Cleaning

shil

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I was wondering how many completely remove the cylinders of their revolvers for cleaning?
 
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Count me in. I've been doing it this way for 35 years.
 
Always. Just makes it easier. How do you clean the barrel without removing the cylinder? Surely not from the muzzle. Well wait, that's how I always did it before bore snakes and Otis cables. I was careful tho.
 
I never remove the cyl of my S&W revolvers for routine cleaning unless
it seems necessary for some reason. Removing it might make cleaning
easier for the owner but it isn't really needed and will result in
increased wear on the revolver over time in my opinion. And yes,
others will disagree. My 28-2 that I bought new in 1966 is 50 yrs old
this year. The cyl has been removed once, about 8-10 yrs ago when
rotation became a bit sluggish due to the old factory grease starting
to harden I think. Didn't take long to have it spinning freely. BTW the
sideplate has never been removed. A little Break Free through the
openings from time to time has kept it operating smoothly.
 
I was wondering how many completely remove the cylinders of their revolvers for cleaning?
I do for a good cleaning because I use a nylon brush and long rod with my drill to spin the tubes clean.
 
I always remove the cylinder when I clean. I always clean after shooting and if I haven't shot a gun in a year I clean annually.

I find it the best way to get the front of the cylinder cleaned with a plastic scouring pad.
 
Always. Just makes it easier. How do you clean the barrel without removing the cylinder? Surely not from the muzzle. Well wait, that's how I always did it before bore snakes and Otis cables. I was careful tho.
What the difference if the cylinder is not removed? The space doesn't change

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Mine stay in the gun. I use rifle bore brushes and a piece of cleaning rod chucked in a drill motor for cleaning chambers and it's easier to hold everything with it still in the gun. I don't worry about cleaning for cosmetic purposes, I clean the areas that need cleaning to function. Usually when rds start balking about chambering or before each match. Cosmetics get dealt with about once a year (or so...) dunking the gun in a sonic cleaner and doing a "like new" cleaning.
 
Yes, and I do it infrequently. The S&W where I think it's actually necessary are the .22's when the lead splatter on the face of the cylinder can build and actually interfer with the bareel to cylinder gap....even then it takes alot shooting to do that.
 
I never remove the cyl of my S&W revolvers for routine cleaning unless
it seems necessary for some reason. Removing it might make cleaning
easier for the owner but it isn't really needed and will result in
increased wear on the revolver over time in my opinion. And yes,
others will disagree. My 28-2 that I bought new in 1966 is 50 yrs old
this year. The cyl has been removed once, about 8-10 yrs ago when
rotation became a bit sluggish due to the old factory grease starting
to harden I think. Didn't take long to have it spinning freely. BTW the
sideplate has never been removed. A little Break Free through the
openings from time to time has kept it operating smoothly.

I had been removing the cylinder on my Model 10 after every range session, but have found that the cylinder tends to lock up, as the ejector rod doesn't stay tight. I'm going to try tightening again, and cleaning without cylinder removal after range visits (weekly).
 
Generally never. I sometimes remove the cylinder when I buy a used gun that is in need of a thorough cleaning, but after that I feel no need remove it.
 
Not only does it make it much easier to clean, but you avoid stress and bending while cleaning. A simple screw removal takes a few seconds and it also allows for internal cleaning of Cylinder ER bore.

What I've been doing for 35 years is take some Rig #2 Oil and fill up bore of Cylinder that ER rides in, work ER (carefully - it's unsupported and wants to cock) then dump out dirty oil onto rag. You will be amazed at what comes out! Once or twice on a somewhat regular basis and it will always be lubed, move freely and will eliminate excess wear. Blow out with air or just shake dry.
 
Once a year during the winter when I do a thorough cleaning of all my guns. Other wise a routine clean and lube about every 2 months on the guns a use most often.
 
I always remove the cylinder off my revolvers for cleaning. It only takes the removal of 1 screw and makes it much easier for me to handle and clean. Been doing this pretty much ever since I bought my first pistol in 1974, my 27-2.
 
I nearly always remove the cylinder. Especially when shooting lead, I want to get any splatter off the cylinder face and frame, especially around the forcing cone.

Could I get as good results without removing the cylinder? Probably, but it would require more effort and take more time.
 
Depends on how much I have shot the gun. If it's just a light practice session, maybe 50 rounds I don't remove the cylinder, but if it is really dirty, from maybe a 200 - 300 round session, I will remove the cylinder for more thorough cleaning.
 
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