# Cleaning Revolver Chambers



## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

I wasn't planning on buying my 1st handgun to start on my 2nd collection (sold all my guns about a yr ago..they were more collectors than shooters. I'm interested more in shooters) when I left the house Sat but what can I say. ..drove 250 miles roundtrip to test a bunch of guns I was interested in. ..was headed out the door of my final shooting range for the day when BOOM! there she was. I'd seen 'em on the 'net but always figured them to be more gun than I needed. I was wrong. ..test fired her..admired her..and what can I say. ..ended up giving the guy my credit card. The girl's the Ruger GP100 .357 mag. ..love everything about her except that there are some obvious powder burns in the chambers. Any ideas as how to get these along with the barrel shining like new? Here's my Ruger. Also, here's my target I tested her out on. Don't laugh. Range 21'. Middle set is a Ruger SP101/2.25" DA. The sets above & below are the GP100 in DA in 1 set & SA in the other.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Scrub the chambers and the barrel with a bronze brush dipped in powder solvent. Really scrub.
Do not use a stainless-steel brush. It will do damage.
Do not use a fiber- or Nylon-bristle brush. It won't do the job.

Brownells sells a lead-and-fouling-remover tool that attaches to a regular cleaning rod. It pulls a patch made of bronze screen, expanded by a rubber plug, through the bore (and chambers). It used to be called "The Lewis Lead Remover," but it may have a different name now. Usually, it works extremely well.

If you still can't get solvent-wet patches to come out of the chambers looking clean, you could chuck a _bronze_ brush in a power drill, soak it in solvent, and run the drill (in spurts) while the brush is inside each chamber. But you need to pay attention to the brush's alignment, and not let its (steel) shaft contact any part of the gun.
And don't use this in the pistol's barrel!


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## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

Copy, Steeve M1911A1. I'll see what it'll all do. Thank you.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Steve, while I won't use a stainless-steel brush inside a barrel, I will use a SS toothbrush-type cleaning brush on the front face of a revolver cylinder to clean off lead and powder residue. As long as the scrubbing is confined to the front cylinder face, no damage will occur (if such damage was commonly caused by this combo, I'd have several fine examples of damage in my tiny collection). I've also used it on the rear face of the barrel's forcing cone (not inside the barrel, just on the flat rear surface that is closest to the front face of the cylinder during operation), with no problems with damage of any type. My 30+ year old SS .44 mag revolver would certainly be showing wear in this area by now if it was a problem, although the 10 year old .22 K-frame S&W probably gets scrubbed more often and harder (also with no ill effects).

Now, if you ran this (dirty) brush over the polished outside surface of the handgun, you'd almost certainly cause tiny scratches or wear that would be visible under certain conditions. So I don't do that, nor do I recommend it to others.

If the chambers are really fouled, I recommend going "up" one size in the bronze bore brush for more effective cleaning of the chamber walls; use a .40 brush for a .38/.357, a .44 brush for a .41, a .45 brush for a .44, etc. A .45 caliber _rifle_ brush (.458) usually is longer than a pistol brush and therefore has more scrubbing area, so those work well in .45 pistol barrels with stubborn fouling.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

All good stuff, DJ Niner. Thanks for the supplementary information!


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## Binable (Aug 26, 2013)

2nd that, Steve M1911A1 & DJ Niner. I'm making notes. Good stuff. I like keeping my guns looking as close to new as possible & these ideas fit right in with that desire.


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## casurvivor (Jan 23, 2015)

a revolver barrel or chamber is harder than a any steel brush, its a brush not a drill bit, but first use brass brushes if you can get the dirt out.


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