Cleaning blackpowder revolvers

Thanks to all for taking the time to reply.

As I expected, you've covered the full gamut regarding cleaning your blackpowder revolvers. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my padded cell when it comes to stripping them down after a shooting session - I just can't put a gun away knowing it's dirty inside!

At the end of the day it's a personal choice and I guess there's no 100% right answer. I just know that I feel satisfied when all the crud is out, everything is lubed properly and the gun sounds like a swiss watch when it's cocked.

Keep your powder dry!

Tight Wad :thanks:

Cleaning is a process like any other, some love it and go to new heights of complication while others simply wipe it down and throw it in a corner.
The original cleaning instructions from colt was to dissable the whole thing into components, but perhaps that was just followed by people who had just bought that 20 dollar gun and not by the soldiers who had it issued to them by the federal government.

I must be lazy... :cry:

I have only Colts now but used to have a couple of Remmys that received similar treatment. I pull the barrel and cylinder and scrub both in hot water using a brass brush - then I spray with WD40 immediately to get rid of any excess moisture. I wipe the hammer and frame with a rag soaked in 409 cleaner then they get WD40 too. I reassemble and blow off the excess with air so I'm done cleaning in under 5 minutes per piece. I usually reload the next day and leave the revolver topped off for the next time. So far, I have not experienced misfires or rust accumulation with this method.

So the internals look factory fresh and clean?
I found an article the other day claiming that many gold rush miners out west were so unknowledgeble about the newfangled revolving pistols that their existed individuals whose only job was to load, clean, repair firearms for people.
That seems like a one time customer proposition as the customer who cant load or clean his own gun will be killed shortly as he wont have a gun loader to reload or unjam his pistol while several criminals are trying to kill him.

Russ T. Check out your usa made colt. colt had the
parts made in italy. the guns were put together in
the usa. most of them were armi san marcos.

redwing :redthumb:

Actually, Uberti shipped raw forgings to Colt. They were then finished in America, by Americans, to Colt's specifications. They are considered to be genuine Colts by collectors and by Colt. This has been discussed many times and is documented in several books, at least two by Dennis Adler. The blueing and case-hardening on the Colts are of a higher order than on the Italian guns. You will find no proof marks on the Colts, whereas the Italian guns have them in two or three places. The Armi San Marco story is a new one on me.

I'd just like to point out to those who perhaps didn't know, WD40 is a moisture displacer/repellant only - not a lubricant. I used it on guns myself for many years before a gunsmith told me. For those who spray the internals liberally with it, it might be worth dropping in a few drops of regular gun oil after a day or two or your action will be working bone dry!

Tight Wad :m2c:

Bezoar,

I'll shoot the loads, pull the grip frames and let you know if I find any crud.

I think users 150 years ago had more problems because they were carrying in all kinds of weather. Even in a full flap holster, dew and moisture would have taken a toll on a pistol or rifle - whether fired much or not. Forty-niners and other frontiersmen were not living in air conditioned quarters that were relatively dry. If you have ever spent much time in a tent or in open country, you know how damp everything can get. We are also under the impression that everybody was gun-savvy back then but in fact, there were many people who were not familiar with weapons and may not have known how to provide even a basic cleaning. The weapons that have survived were the ones that were cared for.

BTW, I have an original 1860 Army and a 1873 SAA in 44-40 WCF. The 1860 belonged to one of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War and was handed down to me. The internals of both pistols are not corroded at all. In fact, the trigger/bolt spring on the SAA is a nice light charcoal blue so I assume that is the original finish. Both cylinder bolts are also bright so they did not rust with all those years of use with BP loads. One of the chambers on the 1860 cylinder has a thin spot so I do not shoot it but the 44-40 stays loaded with BP cartridges.

However, I don't know if the previous owners armor stripped the pistols every time they were used so I can't say whether good care was the cause for their current condition.

