How involved is bp revolver cleaning?

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londez

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I mean, would I just have to remove the cylinder, wipe all the residue off of the frame, and clear out the barrel and chambers? Or do you have to disassemble the whole thing to scrub any trace of residue off of every part?

I like the smokeless cartridge conversion cylinders, but the corrosive nature of bp and substitutes is kinda intimidating for a newbie like me.
 
londez, do you and your revolver a favor and pack the frame with Mobil 1 grease (the red stuff).
This will allow you to clean your barrel, cylinder and wipe down the hammer and swab out the hammer slot. This will make cleaning easier and protect your action parts. You can open the action once a year and replace any nasty looking grease with new! Button it back up and check again next year!! Easy Peasy!!

Mike
 
Mr.Iondez...mike (45 dragoon) is giving very good advice. Its exactly what i do...although i use a custom mix of the red mobil 1 synthetic grease along with lanolin mixed in. Helps moisture proof and prevent corrosion. Seals the metal really well.
 
45 Dragoon said:
londez, do you and your revolver a favor and pack the frame with Mobil 1 grease (the red stuff).
This will allow you to clean your barrel, cylinder and wipe down the hammer and swab out the hammer slot. This will make cleaning easier and protect your action parts. You can open the action once a year and replace any nasty looking grease with new! Button it back up and check again next year!! Easy Peasy!!

Mike
Click to expand...
That's crazy talk!
.....but I like it!
....alot!
I will be trying that too, thanks Mr Goon.
 
I just use a pot of hot water with a little soap. Takes about 15 minutes to do, and the biggest issue is not burning my hand getting the pot off the stove and out to the garage.
 
Every blackpowder shooter cleans his guns a bit differently, which should be comforting to you, knowing that a lot of different ways work just fine. Also, consider that for a few hundred years folks who did not have hot running water or today’s terrific cleaners and lubricants managed to keep their guns in good shooting condition.

I have cheap $1 plastic bins about the size of a shoe box that were purchased at the Dollar Store. I put warm tap water with some dish detergent in one, plain warm water for rinsing in another, and the revolver which has been field stripped in a third bin (because I am usually cleaning several revolvers at the same time and this helps keep the correct cylinder with the correct frame and barrel assembly). I normally leave the nipples in the cylinder and only remove them once a year, at the same time as completely disassembling the whole gun for internal cleaning.

So you know what to do from here: swab out the barrel and chambers and frame until the patches look clean. Patches and Q-tips are your friends and not at all expensive. Rinse, dry, apply the appropriate blackpowder lube to the inside of the frame and barrel and base pin/ arbor. I don’t put anything inside the chambers.

It’s not difficult, and not very time consuming. You just have to be thorough, and do it promptly after shooting. The fun is worth the effort.
 
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J-Bar said:
Every blackpowder shooter cleans his guns a bit differently, which should be comforting to you, knowing that a lot of different ways work just fine. Also, consider that for a few hundred years folks who did not have hot running water or today’s terrific cleaners and lubricants managed to keep their guns in good shooting condition.
Very, very similar to my routine.
I swab the bore and each chamber four or five strokes then rotate the cylinder to the next chamber. Then disassemble and toothbrush the nooks and crannies.
Air compressor and blowgun to dry, then apply Hoppes #9

I have cheap $1 plastic bins about the size of a shoe box that were purchased at the Dollar Store. I put warm tap water with some dish detergent in one, plain warm water for rinsing in another, and the revolver which has been field stripped in a third bin (because I am usually cleaning several revolvers at the same time and this helps keep the correct cylinder with the correct frame and barrel assembly). I normally leave the nipples in the cylinder and only remove them once a year, at the same time as completely disassembling the whole gun for internal cleaning.

So you know what to do from here: swab out the barrel and chambers and frame until the patches look clean. Patches and Q-tips are your friends and not at all expensive. Rinse, dry, apply the appropriate blackpowder lube to the inside of the frame and barrel and base pin/ arbor. I don’t put anything inside the chambers.

It’s not difficult, and not very time consuming. You just have to be thorough, and do it promptly after shooting. The fun is worth the effort.
Click to expand...
 
I've always taken the revolver down and cleaned every part in hot water and a liquid dish soap, dried off the parts, reassembled, then sprayed down with a rust preventative.

I sorta like the idea of packing the action with Mobil 1 red grease ..... maybe I'll try it! :D
 
People choose a cleaning method based on which type of powder that they shoot with, how much time and talent they have in dismantling their guns, and which type of gun they have.

Because I use 3F American Pioneer powder which doesn't contain sulphur, I only remove the grips, cylinder and nipples before dunking the Remington frame into very hot soapy water.
Then I dry it and liberally apply mineral oil to the internals and rest of the gun.
I also grease the nipple threads with an anti-seize breech plug grease.

Other folks seem to either:
1. Wash their frame minus the grips & cylinder in soapy water without taking it apart and then heavily oil it after drying.
2. Tear it down and clean it thoroughly.
3. Pack it with grease.
4. Just heavily oil inside the frame.
4A. Some folks have mentioned coating their internals with powdered graphite to help protect them from the fouling, or even saturating the BP fouling with peanut oil.

Real black powder leaves a more gritty, granular carbon deposit [since it contains creosote] inside the action based on how much powder is loaded and the gun model.
Other sub. powders leave varying amounts of their own unique fouling some of which dissolves easier with soap & water water etc... than others.
This is because they either contain sulphur such as BP and Pyrodex which can create an acid, and/or potassium perchlorate which many believe to also be corrosive.
And the carbon residue can absorb moisture from the air or from washing that saturating with oil can help to retard corrosion from forming.

