I suppose it all boils down to personal hygiene, and how you feel about it.
Personal hygiene applies to your weapons as well as your gun. If youre offended.....Well that's a pretty insulting comment to make. Just what the dickens does one's personal hygiene have to do with whether or not one bothers to clean carbon rings off the front of a cylinder.
You can never have enough good revolvers, and I still clean the face of the cylinders, on every one of mine.I say again, when one has enough revolvers, he will stop being concerned about carbon rings on the front of the cylinder.
What doesn't come with Hoppes #9 and a simple wipe... Stays. And I've shot a lot of Rugers and all I shoot is lead bullets too. I've never quite understood why it is a problem to some.
Try a magic eraser. I have not tried one on a blue gun, but they do magic on other things I cannot get clean with even alcohol.
I've never been able to detect a buildup. I've always had the impression that the carbon scoring is more of a stain in the metal than it is a buildup....a slight ring buildup will reduce the cylinder to barrel distance giving an increase in pressure across the cylinder gap...
It's not clear that carbon scoring is actually "dirt" or fouling in the conventional sense. As mentioned, it doesn't appear to be a buildup or deposit but is more characteristic of a stain or coloration in the metal resulting from firing.I'm one who won't put a gun away dirty.
This is what I'm talking about. If removing carbon scoring repeatedly involves removing the finish too, that suggests to me that it's not really a fouling or buildup on top of the finish. It suggests that it's actually staining/altering the metal/metal finish and therefore removing it requires removing some of the metal/metal finish....if one does it repeatedly, the polish will lighten the bluing...
Well, don't I feel sheepish? I'm one who won't put a gun away dirty. Anywhere. I guess it's a character flaw. Here's an example of a blued .45 Blackhawk after about 400 rounds, and after cleaning the cylinder face and everywhere else, for that matter.
I use Iosso Gunbrite polish and a nylon bristle brush on the cylinder face. Bluing will withstand several cleanings like this, but if one does it repeatedly, the polish will lighten the bluing. That's just the way it is with blued guns.
That's why I only buy stainless these days.
If this were the case, would you not also be removing the bluing on the blued guns?but you're still just removing perfectly functional carbon-scored steel in order to get to new steel beneath it.