How often should nipples be removed for cleaning?

[arcticap]

How often should nipples be removed for cleaning?
Please select the answer that most closely matches your beliefs and practices regarding how often nipples need to be removed for cleaning.
The results of this poll are anonymous.

 

[Fingers McGee]

After every shooting session. But, for me, a shooting session can be a one day or 3 day match shooting anywhere from 5 to 15 stages with side matches.

 

[Noz]

Fingers and I don't agree on this one. I do not remove the nipples unless I must change them. I coat them liberally with anti-seize compound and turn them in only finger tight. Each time I clean I loosen the nipple 1/4 of a turn then tighten again.

 

[Mr_Pale_Horse]

I do not remove the nipples unless I must change them.

I agree

 

[junkman_01]

Are you boys THAT lazy or do you feel there is a good reason for not removing them?

 

[J-Bar]

I remove the nipples when I totally disassemble the gun for a complete cleaning. But I only do a complete disassembly after every 3rd or 4th cowboy match, which would be about 120 shots fired. I will do a field strip, wipe down, swab out the chambers and boresnake the barrel after each 5 to 6 stage cowboy match which is about 25 or 30 shots fired. Probably don't have to, but it makes me feel better...

I don't know how many cowboy stages I can go before the guns seize up for lack of hygiene. In practice sessions I have shot 10 stages worth of ammo in one day, which would be 50 shots through each handgun, through my 1851s and ROAs and they were still working fine when I left the range. Dirty, but still cycling and going bang with no degradation in accuracy. If you lube the guns right and lube the ammo right, they keep on ticking.

 

[Noz]

Just see no need. I remove what I think will harm the guns structurally or cause a lack of performance.

and J-Bar's guns are not only clean they are surgically sterile. When he cleans them they are really clean.

 

[BHP FAN]

I do it every other time or so, just to keep the threads working, but I'm going to steal Noz's idea, so I don't have to. If you clean with really hot water, and a little dish soap, and then rinse with more really hot water, towel dry with paper towel, and then oil 'em up, they come out really, really clean.

 

[Fingers McGee]

I like to get all the cap residue off of the nipples and from the cylinder cut outs. I soak them in BP solvent, brush them off & use a pipe cleaner to clean the insides. Mine are only finger tight and the threads lubed with balistol. There were a couple occasions in the dim dark past when I didn't do this, and had ignition problems.

 

[rdstrain49]

Yep, what Fingers said

 

[Prairie Dawg]

About twice a year for me.
Upon removal, I've never found any reason to remove them any more often.
I grease the threads with bore butter when I put them in.
Snug but not tight.
--Dawg

 

[Voodoochile]

After every shooting session for me.
I may shoot 20-30 shots or I may keep wiping & swabbing the bore & shoot over 100 rounds but once I'm done that day I give it a serius cleaning.

I may not fully strip the whole pistol cept about every 6-9 months but the cylinders get stripped & cleaned.

 

[Hellgate]

I'm with Noz. I put anti-sieze grease on them then fuggettaboutit. If you advocate or stress the need for nipples to come out after every shooting session then a lot of folks are just gonna hang them up and decide C&Bs are too much work. Half the time I give my guns a "whore's bath" which is a quick BP solvent spritz & punch of the chambers & bore, an alcohol spritz to dry, then canned air to blow out anything left. Oil & grease where it is needed and back in the holster or safe for the next shoot. I know people who would completely disassemble, boil the parts, scrub, dry, oil, reassemble (including nipples), etc. Guess what? They are no longer shooting perCUSSIN' revolvers as "it takes/took way too much time to clean them".

That's my opinion (and bad attitude) 2 cents worth.

 

[david58]

I find removal painful and reattachment problematic. I leave em where they are...

 

[junkman_01]

That's my opinion (and bad attitude) 2 cents worth.

Hellgate,

I agree with you.....you do have a bad attitude!

 

[[email protected]]

I may neglect a lot of things, but when it comes to nipples, No Way!
I take them out after each use and give the little bugers a good scrubbing.

 

[Foto Joe]

I agree with kwhi43, it just doesn't take that long. A drop of Ballistol on the threads and back in they go. Besides how are you going to get the nipple channels clean with the nipples sticking up in the way.

 

[velojym]

I just leave 'em on and wash 'em in the shower. I think it'd hurt pretty bad to take 'em off.

(sorry, hadda do it)

 

[Jspotto]

One possible answer left off the the poll: Not sure, I'll ask my wife or girlfriend

 

[Hellgate]

You can buy little dental toothpicky thingies (technical term) that are tiny with bristles on the wire shank. They clean out the flash holes fine or else use a can of compressed air to clean out the nipples.

 

[AbitNutz]

I don't understand why you wouldn't remove and clean them after every shoot? It's not like it's difficult to do.

All I do is remove the grips, pop out the cylinder and ram, cock the hammer and throw it all (except the grips) in the dishwasher on the pots and pans cycle.

 

[damoc]

I reckon if it aint broke dont fix it only time im going to remove my nipples
is if they are causing cap misfires.and if by that time they are hopelessly lodged in the cylindar ill just get a new cylindar.

because knowing me there is a much greater chance of breaking something
losing something or stripping a thread taking out the nipples all the time.

plus i think excesive removal will cause the nipples and threads to loosen up
i kind of like how they are nice and sealed at the moment

 

[JNewell]

Unless, as one of the early posts said, you're using something like anti-seize on the threads, you are taking a big risk not removing them to clean and dry them each time. It is also hard to really clean and dry the rear of the chambers without removing the nipples.

 

[junkman_01]

Look at the poll results...overwhelmingly 'remove the nipples each clean up'

 

[Armored farmer]

I do a fair amount of mechanicin' here on the farm. Anything that runs in harsh conditions...and is going to be removed at some point....gets a dose of NEV-R-SIEZE. Especially itty bitty parts that are hard to get a wrench on.

Air compressors are really handy when cleaning up bp guns.