Ruger GP100 Chamber Cleaning Steel Wool

[marb4]

Hi everyone. This is my first post though I have been benefiting greatly from this forum for quite some time. Here it is. I have a Ruger GP100 that I have fired primarily 38 spcl out of. Apparently I haven't been cleaning the chambers as well as I thought as it began giving me problems loading and then ejecting 357 rounds. (lots of force needed to insert and then eject after fired) To clean the 38 spcl fouling I did the following...

1) Used a 40 cal brass brush chucked in a cordless drill. Ran each chamber for about a minute at a medium to slow speed.

2) Used an old 22 brass brush snuggly wrapped with 0000 steel wool chucked in a cordless drill. Ran in each chamber for about 30-45 seconds at medium to slow speed.

3) Cleaned with Hoppes 9 and oil

Havent shot it yet but the 357 rounds (unfired) drop in and out with zero effort. My question is this - Using brass brushes and 0000 steel wool can I "overpolish" the chambers using the above procedure? I don't want to actually remove material from the chambers causing a situation where accuracy may be affected or even worse - create a safety issue. The unfired rounds seem just a little "loose" in the chamber. They may have been that way before. I've just never noticed (or looked for that matter) Any thoughts, experiences, opinions would be greatly appreciated

 

[Sam1911]

Chances are pretty slim that you did any harm. The rounds are going to feel a little tiny bit loose in the chambers -- otherwise it would be difficult to get them in and out.

In the future use Chore Boy type bronze wool that you can get in the dish washing section of your grocery store.

 

[rcmodel]

Using brass brushes and 0000 steel wool can I "overpolish" the chambers using the above procedure?

No.

I have used 0000 steel wool & solvent or oil in a drill for chamber cleaning since I gunsmithed for 5th. Army AMU in the late 60's.

Using steel wool dry is probably not such a good idea though.

A bronze bore brush simply cannot harm a chamber, even in a hi-speed electric drill.

Can you over-polish a chamber?
Never look at the chambers in a pre-war S&W .357 Registered Magnum without sunglasses on.

rc

 

[harmonic]

I didn't catch whether your Ruger is blued steel or stainless steel.

I remember reading on several occasions that you do not want to use standard steel wool on a stainless gun as the steel wool deposits microscopic particles of steel in the stainless metal. These deposits then create a point of deterioration and rust.

If you're talking about a stainless revolver, you always want to use stainless steel wool.

If you're talking about a blued revolver, never mind.

 

[marb4]

Its Blued.