Cleaning Your Revolver...

I start with a patch & solvent to get the loose fouling, then a bronze brush 5 or 6 times. While the barrel is soaking, I clean the rest of the gun. That gives the solvent time to work. For the chambers, it doesn't really matter which direction you clean them. But the important thing with the cylinder (often overlooked) is that the chambers are larger in diameter than the barrel & have no rifling, so the same brush you used to clean the barrel won't work very well in the cylinder. Use a chamber brush for the chambers. It is made specifically to clean chambers; it is larger in diameter and also longer. Clean chambers are even more important than a clean barrel.

Haven't used a bronze brush in 20yrs. I only clean my revolver bores when they are leaded, which is practically never and only clean my chambers when necessary. Which is usually after several hundred to a couple thousand rounds and only with a patch dampened with CLP.

I clean mine every time I shoot them, using bronze bore & chamber brushes, followed by cotton patches.
In fact, I'm probably a little OCD on clean guns.

I think it is importent to clean chambers from the rear, as chamber brushes might snag on the ejector star and push it out far enough for junk to fall under it.

Bronze bore brushes simply cannot harm a gun, no matter how often you use them.

rc

Depends if you are shooting specials out of magnum cylinders. Soaking is your friend. Of course something friendly to the finish.

OilyPablo said:

Depends if you are shooting specials out of magnum cylinders......

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Pable makes a good point about extra cleaning attention for the cylinders, if you've been shooting .38's in a .357, as you can get build-up at the end of the cycliders that could restrict the longer .357's.
That being said, from what I've read, it still takes a while for this to be a possible issue, so you probably don't need to attach a bronze brush to your Black & decker drill and spin-out the cyclinders every time you shoot 50 rounds . (Though, from what I've read, this method does seem to be a popular way to do it.)
Anyways, it took me YEARS to ween myslef off the obsessive degree of cleaning that was hammered into us in the Marine Corps. My freinds used to find it highly amusing watching me make such a production ( "really,dude? Q-TIPS" ??) out of cleaning a gun after shooting a few rounds, but I've finally relaxed a bit.
I still like to clean after every shoot, but i've been known to let an AK or SKS go a bit before cleaning, even shooting them a couple times before getting around to cleaning them.
These days, with most everything else, I will often just run an oiled patch through the bore a few times, till it comes out semi-clean, and wipe everything down. I may or may not run a bronze brush through a couple times.
If I'm not likely to shoot the thing for a long time, I'm more likely to give it the full treatment (soak with solvent, run brushes w/patches till clean).
It's important to keep some perspective, and not get carried away, remembering that these are still just metal machines. They're made to run with a degree of fouling, from the very first shot. None of us would consider disassembling and cleaning our car angines after every ride.

rcmodel said:

I clean mine every time I shoot them, using bronze bore & chamber brushes, followed by cotton patches.
In fact, I'm probably a little OCD on clean guns.

I think it is importent to clean chambers from the rear, as chamber brushes might snag on the ejector star and push it out far enough for junk to fall under it.

Bronze bore brushes simply cannot harm a gun, no matter how often you use them.

rc

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I could kiss you for this. Save me a lot of typing. Mine gets this plus lead away to get rid of any lead on the muzzle end of the cylinder. After every range trip. Glass beaded stainless is hard to clean.

Ruger website has a plastic caliber specific cylinder cleaner that does all 6 chambers at once.
I use them for my cowboy guns after every shooting event. Speeds up from having to do each individual chamber in the cylinder. Barrels done with brass as its what I have on hand.

I could kiss you for this.

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Ain't gonna be none of that Man Kissing or Hugging with me!

O.K.!!!

You try to get that close, there's gonna be an altercation!

rc

Use a brush slightly larger than bore dia. for the chambers. A .38 brush won't clean a .38 chamber. Get a .40 brush. I use a .44 brush brush for my .41 guns and a .45 brush for my .44 guns. Soaking the metal in CLP or your favorite brew for 15 minutes or so really makes it easier. Take your time. Don't worry about the face of the cylinder. Whatever comes off with light brushing and a rag is fine. Whatever doesn't just tightens up your cylinder gap. Revolvers rule.......

