Cylinder cleaning ?

[4t5]

What do you guys use to clean the carbon off the face of a revolver cylinder, or do you just leave it alone?

[JimT]

Other than black powder guns I don't clean mine much. I usually just wipe off the grease and smoke and whatever with an oily rag. I have been shooting my Single Six a lot lately and have run 500 rounds or so through it without cleaning it. It will get cleaned whenever it gets a to dragging when I cock it.

[GunnyMack]

Clean it when it quits working has always been my thought.
However if I shoot something and am putting it away for a long period I'll clean it thoroughly. If it's getting lots of use, like my trap guns I will give it a light clean mid season and a good scrubbing at the end of the season. Always lube though.
As for carbon, on say a stainless cylinder I have tried carb & choke cleaner( watch out you don't get it on finished wood!) I haven't found anything that removes it all.

[J Miller]

What do you guys use to clean the carbon off the face of a revolver cylinder, or do you just leave it alone?

I clean any build up off every time I clean the cylinder. As for the stain, I just ignore it.


Joe

[Old Savage]

Some cleaning every time, never totally.

[Griff]

Every time I shoot my black powder guns... even the cartridge guns when shot with BP as the propellant. As for smokeless, maybe once a year. When I was with the SO and carried a revolver (S&W mdls 10, 19 & 65 at various times), I cleaned them every time they were shot. Which, for me was weekly practice and qualifying which varied from annually to quarterly. Having a gun hang up during a competition for either prizes or braggin' rights is mighty different than if lives are at stake! Bronze wool to take the stain off the front cylinder face.

[4t5]

Thanks for the replies, my stainless guns show it the most, I usually brush and wet patch the cylinders and bore followed by dry patch, and wipe it down on the outside with Ballistol, I figured if the build up got bad enough , it makes for a tighter cylinder gap !

[jkbrea]

I always clean mine on blued or stainless. It'll come of with a little elbow grease. I just use solvent and a stainles or brass brush. It doesn't scratch.

[RIDERED350r]

On my stainless revolvers, I use the Birchwood Casey fouling cleaner rag. States on the package that is only to be used on nickel and stainless and warns against using it on blued. It's gets most of it off. Mother's Mag polish takes care of the last bit of stubborn stuff the Birchwood Casey rag doesn't remove. It's my OCD that doesn't like a blackened cylinder face on a stainless cylinder.

My blued guns I just clean good with Hoppes and a nylon bristled cleaning brush.