There are some youtube videos showing different cleaning methods, and a thread under "black powder essentials" at the top of the THR black powder home page that describes Gatefeo's method.
The type of powder used can make a difference.

1. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/total-teardown.845191/ --->>> SEE POST #17 --->>> https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/total-teardown.845191/

2. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ing-3-hours-of-cleaning.850339/#post-11109853

3. SEE CLEANING SECTION --->>> https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/so-you-want-a-cap-and-ball-revolver.223515/

4.


No matter which powder is used, the gun still needs to be cleaned or washed.
Some powders and climates are more forgiving than others and can wait a day or two after being soaked with Ballistol, mineral oil etc....
But this video shows what happens if a revolver isn't cleaned at all.

 
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I normally do a full detail strip, clean the parts with ultrasound, and lube with Ballistol. But I also normally take just a single gun to the range and put a lot of powder through it, so not only is it filthy at the end of the day, but I only have the one gun to clean. I'm sure if I was one of the folks who brings half-a-dozen guns with him, I'd find a different way.
 
All above are great replies, I used to do the complete tear down every time and spend hours scrubbing, until I saw an article awhile back about grease packing the action. I did that with both my SS ROA's and didn't take apart for 1 full heavy use year, sprayed out grease with carb cleaner(what I had on hand) then washed in Ballistol water solution, grease was black, went in red, but interior and all parts were free of any pitting or corrosion, so it's been tested and works, also smooths up the action, I have since done all my revolvers, now I just clean bore cylinder and wipe down all exterior parts with Ballistol solution and wipe dry, less than 30 min.
 
For those that pack grease in the action, don't the springs for the trigger/bolt/hand need to move freely, and doesn't grease possibly hinder that movement?

I fully strip my pistols every time I use them, hot soapy water and/or moose milk, then wipe down and ballistol before reassembly.
 
1KPerDay said:
For those that pack grease in the action, don't the springs for the trigger/bolt/hand need to move freely, and doesn't grease possibly hinder that movement?

I fully strip my pistols every time I use them, hot soapy water and/or moose milk, then wipe down and ballistol before reassembly.
Click to expand...

Grease ... not jb weld. Grease isn't going to impede the springs. ;)
 
1KPerDay said:
For those that pack grease in the action, don't the springs for the trigger/bolt/hand need to move freely, and doesn't grease possibly hinder that movement?

I fully strip my pistols every time I use them, hot soapy water and/or moose milk, then wipe down and ballistol before reassembly.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting question.
For those of us who have not ever fully stripped a revolver, adding grease would require it to eventually be stripped to clean out the grease.
But by just washing the frame out with soapy water means that stripping it can be delayed for a long time.
That's how the choice of powders can make a difference.
 
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I sprayed the interior works on mine with white lithium grease (wd40 version) a year ago, so cleaning consists of removing the barrel and cleaning it, then clean the cylinder, wipe the frame and clean the hammer channel. Wipe everything with Eezox, re-assemble, reload and put them back into the safe or holster as the case may be.
 
While I have not tried it, I have no reason to doubt the men who tell us that packing the works with grease is a simple and reliable way to go. I think that I will choose a gun with which to try it, and I am confident that my results will mimic theirs. (I still am going to detail strip my other guns after each range session, though. Everyone needs a hobby. :D)
 
woodnbow said:
I sprayed the interior works on mine with white lithium grease (wd40 version) a year ago, so cleaning consists of removing the barrel and cleaning it, then clean the cylinder, wipe the frame and clean the hammer channel. Wipe everything with Eezox, re-assemble, reload and put them back into the safe or holster as the case may be.
Click to expand...

Do you tend to keep your percussion revolvers loaded? I am tempted, but then I would be transporting loaded guns to the range, which can be upsetting to peace officers in my neck of the woods.
 
Well, contrary to some folks belief, there isn't any need to remove all of the grease. When one cycles the action, the grease "migrates" throughout the "parts well". This is normal and expected and is what keeps dirt/debris from collecting in places to cause wear, corrosion, malfunction . . . All you have to do is remove what you can with a Q-tip and re-pack. It's just that simple. This, is " race proven " (has been for years) and is much better protection than the "little bit of grease" /"little bit of oil" smokless folks have been doing for decades! Believe me, I've seen some nasty guns come in from those that clean once or twice a year many times it's just shy of needing all new parts!! So, why not make once or twice a year a valid cleaning "regiment". Better, how about clean the barrel and cylinder each time you shoot and change grease once a year or every other year. Keep it simple . . . and take care of your revolvers!!

Oh, 1KPerDay, the Mobil 1 is thick but not thick enough to interfere with action parts movement. I wondered that as well at first but there's never been any problems. Even as light as some of my cartridge setups are . . . no problems (yes, I pack my own cartridge guns!! No need to ever open them . . . ever!!)

Mike
 
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Disassemble the barrel and cylinder. For percussion guns, unscrew the nipples. Wash the cylinder, barrel and nipples in water/Ballistol. Punch the bore and the cylinders with more Ballistol and water mix. Wipe the frame down with Ballistol. Put some anti-seize synthetic grease on the nipples and cylinder arbor. Reassemble. Should take about 15 minutes.
 
On these greases mentioned like the Lubriplate 105 and Mobil 1 red (i'm guessing the bearing grease is being referenced here) is being synthetic a requirement?

Would you run into the same issue as petroleum based cleaners reacting with black powder and subs creating hard to clean residue if the grease isn't synthetic?
 
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