Revolver cleaning

[Don]

I've read a number of times in this forum and others about guys completely disassebling their revolvers to clean them. I have three revolvers but have never completely disasebled any of them yet. I rarely shoot more than one or two cylenders through them at a time. Typically I remove the cylender and clean it thouroghly then clean the barrel and wipe down the frame with a solvent soaked patch. I also put a few drops of solvent on a pipe cleaner and run it down into the frame behind the trigger and where the cylender turner is. I thought about disassembling the revolver but I'm not sure I have the right tools. Besides I'm mechanically challenged and I don't want to take off a trigger gaurd or grip and have small parts or springs fly every where. Am I being over anxious or is this a job that requires care and mechanical aptitude?

Please Advise

Don

 

[graybeard]

Don: I am the original guy for whom the term "all thumbs" was coined. So when I tell you it's easy to disassemble the Colt replicas you better believe it. You didn't mention type of revolver. With the colt replicas you take out three screws and take he one-piece wooden handles off. Tap out the barrel wedge and the gun falls into three parts, barrel assembly, cylinder and frame. I run a patch with solvent down the barrel a few times and into each chamber. Then put the pistol, disassembled, into the dish washer and run it through a cycle. I always use the prescribed amount of dishwashing soap. Dirty dishes are optional. Make certain the barrel and the cylinder are verticle. When the drying cycle finishes and the metal still is hot, spray the whole works down with Remoil, reassemble, wipe it down with a rag and it's ready to go again. You do need to put grease on the cylinder pin in a Colt replica before you put it together. If you take pistol down any more than I've just described you are going into new territory and good luck. graybeard :m2c:

 

[Rat]

Greybeard is right, compared to many firearms, and modern firearms the cap-n-ball revolovers are not hard to take apart. Just make sure you use quality screwdrivers that fit the slots right.

I only completely take them apart about every six months or a year, depending on how often they are shot. Maybe after they have been shot and cleaned...six, seven times? I'm not sure, just "once in a while" I guess, not every time I shoot/clean. After a while some fouling does build up inside the frame...but it's funny I've never found any rust in there.

With all due respect to Graybeard, I'll just put in my two cents that I never clean any firearm with water.

:m2c:

Rat

 

[jim gray]

I clean mine with hot soapy water,rinse with boiling hot water, dry the metal parts in the oven (on low), and finally wipe them down thoroughly with a light coat of oil. I always check them over a day or so later and wipe them down again at that time.

Never tried using the dishwasher; I wonder if that's how Wild Bill Hickock cleaned his .36 cal. Colt Navies... ::

I do take mine apart and clean them now, I found that they aren't hard to disassemble when I had to replace the trigger spring.

 

[Rat]

You ninny...Wild Bill took his pistols down to the Chinese laundry at the end of the street.

Rat

 

[Dale D]

A noticed that with my revolvers, the actions seem to "gum up" or get stiff after shooting two cylinder fulls.I've tried it with and without grease on the cylinder pin. The only thing I wonder about is when loading I put powder, Ox-Yoke wonder wad,then ball (no grease on top). Would that help? DALE ::

 

[rayb]

see the articles / posts by gatofeo regarding percussion revolvers

try searching for gatofeo..

he's got it right. read what he says and believe it. It will save you a lot of work and worry.

rayb

 

[2172]

I've had a .36 Euroarms Remington repro for 30 years, and have never done a complete disassembly..."field strip", i.e take out cylinder and cylinder pin, but never the "innards'...usually squirt Sheath into the pall and finger openings...use a pipe cleaner ...maybe I'll try a disassembly...Hank

 

[Rat]

Sometimes when the cylinder to barrel gap is real tight they will start binding up sooner than if there is more of a gap there.

Rat

 

[Dale D]

I checked it out.Has a lot of good info.Another question though: Can that lube (parafin,tallow, beeswax) be used on the cylinder pin? DALE ::

 

[FireMaker]

Beeswax type stuff will help keep the goop from goint in on the cylinger pin. Cant prevent it, just slow it down. I use dawn dish soap to clean my Remington. I dont plan taking out the inards out but put the whole thing in hot soapy water. This seems to work pretty well.

 

[JeffS]

They are really easy to assemble, dont be afraid to tear it down. A pard recently gave me a dragoon, he had torn it completely down, and I think he didnt want to put it back together. I cleaned the snot out of it, and put it back together just using common sense. Piece of cake.

I rarely tear one down completely to clean it. Obviously, do the bore, the cylinder, and the nipples really good. Then I usually flush the action out with Dixie blacksolve/water from a spray bottle, and WD-40 it generously. I use bore butter to coat the pin, bore and cylinder. Im not saying it is perfect, but it has worked fine for me, ymmv.

Jeff

 

[JeffS]

Dale, that is pretty much how it goes with real black powder and moving parts. I use black powder in my Ruger Vaquero .45's in Cowboy Action Shooting, and usually end up hitting them with a spray bottle of Dixie Blacksolve between every other stage. My '66 yellowboy lever action is worse. The carrier gets gummed up, and jams the action. gotta hit it after 10 rounds just to be sure, even though it will usually go two stages. Lubing your pistol up GOOD will help alot. I really like "Bore Butter", even tho you can read bad things about it. I havent bought "Balistol" (another good BP solve/lube) yet, but most black powder cowboy action shooters swear by it. Of course there are people who wont touch it also. Part of the fun of black powder, is the education. Experiment, and see what works for you!

Good luck, Jeff

 

[Dale D]

Thanks. I'll check out both of those. Maybe try both and see which works better for me. I love shootin my revolvers, but it sucks when they start getting tight so quickly. DALE