Shortcut for cleaning cylinders?

Status
Not open for further replies.
CraigC said:
The truth is you're doing it because you want to, not because the gun needs it.
Click to expand...

You betcha Craig. To me, cleaning and oiling guns is fun and basically my version of knitting. Same with hand polishing my stainless guns. I'd rather do that than watch tv. It also gives me a sense of satisfaction to care meticulously for my guns.

But any notion folks have that their guns require detailed cleaning every few hundred rounds aren't thinking about it logically. If truly detailed cleaning was required every few hundred rounds, competitive shooters would be having stoppages all the time.

I suspect with taking up reloading, my cleaning habits will become more lax as shooting more frequently will take place, and free time will be taken up making bullets.

In fact, I suspect there is an inverse relationship between cleaning habits and whether or not a person reloads.
 
"Cleaning your gun too much can cause damage". Heard it a million times, always on gun forums and never supported by actual evidence. Unless your using a dremel or some other nonsense. Low speed drill in the chamber holes with a nylon brush? Not gonna hurt a thing. Lead Away cloth on front of cylinder? Have to rub that cylinder for about 20 years before you started taking metal away from it.

Competitors do not clean their guns after every shoot if they are going to shoot the next day. I find it hard to believe that Jerry Miculek lets his revolvers sit filthy for extended periods of time. Then again, S&W will just give him a new gun if he needs it so maybe he doesn't care. Average Joe who puts down his hard earned money might feel differently about his possessions. I did leave my 67-1 dirty for 3 days last month cause I knew I was gonna shoot it again. Other than that, the guns go in the safe clean. I shot a pesky groundhog last spring with my Ruger 10/22. Two shots. Didn't break the whole gun down like I normally do after shooting it, but ran a patch down the barrel with some solvent followed by a clean patch before it went back into the safe. The 67 I have was bought used. Filthy. Lewis Lead Remover was pulling out strips of lead. Guess the last owner felt as some here do.

As for reloading making you shoot more, it might. But it might not. Some reloaders (like myself), just enjoy cranking out rounds for a fraction of the cost of factory, and we like knowing we won't be held hostage by the next drought. My shooting hasn't increased much since I started reloading 2 years ago.

Either way, it's your gun. Do with it as you wish. Somehow my spotless guns cleaned after every range session are still looking good and performing as designed, 30 years after the left the factory. Not cleaning them unless you're gonna shoot again soon is just laziness.

As for the car analogy, there are WAY more moving parts in a car then a revolver. And just when does a gun "need" to be cleaned? How do you know? After it malfunctions? Whether that's at the range or in a real shooting, that's a pretty inconvenient time to find out.
 
Last edited:
"Cleaning your gun too much can cause damage". Heard it a million times, always on gun forums and never supported by actual evidence.
Click to expand...

Posting without reading the rest of your post if you'll excuse me.

I have an aluminum frame, alum cyl J-frame on it's way home. It's the 351 PD.

I'm concerned about over-brushing the cylinder bores. (Then don't! hahaha...) Any suggestions?
.
 
As I said, a nylon brush in a drill on low gets them spotless again. I'd stay away from Hoppes on that newer revolver. S&W advises not to use it. I know it took the clear coat off my old 642.
 
.
*facepalm*

A nylon brush! But, of course... and I hear you on the #9 solvent. I suppose I'd like to preserve (within reason. I will shoot and clean the thing again and again) the matte black finish...

I have inadvertently discovered that Hoppe's lubricating oil is also a good cleaning agent.

Thanks for your reply.
 
.
Rimfire. 7-shot .22WMR

10.6 oz unloaded, 1 - 7/8" barrel, sweet SA trigger. Great lil' trail gun. .22WMR shotshells for the rattlers and jrn or jhp for the 'yotes.

You know you want one.

:D
 
I've seen aluminum alloy frames, but not cylinders. Interesting.
Click to expand...
S&W has used quite a few for their flyweight .22's. Even the first iteration of the 10-shot K-22's had aluminum cylinders.


I suspect with taking up reloading, my cleaning habits will become more lax as shooting more frequently will take place, and free time will be taken up making bullets.

In fact, I suspect there is an inverse relationship between cleaning habits and whether or not a person reloads.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily reloading but shooting volume. I found that once I was living somewhere where I could shoot on my own property, it made a whole lot less sense to clean every time I shot. Because I was shooting all the time. It wasn't a once a week or once a month situation, it was every day.


Have to rub that cylinder for about 20 years before you started taking metal away from it.
Click to expand...
I took a 400grit brushed finish to a mirror polish in 2mins with a Leadaway cloth.


Average Joe who puts down his hard earned money might feel differently about his possessions.
Click to expand...
You don't think I work for a living???


I shot a pesky groundhog last spring with my Ruger 10/22. Two shots. Didn't break the whole gun down like I normally do after shooting it, but ran a patch down the barrel with some solvent followed by a clean patch before it went back into the safe.
Click to expand...
If you're breaking down a 10/22 every time you shoot it, you're way overdoing it. Even for someone who cleans often. It's also been well proven that .22LR's shoot better fouled and many veteran shooters never clean their .22LR bores.


Then again, S&W will just give him a new gun if he needs it so maybe he doesn't care.
Click to expand...
Where do you get the idea that a dirty gun is ruined???


Somehow my spotless guns cleaned after every range session are still looking good and performing as designed, 30 years after the left the factory.
Click to expand...
And so are mine. Curious, why wouldn't they???


