Revolver Sideplates / Internals - How Often, and best lubrication?

[Electric Head]

That all seems pretty reasonable and I agree with most of it. I'm not a fan of hosing out with cleaner and lube but for a workhorse that sees a lot of use and dirt and water it might be the best way. For most underused guns I'd agree with never getting in there.

 

[AzShooter]

I shoot mine a lot and clean them about once a month. That's about 2K rounds. I pull the side plate off and lightly grease with Slide Glide from Brian Enos. Just a drop under the hammer the trigger and the rebound slide. I can really feel the difference in my highly tuned revolvers.

My Model 10 is kept clean with a little rem-oil sprayed inside and I've never taken the side plate off. It has a very smooth action direct from the factory. Nothing beats the quality of an old Smith & Wesson

 

[kbm6893]

When I buy a used revolver I always remove the side plate and hose down the insides with brake cleaner and blow with compressed air then very lightly lube and that's it. Never take it off again. And I have seen some nasty stuff in there.

 

[wmyers67]

Recently bought a new 686 and the hammer and trigger both had rust on them! I was planning on smoothing up the insides so it didn't bother me. But that falls into the category of so much for Smith & Wesson's advice. Ir you are going to shoot the gun regularly it doesn't hurt to learn to open it up and clean it properly. Get the right tools and learn to open it up without doing damage. If you are just going to shoot it infrequently then you probably can get away with leaving it alone.

 

[ContinentalOp]

I will open the sideplate on a newly purchased revolver, especially if I bought it used, for an initial inspection. I used to do an annual inspection of the internals, but after a while I realized it just wasn't necessary unless I could tell something was wrong.

It's not hard to lube the action without opening the sideplate. If you have an exposed hammer, just apply a drop of oil on either side of the hammer where it enters the frame. Turn the gun upside down and put a drop of oil on either side of the trigger where it enters the frame. Cycle the action a few times and wipe off any excess lube.

I don't remove the cylinder for routine cleaning. I did it once after a couple of years and from what I saw I could probably have gone another two years without removing it for cleaning.

 

[catadjuster]

With a new gun, I won't open the side plate until I have run at least 1,000 rounds through it. The reason for this is that I will generally want to have different springs in the gun if I am going to keep it. IF, in the first thousand rounds I find an issue that will require the gun to go back for S&W service, I won't have to take it apart and put the factory springs back into it prior to sending it off.

If it isn't going to need any warranty work, I will then open it up and install whatever springs I have chosen for that particular gun and its intended use and lubricate it appropriately (and do any stoning that may be revealed by the wear marks from the first thousand rounds).

 

[prairieviper]

I never remove the side plate unless a part needs to be replaced. A drop of oil on the hammer and trigger has worked for me on all of the revolvers I have owned, many of which have seen some pretty heavy use.

 

[nachogrande]

ALL THUMBS = NEVER

Moderately skilled & have gunsmithing screwdrivers, sideplates: when new & before selling depending on usage & environment. Removing the cylinder, not much of a biggie & I do it app every 4th cleaning. If it feels gritty, more often.