cleaning BP revolvers

[kru]

I am going to try out my new 1858 Pietta this weekend.  I am hesitant to clean it with soap and water, as this goes against everything my dad taught about cleaning firearms.  I am planning on using ballistol or windex.  I am also hesitant about disassemling the entire gun.  Can I just take off the grips and soak the whole thing in a bucket?  Should I use the oven or hairdryer to dry it off, then coat with ballistol or oil?

[Pettifogger]

I shoot mine pretty much every week.  Plain old hot water is the best cleaner (Windex works fine in the field) and you don't need to take apart the entire gun.  I take mine down once or twice a year to clean the insides (unless a cap fragment is down there gumming up the works).  Take out the cylinder and use a tooth brush on the nipples and a round brush in the chamber holes under the hot water tap.  Take a patch with water or windex and run it down the barrel and, if necessary, run a couple of more followed by a dry patch.  I then take everything out in the garage and blow everything off with compressed air.  Blow out the chambers real good and hold the cylinder up to the iight.  You should be able to see six little spots of light through the nipple holes.  Make sure to blow everything out from around the nipples.  Once dry, lube the base pin, put the cylinder back in and then wipe everything down real good with a little oil and clean rag.  Shooting these things is a lot simpler than a lot of folks make it out to be.  If you are going to put the gun in storage for a while, then you might want to take it down and give everything a good cleaning.  If you shoot it a lot, it doesn't have to be operating room clean.

[Skinny Preacher 66418]

Another thing I do is rub a little BP lube in the ports for the hand and cylinder stop...to help seal out the BP soot / smoke from the innards. Then I just clean the chambers, bore, frame, and other visible areas. You don't have to strip it down every time.

[hellgate]

You've gotten good, practical advice. One thing I didn't mention in previous posts is when I first get a new gun I do take out the nipples and put "anti seize" grease on the threads and then I almost never take them back out again. Another thing I do with a new gun is get a 6 bull target (or 6 small paper plates) and from a sandbag rest, I shoot each chamber into a different bulls eye for 3 rounds each. Mark or note which chamber is near a proof mark or some reference so it can be chamber #1 and #s 2, 3, 4, 5, &6. That way you will find which chamber is the LEAST accurate so you can mark that one on the side of the cylinder with a drop of fingernail polish as the "open" (unloaded & uncapped) chamber for CAS matches.

[SFT]

Windex for a quick wipe down at the range to keep things moving, or Ballistol if you can stand the smell.

I personally use AMSOIL MP spray, which works well as a bore cleaner even though it's not designed as such.  Do NOT let it come in contact with your powder as it will not ignite, so if you just remove the cylinder and srpay the bore and a little inside the action, followed by wiping clean with a good piece of cloth, then using the cloth to wipe the cylinder, you'll be good to go for more shooting.

Once home you can spray the whole gun down with MP, and wipe clean.  Patch out the bore, and you're good to go.

I also find that Wipe-Out foam works very well when you've got heavy fouling, just don't let it get on brass as it will start to disolve it and turn it green.

However, the hot soapy water followed by a good drying has worked just as well for 140 years or so, and the previous advice is just as valid.  Just depends on your personal preference.

Have fun and welcome to the party! 

[James Hunt]

This is like asking for the best cookie recipe, lots of opinions and many actually work. I don't see any of the above that I haven't tried at one time or another, in the end....

I clean with water, lube with tallow (or sweet oil if you want). Cheap and works REALLY good. When in camp I put my Hudson's Bay pot on some coals until it gets nicely hot and use that - when at home I use tap water. I have NEVER seen rust on a gun after coating it with tallow, never. Tallow is available for about $2 from Dixie Gun Works or make your own. A small tub of the stuff will last you into old age.

Less you think "but not my fine firearm", I use that on a circa 1864 Rem NM, a circa 1874 open top, and two circa 1876 Colt SAA's, a Sharps conversion carbine, several original trapdoors, a Jud Brennan longrifle, several Shilohs, and others. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it was the best for them. Try it and put your save cash into more guns!

