Cleaning a revolver after BP cartridges

[Arkansas Paul]

Hey guys. I've decided to load up some .45 Colt rounds with BP and have gotten most of the stuff.
Do you just submerge the entire revolver in hot soapy water when you clean one up after something like that? I didn't know whether to get the soapy water into the trigger and hammer mechanism or not. I suppose it wouldn't hurt it as long as I lubed it with some Ballistol immediately after drying.

How do you guys do it? Thanks. It's a Ruger Blackhawk btw.

 

[J-Bar]

Before shooting, I smear Bore Butter on the inside surface of the frame and on the base pin. It's like spraying Pam on a skillet, makes it easier to wipe off the soot after shooting.

After shooting I remove the cylinder and wipe off what I can with a paper towel from the inside of the frame, hammer, hammer channel in the frame (shouldn't be much in there.) Then wipe those places again with a paper towel with some Ballistol on it. Wipe out the hand channel inside the recoil sheild with a couple of Q-tips. Flush the barrel and cylinder with Ballistol/water, boresnake the barrel and chambers, wipe off any remaining fluid. Maybe break down the gun totally once a year. You can use aerosol Ballistol to spray down inside between the hammer and frame if you want, probably not necessary.

It takes about 5 minutes. Have a beer.

 

[Dellbert]

I think J-Bar just about said it all. When using Ballistol and water together use a bottle and put half water and half Ballistol together. They call it Moose Milk. Just squart it in the action and use a tooth to brush the inside the frame, blast shield, and hammer. after it's dry just lube it up with pure Ballistol.

 

[Saddlebag Preacher]

OK, admit it, shooting it with BP was a blast wasn't it?

I save all my Smokless brass and reload with BP, both LC and Schofield brass. I love the smoke, smell and recoil and history. I've also found my guns shoot the BP rounds as good if not better at times.

Load the LC with 35 grains of 2fg and a 250 grain bullet and the schofields with 30 grain of 2 or 3fg and a 250 grain bullet. Want to try a 200 or 230 grain for the shorter schofields.

clean up is a snap if you don't mind the sulfer smell.

 

[Foto Joe]

Load the LC with 35 grains of 2fg and a 250 grain bullet and the schofields with 30 grain of 2 or 3fg and a 250 grain bullet. Want to try a 200 or 230 grain for the shorter schofields.

Okay, I admit it I'm jealous. I've been through four (4) Schofields, all made by Uberti and not one of them could even come close to firing Black Powder cartridges.

And I apolagize for this last one, how long does my Colt have to be before it's a LC?

45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 45 Automatic Colt Pistol, even 45 GAC. 45 Long Colt? No such thing.

 

[arcticap]

This cartridge is often referred to as the ".45 Long Colt", because there was a ".45 Short" also available in the 1880's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_Colt

Actually both the short and the long Colt .45 had the exact same headstamp. The article below provides a brief, interesting read on the subject.

The Long & Short of the .45 Colt

...Mr. Keith referred to them from time to time as "long" Colt's (with a small "L"). If you have ever seen the short Colt .45's you can understand why.

The Winchester .45 Colt's that Paco and I have came from Shootist Keith Owlett who gave them to us a short time before he passed on. The cartridge box is deteriorated and I have it put away now - at least what's left of it. But it is plainly marked ".45 Colt Government". The headstamp on the cartridges is ".45 Colt" ...BUT these are SHORT .45 Colts! The headstamp is the same as the longer .45 Colts, even down to the "W" on the primers....

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/45_short_colt.htm

 

[Dellbert]

Good info.

 

[Jaymo]

Years ago, I saw an OLD box of Colt ammo that was marked ".45 Long Colt", in an issue of Guns & Ammo.

 

[BCRider]

It's a little more trouble but I like to remove the grips so they don't get wet and also to allow the insides to dry out better if some water DOES get into the action. I then leave the gun(s) sitting under an old halogen desk lamp without the glass IR filter in it to warm and dry for about an hour before replacing the grips.

For my own cleaning I've got a plastic pail that I fill with water high enough that the barrel is submerged but the action sits up out of the water. If you can find something similar and do the same it makes life that little bit easier.

A little water in the action won't wash away the oil that is there. So simply warming up the gun and allowing to dry the open action will be enough. Only if you totally submerged the gun and allowed it to sit for a while would I worry about flushing out the action with some sort of spray oil to displace the water.

You're making me realize that it's just about time to load up some BP .44Mag rounds and have some fun with them

 

[Arkansas Paul]

That's a good idea about the pail where the barrel is submerged but not the action. A small funnel of some sort and I could just pour the hot water down the barrel. The cylinder could just be dropped in the bottom to soak. I like it.

 

[Hammerdown77]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTh_97xRyc8&feature=plcp

This is pretty much what I do. I will take a finger of one hand and plug the barrel at the forcing cone end, then spray a bunch of cleaner down into the barrel, plug the muzzle end with another finger, and then swish the cleaner back and forth in the barrel about 10 times. Dump out the gunk on the ground or into a bucket. Then, wet a couple of patches and push them through. Usually that's all it takes to get a mirror clean bore in my guns.