max503
Member
Don't go 5 years without removing it on a gun that lives in your pocket. You'd be amazed how much lint and gunk can find its way into those little openings in that amount of time. 
How often should side plate be removed?
- Thread starter Mxylplyk
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I’ve been carrying/shooting J Frames since my 1968 rookie year, have never removed a sideplate & never had a problem. I’m not mechanically inclined, know my shortcomings and leave this kind of thing to others more talented than me.
Yendor357
Member
I’ve never taken the side plate off of any of my Smiths except for an old Brazilian 1917 (?). I won’t take the chance of possibly marring my fine old Smiths.
If one of my revolvers is getting gummed up, I don’t need to take it apart. I can feel that. When warranted, I just hose the action out with starting fluid. Let it dry a few minutes. Then apply a few drops of oil. Done and done.
If one of my revolvers is getting gummed up, I don’t need to take it apart. I can feel that. When warranted, I just hose the action out with starting fluid. Let it dry a few minutes. Then apply a few drops of oil. Done and done.
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IMHO, that is not the way to properly maintain a revolver. In order to properly clean, inspect and lightly lube it, it has to be taken apart. Seriously, in all the years I have been working on revolvers (40+ years) I have not marred or scratched one up. Just squirting fluids inside the action does not remove and clean all the crud without removing it with patches and brushes nor does it properly lubricate it. Lubrication should never just be squirted inside either. I truly believe that if you did remove the side-plate at this point, you would be disappointed to find what was inside.
The same goes for any mechanical devise like a watch, clock, motor, etc. If you do not feel comfortable performing a full maintenance yourself and do not have the desire to learn how to do it, you should take it to a qualified and recommended GS and let him do it. Obviously, the more a gun is fired and carried the more often it needs to be done. For one seldom fired, once every 7-8 years seems about right to me, but for an EDC carried daily & shot often, I like to do it every 2-3 years. If done properly and carefully, no harm at all will come by doing this. This is just my personal opinion however I do have 40+ years of experience doing this. To each his own and YMMV.
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The side plate need not be removed ever in normal use. If you drop your revolver in the lake or a mud hole, or subject it to salt spray, that is a different story. Do you do that?
max503
Member
Don't go 5 years without removing it on a gun that lives in your pocket. You'd be amazed how much lint and gunk can find its way into those little openings in that amount of time.
I'll confess. I carry mine without a holster. I know I'm going to hell because of this, but too bad. So mine gets full of lint and such over the course of half a decade. I am mechanically inclined so taking off the side plate for maintenance is no big deal in fact it is fun for me.
I've been re-reading the comments here, and it is truly amazing to find so many folks who seem to know more about all this than the folks who designed and made the guns----truly amazing!
I wish them well!
Ralph Tremaine
I wish them well!
Ralph Tremaine
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A little tongue in check Ralph ?
Either that, or tongue poking right on through cheek!
I don't know though, gunsmiths gotta eat; and what better way for them to make a living than by cleaning abused guns---- it's so easy----and there surely seems to be A BUNCH of such guns out there just begging for someone to take care of them!!
It dawns on me perhaps they either don't see or don't know what the quotation marks mean. Pretty much of everything of value I wrote down came right out of SMITH & WESSON'S own literature---on purpose, I might add----for all the good it did!!
Sad to say, I wasn't all that surprised----never mind it fair boggles the mind!
Ralph Tremaine
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From the almost 50+ years experience I have carrying firearms, I can say with 100% certainty carrying a gun everyday promotes dust bunny's, debris, moisture and unburnt powder to accumulate inside. Depending on what era the particular revolver was produced, many times they leave the Factory dirty and have production crud inside. Sometimes they leave with no lubrication at all and other times they are lubricated too heavily. I've taken brand new revolvers apart before even firing them, and aside from being bone dry they are also relatively dirty inside. Some have had minor rust in there too!
Not trying to beat the horse here but after owning many many S&W revolvers over the years I can say with confidence I would never have one that I did not personally inspect, clean, lubricate before I even fire it. Once in a while I find one actually done right!
As in every aspect of life, people gots to do what they gots to do!
Not trying to beat the horse here but after owning many many S&W revolvers over the years I can say with confidence I would never have one that I did not personally inspect, clean, lubricate before I even fire it. Once in a while I find one actually done right!
As in every aspect of life, people gots to do what they gots to do!
max503
Member
It just dawned on me; last time I took off a side plate there was a lot of soot in there from shooting it. It doesn't take abuse to get a gun dirty. Regular use will do it.
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Why risk scratching the gun and buggering the screws unless you absolutely have to? I flush my revolvers out with brake cleaner or gum out, or as long as they aren't nickel and don't have WI or RR sights, I dunk them in Ed's Red.
If you don't care for brake cleaner or gum out, they make aerosol gun cleaners which are more expensive.
If you don't care for brake cleaner or gum out, they make aerosol gun cleaners which are more expensive.
Matt_X
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Why not just flush?
Because, depending on the type of particulate and type type of lubriucants, a flushing may or may not truly clean the internals.
