Revolver maintenance- what do you do

[Cyrano]

They are left-hand as well.

The left hand thread is less likely to become unwound during revolutions of the cylinder and jam the ejector rod. Thus S&W figured out the left hand thread.

I remove the cylinder and clean the barrel, frame, crane and cylinder. They I lubricate (everything for a blued gun, just friction points for a stainless) and reassemble. I give blued or plated guns an exterior coat of oil, it might be a while before they get another one.

 

[johngalt]

I don't like removing the sideplate or cylinder - it is too easy to slip and bugger the screws. I clean the bore and cylinder chambers, wipe it down with an oily rag and put it away.

 

[Thuer]

For normal cleaning I do remove the cilinder from my S&W model 581.

Watch that you do not loose the tiny screw wich secure the cilinder.
(the front screw in the sideplate)

 

[ordy]

I take the cylinder/crane assembly off the gun for cleaning. It's a simple process and makes getting to the forcing cone, frame and cylinder face easier to do. I'm not familiar enough with the internals to do too much so I pretty much leave it alone. Once in a while, I will take the side plate off and clean/lube the guts with a cotton swab but will not take it apart.

 

[HorizontalMike]

Removing the Cylinder

...The one thing I like to do is remove the cylinder to clean it. I find that by removing it I can clean it easier and put less strain on the yoke. I also find it a lot less awkward with the cylinder removed.

I like the idea of removing the cylinder for cleaning, mostly for increased access.

After having my 686 in storage (loaded in the nightstand) without firing for ~25yr, I decided to disassemble and clean everything. This also gave me the chance to buff out a "cleaning" scratch that I caused way back in 1986. This is where S&W Forum members stepped up and offered good/timely advice.

Personally, IMO, everyone should completely disassemble there gun(s) at least once, just to take the mystery out of its operation. This increased understanding was worth the effort, at least in my case.