.357 4" SS revolver cleaning

[Let Us Reason]

Hello,

I'm supposed to be picking up my first gun on Monday. It's a .357 mag 4" SS Ruger GP100.

Since I'm new to guns, it follows that I'm also new to gun cleaning. What suggestions do you have for cleaning products and techniques?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Beachcomber]

I love my stainless revolvers and over the years they have treated me well. I made it a habit to clean them the same day that I shoot them.

For cleaning equipment I would suggest you by a standard pistol/revolver cleaning kit and supplement it with the yellow "lead away" cloth, a stainless or brass "toothbrush" type cleaning brush and some Hoppes #9 cleaning solvent.

Cleaning instructions are pretty basic... clean the bore and cylinders using the proper caliber sized brush and Hoppes solvent. Then clean the face of the cylinder and above the bore (on the frame) with the toothbrush and Hoppes solvent. For tough build up on the face of the cylinder you can wipe the area clean using the lead away cloth. (Keep in mind that this cloth will remove gun blue from a "blued" firearm.) Pass a few clean patches through the barrel & cylinders, lightly lubricate with a "gun oil" and then wipe the gun down.

Enjoy your new revolver.

 

[Will5A1]

Put it in the dishwasher, no pre-soak necessary.

Just kidding - follow Beachcomber's advice. The store clerk should take time to explain function and operation and maintenance to you. Please consider taking the NRA Basic Handgun Course if this is your first gun, read the booklet that comes with it (Ruger will send you an owners manual if its used and without one), consider joining a club where you can find some mentors and a place to shoot. Its stainless so you don't have to worry as much about rust.

Read the above sticky by Jim March on revolvers and enjoy your new gun.

 

[JimmyN]

Caution note when using a brush in the bore. DO push it all the way out of the barrel before reversing direction and pulling it back. If you push it part way in then try to pull it back the bristles will curl over inside the barrel and jam, and it can be really hard to get out. I mean REALLY hard, or so I've heard.

I have an SP101 .357, and if you shoot a bunch of .38 special it will leave a carbon/residue ring in the cylinder since .38 cases are a little shorter than .357 magnum. Then when you put some .357 rounds in they will stick because the cases extend past the built up residue. After shooting a bunch of .38 you'll need to scrub out the cylinders to get rid of the build up.

 

[DWARREN123]

I love my Ruger stainless steel revolvers. For cleaning a basic kit with nylon bristle brushes (cleaner will not hurt them like bronze/brass), Kleen Bore Lead Away Cloth and a good bore cleaner and lube, I like CLP.
Learn how to disassemble and lube wear areas with a good gun grease.
All my Rugers have smoothed out with use and just keep getting better for trigger feel and accuracy.

 

[Confederate]

The nylon bristle brushes are a good way to get the solvent into the bore for a good soaking. You can brush it out and leave it sitting for awhile or continue on. After that, I take a stainless steel .45-caliber bristle brush and push it through. Make sure you don't reverse direction until it pops out the other end of the barrel. Then run the patches through. Don't feel like you have to get all the fouling out, just go for a shiny barrel.

I use oversize brushes because they clean better and last longer. Some people buy diesel fuel and throw their guns in that overnight. It can be filtered and used again.

The only place where you have to be careful is the area around the muzzle. It's a good idea to have a guide that fits in the recess and keeps the rod from damaging it. These guides come with a lot of cleaning rods. And about the cleaning rods, I'd also use stainless steel or brass rather than aluminum.

For lubrication afterwards, be careful. Just a drop under the ratchet should do. Never more than a drop anywhere. Use a good lube like BreakFree; don't use machine oil except one drop to the action (cock the gun and squeeze one drop between the hammer and the frame. Machine oil is fine for this as it doesn't leave residue. If you use BreakFree or some other teflon based lube, you can get a buildup in the action, and that you don't want.

Congrats on the Ruger. It's a very good choice.