How do you clean your cylinder bores?

M

maillemaker

New member
I usually use a bristle brush and a jag with patches, but this does not clean the bottom of the bore very well.

What do you use to clean the bottom of your cylinder bores?

Steve
 
You can wrap a patch around a bronze brush if you've got something stubborn in there. I usually just use a tight patch and work it in and out under water and the pressure cleans it pretty well.
 
This may be a little extreme....

...But I take the nipples out every time.

I bought a pack of brushes from Horrible Freight for a coupla bucks. I run one of those brushes all the way throught the chamber and out through the hole in the cylinder that the nipple threads into. I do this while Mrs. Doc Hoy is at church, so she doesn't catch me washing revolvers in the kitchen sink.

See we have an arrangement. I don't ask her what the preacher said, and she doesn't ask how long it took to clean up the kitchen.

Actually, I already pretty much know what the preacher said. Just about every time I heard him, he was taking a stand against sinners. I figure I was unwelcome, so I make myself scarse during divine services.
 
^^ I'm with Doc (on both how to clean and when to clean in the Mrs-Willies sink. Sundays during preachin' time is a perfect time. She worships creation one way, and I do it another, with me referencin' the fact that God made men, and Colonel Colt made 'em all equal. That's a good enough connection for old Willie...)


HOT water run into the cylinder for a bit really does work though. I break down the revolver, wash the cylinder holes-up, not tits-up (low hanging fruit, sorry...), with free-flowing hot water, then dip a fiber bristle brush into the ever-handy Ballistol can, and swab each cylinder out a few times. Continue to run hot water into the mouths of the cylinders for a few moments, and put the cylinder on a towel to air dry. A bit of Ballistol on a hand towel to wipe it down later, and a cleaning-mop with the smallest amount of Ballistol on it run ito each chamber once.

I only remove nipples once in a dogs age... they come out easy as they were put in with a dab of never-sieze to begin with.


You could boil the entire thing in a coffee pot, like they did in the old days... cleaning these things is not rocket science, seein' as how it was done in the old days in the field. Water and a bit of soap in a boilin' kettle. Hang on a string to dry, and some fat offa whatever you had shot rubbed on after was about the size of it.



Willie

.
 
Take the nipples out, hot (140 degree) running water in the garage utility sink, bore brush chucked in cordless drill, Thick rubber gloves on so hot water doesnt burn skin, hold cylinder under running water, stick brush in chamber and pull trigger on drill, repeat on all chambers then on nipple recesses. takes about 3 minutes to do two cylinders. Shake off excess water and let air dry (with 140 degree water it only takes a few seconds to air dry). Then run jag with balistol lubed patch in chambers for rust protection and to get any fouling/dirt left from the bath.
 
Yeah, I've been washing the cylinder (well, the whole gun for that matter) in my garage utility sink with hot soapy water, and I've used a bore brush and patches to go down the bores. But nothing wipes directly against the bottom of the bore. Q-tip is a good idea, but what I really want to find is a tiny bristle brush and bend it into a U shape so I have bristles that can bear against the bottom of the bore. Maybe a .22 bristle brush will do.

I don't take my nipples out after every shoot.

Steve
 
Yur supposed to clean the bottom of the cylinders?

Kidding.

I use soap and hot water to flush and patches pushed down then spun on the end of dowel. The wood dowel seems to grip the patches and I can get some leverage on the twist. Works good enough for me.

Edit to add:
I also do the same with my Rifle but with a tight jag. I believe they make a rod mounted scraper but I've only heard of them, never seen or used one.
 
Yes I use a breach face scraper for my muskets. Highly recommended you do so or you can end up with a coke deposit on your breach face that can glow under sustained fire and cause cook-offs.

Steve
 
You can wrap a patch around a bronze brush if you've got something stubborn in there. I usually just use a tight patch and work it in and out under water and the pressure cleans it pretty well.
Click to expand...

X 2
 
clean bottom

I have a couple old large pimiento jars.
Fill about 1/2 way with rubbing alcohl.
I remove the nipples, set the cylinder in the jar chamber up.
Let soak a few minutes, use a q-tip. Never had a problem
with caking.
I clean all my BP with alcohol.
One caution don't smoke or such while using the alcohol
 
I run my cylinders (with nipples in) under cold water, squirt with moosemilk, swab out with a 20 ga bore mop, rinse, blow dry with an air compressor. Takes a little longer that it took for me to write this. My nipples come out every 6 months or so. No particular schedule.
 
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