Just got a new to me 686-4. It is dirty- also my first revolver.

Started on the cylinder tonight. My new to me 686 has 'lines' inside the cylinder (along the circumference)- about 1/4 inch from the firing end. I assume it is from lead?? Anyway, I soaked it in Hoppes #9, then ran a brush chucked to a drill after waiting about 6 minutes. Cleaned it out the best I could but there are still lines in there.

Is this from previous owner shooting .38 special only and not 357? Or does shooting only 357 do the same thing?

Oh, the humanity!!! There has to be an easier way to get rid of this crud!! (Because the forcing cone and top strap are mucho worse).

I've heard/read advice about the lewis lead remover and it has great reviews, but is there another way to handle this issue? (Not trying to sound cheap, but I'll buy it if it is as good as y'all say it is. Actually, I am a cheap date;>)

Yes....sounds like a textbook case.

No.

Brian~

I am new to the revolver world and thought I was saving money shooting only .38 spl at the range. It seems your reply indicates I should be shooting some .357 as well. Am I reading your post correctly? Thanks.

First, remove the cylinder from the gun. Just need to remove the sideplate screw over the trigger, and you can slide the cylinder yoke assembly forward and off.

Then take your drill/ rod/ brush combo and beef it up with some bronze wool, or "Chore Boy" copper wool. Just take a little and wrap it around the brush so you have a tight fit, and it will make quick work of any lead or carbon in the chambers.

Brass brush and some Hoppes should take care of the area around the barrel and forcing cone. Make sure the brush is brass; I have run across some steel brushes with a gold coloration sold as brass. Not good using a steel brush on a gun

If you use the search function I'm sure you will find many more variations on this cleaning method (with better articulation as well)


ETA shooting .38's in a .357 cylinder can leave a lead or carbon build up in the chamber, and can lead to problems if you shoot .357 after a lot of .38, ie, hard to chamber the rounds, and possible increased pressures if there is a big build up of ****. Nothing wrong with shooting .38 in a .357, just be aware of the need to clean the chambers out. ;D

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

What you are seeing may also be a step in the chambers at the location where the .357 Mag case would end. From this step forward is called the throat. Few quality revolvers have their chambers bored straight through. The front portion of most revolver chambers are stepped down to a more narrow diameter than most of the chamber, as the large portion must contain the cartridge case while the smaller forward portion allows the smaller-than-the-case-diameter bullet to pass through.

Be careful with that drill, too.

Excellent points, Buff.

And, if you remove the cylinder as I suggested, please make sure you have a screwdriver that fits the yoke screw properly; nothing like a big gouge in the sideplate or a buggered screwhead to make your day.

(This space reserved for further cautions and disclaimers)

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Thanks for the comments.
I was able to properly remove the cylinder to start cleaning it.

As Buff mentioned, it kinda does look like a 'step-down' in diameter- or crud- or both. I'll have to get a better look today in some bright light.

I shoot a lot of .38spl in my .357s. Just use a .40 cal bronze brush on a standard bore cleaning rod and some good ol' hoppe's to clean the cylinder chambers. That's all I use and I've never had a problem chambering .357.

I do also oil my chambers after cleaning. Just a very light coat of Otis bore oil, let sit a little while, then wipe out excess with clean patches. That makes the crud buildup easy to remove.

> What you are seeing may also be a step in the chambers at the location where the .357 Mag case would end.

In just the past month, I have had three different revolver newbies show me, greatly distressed, the "lead rings" left in their guns' chambers. In each case, they had no lead at all in the chambers -- they were just seeing the front of the chambers.

I really think the ".38 in .357" thing gets blown all out of proportion in online forums, and folks who know no better take it for gospel. Truth is, I have never seen a revolver cylinder damaged in any way by the practice, unless thousands of rounds were fired over a period of years while totally ignoring normal maintenance and cleaning. The fouling can be tenacious, but if you've scrubbed with Hoppe's and a bronze brush chucked in a drill, and you still see a line, you ain't seeing lead.

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Pisgah

use an old 357 case with the mouth belled a little to scrape the crud out...brass won't hurt steel...

I shoot lots of 38...then load 357's on the way home never had a problem...

And people new to revolvers chucking stuff in a drill to clean it makes me NERVOUS...go easy..

