Cleaning the face of the cylinder of a stainless steel Vaquero 45 Colt

[Green River Powell aka RonC]

After shooting my Vaquero (new to me, but used very little by the previous owner) at the range, I cleaned it as usual with Breakfree and Breakfree Bore Cleaning Foam. All cleaned up well except for the face of the cylinder which remained somewhat greyish. I tried several cleaners including Hoppes 9, but it still didn't come up looking shiny and new.

Do you ladies and gentlemen have any suggestions or is this what I should expect? Should I try polishing with Flitz or Semi-chrome? Should I use a dremel to buff?

Thanks,
Ron

[Bugscuffle]

A wire wheel on your grinder, 600 grit emery paper or a polishing wheel and rouge from Home Depot (also for the bench grinder). just don't go crazy with it and polish it down too much. Check the gap between the cylander face and the forcing cone with a feeler guage before you start and then pick a number that you feel is reasonable or that you can afford to polish the cylander down to. You may not notice even a couple of hundredths off, but if you keep going, you'll eventually get some gas blowback from an excessive gap. It is a pretty drastic solution to a pretty much purely cosmetic problem, it just all depends on how "purty"you want to keepyour guns.

[Green River Powell aka RonC]

Thank you, Bugscuffle!
Actually, I prefer little blowback and would rather leave the cosmetic problem. I just thought that there might be a non-destructive method.

Ron

[Shotgun Franklin]

There used to be a 'Wipe Away' gun cleaning cloth that cut crud better than anything I ever tied. Trouble was, it removed bluing.
I don't have one laying around but a search of the web might turn one up. It used to clean my SS .44 cylinder face so clean it nearly looked new.

DO NOT USE IT ON A BLUED GUN!!!

[Bugscuffle]

The big problem with cleaning the face of the cylander is that all that crud was put ON with gasses that were under high pressures and at very high tempreatures. All that carbon was driven into the steel and is not just on the surface. What are you going to find that will actually penetrate the steel and disolve the crud that is burried deep in the steel?

[Green River Powell aka RonC]

I think I am going to have to accept the fact that the Vaquero will no longer be perfectly "purty," like me.

I can't see the carbon on the face of my black Blackhawk!  Black is beautiful, and will stay that way.

Ron

[c.o.jones]

Buy a brass bristle brush and scrub it off. It takes about 2 minutes.

[Cash Creek]

I clean mine with the brush that came with the gun cleaning kit..Looks like a tooth brush....I think it's brass..CC

[Green River Powell aka RonC]

Do y'all think that I could use a brass bore brush without damaging the cylinder?

Ron

[St. George]

Certainly.

And the next time you're at a gun show or flea market - pick up some brass-bristled toothbrushes.

Brass is 'way' softer than stainles, and 'way' harder than any powder fouling.

Good Luck.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Danny Bear Claw]

So...  does one use the brass bristle brushes along with any basic gun cleaning solvent?   

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I have tried almost all of the above, but nobody mentioned what finally worked for me.

Shoot it with the Holy Black for a match or at least a good plinking session.  When you clean the BP fouling off, an easy job, you will find that gray ring - GONE!

[St. George]

In answer to Danny Bear Claw's question - yes.

And when I clean a weapon - I use 'Break-Free' as a primary lubricant, and never have a cleaning/fouling problem.

Just use the brass brushes where needed.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!