cleaning your revolver ?

Secondly, there's no need or reason to "squirt" anything inside your revolver for routine cleaning/lubing. Squirting stuff inside the gun moves crud around, gets grit into places it doesn't need to be, and doesn't really do a proper job of lubing anyway.
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Not to mention that all the stuff you sprayed in it will start spraying out of it when the shooting starts.
 
I tried to take a revolver apart 40 years ago. After a trip to a gun smith it was all better. That same gun still shoots great. It barrel and cylinder are cleaned with normally accepted methods. Don't take off the side plate, ever!
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Oh foo!

I took the side plate off a S&W probably about the same time. Scared the dickens out of me looking at all the parts inside and I put the side plate back on.

But if you take a little time to learn how to do it, there is no trick at all to taking the sideplate off and all the parts out of a Smith.

MPRoundButtParts-1.jpg


You just need to learn how to do it. A terrific smith showed me how. If you don't have access to a terrific smith, this book will tell you how. Best book on the market.

http://www.gunbooks.com/sw.html
 
I do not take the side plate off to clean, I mean it really does not get dirty in there.
I dont' shoot my revolvers that much anyway.

I take the side plate off maybe ever couple years less there is a problem.
 
I hate to disagree with the gun expert formerly known as Drifty, but if you want your DA Smith or Colt to have the nicest trigger, take the shooter apart and clean the whole thing...tough to get Colt cylinders apart so get it as best ya can. Shootin a few hundred cast with BE or other dirty powder will get into the works and rimfires are almost as bad, not to mention all the lead crap. For those that don't know how to semi detail strip your shooters you should learn.
 
JoeSixpack said:

I do not take the side plate off to clean, I mean it really does not get dirty in there.
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Well, I've opened up a few of my guns at times and found dust, grit, broken pine needles, leaf fragments and what might have been fur, and general lint. Even lightly oiled, this turns to gunk in time.

I've flushed it out and at times have soaked my revolver in a pan filled with lacquer thinner.

But for the most part, Hoppe's No. 9 and my 50/50 mix of motor oil and 3-in-One have served me well for nigh unto sixty years now.

Bob Wright
 
I do not take the side plate off to clean, I mean it really does not get dirty in there.
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If you shoot a lot of grease type cast lead lube, it will get full of greasy black sludge.

I dont' shoot my revolvers that much anyway.
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Well, that is the answer for you then. But there are some of us who actually shoot a lot.
 
ammo.crafter said:

Never, ever use WD-40. It is a big no-no for guns.
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Well, as has been pointed out, I've used it around my shop both on guns and non-guns for a long time with no ill effects. I'll continue to use it until I do find a problem.

Bob Wright
 
As an armorer and gunsmith, I don't recommend removing the sideplate to clean the revolver for casual cleaning. I only did it once a year for firearms owned by the city (and personal firearms carried by officers).

Here's what can go wrong:

1) messed up screw heads. How many folks grind or file their screwdrivers to fit the screws?
2) messed up sideplates. Some folks are not mechanically inclined and can really destroy the finish or if they remove it incorrectly or reinstally it wrong, a bent sideplate.
3) Can't get it together. Now you have to pay someone to fix it and you've got some down time while waiting for it to be returned.

If you're going to disassemble it, attend some NRA summer school and learn how. It's more than watching U-tube videos or reading a book.

Let me join the chorus against WD-40. While at Rem Armourers' School, we learned of a lawsuit where a 700 discharged and injured plaintiff's foot. When the 700 in question was examined by Remington, it was learned that the plaintiff had used WD-40 for over a decade and had never taken it in to a gunsmith for cleaning. Gradually a film developed around the sear such that there was barely any contact between it and the striker. Poor muzzle control too didn't matter and Remington was held liable. Lesson: no WD-40. Use regular gun oils.
 
Again- for the 100th time- WD 40 won't hurt guns.
ANY oil will dry up over time and get thicker. Add residue from firing and old oil or grease and it gets thicker.
Properly used WD 40 will actually CUT this sludge and flush it out.
I have a small container of WD 40 with the carrier evaporated. It has sat for about 5 years. All that is left is a thin mineral oil- no "gum."
I have used WD 40 extensively for about 45 years- on guns, tools, polishing equipment, knives, and machinery. I have never had a problem with it.
You just have to know how to use it.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
I have a small container of WD 40 with the carrier evaporated.
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Well, technically, then, that's not WD-40 any longer, is it? ;)


As far as I'm concerned, one can use what ever they like (on their own guns). I simply don't see why one would use something like WD40 when there are so many actual, proper and effective lubricants and cleaners available for firearms.

If cost is the issue, good ol' ATF is an excellent lube. Add some kerosene and mineral spirits to make Ed's Red, which is a good, proven and cheap cleaner.
 
