What do you use to clean carbon residue on S&W 686?

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mudgolem

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Hey folks,

I'm not quite sure what cleaning solvent I should use so I thought to ask. I'm not one to clean my guns every single time out and I believe too much cleaning can actually be harmful in long run...

However, on my 686 the carbon residue on the outside edges of cylinder near the front cylinder face is super hard to come off. Everywhere outside comes off with little effort but man the edges are like baked on after each shoot!

So far I've only used using G96 gun oil and cloth but it doesn't work very well.

I prefer not to use any brushes/scrubbing pads. I would prefer safe solvent and just rubbing it off with cloth instead.

Any suggestions based on your experiences?

My 686 is no dash so it's quite old and no idea how many rounds have been through it...

 
I have this problem on my 460V, the only way for me to get it of is to soak the front of the cylinder in solvent and then scrub hard. I just cut the top of off an empty pop can, pour enough solvent in to submerge the stains and let it soak for about a half hour, then onto the scrubbing.

Please note I do this on a stainless gun, I don't know if it would be recommend for a blued gun.
 
It will need a mild abrasive if you want it shiny.

I have used extra fine steel wool and light oil, very gently working in the same direction as the polish lines ("striations") on the cylinder.

Some people use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and such. I dunno -- a light application of steel wool and gun oil seems to do the trick for me, without taking off metal. There are lots of polishing compounds out there, most of which are endorsed by one CGN member or another. I'm allergic to polishing compounds, they take metal off my nice revolvers and pistols...
 
gunzik said:
It will need a mild abrasive if you want it shiny.

I have used extra fine steel wool and light oil, very gently working in the same direction as the polish lines ("striations") on the cylinder.

Some people use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and such. I dunno -- a light application of steel wool and gun oil seems to do the trick for me, without taking off metal. There are lots of polishing compounds out there, most of which are endorsed by one CGN member or another. I'm allergic to polishing compounds, they take metal off my nice revolvers and pistols...
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Not at all !! , no need to abrasive with "lead away" gun cleaning cloth, it just remove anything .
 
tazik said:
Not at all !! , no need to abrasive with "lead away" gun cleaning cloth, it just remove anything .
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Don't kid yourself the Lead Away cloth is a very mild abrasive but never the less it is an abrasive. My advise is just leave the carbon there, it hurts nothing.

Graydog
 
lyman ultrasonic cleaner and the right cleaning solution..........after that wax the cylinder with nu finish and polish to a shine, the light waxing will make cleaning easier the next time around, once it becomes to hard to clean its back off to the ultrasonic cleaner for 8 minutes or as long as it takes to remove all the carbon
 
G96 spray works on my 686 with a brass brush. Spray it on and let sit for about 10 minutes then gently "scrub" with the brass brush and wipe clean with a soft rag.
 
Miracle Cloth removes it too. However, it *is* an abrasive.

Other than being cosmetically annoying, the thin burnt residue on the front face and face radius of the cylinder doesn't hurt anything.
 
after you get the carbon cleaned off rub a little alox on with a Q- tip where the carbon sticks and let it dry. this will stop the carbon from sticking and it can be cleaned off with some solvent on a cloth and reapplied for the next shoot.
 
Trying to keep a stainless revolver spotless is a lost cause,after scrubbing away and getting the thing shiny,the next range session you are back to where you started.Rather learn to live with it.

However,if you really you cant live without a spotless gun,the "lead away" cloths work well as well as mothers mag polish.
 
sevoman said:
Trying to keep a stainless revolver spotless is a lost cause,after scrubbing away and getting the thing shiny,the next range session you are back to where you started.Rather learn to live with it.

However,if you really you cant live without a spotless gun,the "lead away" cloths work well as well as mothers mag polish.
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Couldn't agree more, I've just learned to live with the carbon, it's the mark of a well used revolver.
 
brownie said:
after you get the carbon cleaned off rub a little alox on with a Q- tip where the carbon sticks and let it dry. this will stop the carbon from sticking and it can be cleaned off with some solvent on a cloth and reapplied for the next shoot.
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Good tip! Thanks.
 
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