Why are you cleaning them?? Other than a toothbrush to clean under the extractor star, I shoot literally thousands of rounds of .38 Special hand loads without cleaning my snubbies. Well, other than a wipe down with solvent/oil when I get back from the range to clean the outside. They never malfunction. These are not carry guns, just shooters. I would keep a carry gun a tad cleaner although I don't know why.

Stu

I'm anal. I don't put uncleaned or wet (H2O) guns in my main safe. It's just the way I am. The list as to why this is technically, morally, politically, practically or otherwise wrong cannot be so long as to interfere with a healthy hobby.

When brushing or snaking a swing-out cylinder (rare) I hold the cylinder itself rather than the gun to avoid torque on the crane. It might not be necessary but makes me feel better.

trentcwwilson said:

I could kiss you for this. Save me a lot of typing. Mine gets this plus lead away to get rid of any lead on the muzzle end of the cylinder. After every range trip. Glass beaded stainless is hard to clean.

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could not agree more! In the event that a bronze brush shows ANY affect (other than cleaning) on a steel barrel, do not shoot that firearm any longer! My personal advice would be to bury it out in the woods!

I've only ever used aggressive brushes in the cylinders after going Special to Magnum and even then, it was not always required so I steer clear in that case.

Aside from lead projectiles - I'm generally loathe to use too stiff a brush, period.


Todd.

For the chambers I use a .40cal brush on a short extension in a hand drill to auger out the crud ring and clean up the rest of the chambers so the fresh rounds slip and and the empties out easily. The .40cal size really matches up better after the hand drill use turns the bristles on the wire core a little. Spin at a slow to moderate speed to avoid flinging the cleaning solvent all over hell's half acre.

For the bore I put a couple of patches down and when the last one comes out clean I dry patch and inspect with a good light. If I see dark lines in the edges of the rifling THEN I run a .357 size brush down the bore to clean out the lead or fouling as seen by the dark lines. But even despite shooting a lot of lead ammo (cowboy action) I seldom need to take a brush to the bore.

Because of the need to clean from the muzzle I ALWAYS use a cone style crown protector. I think I took off the edge of the crown on one of my early guns because it went from being a superb gun that made me look way better than I was to just an OK gun after a few cleanings. So now I always use a crown protector. Cleaning rods and bore snakes are all able to pick up and hold grit. And when that grit rubs against the crown it cuts into the steel just like an abrasive cord or lapping tool.

Which would be why bronze electric motor bearings typically cut into the hard steel motor shaft when they wear instead of the other way around.

I shoot 3-5 days a week and don't clean until I think a gun needs it. I have at least a dozen revolvers that I shot last year that I did not clean. This 686 I bought new a year ago. I have shot over 3k rounds thru it and have yet to clean it.

ColtPythonElite said:

I shoot 3-5 days a week and don't clean until I think a gun needs it. I have at least a dozen revolvers that I shot last year that I did not clean. This 686 I bought new a year ago. I have shot over 3k rounds thru it and have yet to clean it.

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I've certainly seen folks put more wear on their firearms from cleaning than from shooting.

A great example of extreme abuse would be the Garand or 0-3 rifle with a beat to hell muzzle or worse, the almost oblonged muzzle from steel rods, while the rifling and chamber are near pristine.

Todd.

Yes, but, the joints in the steel GI cleaning rods did all the damage, not the steel rods themselves.

There was a tremendous amount of muzzle wear done with wood ram rods and cleaning rods loaded with grit back in the old days too.

Solid polished S/S rod will not wear out a muzzle.

A wood rod loaded with years of grit, or a jointed M-1 Garand GI rod will do it quickly

rc

ColtPythonElite - what powder are you using? That's fantastic. My revolvers get much, much more nasty in 300-500 rounds.

BE-86 and 140 gr coated Missouri Bullet Company Zingers

Aha. Search for BE-86 starts. Thank you!

OilyPablo said:

Aha. Search for BE-86 starts. Thank you!

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Recobs has some in stock.

I haven't tried BE -86 with any other bullet or in any other caliber, but I really like the aforementioned load. I have 5 empty pound cans on my bench from loading that particular load...4500 rounds loaded in the past year... I am happy with it.