The gun-cleaning product companies sell spray solvent that blasts out crud -- for $6 to $8 a can!
Save your money. Buy some spray brake cleaning solvent, or carburetor & air intake cleaner, from auto shops or even Wal-Mart. Goes for about $2 to $3 a can, often less on the bargain table.
I recently cleaned up a Model 19 for a friend, that he bought for $380 at a pawn shop. It was nickel-plated but looked rough. Removing the sideplates, I found all the inner carbon steel parts were lightly rusted. I removed them and blasted out a bucket of rust, dirt, congealed oil, a few rocks and the left femur of an ancient cave bear! (Okay ... no rocks or femurs, but there sure was a bunch of crud in there).
Gently removed the rust with a bronze scrub brush. Reoiled the parts and put it back together.
Difference of night and day!
I DO NOT recommend you do the above! I'm familiar with Smith & Wesson guts and trust my abilities. Unless you've had ample experience, you can easily lose tiny parts or have springs fly out and be gone forever.
But you can certainly remove the sideplate and blast out the junk.
By the way ...
You remove the sideplate without prying. Never pry.
Remove the grips. Then remove the three (or four, for earlier models) screws that hold the sideplate to the frame. Remove the crane assembly and cylinder.
Now, place the revolver flat in your left hand. Using a rubber or hard-plastic mallet, tap the area where the grips were attached. A few taps and the sideplate will magically rise above the surface of the frame, untouched, and become loose.
Careful you don't drop it.
This is the ONLY way to remove the sideplate without damage. Idiots will pry on it, and create ugly marks where the sideplate meets the frame in a beautiful hairline.
With the sideplate off, be careful you don't drop and lose the hammer block that rests on top of the hammer. Remove this, but only this!
Flush out the innards with brake or carburetor cleaner. This will remove all oil, so you'll need to replace the oil.
Do so lightly. I like Rem-Oil with Teflon spray. Smith & Wesson Oil, Tri-Flow or M-Pro 7 gun oils are also good. Because the flushing will remove all oil from metal surfaces, it's best to lightly spray a good, light gun oil on those surfaces to keep rust from appearing. This isn't done so much for lubrication as for protection.
Lubrication on moving parts is done with the Rem-Oil with Teflon, S&W Oil, Tri-Flow or M-Pro 7. Don't overdo it. A drop or less is all that's needed.
DO NOT use WD-40. It's garbage. It will congeal into a sticky goo over time, and bind the parts.
Remember, after you remove the sideplate, don't remove any parts other than the hammer block, which is loose and will fall out if you don't remove it.
The elliptical hole in the bottom of the hammer block goes over a small pin near the hammer rebound. The end of the hammer block goes between the hammer and frame.
The top of the sideplate has a tiny ledge that fits under the frame. You'll see it. There's also a channel in the sideplate for the hammer block. Align the block in this channel before replacing the sideplate.
Firm thumb pressure will start the sideplate into the frame, especially if you put a thin sheet of lubricant on the edges of the sideplate to aid it slipping in.
You can gently seat the sideplate with a few gentle taps of the rubber mallet. Replace the crane assembly and cylinder, followed by the three screws.
IMPORTANT! Use a hollow-ground screwdriver that exactly fits the screw slots, to remove and replace them. Such screwdrivers are made for guns. An inexpensive set will run you $20 or so, but is required. Failing to use a properly fitting screwdriver will cause unsightly, burred screwheads.
Buy the right screwdriver or don't even attempt the task.