I've been shooting a CVA cap and ball 1860 Army Colt replica for about ten years now. I shoot it quite a lot and always use Pyrodex P. My cleaning drill is to take off the wooden handle, then field strip the piece to barrel, cylinder and frame components. I then run a patch through the barrel a few times and into each cylinder and the center hole on the cylinder. Then I run it through a regular dishwasher cycle, soap and all. While it's still hot I spray it with WD40,then with RemOil and reassemble. Have never had a bit of rust problem. The dishwasher cycle flushes all the crud out of the frame. graybeard :results:

Greybeard,

After reading this thread the other night I went down to my shop and took off the grips on all my revolvers and cleaned the main spring area and ran a solvent soaked pipe cleaner under the hammer into the frame. But after reading your method I am going to try the dishwasher. I just know that if I completely disassemble my guns I'll end up losing something and be stuck up the preverbial creek. Heck, your method means I can shoot all my revolvers the same day and not worry about spending hours cleaning.

Don

I am not knocking the dishwasher, but I have to say that you should pay attention to how fast the metal dries or it will definitely rust. As mentioned above, I wash with hot water and soap but if I let it sit out on the counter for very long after drying, I will see some light surface rust on the inside of the cylinder chamber and the barrel. I don't think it hurts anything but can be disconcerting to see bright red where it was once silver. I don't notice this on the blued surfaces but it's apparent on bright areas.

Anvil is right. Take the pistol parts out of the dishwasher while it still is hot, almost too hot to hold. Flush it with WD40 and then Remoil and you'll head off the rusting. Also, I forgot to mention that when reassembling you need to grease the shaft the cylinder rides on. I use axle grease. If you are going to carry the pistol in the woods very much, I recommend a Civil War type holster with a flap. Keeps a certain amount of crud out of the piece. graybeard

The dishwasher idea sounds good - particularly for stainless steel guns: however, I have one reservation. My dishwasher requires a fair amount of salt which I believe acts as a water softener. I wouldn't think salt water and steel would be a good mix, though I accept the point that you've not encountered a problem with rust so far.

Just a thought.

Tight Wad

When I shoot the pistol I always spend 3 or more hours on the range.....I figure if I have to clean the booger I'm going to really shoot a bunch ie: 80 or more shots.... To clean it I remove the grips, cylinder and nipples......I then spray the metal components with windex with ammonia and tooth brush them......then I brush the bore and cylinder......pipe cleaner the nipple holes.....then rinse al the components with hot water.....dry patch the bore and cylinder and place all the metal components in the oven on bake at 200' for about 20 min......let cool and spray WD40 on the inside of the revolver frame, shake out excess and then lub with Balistol and reassemble......john......

Tight Wad: You've got strange dishwashers across the water. Do you add salt? Put a salt block in the bottom of the washer? Use water from the English Channel? :: Here in Michigan we're surrounded by fresh water so salt isn't a problem. Don't use stainless steel pistols here. You are definitely right, salty water won't do a pistol a bit of good. graybeard

Heres wht I used to do. Tear it down, put all the metal parts in a pot of boiling soapy water. Go out and have a smoke. Come back in, pull them out, rinse in a second hot water pot. Cool and oil.

Takes all of 30 minutes, and there is no residue.

I couldn't agree with you more on the BP Guns. Screw the car. HeHe! I have always done the same with mine. recently Purchased an 151 U.S. Marshal .44 Polished Steel Engraved 4 7/8"bbl. you know. Used on line from Dealer /Owner of shop. He said they looked hardly fired, matched set, and his policy was return if not satified. So it came looked great price was right . Tore into it and my God... I couldnt believe my eyes. S/n is 1999 and the Barrel was residue covered lead, inside frame surface rust, cyl. corrosion/rust ... and this is a hardened steel alloy, close to stainless. Neglect pure neglect. Well I worked on it and it cleaned up pretty well. I just wanted it so damn bad I couldnt send it back. So its goin to the range tomorrow. You see I use a BP 1858 Rem for home protection...this one I wanted so as to carry on my MC with me when ride.... :thumbsup:

Usin' a proper set of Gun Screwdivers carefully remove screws. Then I'd take a look inside the frame at the Bolt/trigger spring, trigger, bolt, hammer, hand, and frame :imo:.