

Detailed disassembly of the revolver is not required for basic maintenance.

[vega]

It's still good to know anyway. mec already provided the link from another thread.

vega

[DillHarris]

Hey Vega, sounds like you're getting into these cap n' ball revolvers brand new too. It's amazingly easy to fully disassemble them. I have a post (maybe two weeks old) about a model 1862 police where I got some good book recommendations. "Gunsmithing:Guns of the Old West" is really great if you can get it from your library. mec's material is great too, especially for reassembly. I used the book and his material. Best of luck and have fun.

[vega]

Yup DH, all I want is a SA 22 LR but when I look at one of the models (1851) at Turner's I decided I want one too. And it happens that Midway sent me their e-blast mail with a discount. I put the 22 on a layaway and got me one of this antique revo.

I'll search your post too. Thanks.

vega

[Gatofeo]

You don't need to fully strip and scrub down your cap and ball revolver each outing. I used to, but over the years I wised up.
However, whether you must or not largely depends upon the climate and storage conditions of your revolver.
I live in the Utah desert, where humidity is typically low. During the summer I only clean the bore and cylinder chambers, and wipe fouling from around the rear of the cylinder, hammer nose, rammer and the recoil shield. Then I reapply a good, natural grease (I use CVA Grease Patch).
But if I lived in Mississippi, Georgia or Seattle, I'd likely clean it thoroughly a lot more often.
The bottom line is to clean the the bore and cylinder, and keep the nipples clean too --- and closely monitor the other areas for rust.
I typically pack CVA Grease Patch (a very soft, natural grease) into the guts and smear the sides of the hammer with grease to keep everything from dragging from fouling.
I can't positively state that you MUST clean each outing, or that you MAY not clean for days or weeks. It all depends on where you live. It also depends on the revolver's storage. If you store it in a holster, you're inviting trouble. Leather contains moisture. I keep my revolvers in the gun safe with a tuna can full of Silica Gel, which draws moisture.
When Silica Gel is deep pink, it has reached moisture capacity. Place the can of it in the oven at very low temp (150 or so) with the oven door open until it turns blue. Then return to your storage area.
Many packs of Silica Gel are sealed, so you can't actually see the crystals. For these, place them on a cookie sheet and leave the oven door open at 150 degrees or less. This will drive out moistire and rejuvenate the moisture-gathering ability of the packet.

[vega]

Thanks for the tips, I still can't organize myself to shoot this antique.

vega