Ever question your sanity after cleaning your revolver?

You guys must be shooting some awfully dirty loads.

A simple cleaning of a revolver is obviously going to take longer than an auto if you're cleang 1 bore + 6 chambers vs 1 bore + 1 chamber. But autos tend to need more thorough cleanings more frequently than revolvers, which entails at least a field strip.

To be honest, I rarely brush or swab the chambers of my revolvers. I spray a little kroil in them and then put snap-caps into the chambers which prevents the kroil from running out - that's it. By the time I'm ready to use the gun again, the kroil has worked the soot loose and this can be blown-out w/ compressed air.
 
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That is a new technique! Well someone was marketing a revolver cylinder chamber cleaning tool and it might still be available-it was a gizmo that held 6 cleaning brushes on a disc and they were lined up to fit the certain size frame, like a speedloader does-the ads show the 6 brushes but I suppose then you could install 6 of those wooly swabs or something and do the finishing touches. That must be a time saver! Well in any case your guns gotta be cleaned. Sometimes you can take shortcuts I guess and then do the detail cleaning less often. But if you don't clean them at all, you will be judged a gun slob by others. You won't be the only one. Plenty of guns for sale at the gunshows are full of crud. I guess they figure if they are gonna sell, to *&%# with it, I am lazy and let the next guy do it.
 
giving my S&W 686-4pp a bath is a snap. i put on some hank williams or bob dylan music and im done before the singers are. then its off to the range again.. life is a blast. :D
 
Revolvers are a pain to clean, but if you don't get too obsessive about it, and just get it basically clean and not perfectly clean it's no big deal. You're gonna shoot it again right? Think about how dirty the range rentals are. Filthy. I don't worry too much about the rings on the front of the cylinder or getting every last micron of lead out of the barrel after each time I shoot. I give it a good wipe down, snake out the barrel and brush out the cylinders. Good to go. I do most of this dry, then run a wet patch thru at the end.
 
Great replies, fellas.

Casimir - What is Kroil?

Boats - Good point about time lost & gained. Thinking about it, time spent cleaning the revolver is more quality time than time stooping over and picking up brass. (and I don't even have a bad back!) That is a good point.

jfrey123 - Yeah, I was a Glock Guy too. Once you've "had to clean" a Glock, everything else is a real pain in the neck. Some Glock guys actually get so bored with it that they detail strip their Glocks every time they clean them. :eek:

I really like shooting revolvers, and not picking up brass. I need to adjust my attitude; just accept that it takes longer, but isn't hard. Play some Bach or Mozart and set aside some time for it. Maybe even play an Eastwood western and do it in the other room.

By the way my wife gave me a GREAT suggestion for a cleaning pad: They make these doggie training pads. They are like a thin super-absorbent diaper material, but just the right size for cleaning a gun. When I'm spraying the brake cleaner and dripping solvent, it just soaks the stuff up. We had those pads left over from when Floyd was a puppy 3 years ago. Never needed them, as he picked up the house training so quickly. She was about to throw them out and thought about my gun cleaning!
 
Usually I shoot my T-series High Power and one of my .39sp revolvers at the range each week. I am also usually a better shot with the revolver than the High Power. I have come to realize there are two reasons for this: 1. I shoot the High Power first; and 2. It holds thirteen rounds rather than the five (638 Airweight) or seven (686+). It is easier to be sloppy with the High Power! With less rounds at my disposal with my revolvers, I am more careful in shot placement. I am going to reverse the shooting order and see if that helps all around.

As for cleaning them, I am not anal about it: brass brushes soaked in Hoppe's #9, patches until clean, paper towel wipedowns, a drop of oil here and there, reassemble and wipe down with a silicon cloth. In the forty years I have owned the High Power, I have never detail stripped it. I have never removed THAT screw on either of my S&W revolvers, much less removed the side plate. I may do it just before my grandson inherits them. And yes, I do find revolvers somewhat more tedious to clean. But not that much.

Cordially, Jack
 
Casimir - What is Kroil?
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Hell if I know! :D

Kroil is described as a 'penetrating oil'. It's some form of very low viscosity petroleum distillate, but it also acts like a solvent. Basically what Kroil seems to do is to get underneath carbon, and even lead, that's bound to the steel of the chambers or bore. Once it's done this, these elements are separated from the steel and so are easier to remove. But you have to be careful because it will also lift other lubricants ( avoid using it around the hammer and trigger interfaces).

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/catsearch.aspx?k=kroil&ps=10&si=True

Just to clarify, I do take a bronze brush to the faces of the cylinder and barrel extension, and a pinky eraser to the cylinder walls occasionally. But I shoot so frequently that it would be a part-time job to do a full cleaning after every session. I just focus on the parts that are going to affect my accuracy,ability to chamber rounds, and to manipulate the action.
 
would i be remiss if i admitted that I haven't cleaned any of my guns within the past 6-9 months, or even more?

BTW, Beethoven's 6th is the best gun cleaning music.
 
I'll agree that I can shoot my revolvers pretty well, but I shoot my autoloaders even better. And cleaning the revolvers is a real chore compared to the autos.

But I shoot my revolvers in Bullseye competition anyways, because I like having something to aspire to (i.e. shooting my revolvers as well as my autos).

Plus, we all know the reliability of revolvers vs. autos when it comes to dud rounds (I like to shoot a lot of bulk ammo for cheap practice).
 
Plus, we all know the reliability of revolvers vs. autos when it comes to dud rounds
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Be careful. I used to think the same way until two days ago. I was competing in IDPA at the local range, when upon reload, I could not get the cylinder back in the frame. Immediately I looked at my cartridges for proper seating on the rim, but nothing was amiss. I was baffled until I noticed that there was a very small piece of crud underneath the extractor. There I was, in front of God and everybody, crouching behind a barrel trying to blow/pick out this tiny speck of dirt. That failure added about 15 seconds to my time. If it were real I'd have been killed because I was caught off guard. If it were a pistol I'd have simply performed the tap, rack, bang drill and been back in service two seconds later.

This is coming from a revolver enthusiast that only owns one autoloader. I still love 'em, but they're not without their own issues. Every gun ever designed is a compromise.
 
44Magnum said:
Be careful. I used to think the same way until two days ago...
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Touché; I was talking about bad primers, but you're right: revolvers have their own set of issues.
 
I don't usually spend much more time cleaning my revolvers than I do my autos.

Cleaning the charge holes doesn't have to be a long, arduous process. I put some Hoppes in the holes with a Q-tip, the use a worn-down .45 brass brush chucked into my cordless drill to clean it out, then patch as normal.
 
vanilla gorilla - That is a good plan. I think I'm going to try a 40 cal brush in a cordless drill next time.

herbie - I'll try Beethoven's 6th. I have it, but don't listen to as much Beethoven as others.
 
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