How To Clean Revolver & Basic Maintenance
Revolvers are considered by many to be either outdated or simply curiosities at this point. However, not too long ago revolvers were not only the go-to weapon of choice for the safety-conscious concealed carrier, they were also carried regularly by both police and military alike as their duty weapon. Although there are a lot of semi-autos available on the market that might suit your fancy, if you ever find yourself curious about either carrying a revolver for concealed carry duty, or just want to buy one to have fun with at the range, you’ll want to know how to do some cleaning & basic maintenance on it. Today as an example of the parts we’re talking about we’ll be using my Taurus 942 22LR 8-shot revolver.
Preparation
Before you begin any cleaning you’ll first want to find a suitable workspace. Any hard, clean, and flat surface area will do just fine and you can set down an old used towel or gun matt as well if you’d like to keep any solvents or oils you’ll be using from getting all over the place. Before you set your firearm anywhere near your work area, double-check to make sure there is no ammunition present on the table, and that your firearm, in this case a revolver, is completely unloaded. A simple check of the cylinder should suffice on a revolver like the 942, however, the process is a bit different on some single-action army revolvers which only have a small window with which you can view the loading port for cases. In any case, you’ll want to make sure your revolver has no spent or live casings in it before you start cleaning it.
Next, you’ll want a few simple tools. You don’t need anything fancy outside of a bore brush or perhaps a cleaning rod and some cleaning patches. Generally, I like to simply use an old toothbrush and a lot of used rags. A good quality lubrication oil or CLP would be best for cleaning up a revolver but once again your options are flexible. The only thing I would for sure avoid the use of is WD-40 as this particular oil can cause a litany of issues with both the firearm, as well as any ammunition that is stored within the revolver for an extended period of time.
Once you’ve prepared your workspace and gathered your desired cleaning tools and equipment, we can begin working on the revolver itself.
Hammer and Firing Pin
Revolvers have an exposed firing pin and hammer in most cases. The 942 features an external hammer, a transfer bar safety, and of course, the hammer itself which only protrudes slightly from the back of the frame of the revolver. When the hammer falls, if the trigger is still depressed, the transfer bar then is in the correct position to transfer the energy from the hammer, through the bar, and into the firing pin to detonate the primer on the cartridge.
This series of moving parts can often become fouled up with foreign debris so it's best to make sure it is clear of any dirt, excess oil, and lint. If you carry a revolver concealed, this area, in particular, is one that can quickly become clogged up with pocket and shirt lint. Canned air might be a good way to blow out any dust that is sitting within the small channels, but if you’re finding it difficult to remove the debris here, you can use a smaller pointer item like a pick or toothpick to remove the debris.
Cylinder
The cylinder needs to be lightly lubed on any of its rotating parts and wiped down both internally and externally for any dust and debris. In most cases, you won’t have to do too much cleaning within the cylinder but particularly dirty ammo, or shorter-cased ammo that is fired through a cylinder that can take longer cases (example 38 special shot through a 357 magnum cylinder) can leave part of the cylinder caked in carbon which should be cleaned away. For this job you can use the same method that you’ll use for the bore/barrel of your revolver - simply run a couple of patches through it, and if necessary, a bore snake or bore brush to remove any stubborn carbon deposits.
Check your extractor to make sure that it functions properly and make sure to run a small pick or scraping tool along any rimmed recesses near the back of the cylinder, this is another area where carbon can build up and possibly lead to cases or cartridges either becoming stuck or not wanting to seat properly within the cylinder.
On some models of revolver, the cylinder is easily removed and if you can do this I would recommend doing so as it allows for much easier cleaning of the bore. With the 942, too many tools are required to make this worth doing for a simple “field cleaning” so we won’t detach the cylinder on the 942 to clean it.
The Bore and Barrel
The 942 Barrel is press-fit within the body of the revolver and is only a small sleeve. Other Barrels are physically attached to the frame of the revolver and because of this, they are often made out of the same material that the barrel is. On these models of revolvers, it's best to clean the interior of the barrel first with your patches and brushes, before moving on to the exterior where you should not need any scraping tools.
The barrel should be clean from any carbon fouling or pitting. The rear of the barrel called the forcing cone, will need to be cleaned as well and can be easily cleaned with a bore brush. The Forcing cone is probably the filthiest part of any revolver as this is where all of the bare lead, and powder fouling occurs.
After you’re done cleaning out the barrel, make sure to wipe down the entire gun with a very light coating of gun oil, especially if you have a case-hardened or blued finish. Cerakote, stainless steel, or chrome finishes need less outer detailing but it's still a good idea to wipe them down with a clean dry rag or a light cleaning agent that won't damage the finish.
Revolving Maintenance
Owning and carrying a revolver for self-defense has its own set of challenges, training routines, and of course, a revolving set of maintenance that only slightly differs from that of a semi-auto handgun. Although the gun is different, you still need to make sure all of its major moving components are not only free from debris but that they can move freely by being properly lubed. While you are at cleaning do not forget to check on your revolver holster maintenance too.
In the case of revolvers, the biggest concern, at least from my perspective, is from foreign objects making their way into the small cracks and pockets on a revolver that could potentially lead to the gun not going off when you intend it to. No matter how you carry or what you carry, make sure to follow a regular maintenance schedule to keep your tools in top working condition.
Luke Cuenco
17.10.2023
