Pocket carry J frame, internal cleaning.

[saltydog452]

For a pocket carry revolver, how often do you crack the sideplate and remove accumulated lint?...or, maybe you just remove the grip panels and slosh it around in a tub of Varsal or Diesel fuel?

Thanks,

salty.

 

[scbair]

Daily carry my 642 in a homemade leather pocket holster (I tinker with leather, a bit); remove sideplate & clean interior once a year. Never found any real accumulation of foreign matter, but the annual inspection & cleaning is a comfort to me . . .

Routine cleaning & inspection anywhere from daily to weekly, depending on whether I carried in a "hostile" environment (perspiration, dust, etc.) or just loafed around the office all day.

 

[JoeHatley]

maybe you just remove the grip panels and slosh it around in a tub of Varsal or Diesel fuel?

That's pretty much how I do it. Followed by a drying with compressed air.

The sideplate is easy to remove, but I generally only do it if there is a reason other than just cleaning.

Joe

 

[DMK]

I cleaned my 642 well when I got it, then used some Lubriplate grease on the internals, put it back together and carried it pretty regularly for a year (and when it's not in my pocket, it's tucked in the side of my bed). At that point, I opened the sideplate to tune the trigger. There was no noticeable debris inside. I do use a pocket holster always, maybe that helps.

 

[mjrodney]

I carry a 638 (minimalist hammer spur) with an open back in a pocket holster.

It's been some time now and I don't notice any accumlation, either.

 

[Matt Almeda]

We recommend once a year at our shop for carry or duty guns.
I have found some pretty crazy stuff in there.
There were two that stand out in my mind. One was a Colt revolver that had 12 dog hairs in it. The owner hadn't owned a dog for years. The other was a S&W 586 that had a huge white fuzz ball inside. That one was very bizzare. The owner couldn't figure out what it was. Almost like cotton. I think maybe the inside fleece from some gun rug that it had been in years ago.

Have a great day!

 

[Haywood]

I clean the inside by spraying Break Cleaner threw the gun. After it drys for about 10 minutes, I spray my favorite lube threw it. This has worked for years. When I have removed the side plate, the inside is spotless. BE CAREFUL do not get Break Cleaner on wood or plastic!! After I clean the cylinder and barrel I spray them. This cleans faster and I don't use 20 patches trying to get the solvent out.

 

[saltydog452]

Thanks for the replies.

salty.

 

[Jackal]

Clean? Its a Revolver, I never clean a Revolver...

 

[earplug]

I open them up when they start to feel gritty. It depends on how much stuff has been blown into the pocket.
Working with horses, hay or just tooling about town.

 

[rcmodel]

A 120 PSI air compressor every once and awhile does wonders to pocket lint!

Take the grips off, blow it out, spray it with Rem-Oil, blow it out again and put the grips back on.

In all truth, there are a great many Model 10's & Chiefs Specials running around out there that have never had the side-plate off in 50+ years.
And they have never missed a lick!


rcmodel

 

[bhk]

Be careful if when you detail clean a newer 642 or other SW with an alloy frame and clearcoating for a finish. Anything like brake cleaner may take the finish right off. Anything with amonia certainly does. I am not sure what to use for this type of deep cleaning on these new guns.

 

[Hutch]

I pocket carry w/ no holster. I clean the lint of the chambers, bbl, etc. when I begin to notice it. I had the same question and popped the side plate off, and there was no crud in the works. I sorta kinda prefer the Centennial models, since there's one less place for the dust to enter.

 

[Dienekes]

442 pocket carry. Occasionally hit the exterior with a shaving brush to knock off the lint, fuzzballs, etc. Clean it when I shoot it. Have never bothered to pull the sideplate since I bought in in 1996. Might some day but no discernible need.

I have pulled down a few trade-in Model 10s that were pretty full of dirt and grit and still working. That hammer slot plus exposure to the elements lets a lot in over the years.

Frankly I would rather have a grungy, unmodified old S&W than one "custom tuned" by Bubba anyday. Sideplate screws should be tack welded for some folks.

 

[rcmodel]

Sideplate screws should be tack welded for some folks.

Boy! Ain't that the truth!

Way more S&W's have been butchered up by the unknowing taking the side-plate off then ever happened by just being dirty inside.


rcmodel