doc_brar wrote:thanks a bunch guys but can anyone explain in detail how to cean a revolver after firing it?
RottLord wrote:Just asking - how good is the commercial gun oil variety? They also claim to clean the rust and humidity.
I'll try to give my thoughts on these two questions, and tie them together a little bit too.
First, I am sure an internet search will provide a more thorough explanation but here are my thoughts on cleaning a revolver-
To me, there are 2 different requirements for cleaning a revolver (or any other gun for that matter). You can either do a "maintenance" type of cleaning which is done whenever you feel like it or after a brief bit of range use, or you can do a "deep cleaning" which is a good idea to do:
1) When you first get a gun, or
2) get it back after loaning it for an extended time, or
30
at least once a year in a humid climate.
To do a "quick clean" all one needs to do is go over the gun with a lightly oiled rag, and then run a couple lightly oiled patches through the barrel. The rag you use can be either cloth or paper towel. When using a paper towel I tear it in half and oil one half, then alternate between the two halves first oiling the surface then using the dry one to rub everything clean. The paper towel or rag need only be damp with oil, if it has so much oil it is shiny or glistening you are using too much! But anyway rub any dirty spots with the oily rag, then rub with the dry one until the gun is clean. If you take more than 5 minutes you are doing something wrong! To clean the bore either use a cleaning rod but if you do not have one then take a piece of copper wire and form it into a loop and tie a knob or pencil sized stick to one end, have the loop be about 3 inches longer than your barrel, now starting at the muzzle with the cylinder open push the loop through the barrel and when it appears at the chamber end put an oily rag through the loop and pull it out. NOW you can have a drippy-oily piece of rag! Do that a few times and then follow with a dry rag.
That is all, you are done!
To do a "deep clean" you will need a few more items. For starters, remove the grips and any other plastic or wood parts. Now use a wet rag soaked with a "bore solvent" or "powder solvent" or other such cleaner such as Eds Red or the delicious smelling Hoppes #9, go over the entire gun. Use a toothbrush dipped in solvent to clean in all the crevices you can find. Do not be afraid to dip/soak the gun if you think it is necessary. Using a cleaning rod with a brass brush scrub the bore thoroughly. If you have a break-open revolver such as a Webley by all means do this from the chamber forward towards the muzzle. (that helps prevent unnecessary wear to the muzzle and barrel crown).
If you have lead fouling soak in oil for a while and then scrub with a bronze brush with either copper pot-scrubber pad or plain old steel wool wrapped around the bristles of the brush. For a super-fouled barrel mix hydrogen peroxide (3%) with white vinegar 50/50 and let sit in the barrel for 2-3 minutes but no longer as it can pit the barrel and also stain the bluing so please be careful. Back in the old days heavily leaded barrels were cleaned by plugging one end and filling with mercury. The lead gets absorbed into the mercury and the mercury will clean quite a large number of barrels, but as you can imagine it has potential to be quite dangerously toxic!
Anyway, scrub and rub the entire gun clean, making sure you work the action a bit too. When everything is clean rub the entire gun down with a dry cloth, and then rub it with a lightly dampened cloth and reinstall the grips. One more once over with the cloth and presto you are done.
Now let me give my 2 cents of opinions about gun oils-
When people ask what the best gun oil is, usually the criteria they are wanting has to do with "How long can I put my gun away for in a drawer somewhere without cleaning/inspecting/oiling it?"
To me, there is no oil made on the planet that can guarantee 100% that you can oil a gun, put it away for a year in the back of a closet, and when you pull it out it will be in exactly the same condition it was when you put it away. So to me, any oil can be a satisfactory gun oil if used and inspected frequently. Heck, if you have nothing else even olive oil will work, just re-oil the gun weekly. I have mentioned that my preference any more is to use ATF but virtually ANY oil claiming to be gun oil will be just fine. It is more important to inspect and run a damply oiled rag over the gun every once in a while.
One more thing- what I like to do is take a small cloth and put it in an old 35mm film can or similar jar, and add about 1/8 teaspoon oil to it. Make up several, and you can just use paper towels too if you want, and you will always have a handy rag to wipe your guns down. Of course you can have a bigger rag in a jar, just make sure it is only damp with oil and not soaking.
In addition to ATF, sewing machine oil or synthetic motor oil both work fine as well.