Not cleaning them unless you're gonna shoot again soon is just laziness.
Click to expand...
And now we've come full circle.


And just when does a gun "need" to be cleaned?
Click to expand...
I guess you'll have to try it and see.


Whether that's at the range or in a real shooting, that's a pretty inconvenient time to find out.
Click to expand...
Nothing that can't be accomplished in a couple minutes with what I carry in my range bag. Most the time, all that involves is swabbing the chambers or cleaning the basepin of a single action.
 
Craig, a dirty gun isn't ruined. But do a guy that gets free guns and pallets of ammo delivered to his door, he might not want care about it.

Hey, I washed my car today. Guess it's kind of stupid, huh? I mean, it will still get me where I need to go if it's filthy. So why bother?

And how much metal was removed using that lead away cloth? Cause I've been using the same one for 15 years and my revolvers still gauge in spec.

And yes, if I shot every day, I wouldn't clean it everyday. But it would sure be a weekly ritual.
 
Hey, I washed my car today. Guess it's kind of stupid, huh? I mean, it will still get me where I need to go if it's filthy. So why bother?
Click to expand...
You gonna go for a drive today and then wash it again? That would be kind of "stupid", huh?

Rest assured that all Jerry cares about is his time slip.
 
If it got filthy in one day I'd hose it off for sure. And I do wash it once a month. I would never let years go by just because it still drove.
 
I clean my guns after every range trip. I don't want to put a dirty gun away. If I knew I was going to shoot it again soon I wouldn't clean it. I don't shoot everyday, so I'm not going to clean it everyday. If I shot every day, my cleaning schedule would be a once a week cleaning. I wouldn't let it go more than that without a cleaning. I was just raised with the mantra "don't let a dirty gun see the setting sun". It's worked fine for me my whole life. No sense changing it now. And don't want to change it anyway. I even give a quick pass with solvent followed by dry patches and a quick oiling on guns that I haven't shot in a while.

I don't need to power wash my deck but I do it twice a year. I like my stuff to look nice. I don't look at a gun like I do a hammer. Some people on here are proud of the fact that they haven't cleaned their guns in years. It's their property to maintain or not. I value my possessions too much to not keep them looking good. If you're happy with a wipe down and a once a year cleaning, then have at it.
 
Hey, I was raised the same way and for the first 20 or so years of my shooting career, I did the same thing. Fact is, it's outdated thinking. I have over 70,000 hard-earned dollars invested in my accumulation and you can bet your butt cheeks that I don't neglect it.

The point in the above is that you are not washing your car every time you drive it, or washing your deck every day.

Who said it was once a year? Who said I didn't maintain them? My approach is just different and not structured or black & white. It's not a shoot, clean, shoot, clean affair. As I said, I clean them when they need it. For some, that may mean swabbing the chambers more than once during an extended range session. For others, that may mean nothing more than a wipedown over a period of years.

This sixgun has been carried and shot to the point that most of the bluing has worn off the grip frame. Does it look neglected?

IMG_0937b.jpg
 
I was referring to those who brag about not cleaning for years. And again, how do you know when it is needed? When it malfunctions? Sure, a brush in a range bag will get it going again, but I'd rather not get to that point.

I don't look at cleaning them as a chore. I like them looking good. I don't know your cleaning schedule, and I'm sure your guns are still operational, but a wipe down with a rag and cleaning them every 2000 rounds is unacceptable to ME. Everybody has their own opinion.

And I don't see cleaning a gun after shooting it and putting it away clean as being "outdated". Again, if I know it's getting fired again he next day, of course I don't clean them. I have enough guns that I don't shoot the same ones back to back anyway. I generally go about 2 months between guns fired. So no, I'm not letting a gun I shot in January get put back in the safe dirty if I won't be shooting it again until March.
 
I am the guy bragging about not cleaning a 686 in a year and about 3k rounds. Wiping it off with an oily cloth suits me until I feel that it needs cleaning. I can think of at least 20 handguns that I own that I have shot multiple times in the past year, but have not cleaned them. They still look nice because I wipe the down. I just don't try to scrub them back to showroom clean every time I use them. They are not neglected or being harmed by this practice.
 
Not bad for 3k+ rounds....I put 100 more thru it today.
 

Attachments

  • 20160202_151347.jpg
    20160202_151347.jpg
    66.3 KB · Views: 21
  • 20160202_151416.jpg
    20160202_151416.jpg
    133.9 KB · Views: 22
  • 20160202_151325.jpg
    20160202_151325.jpg
    97.7 KB · Views: 19
Last edited:
Doesn't show us the chambers or barrel. You shoot .38 in that 686 or .357? Cause if you've got 3000 rounds of .38, it's gonna be a bit difficult to chamber a .357 with the crud ring built up in there from all those .38 rounds and no cleaning.
 
I am particularly proud of the build up spots on the smooth unfluted cylinder. I sport those like a badge of honor.
 

Attachments

  • 20160203_155956.jpg
    20160203_155956.jpg
    46 KB · Views: 15
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

F
  • Locked
How clean are your cylinders?
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
EnsignJimmy
E
C
  • Locked
HELP: Cylinder cleaning
Replies
13
Views
806
camacho
C
C
  • Locked
"6 pack" cylinder cleaning brush?
Replies
3
Views
908
bountyhunter
B
I
  • Locked
Revolver cleaning
Replies
17
Views
1K
SteelyDan
S
S
  • Locked
Cleaning stainless steel and aluminum revolvers
Replies
22
Views
5K
SKL
S
Back
Top