cleaning a revolver after a day at the range

T

Theseus

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as you may or may not remember, i'm a newcomer to handguns. i took my 686 to the range and spent about 300 rounds yesterday.
i came home and cleaned it up, but the front of the cylinder was extremely difficult to clean. the rest of the gun looks great after some solvent, but the area around the cylinder bores is still stained. what can i do to clean this?
 

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I hate cleaning revolvers, which is probably why I don't shoot them too much anymore. When I do, I remove the grips and soak the entire gun overnight in Hoppe's #9. Everything comes out with almost no effort.
 
I don't worry about the discoloration on the front of the cylinder.

A toothbrush and whatever you use to clean the gun will remove any buildup that might interfere with function. Using abrasive cleaners will remove metal, a little at a time, and that's not a good thing.

IMHO.
 
Kleenbore's LeadAway cloths.

They're chemically treated to remove lead and carbon fouling, and do a GREAT job.

Word of caution, though. Do NOT use them on blued guns. It strips the bluing right off.
 
ditto

to not worrying about the face being ugly. no sense in scrubbing so much all of the time just to get it discolored all over again. i just wipe mine down with a clp-soaked patch, and let sit a minute while i clean the rest of the gun. then i brush a bit with a tooth brush, and wipe down and lube. i know how it is to want to keep your guns showroom-ready--as long as it works...i'm okay with a little stain here and there.
 
Any truth to this. I was told that firing a couple of jacketed rounds through the revolver after shooting cast bullets(SWC) will help de-lead the bore. Doesn't make sense to me but I am not a scientist.
 
well,,,,,yeah

that works and a lot of people do it, but i won't. After talking to some gunsmiths and thinking hard on the pressure thing, well it might work great but i'll scrub.
 
Any truth to this. I was told that firing a couple of jacketed rounds through the revolver after shooting cast bullets(SWC) will help de-lead the bore. Doesn't make sense to me but I am not a scientist.
Click to expand...
Hello Paul,

Yes, this makes the bore cleaning task much easier.
I always fire a couple of cylinders full of jacketed ammo at the end of a range session. In fact, that is the main reason that I use jacketed ammo in my revolver.

Please check your owner's manual before doing this.
Some manufacturers (Glock for instance) warn against shooting lead and then jacketed ammo due to possible overpressure issues specific to their products.
S&W revolvers and Colt 1911-types have no such warnings.
 
Some people say that the jacketed bullets only help pack the lead tighter onto the barrel, therefore making it seem like it disappears and easier to clean, but in reality making it worse.

I don't have an opinion either way, I just clean my guns with patches and solvent. :rolleyes:

P.S. I'd be worried about those pink rings around the chambers! ;)
 
Revolver Cleaning

Theseus: it depends how clean you want it. I always take the cylinder off and scrub the face with a toothbrush and some chrome polish to get the black off. The most important place to clean is in the cylinder tubes at the end of the brass where the black glaze builds up. I use a bore rod, nylon bore brush, some chrome polish and a black+decker hand drill to spin the rod.
 
".....CLEAN GUN AFTER SHOOTING....."

Oh, stop, I'm dying here...........

I can not believe people actually clean their guns every time they shoot them.
But I keep reading about it............


Why would you clean it after every use? How about just to ensure reliable function?
Would that make more sense?

I probably shouldn't say anything.
 
I clean mine when I'm bored. Maybe they get cleaned after the ranger or maybe a week or two later. I do like to atleast oil after the range and clean the barrel and cylinders before I shoot again.
 
Yeah, I clean my guns after everytime I shoot them. So what if I'm anal?

Put down one more vote for leadaway cloth (only on stainless guns). It makes the job very easy and the gun look like new.

Randy
 
(DIFFERENT KINDA ANAL)

Ditto Kleenbore cloth; works great on my stainless Rugers.
Use VERY SPARINGLY on bore; better than fire-lapping IMNSHO.

I'm anal about gun going bang every time, and hitting where I pointed........
 
I usually clean my firearms within 24 hours of a range session.
I like for my weapons to be at least "show room" clean.:) With
that said, on stainless revolver's I use an old toothbrush with
a dab of Simichrome. This combination really get's the "gunk"
off the face of the cylinder. Available at most K-Mart (Big K)
automotive center's for about $5.00; but you better hurry
before they go out of business.:eek: :D

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
You guys don't get it: you always wear clean underwear incase you get hit by a car (you don't want the people at the hospital to be grossed out). Same for gun cleaning... if I dropped dead with a safe full of dirty guns, I'd be embarrassed because people would think I didn't take care of them.
 
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