Soaking wet revolvers.

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JeepinSoldier

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Yesterday we ran the Miller rock trail here in Colorado.

Crossed one of the 'Streams' that was swollen from the recent rains and snowmelt. Water poured into the Jeep and soaked everything , including my 4" 686 and one of my 3" 65's.

The Jeep is fine, bedlined inside and has a snorkel. :D

I will change all the fluids and the dash did not get wet.

So a question for the sportsmen and LEO's - How to care for a stainless revolver after it gets completely soaked?

I know that stainless will still rust.

I pulled the grips and sideplates off of both of them, dried them off and blew out the lockwork with a computer air duster.

Then I pulled clean patches thru the bore and cylinder until dry.

Let them sit overnight to dry and then today wiped them down with break free CLP. Anything else I should do?
 
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I would remove the grips, cock the hammer, and spray the lockwork down thoroughly with CLP or something similar, let it drain for a while, then blow it out with compressed air. Yes, you can remove the sideplate, but that's not absolutely necessary if you spray lube into it liberally because every last square mm will be coated.
 
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Soaked revolvers

You have pretty well covered it...blowing out the innards, drying, cleaning & lubing......I've got a 6" 28 that I bought back in 73, it has been my belt gun for many outdoor adventures, and has been rain drenched many times. I have a Ruger 45 LC SA that has been on my hip twice when I got dumped out of a canoe into a river & totally immersed. Neither rusted and both still ride the trails with me. Every duty weapon I have carried has been rain drenched and soaked at one time or another, just some TLC and they were fine.
 
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The best way I've found is to remove the grips, disassemble as far as possible...to at least the field strip level. Use a hair dryer or hand-held blow dryer to expose the parts and frame to hot dry air from the device. Parts should be heated to the "hot to the touch" level for a few minutes. This effectively drys all the water from the parts, including the holes and spring/plunger areas. After exposing to hot air, the parts should be re-lubricated and re-assembled. Water/moisture will remain on and in the parts....especially the subassemblies, if the parts aren't heated sufficiently to drive the water off.

If in the field, and alternative would be to field strip and lay the frame and parts in the direct sun for a few minutes. This heat will drive the moisture from the frame and internals.
 
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snubbyfan said:
Remove side plate, grips, remove cylinder/yoke assembly and disassemble. take lockwork out and clean. Then lube and reassemble.
Basically take it completely apart, clean it and put it back together with a little lube.
Click to expand...

What snubbyfan said.

One little drop of water can remain if not taken completely apart.
 
I would take off the grips . Buy three or four pints of mineral oil and soak them . Then drip dry . My Seecamp gets wet a lot. This works well as any thing .

Jake
 
Dunked

Years ago when I was young and dumb, I slipped in creek while
wade fishing. Was carrying my K-22, Blue, I went completely
under in 3' of water. I know it wasn't necessary but I took whole
gun apart. Cleaned whole thing in boiling water,then sprayed
until dripping with C-36 water displacer. Then took soft rag and wiped dry. Reassembled and oiled. It probably ended up cleaner
than it ever was. Grips didn't seem to be affected. I always use rig under grip panels, must have protected wood. I still have gun
with same grips and you can't tell I took it "swimming". I may
have over done cleaning but it made me feel better. I don't
carry my good wheel guns fishing since, use 422 lately.
 
I've soaked my 940 on many occasions. Generally only pull the sideplate and cylinder anymore, and let air dry with a light spray of oil before reassembly. Hasn't missed a lick yet and no signs of localized corrosion. Lots of wear on the outside, but looks new on the inside.

04f0add8.jpg

Photo's a few years old. but it hasn't gotten all that much uglier....
 
It also might be a good idea to remove the rear sight completely to get any water out from underneath and add some oil there. Just a thought
 
If you remove the stocks spray it with something like carb cleaner to remove the majority of the water and oil and then put it in an oven at 250 for a couple hours any water will boil off. No tempering will be affected at that low of temp. Nothing happens (steel tempering) till over 300f and revolver parts would need to get tempered at considerably higher temps in the first place. Springs temper at around 800. A very hard edged knife is tempered at 400f. The only things really hard in a revolver are the hammer and trigger. Regular bluing salts run at about 280f and don't effect temper.
 
As mentioned above, this is one of the times WD40 is OK for a firearm, it is a water displacement lube. That being said after a good soaking in WD40 for say 24 hours, flush it out,blow some high pressure air through it and then apply, Break Free,Rem-Oil, or what ever your normal long term lube is. Had a couple soaked over the years and they are still rust free after the TLC listed above.
 
Another vote for WD-40. The WD stands for Water Displacement and that's what it's best at. It's not a very good penetrating or lubricating oil although it seems to get used often for these chores. I use Rem Oil or G96 for a gun oil and Kroil, PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench for a penetrant.

As soon as I could, I would take off the grips off and get as much water out as possible. If I had WD40, I'd spray it into the action to get rid of any moisture and prevent damage. Then when I had time, pop the side plate, clean and re-lube.
 
plinker 22 said:
Another vote for WD-40. The WD stands for Water Displacement and that's what it's best at. It's not a very good penetrating or lubricating oil although it seems to get used often for these chores.

As soon as I could, I would take off the grips off and get as much water out as possible. If I had WD40, I'd spray it into the action to get rid of any moisture and prevent damage. Then when I had time, pop the side plate, clean and re-lube.
Click to expand...

+1 , lots of folks bad mouth WD40, and it does have limitations, but I like it and use it alot.
I would take the grips off, hose it off with WD40, or even dunk it. Let it drip dry for awhile. Take it complete apart and clean and lube. CLP and Kroil are the ones I use the most.
If no WD40. I use to competely take apart and clean my competition 1911 in a pan of kerosene with a tooth brush a couple times a year to get the crud out of all the hard to reach places,, lube and reassemble.
 
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Thanks for all the replies!

Grips were still off, pulled the side plates again. alsopulled the cylinders. Don't really want to disassemble the lockwork, so I used the blow dryer like armorer 951 suggested on both revolvers.

Did not see any more water come out but sprayed completely inside both guns with WD 40 anyway and soaked under the rear adjustable sight on the 686 with WD 40 as well.

Will let them sit a day or two and then blow out any remaining WD 40 and reassemble.

Don't want them ending up like this one I traded for!

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1980-present/406673-model-18-4-left-holster.html


Thanks again all!
 
I have used Mineral Spirits to clean my pistols by removing the grips and letting them soak in a coffee can of the stuff.

On breaking the pistols down, they are as clean as if I'd taken every part out and brushed it off with Hoppe's or CLP. If my pistol was dunked I'd do that ... if a can of spirits was available!
 
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