cleaning a '73

[pinto bean]

what is your cleaning regimen for your '73 win clone. do you dismantle,just remove the sideplates and wipe down and reoil what you can reach. any advice appreciated.

[August]

Howdy.  Every new Uberti I've seen has been UNDER lubricated at the factory -- in addition to the gorilla springs and screw tightening.

I set my '73s up with lithium grease and Mobil 1 bearing grease.  I get a bunch of lithium grease on the toggle links, including a light coat on the backside where they run on the side plates.  I put Mobil 1 bearing grease on the end of the lifter (where it goes up into the elevator) and on the cams on the lever (where lever and lifter springs bear).  I used to use mobil 1 in the toggles, but think that lithium runs a bit smoother and faster.  I also put a smear of Mobil 1 bearing grease on the surfaces of the lever, lifter, and frame where they come together.

I spray the elevator with Hornady Cleaner Lubricant.  This lube does not attract dirt or make the gun slippery in the had.  It is great stuff and I have a can in every corner of the house.  All the carrier evaporates leaving a dry film of teflon (I presume).

Now, to your question.  Having set the gun in the way I just described, I rarely disassemble it for cleaning.  I clean the bore with BORE TECH cleaner -- the only solvent I've ever found that actually works.  I follow their directions.  I clean from the muzzle.  I spray the elevator channel with Hornady Cleaner Lubricant and wipe the nooks and crannys with q-tips.  By cleaning the elevator when its up, and then when its down, you can get to most of the crud that blows back on your straight wall caliber rifles.  The w.c.f. calibers seem to run a lot cleaner.  If I'm shooting smokeless, I lube the bore with Hornady Cleaner Lube.  If shooting black powder, I coat the bore with bore butter.

I try to avoid disassembly because I'm trying to put off the day when I have to buy real screws for these things.  I only disassemble when I'm going after something else inside the gun.

Review:  I squirt the elevator channel with Hornady One Shot Cleaner Lubricant (don't get this confused with their case lube -- they're in similar cans), clean the bore with Bore Tech cleaner, and lube the bore with Hornady Cleaner Lubricant.  Oh, I wipe the outside of the gun down with whatever is handy.

[Camille Eonich]

The '73 in .357 rarely needs a full cleaning.  I wipe it down good after each match.  At least one match before a big match it gets the side plates taken off and everything inside comes out excepts for the lever spring and the carrier spring.  I just rotate them out of the way.  The magazine spring gets removed as well.

Everything gets cleaned with G96 Gun Treatment including the barrel.  I don't use solvent.  When it goes back together I apply  Break Free CLP liberally, very liberally.

If Stump cleans it instead of me he just adds more G96 and skips the Break Free. 


The firing pin assembly doesn't get taken apart but just ever so often.

[Camille Eonich]

Oh yeah, the .45 required cleaning after every match.  The .357 just shoots that much cleaner.

[pinto bean]

dang,i hate hearing that the .45 runs dirtier than the .357. oh,well.

[Charlie Bowdre]

Camille Eonich

I have setting in my gun room a new 73  in .357 cal , that  I am taking to the range as soon as possible .

I reload the 38 SnakeBite Bullets and have been using 15 gr of 2ff Goex in my 51 Navy RM Conversions. Mot sure what to use for the 73 , what do you throw?

Not to hijack the thread but hope ya can see the relationship between the load and the cleaning

Thanks Muchly

Dutchy

[Tensleep]

I'm not Camille but I would shoot the same round in the 73 as you do in your pistols.

It sure works for me.

My load is 1.1cc of Triple 7 under a 125g TC Beanie bullet + a Federal magnum small pistol primer.

[Charlie Bowdre]

Tks Tensleep. Will do.
Dutchy

[Camille Eonich]

Camille Eonich

I have setting in my gun room a new 73  in .357 cal , that  I am taking to the range as soon as possible .

I reload the 38 SnakeBite Bullets and have been using 15 gr of 2ff Goex in my 51 Navy RM Conversions. Mot sure what to use for the 73 , what do you throw?

Not to hijack the thread but hope ya can see the relationship between the load and the cleaning

Thanks Muchly

Dutchy

Dutchy, when I do shoot BP I clean my guns as soon as I get them home!  On top of that I use water to clean with a Ballistol to lubricate with.  I don't shoot bp in my .357s though I save that for my .45s.  I don't load BP either so I don't have a clue about what makes up the loads other than to date it has always been 777 and usually a 180 grain bullet although I do believe that one time someone loaded an 160 grain for me.

