New revolver cleaning??

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  • Butchb

    Member
    Mar 6, 2019
    12
    Cumberland, Md 21502
    I just purchased my first revolver. It is a RIA M200 38special with 4" barrel.
    My question is should I strip down to the works to clean a gallon of oil out of the gun? Can I us Rem action cleaner to get the lube out of everything? I ask this because of the Parkerized finish. I don't want to harm it.
    Thanks for any information you can give me to get the revolver ready for the range. Butchb
     

    linkstate

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 26, 2013
    1,405
    Howard County
    If it was me, I would just take the grips off and wipe down what I could. Maybe hit it with compressed air to get excess oil out of the nooks and crannies if it’s really drenched.

    Parkerized finishes love oil and will soak it up. If you hit it with a degreaser, you’ll probably be left with a chalky splotchy finish. Adding oil back usually fixes it right up.

    I would run patches through the chambers and barrel before shooting as tool much oil in those locations is no bueno.
     

    GunBum

    Active Member
    Feb 21, 2018
    751
    SW Missouri
    You don’t need to get the lube out of everything on a new revolver. Wipe down the exterior and run it. It’ll need a drop of oil on the cylinder axis pin/ejector rod every once in a while and a drop of oil down into the hammer/trigger engagement surfaces every once in a while.
     

    Roksfr

    Ardent Safety Training
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 14, 2020
    349
    Southern AA
    Members above are spot on, the Parkerized finish is semipourus and will hold some of the oil forever, degreaser/stripper will make a mess that you will want to avoid. Run it, wipe the entire thing down occasionally with your favorite oil.
     

    3paul10

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 6, 2012
    4,879
    Western Maryland
    Shoot it. I've never stripped a revolver down.....shoot it, wipe it down, hit the forcing cone and barrel a little and repeat. Done.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    I wouldn't clean the lubricants out of the revolver for a couple of reasons...they're intended to be there at specific contact points and for corrosion resistance. After enough age and rounds go through it an internal cleaning may be needed but that's about it. Make sure the barrel is free of grease buildup though.
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,561
    Harford County, Maryland
    New revolvers I run Breakfree (or one’s favorite lube) through the bore, chambers and dry patch. Then I put from one to a few drops of Breakfree at each opening, rotating parts, sliding points, hand, bolt, rachet areas, and cylinder lock up points. Then I cycle it some and wipe it down. On a DA revolver no disassembly, SA revolvers just a cylinder removal.

    All my S&W revolvers have never been apart and don’t need it.
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,278
    HoCo
    Just make sure when you see Break Free, its not the powder blast cause I think that's the stuff that REMOVES the lube.
    Too many videos out there where they mention break free and are using the powder blast or generic break cleaner and are cleaning out powder crud.
     

    Butchb

    Member
    Mar 6, 2019
    12
    Cumberland, Md 21502
    Thanks for the replies! Firearm being delivered to my FFL today and I start my seven day wait. I'll inspect it today and be able to see how soaked it is. I'll be back with a picture once I take one and figure how to post it. Thanks again, Butchb
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    I'll take the opposite position . For both new- new , and new to you a baseline of clean and suitably lubricated is always a good thing . Too often new-new will have metal shavings , and OEM lubrication is biased to preservative if it sat the the warehouse for years before selling . New to you can have crud and congealed lubricant .

    Ideally , detail disassembly is best , but only for those knowledgeable and competent . But don't dispare , the Plan B is almost as good , and very simple .

    ( Note - This is a Two Step process )

    Remove grips .

    Use a spray Solvent/ cleaner , automotive brake cleaner is fine , or a plethora of gun branded equivalents for 3x the price.

    Cock the hammer , spray liberally into the internals thru the gap between cocked hammer and frame. Cycle action several times . Repeat until solvent drips out clean . Let dry.

    Then lubricate with ( lubricant of your choice and preference ) .

    A short spray , or several drops of liquid into same place you just sprayed for the internals . Cycle action buncha times to spread . Then lubricate external places as usual .
     

    Butchb

    Member
    Mar 6, 2019
    12
    Cumberland, Md 21502
    Biggfoot44, Just got delivery of my revolver and the suggestion you made (Plan B) is exactly how I treated my other firearms. I'll give it a good cleaning and inspection. If I can find ammo I'll be off to the range to test it out. Excited about my first revolver.
    Thanks to all, Butch
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Only revolver I own I took the side plate off, ran some CLP degreaser through it and lived it up.

    That said the revolver was only new to me. It was built in 1927 and was reblued somewhere a few decades ago. Pretty sure it hadn’t been opened since then. Great shape, a bit gunky. A new one though, follow basically what everyone else said. Check and run a patch through the barrel and each chamber to make sure it is clean and grease free. Drop of oil on the ejector rod to be safe there. Then go shoot it.
     

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