The best carbon and lead remover that I have found is the Aqua Clean line from shooters choice. One spray bottle lasts a long time. It's water-based, non-toxic, and has no nasty odor. There is a bore cleaner and also an action cleaner. This stuff disolves carbon that you didn't even know was there.

One caution: this stuff removes all the lube too, so remember to wipe it down and relube after use.

Aqua Clean Bore Cleaners- Remove Copper, Lead, Carbon & Power from Firearms

http://www.shooters-choice.com/aqua_clean_action.html

Shooters Choice factory is near me and the owner is a neighbor so he got me started on it. I'm glad he did.

After further review, I believe pisgah is correct. The 'lead' is too symmetrically located exactly where the end of the case sits in the chamber. Also, after carefully scrubbing last night, all the chambers now look pretty much identical- which I would find hard to believe if it was some random crud in there.

Thanks for the help, always love learning about my first revolver!

Maybe a picture of a pretty clean cylinder will help.

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"I also cook."

Hey!! You have the same crud as I do!

Boy, do I feel foolish....

No need to feel foolish at all. What you experienced is a very common thing with shooters new to revolvers. You were paying attention to your gun and keeping it clean, something some shooters never do. Your attention to detail and willingness to ask questions is a GOOD thing.

Enjoy that sixgun!

Since I shoot mostly reloads I can use .357 brass for them and avoid the carbon ring.
But to remove the stubborn carbon ring, I find it very effective to remove and disassemble the cyl. assem. then soak it overnight in a jar of bore cleaner, most any bore cleaner works well then.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

I have a 686+ and love it. Does anyone break a 686 down further than removing the cylinder and crane to clean the gun?

No. You should shoot which ever you prefer. You don't have to shoot .357 Magnum ever. .38 SPL is a little dirtier than its higher pressure, magnum, counterpart. Consequently, you will have more cleaning to do with .38 SPL ammo.

I shoot a Model 66 as my IDPA gun, and it has had many tens of thousands of .38 spl through it with hardly any .357.

Shooting .357 will not clean out the carbon/lead cylinder residue left by .38.
However, a quick swipe with a Brownells Tornado brush will take it right out without resorting to any extreme measures.
Also, a revolver is easier to clean soon after a lot of shooting, before all that black fluffy stuff has a chance to turn to stone.
I put a spot of grease on the star, and on the cylinder pin. Then cock the hammer and put one drop of Remoil down the gap in front of the hammer. All the lube it needs for routine cleaning. Since you have the cylinder off on yours, a touch of grease on the yoke under the cylinder is good.
Once you get the hang of it a revolver can be cleaned in 10 min after a days shooting.

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Science plus Art

Goodness people, please no electric drill and chucked bristle brushes to clean a revolver cylinder. It is simply not necessary. Jerry Miculek fires more rounds through a revolver than anyone I know, and after many thousands of rounds, his video on revolver maintenance and cleaning shows him using a brush, solvent and a couple of minutes of elbow grease to clean a stainless revolver that is nearly black in some places and at least battleship gray over its entire surface from months of shooting thousands of rounds without any cleaning in between. And, he was using lead bullets instead of jacketed, which leaves the nastiest mess. Please, use ordinary cleaning methods lest you run a risk of damage to your revolver.

I just load my .38 strength rounds in .357 cases. It's no big deal to take a brush to the range but this way I don't even have to think about it.

And ditto on not chucking the brush in a drill. It just ain't necessary.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Baggs,

Wait till you get the first H&K VP9. Stepped chamber, leaves about a quarter inch burn on the brass, and a line in the chamber. Having spent almost 50 years with 1911 .45's, that left me doing internet searches for several hours. I did come to the decision that nothing was broken.

PO of my 686 (no dash) shot only 38spl and never cleaned the cylinders. I removed the cylinder and used a small patch of Lead-Away cloth and a piece of 5/16 wooden dowel rod chucked into my variable speed hand drill. Worked like a champ!

Brush after every use is my normal procedure. Can't put them away dirty.. except my Glock but it has no soul!

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Jason M. - Tempe, AZ

I shoot a lot of 38 Spcl in my 357 Mag revolvers but always clean the gun after every session. I use a 40 cal bore brush to do my cylinder.

When on the range I will usually shoot 357 rounds first and if I am shooting 38's I will shoot them last. If you shoot your 38 rounds before 357 you may have trouble seating and extracting the 357 rounds if you don't clean out the cylinder.

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