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revolver cleaning

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Don

58 Cal.
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Here is a question for you experienced cap and ball shooters. How often, if ever, do you guys completely disassemble your revolvers to clean the internal parts of the gun? I've read that this should be done if you shoot more than two cylinders at a time. I run a pipe cleaners soaked in solvent down into the frame behind the hammer and do get some crud out and I worry I'm not getting it all. Is it a hassel to take apart the frame and clean the internal parts or just a little more time consuming? I'd rather not get into reattaching springs and other small parts if I can avoid it. I'm not the most machanically inclined guy and I have big clumbsy fingers to boot.

Thanks

Don
 
Whilst not considering myself an overly experienced cap and ball revolver shooter I have been using a pair of 58 Remingtons for 6 months now.

Upon advice from more experienced shooters.

After a days shooting I strip the grips off the gun, remove the cylinder and wash the whole gun under a tap with warm water (or if the wife isnt watching I run them through the dishwasher), after this I allow to dry and then use something like WD40 to dipell any remaining water, I then oil and grease the pistol as per a normal cleaning routine for any gun.

On the range whilst shooting I occasionally give the bore a clean through with balistol and I wipe the cylinder with the same using a piece of saturated cloth. Grease the cylinder pin etc. This light cleaning serves me through a match of CAS (approx 60-70 pistol rounds with 2 pistols).

Hope this helps a little. I have visiting The Frontier Spot quite a bit and they have a lot of useful advice for BP shooting that I find relevant.
 
Hey Don...

I've been shooting Colt and Remington cap n' ball revolvers since '76. 1976!!!!

I generally completely strip down my revolvers every 4th or 5th firing session and clean them spotless inside and out. I get a lot of crud and cap fragments out of the insides. Neither the Colt nor Remington are very complicated. I'm more than a little mechanically inclined and I've never had the least problem during disassembly or re-assembly...pay attention or get a good book and I doubt you will either. However, I DO NOT attempt to do my own tuning. I've always found this frequency adequate.

Vic
 
y'all make me feel inadequate. I've been shooting a Navy Arms .36 Remington repro since about 1976. I clean it by removing the cylinder, take out the nipples and let them soak in a "magic mouse pee"** solution...whatever the current fad is, and then scrub bbl, use a pipe cleaner to get into trigger and hammer areas, and use Sheath to protect...I've never had the grips off the gun...Hank
** my pet name for the "wonder cleaner" of the moment that folks push...windshield washer fluid, Murphy's Oil Soap+H2O2+alcohol, Blacksolv, whatever....
 
I try to disassemble and thoroughly clean all revolvers (percussion and cartridge) at least once a year. It usually happens about 1 month before I shoot in a "major" competition. (That's major for me, not the rest of the world. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif) That way I have a bit of time to get any replacement parts from VTI, and get them installed before the shoot.

This habit comes form pulling one apart the night before a shoot, and watching the bolt spring break as I started to loosen the screw! ::
 
I'd have to concur with Sharps and others here!It's best not to detail strip any more often than needed.I have the Ruger Old Army and only strip it completely once or twice a year.Even with that much time between stripings I.ve yet to find excessive crud or rust.I feel that the main thing is to make certain that all moisture is driven out before putting on the preserveitive(s).If You put the parts in the oven for a few minutes after cleaning it gets the moisture out of even the smallest crevice.It might go much longer between cleanings,but I start to get nervous and worry after 6 months or so.I feel the less times You detail strip a weapon the better.It's quite easy to break/lose small parts and screws.Everyone eventually finds the routine that works best for them,Always good to get input from others and sift out that part that applys to You. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
I'm with gordy on this one, I only do gut cleanings on my stainless-steel Ruger old Army once a year. I only taken nipples out once every 200 shots .
 
Periodically going beyond field stripping to completely clean your percussion revolver is highly recommended. However it is not necessary to take your revolver apart down to the last pin and screw.

Unless replacing a broken or worn part do not remove the following: 1)hand spring from the hand, 2) cylinder pin from the frame, 3)roller and pin or cam from the hammer, 4)wedge from the wedge spring, 5)wedge screw from the barrel assembly, 6)latch assembly from the loading lever and 7) the two pins in the front of the frame.

If you leave the above parts intact you'll have an excellent chance of putting it back together correctly and your revolver will be very clean and still shootable.
 
The dishwasher is the best deal. I have been shooting an 1860 army colt replica for years. After shooting I take the wooden handles off, and separate the parts down to the frame, the barrel and the cylinder. Run a patch with solvent down the barrel and into each chamber in the cylinder. then run the parts through a dishwasher cycle. Take the parts out before they cool, douse them with wd40 and reassemble with normal lubrication. Never a spot of rust. and my wife hasn't left me yet. graybeard.
 
This just proves there's more than one successful way to skin a ......ummmmm....uhhhhh......critter!!! I'm more than confident each and every method described is more than satisfactory.

Vic
 
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