Grant Cunningham - Gun Digests Revolver Maintenance Concealed Carry eShort

Dip bore patch into your chosen solvent. Be sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protection!

Its been said that the autoloading pistol is more tolerant of abuse, where the revolver is more tolerant of neglect. In my experience thats a pretty accurate observation; the revolver will function even exposed to the kind of dirty and hostile environment encountered in a pocket or ankle holster, the kind of environment that stops autos in a matter of days.

The revolver is certainly less maintenance-intensive than the autoloader, but that doesnt mean its maintenance free. A little attention, of the right kind, will ensure that your revolver runs at peak efficiency at all times. It starts with treating the gun right whenever you use it.

I have a confession: I dont clean my gun after every range outing. Ill admit to being a bit of a slob in this regard, as some of my guns have gone more than a year between cleanings. This is definitely a do as I say, not as I do situation, because as a gunsmith I can tell when problems are creeping up, and more importantly I can fix problems quickly and easily. Unless youre in the same situation I recommend that you keep the maintenance on your revolver up to date.

Like any other gun, a revolver should be cleaned as soon after shooting as is practical. It keeps the gun in proper condition for immediate use, alerts you to problems before they become serious, and generally gives you a better understanding of your gun and how it functions. Yes, Ill concede that its a dirty job, which I try to get through with as little bother as possible. Heres how to do it.

The first thing to do is to check that the revolver is unloaded, then double check it. Im always amazed at the number of people to claim that their gun went off while they were cleaning it, and so you should make doubly sure that the chambers are empty before ever starting.

Also make sure that there is no ammunition in the proximity of your cleaning area. This is an important and often overlooked safety procedure, one which ensures that no live round can accidentally make its way anywhere near your gun. I recommend cleaning the gun in a separate room, one which has been checked and confirmed to have no ammunition present.

Run wet patch through the bore a couple of times.

Once the area is secure, wet a patch with your choice of bore cleaner and run it down the barrel a couple of times. The goal here is to get the barrel wet so that the cleaner has time to soften any residue in the bore. These couple of passes should leave you with a very dirty patch, so discard it. Wet a second clean patch and do the same to every chamber. The bore and chambers will sit, wet, for a few minutes while you attend to the rest of the gun.

Its important that you not choose a bore cleaner that contains ammonia, as many that claim to remove copper fouling do. If your cleaner is of that variety, dont let the barrel and cylinder sit finish cleaning them immediately.

While the barrel and cylinder are soaking, take a toothbrush or, better yet, the common M16 cleaning brush (cheap and solvent resistant!) and dip it into the bore cleaner. Shake off the excess you want it damp, not wet and scrub the inside of the cylinder window and the breechface area. Pay particular attention to the tight area between the topstrap and the barrel, as this is where carbon and other ignition residue likes to collect.

When scrubbing the breechface dont let excess solvent get into the firing pin hole or the slot where the hand protrudes. Some seepage is inevitable, but a lot is detrimental to the lubricants inside the gun. The recessed area where the ejector star sits when the cylinder is closed is often a haven for carbon buildup, so clean that area carefully. After scrubbing, a cotton swab is helpful to remove the grimy film that the brush leaves.

Speaking of the hand, I recommend that it be cleaned as well. The hand only protrudes when the gun is cocked, and all revolvers except Colt and Dan Wesson have interlocks that prevent the gun from being cocked if the cylinder is open. To defeat them its necessary to hold the thumb latch in the closed position as the gun is cocked. For a S&W, the thumb latch is pushed back, away from the muzzle; on a Ruger, its rotated out of the frame (the Ruger is more difficult to defeat, but with practice it can be done.)

Once the gun is cocked and the hand visible I use a cotton swab to gently wipe off any dirt on the hands surface. Once thats done the hammer can be gently lowered and the gun is back to normal operation. (This is not an option on a gun thats been rendered double action only, or a gun with a hidden hammer.)

While bore is soaking, use a dampened toothbrush to clean the breechface....

...and the area between the topstrap and barrel.

Cleaning the extractor recess in the cylinder keeps cylinder from binding.

Make sure to get the underside of the extractor star as well.

Once thats done, wipe your brush on a shop towel or rag. Dont use paper towels for brush cleaning, as they usually just tear and leave fibers in bristles which end up in the works of your gun.

(I recommend, unless you live alone, that you not use the hand towels from your bathroom. Youd think the reasons would be obvious, but we males seem not to comprehend them unless an outside force acts upon us. It took me several years of marriage before I finally figured this out, and I relate this cautionary tale in the hopes that you can profit from my mistakes.)

Once the brush is clean, dip it into your cleaner and again shake off the excess. Hold the gun in a manner that allows you to push and hold the ejector rod while you brush the area under the extractor star. This area is a big recess with many crannies, so its necessary to rotate the cylinder occasionally to ensure that theyre all thoroughly cleaned. Unburned powder likes to hide in those recesses, and the thickness of a single grain is enough to bind the cylinder and keep it from rotating, or even closing. Also pay some attention to the underside of the star itself, as there is often a relief cut around where the ejector shaft and the actual star meet.

After bore has soaked, run a bronze brush through the barrel several times.