Tricks for cleaning a forcing cone?

[MJFlores]

I know...forcing cones get dirty and take a heck of a fire bath during shooting, but does anyone have any tricks to getting them semi clean at least? It seems like I squirt them with balistol a few times during the cleaning process, let it sit, brush it a bit, wipe and wipe some more and mine are still black. I've tried Hoppes too. I've seen plenty of other used revolvers that had forcing cones much cleaner than mine and often wondered...whats the trick. Anyone got a trick or technique they want to share?

 

[RevolverDen]

I swear by the Casey-Birchwood Lead remover cloth. It literally removes the toughest lead build-up with very little effort.

 

[Maximumbob54]

I don't think there is anything better than the Lewis Lead Remover with that rubber plug twisting around for the mesh to eat everything off the steel. Soak the area and let it set for a bit and then clean it. Poof, brand new again.

The area in the frame around the forcing cone I never get brand new clean again. I just soak it down and brush at it and call it good enough.

 

[fletre]

I use a little bore cleaner on a brass wire brush in that area and it works well for me.

 

[Kid44]

I swear by the Casey-Birchwood Lead remover cloth. It literally removes the toughest lead build-up with very little effort.

Use caution when using one of those if the gun is blued, as they are really meant for stainless guns where there is no bluing to rub off.

 

[TAROMAN]

Inside: Lewis Lead Remover as stated above.
Outside: Soak in Kroil, then scrub with a nylon brush.
If its REALLY bad, I've scrubbed them with IOSSO paste.

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
If the function of the gun is not effected , I don't bother.
The steel [ in stainless ] can be burnt [ aka discolored ]
upon firing.
Blued guns , how do you tell?
Heavy lead is different , but I have not founded a revolver
that did not clean up with a little oil/cleaner and a rag.
Real bad cases would call for BJ's bore cleaner.
I have guns that get shot and those that don't.
The ones that don't are little or unfired, the ones that do show it.
Call them battle scars and show them with pride..

 

[ridgewalker]

Okay, it sounds like the OP is talking about carbon blackening. Generally I agree, don't fret about it but since I started using M Pro 7 cleaning products it gets that carbon off amazingly well. Spray it on, let it soak a few minutes, and then a little brushing with the wife's toothbrush takes it off very well.

Lead is another story. My only gun which builds up lead in the forcing cone area is my 617 22LR. Scraping with a flattened 223 shell gets that lead off.

 

[RevolverDen]

Use caution when using one of those if the gun is blued, as they are really meant for stainless guns where there is no bluing to rub off.

Yes, another factor why I tend to prefer stainless finishes over blued finishes as not to worry as much about maintaining the finish. Of course there is nothing like a beautiful blued finish on a revolver that makes the extra care all the more worth it....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rcp1936]

Get a smallpatch of Lead Away cloth
Wrap it around the 38 bore brush
Swirl it around the cone from the cylinder side
Don't go in more than 1/2 inch and do it on a slight angle
Cleans it out no problem

 

[SJshooter]

The key is preventive maintenance. When I go to the range, I take one of those little spray bottles of FP-10 (or any other CLP type of lube-cleaner) that comes with the spray straw. Without the straw, I spray a little onto a cloth and lube up the forcing cone/top strap and muzzle of the gun. Then, when I'm done shooting, I take an old towel or t-shirt from the range bag and wipe those areas down while the gun is still warm. Almost all of it will come off right then. Put the straw into the aerosol can, give a shot down the barrel, run a bore snake through -- and now most of the heavy cleaning is done. You can also spray a little on a cotton patch and wipe a very thin layer on the front of the cylinder before shooting and similarly wipe away most of the buildup in two seconds right there on the range. I usually skip this last part, but never the forcing cone. Huge time saver.

 

[Jim1392]

I swear by the Casey-Birchwood Lead remover cloth. It literally removes the toughest lead build-up with very little effort.

I'll second that. It really works better then anything I have used.

 

[9mmsubgun-m11]

A soda blaster will make a stainless gun look brand new in seconds.I have not tried it on a blued gun so no idea what it might do to the finish. The Birchwood Casey Lead Away cloth works well as others have stated.

 

[Bugger]

Lots of ways to do it, it seems. I have only one ss revolver. All the others are blued. I believe starting with the least abrasive method to start might be the way I’d go.

 

[Buzzzer]

All good methods mentioned. As an absolute last resort for severe leading inside the forcing cone area, and barrel for that matter - Chore Boy Copper scouring pad, pulled apart and wrapped tightly around a brush. Lead comes out in chunks/slivers, doesn't take long...

 

[Lou_NC]

I've always used this tip with my Lewis lead remover for the forcing cone cleaning:

https://www.brownells.com/tools-cle...xQwoN8XWj4ZE4Yle2EsFfXFx1JqvxnGRoC5qIQAvD_BwE

 

[murphydog]

Good information, the OP asked the question 10 1/2 years ago but crud is still crud.

 

[Sgt. Buzzard]

Powder build up around the cone I use #9 and one of those nylon brushes that look like a toothbrush on one side with a single row on the other to get between the top strap and cone.

I only had bad lead build up when I reloaded soft lead wadcutters and pushed the speed up. That's when I bought my Lewis device. Haven't needed it in forty years, that's when I stopped reloading and reading Elmer Keith.

 

[bedwards]

Maybe the mods could set up a way to notify when a thread is really old. I confess, I don't look at the dates either.

 

[stansdds]

I wish threads got locked after a period in inactivity. I understand having long running threads that involve showing off firearms, but it would be nice if there was a mechanism by which a thread locks if no new posts are made in some predetermined amount of time.