Lubricating a j frame without removing side plate

I don't open mine up very often, with one exception. My EDC, which is a Taurus 85UL but same as a Smith J frame gets opened a couple times a year to make sure it's not full of lint and other yuck from carrying it under my shirt and sweat etc.
I usually only open the non carry revolvers when I acquire them for a clean and lube and after that use a LUCAS gun oil bottle with the needle to apply oil through the hammer slot, and trigger slot and any other small opening that needs a drop. Yoke/crane, ejector rod, hand slot are all easy with the needle type lube bottle.

Drop in a bucket of lube of your choice. Let drain on paper towel. Wipe, all done.

At a S&W days event, the factory rep will clean you Smith for free. They remove the grips and put in a fluid that looks like transmission oil.

Back in the day of all steel guns.

SteadyD said:

Is there a way to go about lubricating the moving parts without taking off the side plate?

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A few drops are unlikely to reach where they need to, but a flush will. The trick will then be removing the 95% that's excess. I like @243winxb idea, followed by blowing it out gently if you have air.

I imagine that the overwhelming majority of Smith's now in existence have never had the sideplate off. . . and they work just fine.

Never had mine open yet. I put a few drops into the slot for the hand and a few on to the cylinder stop, work that in with some dry fire. Then add a few drops on both sides of the trigger and work that all in with some dry fire upside down. Wipe off the extra.

Rem Oil is your friend, SteadyD, and what you
are doing is fine.

Rem Oil runs like water and
quickly spreads out. A few drops on either
side of hammer, a squirt into frame area with
grips off, maybe a drop or so on either
side of trigger. Then dry fire.

Some Rem Oil will run out as excess. And you'll be fine.

Also place a drop or two around yoke area and
cylinder ejector pin. Then work pin.

A steel or alloy revolver needs little oil, just
the opposite of an auto which isn't hurt
by more generous applications.

Google "Lubricating a revolver" and you'll
get several You Tubes which demonstrate
what I just advised.

Same as everybody else. A drop here, a drop there. It finds it way where it needs to go. Wipe off excess.

Buy the right screwdriver and remove the sideplate - Only needs to be done every once in a blue moon.

Years ago I called S&W about this very thing with my 442. They put me in touch with a tech that told me “If you have spray lubricant shoot a quick shot in the firing pin hole, a shot in around the hand and if you want to pull the grips shoot a shot up inside. Wipe off the excess, dry fire it a few times and you should be good to go.”
He did not specify a lubricant.
I have done that for years with my 442 and only last year removed the side plate and flushed the revolver with Hornady One Shot. The internals looked a bit grimy but there was no hardened gunk anywhere. It all flushed clean with the Hornady spray.
I bought my 442 in 1997.

Crap! Forgot to add that once every year or so I used Break Free as the spray lube. Real quick spurts. Real quick. I didn’t want it migrating everywhere.

I've lubed revolvers both ways, removing the sideplate or using thin oil from the exterior. This is one of those situations where I do like RemOil for how thin it is and how it can creep into nearly every crevice.

Normally, I only gain access to the guts of a revolver if it needs serious cleaning, or it needs a trigger job, or it needs some service. Otherwise, RemOil in a needle applicator (or something similar) has worked well for me.

Of course, the excess oil will run out of the gun for quite some time when working the action. I just rub the excess into the exterior of the gun with my fingers to help protect the finish.

Anyone that's owned a pinned together revolver like an H&R or a Charter Arms sure prefers the oil from the outside method.

Contrary to popular belief an SW side plate screws can and has been removed without some high end screw driver.
If you go slow and are careful you are not gonna BUGGER them up.
Unless you have a real reason like it is old and gummed up, there is no real reason to remove the side plate.

If it is a hammer model just cock it and a few drops of oil down the gap and then dry fire it. (yes, you do that as well)

I take the grips off and soak revolvers in Ed's Red a day or so. Then, I let them drip dry on a towel.

JohnKSa said:

You could have achieved the same results without removing the side plate.

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You are correct, at least in regards to my 442. I figured after 23 years I should take a look inside.
Now, just so everyone knows this was not a carry everyday gun. I carried it for 4 years in a pocket holster in that time but it mostly ride around in a gun rug in my truck or in my motorcycle and a lot of those years it was a loaded sedentary gun safe gun that got shot every month or two.

Rule3 said:

Contrary to popular belief an SW side plate screws can and has been removed without some high end screw driver.
If you go slow and are careful you are not gonna BUGGER them up.
Unless you have a real reason like it is old and gummed up, there is no real reason to remove the side plate.

If it is a hammer model just cock it and a few drops of oil down the gap and then dry fire it. (yes, you do that as well)

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A simple hollow ground screwdriver is far from some "high end" screw driver and with the S&W, you only need that one size for all of them

SteadyD said:

With regard to regular oils, I have hoppes in a needle applicator, but it isn’t as runny as Rem Oil. Would I be better off just getting some Rem Oil for this, should I choose not to get one shot?

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If you don't already have the Rem Oil, I'd get a spray like @JohnKSa mentioned.

Military did use Break free CLP, has Teflon. . https://www.amazon.com/Break-Free-C...0050GW7KU/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 Newer? http://www.g96.com/products/military-approved-products/military-approved-synthetic-clp-gun-oil/

Over the years i had 2 problems with BF CLP .
The cylinder on my 337pd titanium didnt want to turn.
The ejectors on my stored Citori shotguns were frozen. Cleaned with WD40. No more problems.

Please, no debate on wd40 ty.

SteadyD,
Don't over think this. If you doubt Rem Oil,
use other suggestions. But if you use
Rem Oil, see how things go over a few
months or a year.

Consider us old timer revolver users are
wedded to Rem Oil. Doesn't mean
newer products have not come along.

The only time I took the plate off my 642 was to install a Apex spring kit. If not for that I would not have taken it off, unless for a repair I don’t see a reason to.

George P said:

A simple hollow ground screwdriver is far from some "high end" screw driver and with the S&W, you only need that one size for all of them

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I have removed them with regular old Craftsman screwdrivers even though I have "Gunsmithing drivers from Brownells.
Even have mounted scopes without a torque wrench!

I spray the internals generously with gunscrbber or break clean. When it runs out good and clear I let it dry out. If air is available I’ll dry it that way. I then spray with Ballistol. I prop up the gun so excess oil will run out the trigger area. A few dry fires and a wipe down and all is good. I never take off the side plate and all my Revolvers actions are smooth as snot on a door knob