My standard .38 rifle load is 125 gr rnfp sitting on top of 3.4 grains of red dot.  This runs around 950 fps.  My pistol loads are a 95 grain rnfp on top of the 3.4 grains of red dot.  I've thought about just shooting the .125s all the time but have a lot of the 95s in inventory.

[Charlie Bowdre]

CE
Thanks for your response . I am in the see saw battle right now of BP or not BP. I love the bang and smoke but also like the ease of loading up my 3.8 gr of Trail Boss for the Navy's.

I have had great fun with a 15 gr load in the pistols and my lube works great ..so far not a problem shooting or cleaning .

Cleaning the 73 after shooting BP will be a whole new chapter so I am great full  for this thread.
Dutchy.

[Tensleep]

When I shoot Triple 7 I clean the guns as soon as I can after, but a day or two later isn't a problem.

I DO NOT tear down the '73 but about once every 3 months.

[Camille Eonich]

Yanno, I just realized that I haven't ever actually cleaned my '73 after shooting BP.  I usually do the pistols and Stump did the long guns.  I'm sure that he just rinses them out in the sink too though.

Tensleep, even with the BP you don't take the side plates off and clean the carrier and all of that?


I LOVE to shoot BP but I don't like to clean the guns every time that I shoot them and I don't care what anybody says about it I would feel guilty not getting them clean after running the BP through them.  Also I hate the SxS.     I need to get more proficient with it though in time for the NC State BP Championship.  Stump says that he's going to load me up some real blakc for that.

[Tensleep]

Tensleep, even with the BP you don't take the side plates off and clean the carrier and all of that?

Nope, nothing there with the .357 '73, really takes it a while to build up in it.

NOW.... the '66 in .45 is a whole nother story. It gets filthy in 100 rounds.

[knucklehead]

I have a 66 yellowboy. i shoot triple 7 2f 30 grains by volumn in a 45 lc case 250 grain bullet with standard win large pistol primer.
when it comes time to clean i tear it down each time, but i dont take the bolt out.

i use a mixture of ballistal (about 15% ballistal, 85% water) and water in a spray bottle.

I remove side plates, take out carrier, spray the barrell down real well set aside to soak. spray the carrier down and the area the carrier goes in as well as the rest of the inside of the frame(only because its easier than not spraying the frame).

walk away and have a smoke. after smoke wipe down all parts. this balllistal/water mix cleans bp easy.
use a bore snake for the barrell, pull it through barrell 4 times. 

if therer is still crud on the carrier after wiping it down. i cheat, i use a dremel and a brass brush to clean off the crud.
dremells are great.

now just put it back together while lubing it lightly with pure ballistal.
the day i shoot i will run a patch with bore butter down barrell(helps with fouling)
during the match i will spray the carrier with ballistal (in a aresol can) about 1/2 way through the match or when the carrier feels like its draggin.

yea i know these steps may be a pain to some and a lot of work. thats the price you pay for shooting black powder or the subs.

i shoot the bp because its so much fun to hide the targets from the counters and the RO/timer person.

[Curley Cole]

My 73 is a 45lc. Unfortunatly I shoot Unique powder,so is is a little dirty. I use BearCreek bullets, so the bore is usually clean as a whistle, but once in a while I will swab the bore for good luck.

I then spray the open action with BreakFree, then close it and spray some more. then swab as discribed above with rags and qTips. Actually some times I will hit it with a bit of canned air to help drying off. I will then clean off all outside surfaces and put a bit of Hoppes gun oil on it just before going into the safe.

Pretty much same process for the 66. It is a 38sp, but I shoot Bullseye in it so it is a little dirty too. I like the old time powders. Been looading with them for about 30 years.
curley

[Jefro]

I break mine down a few times a year, usually just before a multi day shoot. I use the Otis Breech to Bore flex-cable cleaning system, unlike rods you are never pushing stuff back into the action. For smokeless I pull a few patches through with Otis cleaner lube, then a couple of patches with M-Pro7. I clean what I can reach with swaps, then spray Balistol down in the action and bore, wipe and patch excess. I use Gun Butter on the moving parts, except the carrier. For black powder I point the muzzle down and squirt the bore and action with Murphy's Mix. Pull a patch or two, then spray Balistol down the action and bore, wipe excess and bore snake. Gun Butter on the moving parts, except the carrier. Only takes a few of minutes. I've taken it apart once since starting BP in January and found it was not really necessary yet. Gun Butter can be found here in the store, it performs as advertised for smokeless or BP.
http://www.otisgun.com/
http://www.cascity.com/store/gunbutter.htm

    Jefro,  Relax-Enjoy