Over oiling a S&W J-Frame

[bikemutt]

I posted recently about a rather nice S&W 342 I'd picked up. Well, the first thing I noticed is as fast as I could wipe oil off the gun, it would be back. It was seeping from everywhere, even the sideplate.

So, this weekend I pulled it apart and found a lake of Rem oil or something like that inside the gun. This is not the first time I've seen this. What is it folks hope to achieve by flooding the gun's internals with light oil?

It took me two hours to disassemble and clean the thing. Well, I also replaced the hammer and rebound springs with some from Wilson Combat. And I had to re-assemble it obviously.

She runs real good now, and my pocket is drier for it

 

[Twiki357]

Not counting the parts replacement, that’s why the first thing I do with a preowned revolver is remove the stocks and blast it out with brake cleaner to eliminate any accumulated dirt and old oil. No disassembly required.

 

[Billyzz]

Me too
Brake cleaner and my air compressor do a fast job

 

[Shaq]

LOL! Reminded me of a Sig Sauer P220 I was considering buying from a guy. He made a point of taking the grips off & saying, "See how it's all nice & greasy...I really take care of my guns!" You couldn't see any parts, it was just a glob of grease. I didn't say anything; I just paid him for the gun, used a brush, then "Gun Scrubber."

 

[bannockburn]

Twiki357

I do pretty much the same thing with old revolvers. Have had some that were just totally gummed up on the inside.

 

[GBExpat]

I always disassemble/clean/inspect/reassemble all new-to-me firearms. By doing so I have found some interesting (and sometimes dangerous) things.

On a couple of my vintage revolvers, upon removing the sideplates it appeared that I may have been the first person to do so since they left the factory a century, or so, before. That realization brought a smile to my face ... and then I got down to work on the ancient, hardened deposits.

 

[BobWright]

Reading the instructions that has come with most of my Smiths, they recommend two drops of oil, one placed on the inside of the hammer face, the other on the exposed ejector rod.

I have at times placed a little dab of grease on the base pin where the cylinder rotates, and a small dab at the hammer notch, this on Single Action revolvers.

Every ten or fifteen years I take off the grips and immerse the gun in a bath of lacquer thinner to clean out whatever gunk has built up.

Bob Wright

 

[Drail]

Two drops of oil is more than enough. Guys who have oil dripping out of their guns just don't understand how guns work (and have oil all over their clothes). Less is more.

 

[entropy]

Not counting the parts replacement, that’s why the first thing I do with a preowned revolver is remove the stocks and blast it out with brake cleaner to eliminate any accumulated dirt and old oil. No disassembly required.

Without disassembling, how do you correctly re-lubricate the internals?

I remove the lockplate & stocks, inspect the parts for wear, clean as need, replace as needed, re-lube, reassemble. Of course, I am a gunsmith...

 

[Drail]

With a funnel.......

 

[Billyzz]

At least ya know that there is a good chance it aint rusty
Think cosmoline

 

[Walkalong]

Occasionally, a couple drops down in the front of the cocked hammer, a drop in the cylinder catch slot, a small drop on the exposed ejector rod, a drop where the crane rotates.

Wipe everything down with a home made Rig Rag after every use. Occasionally do it under the grips. Sweat a lot? Do it more often under the grips.

Better to get a wet gun that a dry one that's never been oiled. Although the bone dry old Colt I bought a couple months or so ago came to life with a few drops of oil and some patience for it to work its self around.

 

[Drail]

If you choose to drip oil into frame openings instead of disassembling and placing a tiny drop of oil where it actually needs to go, most of that oil will seep back out (and may not even get to where it's needed). Bottom line - don't wear nice clothes if you oil your revolver the easy way....... If you don't feel that you can properly dis and re assemble a revolver or don't have the correct tools - it's probably better that you don't attempt it. Use oil very sparingly and as said before - frequently pull the grips off and apply a thin layer of oil on the frame - ESPECIALLY in the summertime. The steel under the grips has to be the most neglected part of any handgun that I have ever seen.

 

[Billyzz]

Occasionally, a couple drops down in the front of the cocked hammer, a drop in the cylinder catch slot, a small drop on the exposed ejector rod, a drop where the crane rotates.