[Pettifogger]

"One thing I didn't mention in previous posts is when I first get a new gun I do take out the nipples and put "anti seize" grease on the threads and then I almost never take them back out again."  Ditto on the anti-seize compound.  Just in case you aren't familiar with the stuff and don't know what to look for, what I use is Loctite C5-A anti-seize.  You can get it at any auto parts store.  Some may disagree, but the other thing you should plan on is throwing away the stock nipples and replacing them with Treso nipples.  99% of the problems people have with C&Bs is ignition related.  Use quality nipples with properly fitted caps and you will have a more harmonious outcome.

[hellgate]

All the good things about Treso nipples are true but there are two things to consider that I have found that are not positives. I have found that because the flash holes are nice and small (which prevents cap jams from blowback) the holes are more readily fouled by oil or residue after cleaning so be sure to visually inspect them for patency before charging the chambers or run a nipple pick through them just before capping to clear the flame channel. The second thing is they are a little bit longer than most stock nipples and the hammer face can get battered whenever the inevitable but occasional hammer gets dropped on the uncapped or fired nipple. I actually prefer the stainless replacement nipples (also sold by Track of the Wolf). The flash hole is also smaller than stock nipples and they love #10 Remington caps. However they are slightly shorter than most stock nipples so I often end up shimming them out a smidge to just barely contact the hammer if they are too short. Email me if you want to know how to shim them easily.

[Fox Creek Kid]

...a circa 1874 open top...

How do you shoot .44 Rimfire? 

Email me if you want to know how to shim them easily.

Hellgate, spill the beans on shimming. I used copper wire in the past on a loose Uberti '60 Army but I had the gun tightened up by "Rifle" from here on CAS City. The copper wire was a pain in the butt. Is there a better way, say a copper washer?

[hellgate]

Fox Cr. Kid:
Here's how I do it. I take a nail or drill bit shank of the appropriate size (trial & error). Then i select various wire thicknesses & materials (copper, bronze, soft iron/steel, or picture hanging wire, etc) and wrap it about ten times around the shaft of the nail or bit. This makes a coiled wire that you then snip with wire cutters lengthwise to make a whole bunch of open ended rings. Then I take each one and either try it as is around the nipple shank or I carefully tap on them one at a time on a vise anvil to flatten them to where they look like a flat lock washer and there you have your shims (washers).

[Wolfgang]

Hellgate . . . thanks for the tip on shimming under nipples.  I don't need to do it, . . and had never even heard of doing it, . . but it is always good to know one more "trick".  Thanks.  And as for cleaning.   A new "out of the bag" pistol I de-oil with a spray of brake or electical parts cleaner.  I lube with "Farmer John" ( hog lard ) or in hot weather with 50/50 toilet bowl wax and olive oil, . . and I clean with plain old boiling water.  Works good and is simple. 

Good shootin' yur new pistol.  You are gonna love it, . . . 

[hellgate]

A little P.S. on nipple shimming:
I prefer to flatten the copper wire shims because the round shape of the soft copper wire could get flattened from firing and cause a loose nipple that could back out or get loose. The flattened steel shims take a better beating and don't have the "give" that copper has. Steel is better. I use a small hammer and just taptaptaptaptaptaptap on the little open rings until they are all of identical thickness and then fit them onto the nipple just under the flange.

[James Hunt]

Fox Creek Kid: you asked, "How do you shoot .44 Rimfire?  Huh"

The "open top" I referred to is what collectors refer to as a turned rd barrel 62 Navy pocket pistol, the were manufactured 1873 and 1874 from left over cap and ball parts. These 5 shot guns had various barrel lengths and were made in 38rf and 38 cf - mine obviously the later. With a 4.5 inch barrel it is a great little shooter. It is of the "open top" design while I understand that the expression "open top" usually refers to another classic, sorry if there was confusion. Regards.

[Wolfgang]

James Hunt, . . very interesting pistol ya got there.   I'd never heard of those.

Good shootin', . . .