Tips and tools for cleaning BP revolvers?

[BCRider]

In an effort to make the end of the day cleaning quicker and more painless I'd be interested in any tips or tools on what you folks use to speed up the job while ensuring that things are done right.

Please note that this isn't another call for the hot soapy water vs other solvents or oils but rather for any special tools or tricks to make things go easier and quicker.

While I'm mostly looking for hints from you lot I did come up with what I thought was a pretty clever trick the other night after the CAS event. So I'll start with one for y'all to consider and try.

I've always had a nasty time cleaning the dead ended holes in the cylinder. An end brush is a pain to get to fit and up to know I'd depended on this lousy brush along with lots of patches folded over the end of the patch stick to work out the fouling. This was slow and required a LOT of patches.


Outdoor sports cord/rope used for cleaning cylinder chambers-
So the other night I got the bright idea to try some stout 3/16 cord folded over and jammed down the cylinder bores using a popsicle/coffee stick (I've got a box of "craft" sticks here I used for shims and stir sticks for paints and glues). Once pushed all the way in the cord and stick are twisted about back and forth. I found that the coarse weave of the cord really did a number on the fouling and that it took a lot less repeats to get things spotless. Some playing around at the counter to determine right size will be needed but when it's a snug fit it sure does a great job of scrubbing the walls and end. And it's washable so you can reuse it over and over.

Small strainer for cleaning small parts and screws-
My only other trick I'm going to use in the future is to get a small strainer for the small parts. I figure I can dunk it into the hot water or cleaner, which ever you prefer, and clean them pretty well by just jabbing at them with a trimmed down cheap paintbrush followed by a hot water rinse. The small and deep basket will keep all the parts safe from being swept away. Although I'll also be checking to ensure the count is the same in case a really small part gets stuck in the cleaning brush.

 

[Allison]

BCRider...I'd always found cleaning the nipples troublesome as
I would keep dropping them and not getting them as clean as I'd like.
I bought a 1/8" x 3/4" x 6" strip of brass from McMaster Carr and
also a tap and put six tapped holes in the brass about 1/2" apart.
Screw the nipples into that and you can give them a good hard
scrubbing plus they don't get lost down the drain.
I've recently started coating everything with Hoppes #9 and letting
it work for a while. It seems to make cleanup a lot easier.

 

[SHIPCHIEF]

I use a tea cup or similar to soak the small parts in Hoppes when I dissassemble the gun. The small bottom of the cup means very little Hoppes is required to wet out the parts. I use a tooth brush to scrub them. Then I rinse them together in a strainer.
I like your cord and craft stick idea for the chambers in the cylinder, although that hasn't been a problem spot for me in the past.

 

[BCRider]

The brass strip to hold nipples is an EXCELLENT idea. I'm going to look at doing a set of those in the different threadings that nipples come in so I'm prepared.

The teacup gives me an idea too. A small wide mouth "makeup" type jar to hold the Hoppes and 1/2 of a tea strainer screen ball as used for loose tea. Add a handle to the strainer half and we're ready to dunk and brush then just put the cap back on after until the next time. I'm guessing that the Hoppes would be good for a few uses before it gets too polluted?

 

[TheWall]

Blue Wonder

I just started using Blue Wonder and have been very pleased. Cleans bore quickly and with no fuss. Just be sure to spray with something like Ballistol afterwards to protect from rust.

Here's a link:


http://www.bluewonder.us/BlackPowderCleaningInstructions.html

 

[Hellgate]

I use 20/10 windshield cleaner (bug formula) in a spray bottle also a test tube brush is great for the chambers & barrel. Q-tips & paper towels are used too.

 

[kanook]

It takes me no time at all.

When I get home after an afternoon at the range I sit down infront of the TV with an ice cold beer and then, I have the wife clean them.

 

[SHIPCHIEF]

Who put the over-alls in Mrs Murphy's chowder?

 

[sltm1]

For cleaning the small parts, I take a baby food jar, put the small parts in, cover them with Windex, and on a rack, place the jar into a small ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, filled w/ warm water (jar must be partially immersed). Turn it on and by the time you're done with the other stuff, your small parts are clean. You could probably put them in a tea straioner and immerse them right into the ultrasonic if you filled it with Windex.

 

[BlackNet]

I use gun scrubber (break cleaner) on the revolver before I leave the range. That will get most of the nasty stuff out and give you some time to clean it later when you get home.

Once I get home the nipples goes into a small plastic cup with either ole thunder or black solve. I have a bore brush to remove the fouling and pipe cleaners to do up the nipples and cylinder. I put more break cleaner on it and wipe it down then coat everything with rem oil or balistol.

I have not thought about the ultrasonic cleaner either. I bet that would work quite good with black solve. Will have to give that a try.

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

I don't see what the big problem is here, but if you want to make things a little easier, check with Cabela's. They sell some excellent black powder solvent and each container (about a pint, maybe half a pint) has a small basket inside that will hold small parts like nipples, etc. which you can lift in and out with no trouble at all. Maybe this post will help you a bit until you get used to working with small parts and get your routine down. (ie. Place your screws, nipples, etc. inside of the small basket, place the basket inside some solvent and let them soak good while you scrub your bore, etc. When you get to the basket you will find that cleanup on those small parts is very easy)

 

[sharps59]

2 way your favorite cleaner and boil every thing clean or my favorate harbor freight sonic cleaner tank and your favorate cleaner.

 

[rcflint]

I vary between using hot water and detergent like Simple Green, or just using MP7 cleaner or Ballistol Moose Milk. None of them are difficult, and I simply use Q-tips to clean the bottom of the cylinder chambers. Using a jag or cleaning rod tip to get to the chamber bottoms doesn't get the corners, a Q-tip does. BP cleans up better than smokeless, when it's clean, it's clean. When a smokeless chamber is "clean" it still has a hard coat of carbon, unless you run it through with Carbureter cleaner.

Nipples clean up with pipe cleaners.

 

[JCT]

I always use my dremel too with stainless and brass brushes....cleans the nipples easily and the hard fouling by the hammer and pin. Other than that, a sink full of hot soapy water and with my stainless SAA, sometimes I'll use brake cleaner to blast out the fouling.

 

[Voodoochile]

I vary between using hot water and detergent like Simple Green, or just using MP7 cleaner or Ballistol Moose Milk. None of them are difficult, and I simply use Q-tips to clean the bottom of the cylinder chambers. Using a jag or cleaning rod tip to get to the chamber bottoms doesn't get the corners, a Q-tip does. BP cleans up better than smokeless, when it's clean, it's clean. When a smokeless chamber is "clean" it still has a hard coat of carbon, unless you run it through with Carbureter cleaner.

Nipples clean up with pipe cleaners.

My cleaning rutine is very similar, cept I sometimes just use dish detergent & hot water to get my stuff clean, but I do go through a lot ao Q-tips, man do I want to shake the mans hand who invented those lil things.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Thanks to you all I just got a 1851 Navy for Christmas!

 

[scrat]

SNAP CAPS. well they dont have them for BP. but if you buy some of the caps for the toy cap guns. i usually take my pocket knife and dig out the paper primer. then i use them to cap my nipples with. So it actually acts like a shock absorber for your gun just in case it ever gets dry fired. Same time usually does a good job keeping the nipples dust free