Revolvers are not easy to clean

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I just spent a LOT of time cleaning my GP100. The hardest part was the front end of the cylinder. That thing was black. I was using cotton patches at first but switched to using a toothbrush and then brass brush on that thing. The toothbrush was not enough to get that black stuff off.

You guys have any tips on how to get my gun clean?

What do you use to clean off that black stuff?

I also have that .38 special ring around the chambers. What kind of solution is the best for that part? And will it be a problem if I let a black ring develop there.
 
A "bore snake" is wonderful for a revolver.

I do not get crud cooked on as harshly as you report.

My routine is using a "Kleen Bore PocKit" metal brush tool first to loosen up any stuck grit, then a bore snake. Usually 1 or 2 passes per chamber/bore with the bore snake is sufficient.

The range I shoot at has a cleaning room stocked with not only cleaners and a variety of tools but even an ultrasonic machine. I've never used that last item but could imagine it useful for a gun that was not cleaned regularly.

My only cleaning gripe is sometimes, when shooting, grains of primer get stuck under the extractor and after reloading the cylinder won't shut. I'm not sure how to best get those out with minimum fuss while at the lane. Currently I just keep a cloth handy, but it tends to catch on the extractor's pointy parts.
 
I find Rugers extremely easy to clean. Do you know how to field strip them?

To get the black stuff off the face of the cylinder, remove the cylinder and spray it liberally with M-pro cleaner. While holding the cylinder with a cloth held tight against the end, spin the cylinder with your other hand. This does the trick with a few runs. It also makes it far easier to clean out the chambers.
 
I am assuming the firearm is a stainless model from your "that thing was black" statement.

Try this.

Apply whatever solvent you are using to the cylinder face and chamber bores and then go work on the barrel, forcing cone and frame. BTW, as Cosmoline indicated, some solvents work better than others.

Then take a bronze bristle brush to the face of the cylinder. Stainless gun only. A few strokes will take care of the residue. A few single direction pulls (strokes) around each bore works best for me. The cylinder face does not have to be pristine....just remove any buildup.

Next take a bronze barrel brush of the appropriate size and run it in and out of the cylinder chambers a few times. As the brush wears, apply sidewards pressure at the 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions.

The ring you see in the chamber bores is fine as long as the buildup of carbon is gone. A ringed "stain" should be left alone. That will not come out very easily.

Wipe everything down, close the cylinder, and ensure that the cylinder turns freely.

Now go enjoy your new firearm.
 
They make cleaning cloths designed for cleaning the face of the cylinder. Do a search for "Lead Away" and you'll find several threads on them. I use it to clean my stainless Ruger Super Redhawk and its clean as a whistle. No scrubbing with brushes, etc. Just wipe across the front and its clean.
 
Bronze brush and flitz works for my GP100. I had some buildup on the cylinder and the forcing cone area and that cleaned it up real quick.

And yeah, they do take a while to clean. My semis I can do in half the time my revolvers take...
 
+1 on Rem 40X followed by Rem oil.

Rem 40X does a great job taking the copper fouling out of the bore and hard, black fouling out of the cylinders.

Rem oil for the final clean up and finishing touch and you're good to go.
 
M-Pro7 works pretty danged good.

Slip 2000 "Carbon Killer" is real good for carbon on stainless. Take the cylinder off and drop it in the Carbon Cutter let it soak a bit or just wipe it on and let it sit a while.
 
Can I use this lead-away cloth on my hi-power?

It's not blued, but has some black matte finish. I especially want to get the area right behind where the bullet sits in the chamber. The place where the firing pin comes out of.
 
Its funny, many of my new students with revolvers seem to think that revolvers don't need to be cleaned. There is an urban legend in novice gun culture that a revolver is failure and lockup proof. I guess these guys don't shoot enough to ever have had a cylinder lockup or similar issues with extraction ,etc. The last thing I would want is my case ejector to lockup on a speedloader reload. Revolvers are certainly more reliable but not failure proof. Glad the folks here realize that. Many don't.
 
and yes, cleaning revolvers compared to semi-auto is hard.
Click to expand...
I've never thought of it as "hard." Maybe just more tedious, because of the multiple chambers of the revolver. I've always thought there were fewer "surfaces" to clean on my revolvers, than on my pistols. Lots more little nooks and crannies in the latter that I use q-tips to get to.
 
I clean my stainless Ruger Security-Six like any other revolver.
I treat the black stain at the front of the cylinder as a "patina"
like the browning of a brass frame with use: its the natural finish.
Clean off any lead, powder residue and bullet lube
and fergidaboutit.

I commonly shot either the Ruger or a Mauser Broomhandle
automatic in black powder matches. I can clean the barrel
of the automatic in one-seventh the time it takes to clean
the barrel and chambers of the revolver.
 
Non chlorinated Brake/Parts cleaner works great. As for those cyl rings, i just make sure there is no buildup to impede with the cone gap and i'm good to go. I used to be a real stickler with cleaning EVERY nook and cranny. Now I spray it down with cleaner, swab the barrel and cyl with #9 let it sit scrub the cyl with a +1 size bronze brush, and brush out the barrel, clean/oiled swab and wipe it down and oil it. Done. Maybe a 5 minute process.
 
It's good to keep your sixgun clean, but the dark stain-like pattern on the front of the cylinder is NOT a problem. I use Simichrome, rubbed with a cotton patch, to keep it minimal, but do not try to remove it completely. An actual build-up is a different animal, and should not be allowed to accumulate.
 
Generally I use a copper or brass bristle brush on the front of the cylinder. I am quite certain there is a bit of a ring on a blued revolver, even after the brushing, but the bluing hides it. However on a nice and shiny stainless gun, well you are going to see a ring.

Once in a while, when it really bothers me, I will take the crane and cylinder off and head to the sink. Soft scrub and a toothbrush will remove all traces of a ring from a stainless cylinder. And makes your cylinder smell fresh, like minty Irish spring. :rolleyes:

Stupidity aside, discoloration does nothing to the functionally of your revolver. What you want is the cylinder to turn freely, just knock off the powder residue and any lead build up.
 
Single Action sixguns are a pleasure to clean, compared to DA revolvers or autoloaders. That is certainly one reason that I have come to prefer them as I get older. It is quite true that detail-cleaning a DA revolver can be a bit more trouble than with most autoloaders.
 
For that stubborn black on the front of the cylinder, I would
use a little bit of NEVR-DULL with a touch of flitz on it.
This can be found K-Mart or Wal-Marts automotive depts. I can
get my Smith Model 65's stainless cylinder so clean that it
looks like the gun has never been fired. www.nevrdull.com

Bob M.
 
Revolvers are a PITA to clean. I can clean 3 semi-autos in the time it takes me to clean my GP100. Don't sweat the carbon rings on the front of the cylinder. They don't do any harm and they're just going to reappear every time you shoot the gun.
 
Revolvers are a PITA to clean. I can clean 3 semi-autos in the time it takes me to clean my GP100. Don't sweat the carbon rings on the front of the cylinder. They don't do any harm and they're just going to reappear every time you shoot the gun.
Click to expand...

I brought my Hi-Power, 870 and GP100 to the range. Granted, this was the first time cleaning the GP100, but I cleaned the 870 and Hi-Power in much less time than the GP100. And I still have those 38 special rings in the revolver.

I actually bought this revolver to show my family how to operate and maintain a gun. I may have to revise this strategy and show them how to operate and maintain a single action semi-auto because of the pain revolvers are to clean.
 
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