Does a Brand new revolver need to be cleaned prior to first using it?

C

charlesc

New member
Question 1 - Does a brand new revolver need to be cleaned prior to first using it? If so what supplies are needed and from where can I purchase them?

Questions 2 - If not, it still needs to be cleaned after shooting it first time and every time, correct?

question 3 - What supplies are required to clean a stainless steel revolver?

Question 4 - What supplies are required to clean a blued revolver?

Question 5 - How do you clean the revolver? Do you have to do extensive cleaning after every time you shoot it?

Thank you
 
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Well, here is my response:

No. A new revovler does not require cleaning unless there is an application of grease or possible some obstruction in the bore, i.e. Styrofaom peanut, packing material, or wrapping paper. Do examine the gun for that.

Otherwise, just a general cleaning after firing with good cloth patches and a solvent such as Hoppe's No. 9. Swab out the chambers and bore. If a blued gun, wipe down with an oily rag or paperr towel.

For a brand new gun, I usually put a drop of oil in the action, dropping it on the base of the cocked hammer. This sort of flushes away any metal particles left over from the machining/assembly process.

I like to clean my guns as soon after firing as possible, but if they have to sit a day or two, that's O.K. too.

There is nothing in modern ammunition that is harmful to guns.

Bob Wright
 
And..............


As to supplies, a good supply of cleaning patches, short rigid rod for cleaning the chambers, and a rotation rod with jags or slotted tips for the bore. A good rag, or, as I am fond or, those blue paper shop towels from AutoZone.

Sooner or later you'll want a box for storage of those supplies. Me, I have a nice wooden box with compartment for cleaning patches, a small wooden box for cleaning rod tips, and a nice wooden box for keeping all those little boxes.

Cleaning kits sort of grow on you.

Bob Wright
 
Thank you bob. I would like video/Visual instructions - step by step and also information on good reliable stores - online/retail from where to buy the supplies from. Are there any videos on this web site about this, If not, could anyone direct me to right links. Thank you
 
Question 1 - No it's brand new. Go shoot it.

Questions 2 - No. It's a revolver and will function just fine even after a thousand rounds. If it makes you feel good to clean it, go for it. But you don't need to clean it, except to prevent corrosion.

question 3 - Just normal gun cleaning supplies.

Question 4 - Same as #3

Question 5 - Just clean the barrel and the cylinders and also clean under the extractors.
 
I would look to YouTube for videos.

It's not really than complicated, though.

I first don some nitrile gloves.

Take a cleaning rod, attach a bronze brush of appropriate size and squirt it with some solvent. Hoppe's #9, CLP just to name a couple.

Open the cylinder if double action, remove if single action. Run that brush back and forth through the barrel several times. Ordinarily you would do this from the breech end, but that's kind of hard to do on a revolver. You want to be mindful of the crown (muzzle end, where the rifling stops), and I put a towel over the inside back part of the frame so's I don't accidentally smack it with the end of the brush. Don't reverse your stroke while the brush is in the bore.

Now run that brush through each chamber in the cylinder.

Then I get an old toothbrush and some Q-tips for the nooks and crannies, around the forcing cone, top strap, etc.

I wipe everything down with shop towels. At this point you would run dry patches down the bore and chambers until they come out dry. I am lazy, so I use a Bore Snake for this part of the process. Couple pulls through for each.

Then I push the ejector rod, put a small drop of oil where it slides into the cylinder, work it back and forth then wipe off the excess. Make sure there is no crud under the ejector star at this point. Couple times a year I will put a drop of oil in the guts and work the action to spread it around. Sparingly, you don't want excess dripping out.

Then the oily rag, though I am a fan of the silicone impregnated reel and gun cloths. Then another shop towel to remove the excess (you only need a thin film).

Reload, if you so choose, and put it back where it goes.

I have a felt mat with non permeable backing, but used to do it on the coffee table on top of some shop towels. Smell of the Hoppe's gave my missus a headache, so I got some CLP. Now I have a workshop so it doesn't matter.