I go as far as takin the grips off and maybe the cylinder if it's extremely dirty, but I've never had to take the side plate off of any of my revolvers. If I feel there's dirt or water in there, I simply blast the innards with Gun Scrubber or some other similar cleaner. Sometimes I use Ballistol as well.
 
Take the screws out and tap the GRIP FRAME with a rubber mallet till the side plate comes off. Then when you put it back on don't bend it.

It is NOT rocket science and some people absolutely have a cow when you say you did it. Just don't bend it and don't pry it off, that's all there is to it! I've done it a hundred times at least and never had a problem.

About every 2000 rounds I pop the sideplate and shower with brake cleaner. Let warm up and spray some rem oil in. Done.
 
You will notice there are a lot of differing opinions at to what to do under the sideplate. I personally remove the sideplate on every one of my new or used purchases. Oddly I find far more gunk and shavings under the sideplate in my new S&W revolvers than any used guns I have purchased. I spray gunscrubber to get out the crud and then use a spray dir-lube and close it back up. I assume it would also work if I removed the grips and followed the same procedure using compressed air to make sure all the cleaner had evaporated before using dir-lube.
My 2¢
 
To test WD-40 some time ago I sprayed a piece of steel.
It must have been close to a month ago, maybe more.
So far there have been none of the suspected problems.
It still covers well, little to no evaporation just sitting on the bench, and no signs of getting sticky or turning to varnish.
 
WD-40® CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE TOOL FOR GUN OWNERS

April 01, 2001


To WD-40 or not to WD-40? That is the question. It seems that as long as there have been firearms, the debate on proper maintenance techniques has raged on. Staunch believers on both sides of the fence have strong opinions about which products are the best to protect their investment and keep their guns in perfect working condition.

WD-40 has been used in the gun industry for many years. It is not only safe to use on your gun, but comes highly recommended by many experts in the industry due to its cleaning, rust preventing, moisture displacing, penetrating and lubricating properties.

Joe Singleton, owner of Singleton’s Gun Shop in Dix, Neb., is a 20-year veteran of the industry. Singleton has been recommending WD-40 for as long as he can remember. "I use WD-40 as a cleaner. Its penetrating qualities help break down powder residues and clean out the build-up that inevitably forms in a firearm after use. This build-up could lead to jamming or misfiring, so I use the multi-purpose product to remove all traces."

Other professionals swear by the product for use in firearms restoration, cleaning and preventive maintenance. Brodie Gratiot, manager of Sievert’s Enterprises Ltd., in Pueblo, Co., the largest stocking gun dealer in the eight Rocky Mountain states, finds many uses for the product in restoring guns that come into his gun shop.

"When faced with a rusted gun, we spray it down with WD-40, let it sit for 24 hours, spray it again, and wipe off the rust deposits," said Gratiot. "This also works with deep pitted rust, we use a toothbrush and WD-40 to remove the deep-set rust deposits from the pitting without marring the finish." After gun handling and restoration, all surfaces are wiped with a rag sprayed with WD-40 to prevent rust caused by skin oil and salt.

During late elk and deer season, Gratiot recommends applying a light coating of WD-40 to the bolt, firing pin and trigger mechanism to displace moisture and prevent freezing in sub-zero temperatures.

Master gunsmith Jose Somarriba of Miami, Fla., uses WD-40 both on the equipment in his shop and to maintain firearms. Somarriba uses the product after the bluing process and on shop milling and grinding machines. After using a bore solvent agent to remove fouling he applies WD-40 to prevent rust and to lubricate the barrel.

In addition to the professionals, avid outdoorsmen like Tim Karpf of Killingsworth, Conn., uses WD-40 to protect recreational equipment from the elements: salt water spray, rain and snow. Karpf uses the multi-purpose product to protect exposed metal parts and to protect the bluing.

As for the weekend sportsman, everyone knows that the proper care and upkeep of your expensive equipment makes all the difference in its longevity and performance. "After using a solvent to clean the barrel, I always make a final pass with WD-40 to protect and preserve both the interior and exterior of the barrel," declared Karpf.
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So what has changed since this was written in 2001?
More internet "experts"!
I remember seeing the guys on the line at Knob Creek with the big boy toys having gallon cans of WD40 to keep them running. But I guess tens of thousands of rounds in a weekend through an M60, MG34/42, M2, Mini Guns, and various full auto armament isn't really a fair test of WD40's cleaning, and lubricating properties!
 
I had a 642 that I would routinely keep in the back pocket of my cycling jersey when I rode (150 ish miles a week). I took the side plate off when I dry fired it and the trigger wouldn't reset. A few months worth of heavy sweating had somehow turned the lithium grease into lithium paste. A full cleaning to include taking the side plate off became a weekly thing.
 
If I want to give it the super clean I Spray the heck out of it with break cleaner. After I let it dry for a while I then lube it. If I am just doing a normal clean I just flush it out with Ballistol. Warning on break cleaner. Do not get it near plastic or wood.
 
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