I recently posted a photo of a new to me, clean looking 36 that I bought at the LGS. Trigger was smooth, action was smooth. Didn't seem like any reason to remove the sideplate. Shot it as I bought it. I had about 150 rounds through it and had only given it a normal cleaning and lube after each session (two). Lube internals was just a drop of remoil on the inside of the hammer, at the yoke, and extractor. A light wiping of oil on the bores and surfaces.
Normal Hammer block contact? Model 36
Grease.
Grease by defination is an oil and a base (thickener). The oil is squeezed out under pressure and then recovered.
Oils.
Mineral oils can have widely varying compostions and properties. Engine oils are designed to flow and support bearings under high temperature and pressure. They also have a whole bunch of additives for cleaning, buffering against acidization etc etc. Light gun oils are designed to provide a thin layer of lubrication and anticorrosion while attracting minimum dirt.
For those interested, look up the requirements for oil acceptable by the US Military.
VV-L-800, MIL-PRF-32033.
Because, depending on the type of particulate and type type of lubriucants, a flushing may or may not truly clean the internals.
I recently posted a photo of a new to me, clean looking 36 that I bought at the LGS. Trigger was smooth, action was smooth. Didn't seem like any reason to remove the sideplate. Shot it as I bought it. I had about 150 rounds through it and had only given it a normal cleaning and lube after each session (two). Lube internals was just a drop of remoil on the inside of the hammer, at the yoke, and extractor. A light wiping of oil on the bores and surfaces.
Normal Hammer block contact? Model 36
Grease.
Grease by defination is an oil and a base (thickener). The oil is squeezed out under pressure and then recovered.
Oils.
Mineral oils can have widely varying compostions and properties. Engine oils are designed to flow and support bearings under high temperature and pressure. They also have a whole bunch of additives for cleaning, buffering against acidization etc etc. Light gun oils are designed to provide a thin layer of lubrication and anticorrosion while attracting minimum dirt.
For those interested, look up the requirements for oil acceptable by the US Military.
VV-L-800, MIL-PRF-32033.
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CAJUNLAWYER
Member
If it ain't broke...fix it till it is.
SAT66
Member
As all the above stated, make sure you don't damage the screw heads.
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I absolutely disagree with that. ANY and I mean ANY mechanical devise or mechanism that has raw metal rubbing on raw metal and has a service life of many decades and even centuries (if properly maintained) NEEDS cleaning, maintenance and lubrication. That is why we service watches, motors, clocks, fans, snow blowers, lawn mowers, - just about ANY mechanical devise I can think of. If that is neglected, the service life, reliability and function will IMO be cut short, break or fail early.
In the case of items that are completely sealed and have sealed bearing, those devises are simply thrown out and replaced when they fail.
But hey, if you choose to NEVER service your revolvers, that is certainly your option and choice. If that is your stance, let's just agree to disagree. I am in the other camp.
I have a fixture and files to re cut the slots in the screws.
Hello again. I'm the OP. After reading this string, I decided to strip all my S&W revolvers (two J-frames and one L-frame). The last time I did this was about 6 years ago. The frame and all the parts were reasonably clean (despite using what I thought were dirty reloads and dirty 22LR cartridges). However, there was just too much oil for my liking under the side plate. Excess oil can attract dirt and become abrasive. After cleaning and drying all the parts, I applied ONE DROP of a good gun oil and, with an old makeup brush, spread it around the frame and the parts. I then removed the excess oil from the frame with a dry patch, put a wee bit of grease under and to the side of the rebound slide, and reassembled everything. This is not very difficult to do if you do your homework. There are some good videos out there (and a lot of very bad ones). I find Kuhnhausen's S&W Shop Manual indispensable to use with the videos. It has a lot of good tips and terrific pictures. Once again, thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts and experiences. My takeaway: be more sparing with the chemicals during routine cleaning.
cmj8591
Member
I drilled and tapped a hole on the side of the frame and installed a Zerk fitting. Now I never have to remove the side plate.
The armorers school used to teach that a duty revolver should be detailed stripped once a year. In practice, that almost never happened. Even so, there were close to zero failures with internal revolver parts. Let common sense be your guide. If the gun is being exposed to hostile conditions on a regular basis, wet, dust, extreme temperatures, then it should be opened regularly. If it is a range gun, you really don't have to unless it starts getting sluggish or has a problem. Having said that, if you need some mechanical therapy and feel like getting into it, crack it open and look at the finely fitted parts. It's a good way to bring some order to your universe. Don't be afraid of it. It's an easy thing to do that doesn't require any real specialized tools and after you do it a couple of times, you will be able to do it in the dark. Just remember, the secret is to never try to pry the sideplate off. That will surely ruin it.
The armorers school used to teach that a duty revolver should be detailed stripped once a year. In practice, that almost never happened. Even so, there were close to zero failures with internal revolver parts. Let common sense be your guide. If the gun is being exposed to hostile conditions on a regular basis, wet, dust, extreme temperatures, then it should be opened regularly. If it is a range gun, you really don't have to unless it starts getting sluggish or has a problem. Having said that, if you need some mechanical therapy and feel like getting into it, crack it open and look at the finely fitted parts. It's a good way to bring some order to your universe. Don't be afraid of it. It's an easy thing to do that doesn't require any real specialized tools and after you do it a couple of times, you will be able to do it in the dark. Just remember, the secret is to never try to pry the sideplate off. That will surely ruin it.
