New S&W 442 - Cleaning Help
- Thread starter gadawg95
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I find it beneficial to pull the crane and cylinder off the frame every so often to clean in the crane hinge area and to lube the shaft the cylinder rotates on. As always, more is not better when it comes to lubes. Just enough to leave a film coat is plenty.
Ralph
Ralph
John Wayne
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
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- 1,133
For a basic cleaning, you'll need:
-A can of automotive disc brake cleaner (an aerosol degreaser)
-A powder/copper/lead solvent (for convenience, usually an all-in-one product)
-A .40 caliber bore brush and rod
-A can of gun oil (I like Rem Oil, it's cheap)
-Clean patches and rags
-An old toothbrush
-A quality flat-ground screwdriver
Start by unloading your gun. Remove the forward-most screw and slide the cylinder off the frame (this is not necessary but it makes cleaning a lot easier). Now, push a patch with the solvent through each chamber, then scrub the crud out with the .40 caliber brush. Wipe powder residue from the front of the cylinder with solvent-coated rag. Push the ejector rod back and spray underneath the star with the brake cleaner. Scrub out any stubborn gunk with the toothbrush and then wipe it clean. Spray out the chambers with brake cleaner, then run a clean patch through each of them. While the cylinder is out, take a rag with solvent and the toothbrush and scrub away crud from the area where the barrel meets the front of the cylinder. Wipe off the recoil shield at the back of the frame (don't let any solvent drip down into the internals of the gun!). Clean the barrel, if needed, and reassemble. Wipe down external surfaces with a lightly oiled rag, and put a drop of oil on the ejector rod. Check for function and you're done. It all sounds more complicated than it really is.
Depending on the tolerances of your gun, it will take a pretty significant amount of environmental crud or firing residue to clog up your gun. Preventative maintenance like this will assure that buildup is easily removed, as it will often wipe off with little effort if done right after shooting, rather than if left unchecked for thousands of rounds. I would take the sideplate off after 3,000 rounds or so to clean and oil the internals.
-A can of automotive disc brake cleaner (an aerosol degreaser)
-A powder/copper/lead solvent (for convenience, usually an all-in-one product)
-A .40 caliber bore brush and rod
-A can of gun oil (I like Rem Oil, it's cheap)
-Clean patches and rags
-An old toothbrush
-A quality flat-ground screwdriver
Start by unloading your gun. Remove the forward-most screw and slide the cylinder off the frame (this is not necessary but it makes cleaning a lot easier). Now, push a patch with the solvent through each chamber, then scrub the crud out with the .40 caliber brush. Wipe powder residue from the front of the cylinder with solvent-coated rag. Push the ejector rod back and spray underneath the star with the brake cleaner. Scrub out any stubborn gunk with the toothbrush and then wipe it clean. Spray out the chambers with brake cleaner, then run a clean patch through each of them. While the cylinder is out, take a rag with solvent and the toothbrush and scrub away crud from the area where the barrel meets the front of the cylinder. Wipe off the recoil shield at the back of the frame (don't let any solvent drip down into the internals of the gun!). Clean the barrel, if needed, and reassemble. Wipe down external surfaces with a lightly oiled rag, and put a drop of oil on the ejector rod. Check for function and you're done. It all sounds more complicated than it really is.
Depending on the tolerances of your gun, it will take a pretty significant amount of environmental crud or firing residue to clog up your gun. Preventative maintenance like this will assure that buildup is easily removed, as it will often wipe off with little effort if done right after shooting, rather than if left unchecked for thousands of rounds. I would take the sideplate off after 3,000 rounds or so to clean and oil the internals.
Fumbler
Member
John has a good post.
I detail strip all my guns when I get them new just to make sure they're clean inside.
I clean with breakfree CLP and sometimes with brake cleaner. Leave a light coat of CLP on the parts and reassemble.
I detail strip and clean my guns maybe once a year; more if they're shot a lot.
For regular cleaning it's clean the bore, scrub out the cylinders with CLP and patches (brush if it's caked on), and wipe off everything else with CLP.
I keep my carry gun fairly dry so it doesn't collect dut, but with my other revolvers I put about 1/2 drop of CLP at the trigger where it enters the frame, then another half drop between the hammer and frame.
You don't need much lube for a revolver.
I detail strip all my guns when I get them new just to make sure they're clean inside.
I clean with breakfree CLP and sometimes with brake cleaner. Leave a light coat of CLP on the parts and reassemble.
I detail strip and clean my guns maybe once a year; more if they're shot a lot.
For regular cleaning it's clean the bore, scrub out the cylinders with CLP and patches (brush if it's caked on), and wipe off everything else with CLP.
I keep my carry gun fairly dry so it doesn't collect dut, but with my other revolvers I put about 1/2 drop of CLP at the trigger where it enters the frame, then another half drop between the hammer and frame.
You don't need much lube for a revolver.
one45auto
Member
The only thing I'll add to all the previous posts is this - be sure to clean your revolver upon arriving home from the range, as you want to get rid of the residue ASAP. I've always cleaned my Model 642 immediately upon arriving home and it's so clean that it still looks brand new, in fact I've had people swear it's never been fired.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
gadawg95,
Welcome to the forum...
The clear coat can be a little touchy if you use Hoppe's #9 and a brass brush combination. I'm told it's not either that will damage the clear coat, it's the combination of the two. I don't know if that's true but I did remove the clear coat from around the forcing cone on my M638 but my M642 is fine. The only difference is I'm now using a nylon brush instead of a brass brush like used on the M638.
Why use a 40 Cal brush on the .38 Cal revolver? (actually 35 cal) I would suggest using the correct brush for the caliber you are cleaning. Also, if you're going to remove that retaining screw each time you clean your gun be very careful not to lose that screw. It's not a "normal" screw and it's also fitted. It can also come loose when shooting that's why there's locktite on it. If you remove the screw make sure it doesn't loosen when you are at the range. (I wouldn't remove the screw just to clean the gun)
Welcome to the forum...
The clear coat can be a little touchy if you use Hoppe's #9 and a brass brush combination. I'm told it's not either that will damage the clear coat, it's the combination of the two. I don't know if that's true but I did remove the clear coat from around the forcing cone on my M638 but my M642 is fine. The only difference is I'm now using a nylon brush instead of a brass brush like used on the M638.
Why use a 40 Cal brush on the .38 Cal revolver? (actually 35 cal) I would suggest using the correct brush for the caliber you are cleaning. Also, if you're going to remove that retaining screw each time you clean your gun be very careful not to lose that screw. It's not a "normal" screw and it's also fitted. It can also come loose when shooting that's why there's locktite on it. If you remove the screw make sure it doesn't loosen when you are at the range. (I wouldn't remove the screw just to clean the gun)
John Wayne
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
- Messages
- 1,133
They must have missed the Loc-Tite on my sideplate screws, as they were loose when I bought the gun new.
The .40 cal brush is a tighter fit for cleaning the chambers. I prefer to use an oversized nylon brush on the chambers, but not on the bore.
The .40 cal brush is a tighter fit for cleaning the chambers. I prefer to use an oversized nylon brush on the chambers, but not on the bore.
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