cleaning at the range

[zworld]

What do you guys use while at the range to keep the cap and ball revolvers shooting freely. They start getting fouled after so many rounds. So what do you use to loosen them back up to keep shooting? Thanks Z

 

[Rookie21]

I only own and have experience with the Remington platform. I push a 91% alcohol patch down the bore twice after every cylinder to keep the build up of crap down, and for the cylinder spinning freely I pull the cylinder pin after every cylinder fired, and wipe the pin clean. Then when I add grease to the cylinder I steal just a bit off the cylinder for the pin and put it back together and shoot. I load the cylinder on a press not in the gun so pulling the pin is part of my routine. In fact I remove the loading lever completely when shooting. Helps reduce weight in the gun and allows me to snatch the pin out easily.

 

[Bishop Creek]

I use Young Country Lube 103 on both my Remington's and Colt's. Put a little on the cylinder pin and I'm good for at least 60 shots without pulling the cylinder to clean. Also use it as an over ball lube. Been using this product for at least a decade. Works great! Of course I am not a competition shooter like Rookie21.

http://fortchambers.com/httpdocs/Products/Accessories/accessories.html

 

[Rookie21]

Hey ya gotta use what works best for you. My grease or bullet lube is a tube of white lythium grease. Costs about $3 a tube.... Works for me!

 

[Fingers McGee]

For Colt style revolvers, I lube the arbor with bore butter. Hot dry days I need to relube after 4 or 5 stages. Cool damp days, I can go a lot longer. I used a pair of 1861 Navies in three matches over 15 days last fall without relubing the arbors. Only maintenance was wiping down the outside of the frame & cylinder each evening when I put the guns back in the pistol cases.

 

[Bishop Creek]

I also added a few cuts with a file into the cylinder pin of my 1858 Remington to help hold lube. It makes a difference. The arbors on Colts come from the factory this way.

 

[FrontierGander]

no issues like that on my 1860 after I started to make my own lube.

 

[45 Dragoon]

Fingers,
That's awesome !!!

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com

 

[Smokin'Joe]

Vegetable Oil Lube

Instead of grease I use vegetable oil both on my arbor and over the ball. I dispense a couple of drops of Canola oil on the arbor and over the ball using a disposable pipette while at the range. This practice keeps me shooting for the entire session without binding up or chain-fire. According to the label Canola oil contains no salt

 

[45 Dragoon]

Fingers has it right!
You should be able to go and shoot all day and save the cleaning for when you get home!!

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com

 

[g.willikers]

Try Hodgdon's Triple 7 powder.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Nice, simple modification Bishop Creek.

 

[Fingers McGee]

Fingers, That's awesome !!!

Thanks also to cap rakes and a goonerized action on both - Thanks Mike

 

[Bishop Creek]

4V50 Gary: Nice, simple modification Bishop Creek.

Thanks Gary! And it really works too!

 

[ZVP]

No big deal! I carry a spray bottle of Windex and some CLP.
Cleaning a tight arbor just takes minutes...
I do it frequenrly just to keep things running smooth.
ZVP

 

[DD4lifeusmc]

even using the best lubes, eventually the fouling will make it difficult to rotate the cylinder.
I don't use any of the fancy exotic lubes out there.

Just beeswax/ lard mix. Used to use CVA patch grease. but no longer made.

I carry two small bottles of rubbing alcohol. one for dipping a patch into the other is a small plastic squeeze bottle with a needle spout.
squirt some on the cylinder face / pin junction to flush away the fouling and apply a dab of lube there.
and / or pull cylinder and use a wad and rod to clean the barrel and wipe down the cylinder pin and and hole.

In muzzleloaders the alcohol can be used to swab the bore of fouling. It dries quicker than other solvents or water.
And it is cheap.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Bishop Creek: How deep did you cut those grooves and how wide were they?