Basic Do Nots, Dry Firing, and Maintenance of Revolvers

I just bought my first revolver, a Ruger GP100, and I want to know some basic things that could cause damage and I shouldn't do. I would also like to know some basic maintenance such as occasionally tightening ceriain screws, etc. And is it bad to dry fire my Ruger GP100?
 
You could dry-fire a GP100 until your fingers fall off. You're not going to hurt a thing. If it makes you feel better, load some snap-caps in there while you're dry-firing. I don't think it's necessary, but it's your call.

I've never shot anything loose on mine and I've fired some pretty stout stuff out of it over the last several years.

Enjoy!
 
I just bought my first revolver, a Ruger GP100, and I want to know some basic things that could cause damage and I shouldn't do. I would also like to know some basic maintenance such as occasionally tightening ceriain screws, etc. And is it bad to dry fire my Ruger GP100?

Don't flick the cylinder closed.

I don't think there are any screws, to need tightening.
 
I just give mine a good cleaning after a range visit and a little gun oil in the works after and most important as others have said, Don't ever do that TV thing where you flick the wrist and snap the revolver shut

Gary
 
I know it's already been mentioned 4 times; but I'm going to say it again to stress its importance:

Never slam the cylinder shut.
 
Put a drop of oil on it, here and there, once in a while. (If it moves, put a drop of oil on it.) What kind of oil doesn't really matter.

Don't beat on it with a ball peen hammer.
 
Don't do the Hollywood spin-and-slam.

Discontinue use if you experience blurred vision, dizziness, or spontaneous tail growth.

Also, do not taunt GP100.
 
I agree that the "flick of the wrist" with a revolver might not be the best practice. But I doubt it is as bad as most folks seem to think. Just for fun, I once took a rather decrepit surplus M&P (predecessor of the Model 10; it cost $25) and spent all of one morning opening the cylinder and flipping it closed, with a full load of dummy cartridges. The result was severe damage - to my wrist. It hurt for a couple of days. Damage to the revolver? None that I could see or measure.

Of course that was one make of revolver and one "flipper". Perhaps others, with other guns, would have different results.

And I still don't recommend the practice.

Jim
 
The GP100 is a pretty robust design, so the main things I can come up with are related to cleaning and home gunsmithing:

IMO, zealous overcleaning isn't doing your gun any good. Wipe the heavy stuff off the front of the cylinder after shooting, but let the remaining black ring be. After shooting .38specials, clean the chambers before shooting longer .357mags. When I do clean the barrel, I just use a patch & solvent, and rarely a brush (and never a stainless steel brush), and I pull the patch with an Otis thingly from the breech end, rather than jam a cleaning rod down the muzzle. If I were shooting lead, I'd use a Lewis Lead Remover on the barrel and forcing cone if & when it needed it.

If you get into the gun, use the correct hollow-ground screwdrivers. Some replacement parts aren't available (except by sending the gun back to Ruger), so do not modify pieces of unobtainium until you do a little research. If you remove the trigger group, do not pull that trigger while the trigger group's out of the gun.
 
Of the big names still in the DA revolver business, Ruger says dry firing is OK with all their revolvers, S&W and Taurus say dry firing is OK on all but .22 Rimfire revolvers, and Charter Arms says nothing one way or the other (Rossi is owned by Taurus so I assume that Taurus dry firing recommendations would also apply to Rossi).

As far as other handling and maintenance procedures for revolvers, as has been mentioned flipping the cylinder shut one handed is generally considered to be a bad idea as it put extra and unnecessary stress on the crane/yoke. Models with screw-in ejector rods should be regularly checked for tightness as the rods can sometimes back out when firing. One should be careful when ejecting cartridges/spent casing briskly to strike the ejector rod straight-on to avoid bending it.

The area under the extractor star should be kept clean as as a small amount of dirt, unburnt powder, or other debris under the extractor can cause difficulty cycling the action. Likewise, it is best practice when ejecting spent casings to point the barrel straight up. This allows any debris or fouling inside the chambers to fall back into the case and thus prevent it from ending up under the extractor.

Also, many people used to semi-automatics have a tendency to over-lubricate a revolver. Unlike many semi-autos, revolvers generally work best with very little lubrication. All that is really necessary or advisable is a drop or two of good gun oil on the contact points of the lockwork. Any more than that is likely to attract dirt, lint, powder fouling, or other debris to the action and or leave dried up residue that will cause issues with the cycling of the action. Beyond that, a blue or casehardened revolver should have a very light coat of oil applied to the exterior to protect the finish as one would do with any other so-finished firearm.
 
Also, many people used to semi-automatics have a tendency to over-lubricate a revolver. Unlike many semi-autos, revolvers generally work best with very little lubrication.

I'd say this, too. I use to lubricate all of guns pretty extensively. Heck, my STI Spartan practically shot oil sideways after I cleaned it. But, the revolvers seem to like it a bit more dry. They certainly "feel" better when they are mostly dry. Just put in a drop where it's needed and leave the rest alone.
 
Congrats on your new revolver!

All excellent advice . . . .

Now my question . . . what does your manual tell you in terms of dry-firing, cleaning and lubrication? You don't say if your revolver is new or used . . . if you don't have a manual for it, you should be able to get one either off of the Ruger site or from Ruger.

You have a nice revolver that will last well beyond your lifetime! Enjoy it and have fun! :)
 
It must just be me.

In all my years of being around and shooting firearms (50+ yrs.), I've never felt the need to dry-fire a single one.

I just go out and shoot the damn things. ;)
 
I too can't stand seeing anyone "flip" the cylinder closed! #1 it looks so foolish and #@ it's no good for the gun! Another thing is when they use the pump handle to jack a round into a pump Shotgun.
You can really pick the fools out pretty quickly!
ZVP
 
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