Wipe everything down with a home made Rig Rag after every use. Occasionally do it under the grips. Sweat a lot? Do it more often under the grips.

Better to get a wet gun that a dry one that's never been oiled. Although the bone dry old Colt I bought a couple months or so ago came to life with a few drops of oil and some patience for it to work its self around.

Thats how i do it
But i like to push that dab of oil in there with a pin nozzle and my air compressor

 

[Walkalong]

Most people are not going to disassemble revolvers to oil them, and some people have no business doing it.

 

[Drail]

Agreed 1000%

 

[eldon519]

I'm generally of the opinion that the less you remove the side plate, the better. I certainly would not do it as often as I clean the gun. It is like detail stripping vs field stripping.

 

[Macchina]

I generally think the type of guy who sprays (let's be honest, it's WD-40) into the action of a revolver for a few seconds is not the type of guy who frequents gun forums... Now COD forums possibly... But then we'd be talking about suppressed HK's...

 

[GBExpat]

I'm generally of the opinion that the less you remove the side plate, the better. I certainly would not do it as often as I clean the gun.

If you do that, pretty quickly, no matter how careful you are, you are going to bugger the screwheads.

 

[Tallball]

I have revolvers that I've owned for 20 years or more that work perfectly. I don't want to mess anything up by removing the side plates, so I slide one drop of oil down the hammer every few years or so. If the cylinder stops spinning easily I will sometimes add a drop or two to the ejector rod and/or crane. I'm not an expert like some of y'all, but it works for me.

 

[entropy]

I generally think the type of guy who sprays (let's be honest, it's WD-40) into the action of a revolver for a few seconds is not the type of guy who frequents gun forums... Now COD forums possibly... But then we'd be talking about suppressed HK's...

No; they wouldn't be on computers at all; They are 60+ year old neckbeards who get all their gun info from their just-as misinformed bar buddies, and gun shows. And they are amazed that their deer rifle didn't work in 10 below zero with gummed-up WD-40 in the action. I worked on their guns for years, and saw the same guy's guns come back in the shop every fall gummed to hell with WD-40, even after I correctly re-lubed them and wrote the instructions on how to lube and what to use on the tag every year!

 

[Cannibul]

No; they wouldn't be on computers at all; They are 60+ year old neckbeards who get all their gun info from their just-as misinformed bar buddies, and gun shows. And they are amazed that their deer rifle didn't work in 10 below zero with gummed-up WD-40 in the action. I worked on their guns for years, and saw the same guy's guns come back in the shop every fall gummed to hell with WD-40, even after I correctly re-lubed them and wrote the instructions on how to lube and what to use on the tag every year!

Yet there are people on this forum who will swear that WD-40 doesn't gum up and leave varnish.

 

[Blacksmoke]

Then there are those who "lubricate" door locks with WD-40 and wonder why their key eventually snapped off.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I'm one of those guys who likes to take the side plate off old S&W revolvers and see what is inside. If you are careful, and know what you are doing you will not hurt anything. I have taken enough old revolvers apart to believe that no amount of squirting something inside without disassembling and scrubbing the parts by hand will remove old hardened oil. I also do not believe that a few drops of oil applied from the outside will reach the areas were they are needed.

Just last night I took the side plate off a 38 M&P that left the factory in 1899. I should have taken a photo of all the hardened crud coating the side plate and the moving parts, but I didn't. Here is a photo of it all cleaned up and lightly lubricated. The stain on the rebound lever is left over from the gunk that was deposited there, scrubbing did not remove the stain. I will add that I did not completely take this old revolver apart. The Thumb Piece nut was very stubborn, and rather than risk damaging anything I decided to leave it in place.

 

[dickydalton]

I always disassemble/clean/inspect/reassemble all new-to-me firearms. By doing so I have found some interesting (and sometimes dangerous) things.

On a couple of my vintage revolvers, upon removing the sideplates it appeared that I may have been the first person to do so since they left the factory a century, or so, before. That realization brought a smile to my face ... and then I got down to work on the ancient, hardened deposits.

Exactly!