Cleaning Revolver Chambers

[LJWebster1]

I took the S&W 340PD out for the first time today. It was great! You can really feel the recoil, but no problem. It was ok once I got used to it. I came home right away to clean it, and I can get the barrel squeaky clean, but the chambers won't come clean. I've used 3 different cleaners, a nylon brush and a brass brush, and there is still fouling about 3/4 down each chamber. Is this ok, and will it be there forever, or should I be doing something to get it out? I worked at it for at least 1/2 an hour.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I'm not sure what your gun's cylinder is made of and what special handling it may require.

All my revolvers have steel cylinders. I remove them from the frames, soak them in a jar of Hoppe's No. 9, usually overnight, and use patches to push out the big chunks of accumulated crud. I thread an over-sized bronze-bristled brush into a shortened cleaning rod, chuck it into a drill and soak the brush in Hoppe's No. 9, and spin it at moderate speed in each chamber. After that, I switch to a Nylon-Bristled over-sized brush and repeat the process. A few more wet patches, a few more dry patches, some patches soaked with gun oil, and the cylinder bores are clean. The front and rear faces of the cylinder and extractor get plenty of elbow grease, a bronze-bristled brush, and a Nylon-bristled brush until they're clean. I slather on oil, wipe off almost all of it, and use a silicone-impregnated soft cotton cloth.

If your cylinder isn't steel, some of the above may not be appropriate.

 

[LJWebster1]

Unfortunately, my cylinder is titanium, so I'm not sure I can do all that. Soaking in Hoppes is out, given that it has ammonia, and that is a big no no according to S&W. Does anyone know if I can soak it in a non ammoniated solvent?

 

[dfariswheel]

The easiest, fastest, and least risky method of cleaning ANY revolver chambers is to buy a couple of bronze chamber brushes from Brownell's.

The are special over-sized brushes with extra stiff bristles.

These are specially built to clean all fouling from chambers WITHOUT damaging anything.

Unlike various chemicals, there's NO risk or damage, and you don't have to disassemble the gun, or let things soak for hours.

Unlike using larger caliber BORE brushes, these chamber brushes with their stiffer bristles remove the fouling quickly.

To use, "screw" the brush into the chamber, turn it a time or two, then push it the rest of the way through.
Pull it back out, and usually the chamber is completely clean.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/st...287&title=BRONZE+RIFLE/PISTOL+CHAMBER+BRUSHES

Although Brownell's does sell these in stainless steel, I DO NOT recommend those.
The stainless can damage a chamber, and these are for gunsmith-only use in guns so neglected, you have nothing to loose.

 

[one45auto]

I have a Smith & Wesson Model 642 and I clean my chambers with Hoppes #9 using a Q-Tip first and then a stiff brass or nylon brush. Afterwards I spray a bore mop with WD-40 and run it through the chambers before finally using a dry mop for that high shine.

I think that timing is everything, because by cleaning it immediately after returning home from the range I've been able to keep the gun looking so darned good that everyone who has seen it has sworn that it's unfired. Not even a hint of powder marks around the cylinder.

 

[Stainz]

I bought my 296 new over three years ago. I have shot nearly 2,000 rounds, mostly the Blazer 200gr Gold Dot .44 Specials. The Ti cylinder is very 'demanding', SS being much more user-friendly. I use a bronze chamber brush, dipped in Hoppes, to clean it's cylinder bores. I allow several minutes between 'attacks', to let the Hoppes work. A few clean swipes and I am through... and the cylinder's bores are clean - and still discolored. I use a nylon M16 style toothbrush in the same manner to clean the blast residue from the cylinder bore exits, again resigning myself to the fact that it will NEVER look completely clean. I usually use Hoppes first, followed by another solvent. The big thing here is to remove any residue - you don't want the b/c gap 'closing' due to crud buildup.

Ti cylinders are a bear to clean completely - and, if you do get it 'clean', you will likely get into the surface treatment. I have one Ti cylindered revolver - my personal bag limit - and I have resigned myself to the simple fact that, as a PD firearm, it doesn't have to look like a 'barbeque' revolver.

Stainz

 

[MNgoldenbear]

Not sure about use on Ti, but the lead article in the latest (?) issue of Precision Shooting was on cleaning and views with a borescope. For carbon removal, they noted that a new product by SLiP2000 really got carbon off. Nice pictures of bore interiors done with it. You can see the article and bore photos on-line at the Precision Shooting site in the January sample article. Haven't gotten any yet, but it sounds promising.

 

[Jim Watson]

Most revolver chambers will have a dark ring visible. It is not fouling, it is the reamer marks in the taper from chamber diameter to throat diameter. Your line of sight is such that the taper does not reflect light and it makes a dark band apparent.
Clean the gun routinely and don't worry about it as long as the cartridges chamber freely.

 

[Trebor]

Thanks for the tip on the chamber brushes. I'm going to order one.