Proper cleaning/care of a fine blue finish - S&W K-22/M17

[jad0110]

Hello all,

I've seen lots of great cleaning/care tips on THR for stainless steel guns. However, I just recently purchased my first blued revolver on GunBroker.com, a 1959 S&W K-22/M17 (no dash) Target Masterpiece (I'm not counting the Heritage Rough Rider I used to own, that finish was more like flat black Krylon spray paint ).

I haven't received the gun yet, but just looking at the pictures I can tell the finish is something really special and I don't want to wreck it. I know for example that I dare not use anything like Flitz and Lead Away cloths on it. So here are my care questions:

1. I know Hoppes #9 is probably safe, but what about Hoppes Bore Gel?

2. Do you only use a nylon brush on the exterior/blued surfaces, or is a bronze brush ok?

3. I live in eastern NC where temperatures and humidities can be pretty high. If any rust appears, what is the safest/most effective way to take care of it?

4. If I wanted to clean the rings from the cylinder face, how would I go about doing that? I know this is not as easy as cleaning the rings of a stainless gun.

Any other care tips from the pros here at THR are very welcome!

 

[jad0110]

Wow, anyone out their?

 

[steveno]

I just use breakfree and Birchwood Casey gun oil.

 

[JoeHatley]

I use Hoppe's #9 in the cylinders and bore of mine. BoreSnake for the barrel and an bronze brush in the cylinder, followed by a couple patches. Nylon brush on the exterior, when needed. But I mostly clean the exterior by wiping it down with an oily shop rag. .22s don't get all that dirty.



Best way to handle rust, is to prevent it from ever starting. A light coat of any gun oil has always worked for me.

I use Flitz to clean the lead off the cylinder face, but I've also had good luck with the Metal Care Cloth from www.proshotproducts.com It's made especially for blued guns, and is probably safer than Flitz if you're the type that may overdo things. It's just not as fast.

Good Luck...

Joe

 

[SJshooter]

I would definitely avoid any metal bristles on the exterior - nylon will be fine by the brass can leave scratch in that gorgeous finish.

The only thing I use to clean my blue guns (ever) is FP-10 and others I know only use BreakFree CLP... that should be all you need.

+1 on the bore snake... big time saver.

Don't use lead removal cloths on blue guns... they will take the finish right off. Coca cola and blood are even worse... spill any on your gun and the blue will be gone right away.

 

[SJshooter]

Also, wipe down that gun with an oily rag EVERY time you handle it. The oil from fingerprints can rust in permanent marks crazy-fast in certain climates.

 

[roo_ster]

Pretty good advice here.

What I do with my SW1917 is the following:
1. Wipe surface with CLP-laden rag. Not too much CLP, just enough to wipe off fingerprints & burnish the finish.
2. Clean all metal parts with CLP & nylon brush. Wipe off excess with the above rag
3. Boresnake through the bore & cylander. I don't want to bugger the bore with too many strokes of a cleaning rod

 

[bakert]

Agree with the other posts on cleaning cylinders.bore etc. For the exterior surfaces I wipe my blue guns down with Breakfree CLP. I have a couple of revolvers I carry in summer at times and it gets pretty hot and humid here. Every day or two just wipe the surfaces off with a soft cloth I keep in a baggie and add a few drops of breakfree to occasionally. Like jfruser said, use just enough to take of fingerprints and such. No rust yet in a number of years carrying in a nylon IWB holster.

 

[jad0110]

Blue Wonder?

Thanks for all the great information. I really appreciate all the input.

Question: Has anyone used Blue Wonder products? What is your opinion on them? http://www.bluewonder.us/