Will powder residue really hurt that much?

IanC

IanC

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Ive read several posts about how to get powder residue off your stainless revolver but does it actually hurt anything If I just clean the chambers and bore and leave it alone?
Will the powder residue pit the metal?

I used to shoot bullseye powder which some people say is quite dirty, I have now switched to 700X as there are more unicorns in this country than cans of bullseye on store shelves.
After using this stuff for a little while ive found a new super unbelievably dirty powder. With bullseye I would squirt my revolver with some penetrating oil leave it and then wipe all the residue off with no problem then clean the bore and cylinder . Now that I have switched to 700x its like the residue penetrates the surface and adheres to the atoms themselves.

So if I just say "whatever" and let the cylinder get black will it actually damage the surface of the metal or just create a bigger headache in the future to clean off?

Here it is after a range trip after a hundred rounds, by the way I am using 3.6 grains of 700x with a 158 grain round nose.

Ive often thought of trading somebody for a blued version but then I wouldn't be able to shoot.
 
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WOW! THAT IS DIRTY POWDER! ! ! ! It reminds me of the one pound of W231 I used.

The residue from smokeless powder and MOST primers is not corrosive. Nor is it hygroscopic so it won't pull moisture from the air to encourage corrosion. So other than rubbing on your hands and eventually building to where it makes the fresh rounds sticky to load and eject there's nothing wrong with leaving it like that.

It IS a good example of how stainless guns get dirty looking easily. And even for me that doesn't normally worry about a little fouling like that I can feel the OCD'ness rising and a desire to reach for the cleaning equipment just looking at that picture :d Which is just one more reason why I'm glad I prefer blued guns over stainless.
 
I don't own a stainless revolver ......now I know why. I'm not completely OCD about cleaning immediately after every range trip but that would drive me crazy
 
I don't know. I like a bit of stain around the muzzle on my 1911. It's like fun o'clock shadow on a gun ;)

My GP100 gets similarly dirty and I shoot bullseye, HS-6, 4227 in it. It's blued, but the soot shows against it all the same
 
I don't know why its dirty at the back too im wondering if some hot gasses are escaping out the primer hole after it strikes? Im using Federal primers which are quite soft.
Ever since ive been using 700X I have had this problem dirty as hell and does not come off easily. Although now that Im a dad my pistol cleanliness OCD is going away.
As long as the bore and chambers are clean and it wont wipe off Im ok with it, just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to have a pitted gun when I finally have it buffed off.
Im a very regular shooter so it gets dirty a lot. Thanks for the input

As for the sight I did that myself with a set of files I was lucky enough to find a spare parts kit on here to mod so changed all the pins and ejector rod to blued steel and have a bobbed hammer.
 
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Is there a recommended/easier method to get the powder residue removed from a SS revolver cylinder? I have used Flitz in the past but it was very time consuming.
 
15567 said:
Is there a recommended/easier method to get the powder residue removed from a SS revolver cylinder? I have used Flitz in the past but it was very time consuming.
Click to expand...

Welman cleaner h ttp://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/10264999 or Birchwood Casey Lead cleaner & Polishing cloths..work well
 
I won't use flitz because over time it will actually make the gun shinier, if you buff long enough you'll get a chrome look. Great if you like it, but i think i looks cheap...but ultra sonic cleaners work great, or soak it in solvent.
 
I haven't tried this method myself yet but a guy I met at the range last week told me his secret to easy cleaning stainless revolvers. He had a little spray bottle with a solution of varsol and atf that he sprayed on before he left the range. To show me how effective it was he grabbed a rag and gave his cylinder a quick rub and it was shiny.
 
3.6 of 700x for .38 special 158 gr with a jacket is at the low end, and my experience with 700x is that it burns dirty at that range. Do your cases have powder marks along one side? Try 4.0 grains, I got a standard deviation of 17 fps with that load and a 158 gr. JSP. Max is 4.3 gr I believe.
 
Kinda reminds me of how dirty Win 231 was back in the day.

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NAA.
 
fridge450 said:
I haven't tried this method myself yet but a guy I met at the range last week told me his secret to easy cleaning stainless revolvers. He had a little spray bottle with a solution of varsol and atf that he sprayed on before he left the range. To show me how effective it was he grabbed a rag and gave his cylinder a quick rub and it was shiny.
Click to expand...

That's two of the basic three ingredients used in the Ed's Red mixture which is my general cleaner of choice ever since I tried it. There's just too many sites with little variations on the amounts and items the recipe to list. Just google or whatever search for "ed's red recipe" to find them.

I altered the mix slightly to suit what I have on hand for my other hobby uses. Instead of Kerosene I went with low odor paint thinner, which is very close to that Varsol option. Then the ATF and finally I use lacquer thinner instead of straight acetone. Common lacquer thinner is mostly acetone with a few other similar solvents in it to create a "soup" that is a little better at some things than straight acetone.

So my own version ends up being;
1 part low odor paint thinner or Varsol
1 part ATF
1 part lacquer thinner

It IS rather smelly and it's not good on your skin. So use it outside or in the garage and wear nitrile gloves. And yes, although smelly and not nice to our skin and internal organs over time if you don't use gloves it does a superb job of removing the black soot on my guns with just a light wipe down.
 
 
IanC said:
I don't know why its dirty at the back too im wondering if some hot gasses are escaping out the primer hole after it strikes? Im using Federal primers which are quite soft.
Ever since ive been using 700X I have had this problem dirty as hell and does not come off easily. Although now that Im a dad my pistol cleanliness OCD is going away.
As long as the bore and chambers are clean and it wont wipe off Im ok with it, just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to have a pitted gun when I finally have it buffed off.
Im a very regular shooter so it gets dirty a lot. Thanks for the input

As for the sight I did that myself with a set of files I was lucky enough to find a spare parts kit on here to mod so changed all the pins and ejector rod to blued steel and have a bobbed hammer.
Click to expand...

Good job on the sight, and I totally missed the bob lol! I would be concerned if the primers are "farting" gas backward...I don't know if its a problem per se, but it ain't normal.
 
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