Stainless vs Blued Cleaning

[TMan]

I finally finished cleaning the S&W 686 to my satisfaction. This involved my standard cleaning process with solvent, .40 cal brushes, and lead removal cloth the clean out the cylinder. It took hours to get the cylinder clean.

Then I cleaned the Uberti, which is also a .357 revolver. After the standard cleaning, there was no need for the lead removal cloth. Even with a bright light, I couldn't see anything left in the cylinders.

I'm asserting that the difference isn't me. It has to be something different with the material or the manufacturing process. My first inclination is that it is the material. Have any of you experienced that Stainless is harder to clean?

[MLB]

I'd think that its just much easier to see the "dirt" on the stainless and that the blue hides it better.

[TMan]

mlb said:

I'd think that its just much easier to see the "dirt" on the stainless and that the blue hides it better.

Could be, but if that is true, I don't think I'll ever buy a pre-owned blued gun then.

All of my pre-owned - screw this politically correct crap - all of my used guns are Stainless, and I looked the cylinders over very carefully.

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; The lead removal cloth might remove the bluing. The carbon steel blued guns conditions better when applying a penetrating oil to the surface; This helps in the clean up of the carbon fouling because the fouling does not adhere to the surface as it would on the stainless. This is what I've found with my own blued guns, which I use gun sheath and break free for conditioning. Most of my used guns are those that I bought as pre-owned, from those who seldom or never used them.

[TMan]

admin said:

...The lead removal cloth might remove the bluing. ...

Yikes, I remember you telling me when I was initially trying to clean the cylinders of my first stainless revolver that if it was stainless I could use the cloth. Of course I was too dumb to read into that if it is blued don't use the cloth. Fortunately, I was able to get the blued one clean enough that I couldn't see anything in there so there wasn't any need to try the cloth.

I couldn't find any jacketed .45 Long Colt for the Schofield, so I had to settle on lead bullets. Being that this thing is blued (beautifully too I might add), what is the best way to get out the lead fouling that I'll be getting?

[thor]

Real Cowboys never had any problems with lead fouling. How many times did your ever hear the Cartwrights ever bring it up, or how about Gabby Hayes or Cisco's side kick Poncho?. If anyone was to belly ache about something like lead fouling, these would be your top candidates.
The reason you never heard a whimper out of these guys is because they probably started off by spraying the lead out with automotive carb or brake cleaner.

[MLB]

What sort of carb cleaner do you figure Hoss used on his horse? ;D

["DoubleAction"]

I doubt if Hoss drove a Mustang or Pinto, not because of his size, because Chevolet was the sponsor for Bonanza.
Gabby Hayes was one of those in the singing cowboy movies where telephones, automobiles, and light switches would appear.
Poncho was never seen roofing many houses, so I doubt the legitamacy of his true grit as a working kind of gentleman.
In other words, I do not entirely trust these sources.

["DoubleAction"]

Oh Yeah, I almost forgot the thread.

TMan; I once shot lead bullets through my revolvers, more than I have of lately. Start off by cleaning them as you normally would by using Hoppes # 9 and see what that does. Work your way up from the Hoppes #9 and avoid by all costs of using anything abrasive or anything you think will fade or remove the bluing. The more potent lead removers will speed up the process, but will also remove bluing.
I've used Carburetor and Brake cleaners on the barrels of my semi-autos but never found it necessary on my revolvers. I know how you waited a while for the Schofield; I recommend starting from the ground up on it.

[TMan]

Well, the mistake that I made with the Schofield is that I took it to the range and fired it. I keep silicone rags in my bag that I wipe the guns off with before putting them in their socks and back into the case. Since they get stored in these silicone socks, I want the socks to stay clean.

I noticed when trying to wipe off the cylinder on the Schofield, I wasn't having much success. When I got home I tried using Blue Wonder to get the cylinder clean again. It wasn't working. I was feeling kind of sick. I called Navy Arms and the woman answering the phone asked me if I saw the little piece of paper that was in the box. I hadn't, but she went on to explain to me that the "fired blue" does not stay that color. I went to the box hunting for the paper. I found it:

Warranty Notice!Charcoal Blue Finish Derives its name from the high-temperature fire bluing process involved in attaining this deep royal blue color. Charcoal Blue is more delicate than standard blue: the gun must be constantly oiled and with use will become a desirable smoke gray "patina" finish as on an antique gun.

Of course I'd cleaned it and wiped all the oil off it prior to firing it. Next time I read all the little slips of paper included in the box. I wish I had taken a picture of it prior to shooting it because it really was beautiful. I was hesitant about shooting it too, but I'd bought the .45LC ammo and the only other gun I could shoot it in was the derringer and that isn't any fun. (Shooting .410 in the derringer is a lot of fun). Oh well, it is still a cool gun. Not sure if it is as cool as the Nagant though, and I could have bought 10 of those for what the Schofield cost.

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; The Schofield became a shooter after you fired the first round through it, you would have better luck recovering spilt milk from a floor than you would in going back before you fired the Schofield. Before I decide to shoot any gun of beauty the first time, no matter how much I paid for it, it's age, or it's unfired value; I give a final thought to it's functional beauty.
On occassions I'll take out my blue carbon steel revolvers and give them a good oil soaking for strorage, this helps condition the steel against rust and forms a barrier to preserve the finish.
My Uberti has fooled a few people in thinking it is and a very old western revolver because of it's slightly worn case hardened finish, I screwed up by putting some Flitz polish on the trigger guard. Your Schofield is not supposed to look new, from what the paper states, in fact, it is supposed to look like an original antique after being fired. I can look up catalogs all day long and view the new guns, what I would like to see is a representation of a real survivor. If it were mine I would shoot it until it looked like it came from the charge of San Juan Hill.

[TMan]

Thanks DA, you cheered me up when I needed it.

[5ontarget]

I read recently that some use car wax/polish on their stainless guns prior to shooting, and that helps with the cleanup. Makes some sense, as it would fill the voids, and perhaps adheare a little better than oil.
I wonder how it would work in the cylinders, with the wear and heat involved there.