Most, if not all of these things can be had at Academy, Wal-Mart, Bass Pro and the like. I started with a caliber specific kit from the range/store where I shot my first gun for the first time.

You'll get it down. Like I said, it's not that hard. You'll be an old hand in no time.

Hope this was helpful. Enjoy your new gun.

Well, Beretta686 simplified this while I was composing this novella.:D
 
Where to buy this stuff?

Try Cabela's, Stoegers, Midway for online purchases; BassPro, or your local sporting goods stores that carry hunter's supplies.

Look for Hoppe's products or Birchwood Casey products, to name a few. Also such as RemOil for lubricants.

My own formula which I made up nearly fifty years ago was to mix Three-In-One oil and automotive motor oil in a 50/50 mix. Go easy on oil. I usually coat down the exterior generously, then wipe dry with a paper towel. This to prevent rust.

If your gun gets dunked in a lake or creek, clean and spray with WD-40 to remove the water, then clean as normal.

As to rods, I prefer a stout brass rod over aluminum as it tends to flex less.

Bob Wright
 
Before firing ANY new firearm you should at least wipe the factory preservative lubricant out of the bore and chambers.

Lube in the chamber will prevent the cartridge case from adhering to the chamber walls for the brief instant needed for pressures to drop to safe levels, and the case will tend to slide back against the recoil surface of the frame, very greatly increasing the impact of the case against the frame.

This can be dangerous and is certainly not safe or good for the gun.
There's no reason at all NOT to wipe out the bore and chambers of a new gun, and excellent reasons you should.
 
Before firing ANY new firearm you should at least wipe the factory preservative lubricant out of the bore and chambers.
Click to expand...

+1.

You don't have to give it a complete break down and clean but you should always run a patch or two down the bore.
 
I clean any new firearm before I shoot it. Might not be necessary it's just something I've always done.
 
Charles,
This wouldn't perchance be a new Ruger stainless GP that you're asking about, would it?
Denis
 
I clean any new firearm before I shoot it. Might not be necessary it's just something I've always done.
Click to expand...

Me too JWT. It's just something I do. It's not "mine" until I clean it. Then it's mine.

And as my father would say: "You shoot a gun. You clean a gun."
 
I clean any new hand gun before use. Some manuf's. use a type of grease that's more for corrosion control than for lubrication purposes. I've used Hoppe's #9 for over 50 years now with complete satisfaction, and military weapons grease purchased at gun shows, along with CLP or the military equivalent for lubrication.

If you want to save some $, make up your own cleaning solution and oil...it's called Ed's Red, developed by Ed Harris of American Rifleman's "Dope Bag" fame. A search will get you the formula plus some of Ed's tips on using it. Basically, it's equal parts by volume of: Acetone, Paint Thinner or Turpentine, Dextron Automatic Transmission fluid, and Kerosene. I've used this for the past 10 years or so with no complaints, and it's as cheap as it gets.

When cleaning, beware of allowing your cleaning rod to 'saw' along the edges of your barrel's muzzle...the grit from firing is embedded in the rod and can and will damage your muzzle crown over time...with disastrous results to the gun's accuracy.

For persistent leading, try a piece of "Chore Boy" scouring pad...the all copper one, for quick removal with no damage to your barrel or cylinder throats. Be sure it's all copper, and not just plated steel...a kitchen frig magnet will help with selecting the proper one in your local Dollar Store.

A little gun oil goes a long way. You don't want too much of it down in the works collecting dust and lint....and a good wipe down with an oily rag immediately after you're done shooting, keeps rust from your finger prints from starting before you get home for a good cleaning. From start to finish, an after shooting clean up shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes...the latter only if you've got some persistent leading. Some guys are anal about their guns, but the above suits the Marines and Army Marksmanship Unit guys up at Camp Perry....

Best regards, Rod
 
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