Revolver Cleaning

[ozarkman]

How do you guys remove the fouling from the end of the cylinder after a range trip? I have been using a lead removal cloth along with a little elbow grease to remove the fouling produced at the gap of the cylinder and forcing cone, but a friend told me that those cloths are abrasive and might damage a stainless steel revolver after a number of uses. I figured you guys would be able to offer a suitable replacement method. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[kmrcstintn]

hoppes 9 or gunslick brand copper cleaner; q-tips; 15 minutes; nylon brushes; or brushing lightly with bronze brushes; you can be a bit more aggressive on a stainless gun, but be gentle with a blued gun

 

[Z-Michigan]

I clean the surface crud off with FP-10 and patches, paper towels, or old toothbrushes. I do not worry about the black soot rings. I have not had any function problems with this approach.

 

[ZeSpectre]

Pink Perl eraser

 

[The Bushmaster]

How about on nickel cylinder face...?

 

[RNB65]

I use a lead-away cloth to clean the carbon rings on my stainless GP100. Never had a problem but it's a fairly new gun which I don't shoot very often.

 

[jad0110]

a friend told me that those cloths are abrasive and might damage a stainless steel revolver after a number of uses.

I've been using them for a couple of years and have never had any problems. Maybe he was thinking of a nickel or blued gun. Those cloths will do a number on them.

 

[xring44]

I shoot a S&W 686 in hunter silhouettes, I shoot alot. I use the lead away cloth's, first I wet with hoppe's, let stand 5 minutes or so, then I use a bronze brush in a toothbrush configuration to remove the majority of the fouling, I wrap the lead away cloth around the square wooden handle of the bronze brush and rub the face of the cylinder keeping the handle flat with the surface, this allows a minimum amount of effort for maximum cleaning,

You can dip the surface with the lead away cloth just folding it and rubbing with your thumb, the cloth will naturally dig on the going in side of the chambers and the going away side, I have many thousand rounds through this pistol, it hasn't effected the accuracy, but the mirrow finsh it leaves shows some irregularitys in the surface. Wrapping the cloth around the flat wooden handle keeps everything flat.

 

[jaydubya]

ZMichigan said: I do not worry about the black soot rings. I have not had any function problems with this approach.

+1 They come back every time you shoot, and have no effect on functionality, so just accept it. Clean your weapon, lightly oil its moving parts, put it away until next time, and go have fun with someone.
Cordially, Jack

 

[Brian Dale]

"You're supposed to clean 'em?" {/sm voice }

I knock the chunks off with Hoppe's #9 and either a bronze bore cleaning brush or a toothbrush-shaped brass-bristled brush, after I've put a brush and patches through the chambers. Wipe it with a cotton cloth.

As JW wrote, the fouling always comes back, so I just make sure that the cylinder gap's not becoming gunked up.