revolver cleaning: i need help

[cjg]

hey, i recently purchased my first handgun, the S&W 686P revolver, and i'm not exactly sure how to clean it. after searching the threads for "revolver cleaning" i did find some helpful information but i'm still not clear on what to do.

i bought a cleaning kit from S&W and unfortunately the instructions aren't specific and are basically useless. the kit came with bore gel, gun oil, and gun cleaner. there are also these rods with metal cylindrical brushes that obviously go down the barrel and chambers, some swabs, a couple large cloths, and a toothbrush looking-thing. i don't know which cleaning agent i use with what and, in what order i'm supposed to do it.

after visiting the range last night, i cleaned the revolver, but i'm pretty sure i didn't do it correctly. i've learned that i'm supposed to use the "solvent" to clean the "bore" (which i'm guessing is the inside of the barrel) but none of these are called a solvent, so i used the bore gel with the metal brush rods. i then used the gun oil with the swabs on the outside of the gun, and finally used the gun cleaner with the cloths. i didn't even use the toothbrush thing.

am i using the right cleaning agents for the right parts?

is that the right order?

am i supposed to clean the hammer and trigger as well?

at the end, am i supposed to leave one of the agents on rather than wipe it all off?

i would sincerely appreciate some clear step by step instructions.... please talk to me as if i'm a ten year old because i don't want to mess up my revolver. thank you.

 

[Fumbler]

ok...this is what I do with my GP-100

-UNLOAD THE GUN
-Lay it on a shop towel on a table
-Take a bronze brush (357 diameter) and put a few drops of Breakfree CLP on it. I like to use Breakfree to clean and lube. You can use bore solvent for this or you can use oil.
-Push the brush through one chamber, then pull it back out. Repeat.
-Put on another drop or two, then do the next chamber and so on.
-After scrubbing the chamber, I leave it alone and work on the bore (inside of barrel).
-I take a cotton patch, put some solvent on it (usually Hoppe's Benchrest Copper SSolvent), and push it through the bore from the muzzle end. You can use your bore gell for this. Make sure not to let the rod touch the crown (muzzle) or you may damage it.
-I let that sit and turn my attention back to my cylinder.
-Put a couple drops of Breakfree (or whatever oil you use) on a nylon brush and srub the back of the cylinder making sure to get the little nooks and crannies in that star shaped thing. Scrub the face of the cylinder too and inside the frame. Basically any spot you see powder fouling you want to scrub a with oil. Spots like the face of the cylinder and punder the top strap will never come completely clean unless you scrub with a bronze brush. Clean it til it's spotless if you want, it doesn't affect anything.
-If it's hard to get the fouling off then use bore cleaner, just dont use abrasive bore cleaner or you'll ruin your finish.
after a scrub down of the cylinder and frame I'll wipe it all off. Make sure you push the ejection rod in and wipe the parts clean.
I use patches to wipe the inside of the chambers the same way I would do the bore.
-Back to the bore, sometimes I scrub the bore by sending the bronze brush down with a little solvent.
-Send a few patches down the bore to clean it all up. If it takes you more than a few patches and they're still dirty then you may need a couple more patches with solvent and some more brushing. Do it until the patches come out clean.

After that, I take an oiled patch or cloth and wipe the entire gun down. I wipe every little spot I can reach and that includes sending an oiled patch down each chamber and the bore.
After that I put a clean patch through the chambers and bore to get out any excess oil. if there's anything more than a film of oil on the gun then you want to wipe it off.

That's about it.
It's really simple, just rub it with an oily cloth til it's clean. If it takes forever then use solvent, then follow it with an oiled cloth.

Every so often you'll want to take it apart and clean it really well, but you can leave that alone til you're more familiar with it.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Fumbler has nailed it rather well, I'd say.

Let me add this, please: the easy way to clean the cylinder is to remove it from the gun. Here's how it's done:

1. Make sure the gun is unloaded.

2. Check again. I know that sounds dumb, but trust me, eh? That extra second's worth of "unnecessary work" can save lives.

3. Gently turn the screw on the right side of the frame in front of and above the trigger counter-clockwise. Tip the gun over in your hand and hold your other hand beneath the screw. It's actually a cap covering the detent pin. It's a good idea to set them aside.

4. Turn the gun right side up. Push the cylinder latch forward. Swing out the cylinder.

5. Gently push the yoke forward. That's the swinging part that connects the cylinder to the frame. A Smith & Wesson yoke slips off the cylinder. A Colt yoke doesn't.

6. Now that you've removed the cylinder, you can clean it without risking damage to the frame and/or stocks and/or yoke—and it's a good deal easier to hang onto the cylinder separately.

7. Once the cylinder's squeaky clean, reassemble the gun the exact opposite of the way you took it apart. As long as you never try to force the parts to fit together, you'll never harm them; conversely, the first time you try to apply force, you'll end up paying for parts and gunsmithing services.

8. If you really want to save yourself some labor, remove the cylinder, and let it and the yoke soak in a jar of cleaning solvent from one to 24 hours before you embark upon cleaning them. A jar of Hoppe's No. 9 is good for a year's worth of soaking cylinders and assorted other parts even if you clean a couple guns a week.

Best of success, eh?

 

[f4t9r]

that about covers it, cant add much else

 

[Fumbler]

It is indeed much much much easier to clean with the cylinder out.
Doing it with the cylinder in puts a lot of stress on the parts. You're constantly pulling and twisting and doing all sorts of stuff to the cylinder and that stresses the yoke.

Too bad getting the cylinder out of a Ruger is pain in the butt. I didnt know how you do it on a smith.