929 Compensator cap carbon deposits

[JonnyB686]

Probably my own fault for not cleaning the gun after every range session and not taking the compensator off each time but I have just lost 2 hours of my life cleaning the carbon build up out of it ! I used to have an oil fired cooking range whose burner did the same thing !
Cleaning (the compensator not the stove) consisted of soaking in Ed's Red, careful picking with a needle file and scrubbing with a .410 bronze brush in a power drill.
Does anyone have any experience of carbon build up in the compensator vs the blank cap ? Any other wisdom on cleaning the compensator would be appreciated.
BTW I am still struggling with the need for a compensator on a heavy 9mm revolver.

 

[OKFC05]

Any reason the revolver can't be used without the compensator?

 

[Smoke52]

Any reason the revolver can't be used without the compensator?

The reason for the cap/compensator IMHO, is to protect the rifling at the muzzle end. These guns come from the factory with a square muzzle face with a short rim around the outside of the barrel. There is no beveled crown on the rifling as there is on my other Smith revolvers. Hence the cap. Conjecture on my part on this. Have thought about shooting without the cap but have not yet.

As to the cleaning. That build up is ugly and I also lost a few days cleaning it off the first time. This was after a few range trips and probably 400 rounds. Now what I do is remove the cap/comp at the range and hit it with some solvent for the ride home. More solvent again when home. Wait a couple hours. A light bronze brush and a flattened .223 cartridge to carefully scrape away the crud works for me. Finish with an application of CLP. How necessary is it to have the muzzle pristine? Don't know. Probably as necessary as cleaning off the carbon rings from the front of the revolver cylinders, which I do not do.

 

[ridgewalker]

BTW I am still struggling with the need for a compensator on a heavy 9mm revolver.

Exactly! I am hoping / waiting for S&W to come out with a non PC version of the 929 without the fancy doodads (compensator, Ti cylinder, JM signature.) My choice would be a 6 inch barrel because the primary use for me would be a range gun to shoot 9mm ammo. I am fine with shooting 38 special through my revolvers at the range but the 9mm would be nice because that is the cheapest ammo available now.

BTW, nothing against JM who I like and respect. I just don't like the idea of having to pay extra for his signature on a gun when there is no useful purpose to have it. There is a new TV show on the Outdoor Channel that follows he and his family that I find quite entertaining. He and his brother in law are the most interesting characters IMHO.

 

[ridgewalker]

Cleaning (the compensator not the stove) consisted of soaking in Ed's Red, careful picking with a needle file and scrubbing with a .410 bronze brush in a power drill.

Sorry but that sounds like overly aggressive cleaning to me. I would never use a needle file for cleaning and I am not too sure about the 410 brush in a power drill either.

 

[JonnyB686]

929 Compensator cap

Any reason the revolver can't be used without the compensator?

No reason that I can think of other than the barrel mouth is not crowned and the gun looks ugly and unfinished without either the compensator cap or the blank cap fitted.

 

[JonnyB686]

929 Compensator cap

Sorry but that sounds like overly aggressive cleaning to me. I would never use a needle file for cleaning and I am not too sure about the 410 brush in a power drill either.

You are probably right but I was careful. The needle file was the riskiest but the cleaning is all internal and S&W don't themselves appear too concerned about the quality of internal finishes anyway. The .410 brush in a slow drill and soaking in Ed's Red works eventually but I guess the answer is not to let the build up happen in the first place.

 

[9146gt]

Ultrasonic cleaners do a great , the hotter the fluid the better the outcome. We use a 240 volt unit at work and it will take out all carbon deposits from cylinder heads and headers.
A lot of the open gun shooters with comps use spray Dillon case lube (lanolin) on the comps. I used it on my 929 when I had the comp on and it cleans up very well.

Tom

 

[Billkaylor1114]

I'm with you ridgewalke, give me a plain Jane 929 with no comp and no signature that I can shoot til it's so black with carbon that it looks blued.

 

[Wesbo]

I know this is a couple weeks old at this point, but I thought I would share my solution...

When assembling the compensator or 'fake' muzzle on the gun, i pack the inside with a good amount of gun grease so that everything is covered. I pull a patch through to make sure there's no grease in the bore. After shooting, it all comes out (carbon, lead, filth...) with a quick wipe with a q-tip, no soaking or solvent needed.

 

[colt_saa]

Since this thread resurfaced I will add my .02. OK it needs to be more with inflation

In a time Far Far away, when I used to shoot my model 41s with the comp in place (as opposed to the false muzzle), there was a product called Carter's Compensator spray or cleaner. If used before shooting, the lead deposits from the 22LR ammunition would clean off very easily.

Truthfully I probably bought me last bottle of the stuff 20+ years ago. I first learned of the product from Gil Hibbard's catalog.

There must me some comparable product offered today.

 

[sw282]

l have a 629 Magnum Hunter that suffers from lead/carbon buildup on the comp/brake...lt really frustrated me to see those little lead 'dingleberries' hanging off the end of he barrel. At first l tried all kinds of tools ,scrapers. Even a drill bit or two.. Nothing would remove them without marring the surface...
0ne day l decided to try and ''blast'' them off !!! This method worked like a charm. Every so often l run a couple cylinders full of magnum loads thru my 629 fueled by H110 or 296..

Those unsightly lead/carbon deposits are literally BLOWN AWAY

 

[sw282]

@ 34 ozs the 9mm 986 is very pleasant to shoot with its 5'' unported barrel..

Why then did S&W feel it necessary to attach a compensator to its 929 which weighs a full 10 ozs MORE @ 44 ozs and has a longer 6.5'' barrel ???

 

[colt_saa]

@ 34 ozs the 9mm 986 is very pleasant to shoot with its 5'' unported barrel..

Why then did S&W feel it necessary to attach a compensator to its 929 which weighs a full 10 ozs MORE @ 44 ozs and has a longer 6.5'' barrel ???

The purpose of porting or compensating handguns has little to do with making handguns more pleasant to shoot, though that is a side effect with the big boomers.

Truth is that porting will sometimes make a firearm less pleasant to shoot due to the redirection of gasses. This is especially true under overhangs, in small enclosed shooting bays, with short barrels or with some poor ammunition choices like frangible.

The major purpose of comps and porting is to reduce muzzle climb for faster times between shots.

 

[sw282]

l used the word ''pleasent'' describe muzzle rise or flip from recoil. So, l will rephrase the question.
A 986 @ 34 0z has very little felt recoil and is pleasant to shoot with its 5'' unported barrel.
Why then did Smith & Wesson choose to add a compensator to its 929 that is a FULL 10 ounces HEAVIER and have a barrel that's 30% longer @ 6.5 inches???
Both are the same caliber... Why a comp on a gun that already weighs 40% MORE than its little brother??


282

 

[colt_saa]

l used the word ''pleasent'' describe muzzle rise or flip from recoil. So, l will rephrase the question.
A 986 @ 34 0z has very little felt recoil and is pleasant to shoot with its 5'' unported barrel.
Why then did Smith & Wesson choose to add a compensator to its 929 that is a FULL 10 ounces HEAVIER and have a barrel that's 30% longer @ 6.5 inches???
Both are the same caliber... Why a comp on a gun that already weighs 40% MORE than its little brother??


282

The major purpose of porting and comps is to reduce muzzle climb so you can shorten the time between shots.

 

[Elmerkeithfan]

My muzzle brake and cap were very difficult to clean. I used brass pick and a harbor freight soda blaster.

 

[forrestinmathews]

282:
6.5" inches is a sweet spot for barrel length. The porting was probably done for 9mm major if somebody wanted to hotrod the gun for some reason. That is the only way the comp is doing any real work. The games it was intended for was ICORE and USPSA.

Colt: Most 9mm doesn't produce sufficient gas to make the comp work. In this case it's window dressing.

Ridgewalker:
Jerry is over revolver. He didn't even shoot the National the year the gun came out. They shouldn't have put his name on the gun. Josh Lentz would have been a better choice. By now he has put more rounds through a 929 than Jerry. My 929 will feature the signatures of other GM revolver shooters. Jerry will be at the bottom of the list.

 

[VarHar]

Ultrasonic works well for me.
I bought a lot of fancy bushing compensators for 10mm Kimbers, 1911s and such.
They do get very dirty after several sessions. Just throw them in US cleaner for 30 minutes and boil the hell out of them.
Still needs some brush scrubbing afterwords, but much better results that way.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I spray in my comps with either Dillon case lube or weld spatter spray when they are clean before shooting. Spray again every 100 rounds. Very easy to clean then.

 

[sw702]

carbon killer

I like Slip2000 carbon cleaner............