I keep seeing all these video where the revolvers are just filthy. I especially see a lot of cylinder burns that are left on. This is a quick video to show how to remove those stubborn burn marks.
I just watched this again today. I haven’t had a stainless revolver until recently, but this video really helped!!! It was surprising how well it worked with how little pressure. Thanks For making this video. I appreciate it. My 629 has never looked better!!
The scotchbrite will absolutely remove small amounts of metal, evidenced by the new scratches on the surface. These scratches also give a great place for future fouling to accumulate and grip onto forcing one to remove more metal to get into the small scratches where the fouling hides. Whether this metal removed will amount to a measurable increase in cylinder gap depends on how much you do it. I don't care much about removing the rings, but I'll occasionally use a brass brush to minimize it.
Thanks for this great idea. I have many stainless steel revolvers. I started using the pads you suggested and they work great. Easy to do. A little messy with the Hoppes but well worth the effort. Thanks again for a truly great idea.
I used a nylon brush and patches with a pick and some Q-tips for the rest of my gun, but I was really worried about taking out that brass brush on stainless steel. Thank you for that quick answer to the last piece of my gun that was giving me trouble. Have a good one!
I have been fighting this problem for years. You are the first one that gave an easy sure fired solution. Thank you Marshal. I really enjoy your channel. Keep those vids coming.
Great tip... that I watched while I was cleaning the cylinder of a model 60-15 with Cape Cod polishing cloths. They worked but WOW that took a lot of scrubbing. Gun looks good as new and has a "pleasant vanilla fragrance" now. LOL
Now, THAT's a new one! This is bound to be an advertising campaign eventually: "Leaves guns smelling fresh!"! Something like Ballistol but also like Febreez, you know? Or Ballistol could just come in flavors?
This was genius! Worked flawlessly. To clean have the cylinder I used about a dozen Kleen Bore pre-soaked mini lead wipes. Then I switched to the Scotch Brite pad for the other half. Boom. It was great! So reusable and cheaper.
Thank you very much. I tried your technique, and it worked very well. It took a bit longer than I expected- I haven't spent that much time rubbing something out since I was 14 years old. Anyway, it worked, and I thank you again.
I recently shot some dirty Armscor cowboy ammo in my matte finish .44 mag. it smoked and leaded my ports and cylinder! I tried all the solvents -no go ! -Someone said to try a childs pink eraser! Wow simple and it works great with little effort !You can buy 6 for $1.50 ! Thanks to whomever said that! I looked but could not find the comment to thank them !!
Well done! I like your method. I use a different method that also works. That is, I use Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish on a rag or sometimes with a toothbrush. It cleans the front the cylinder easily, quickly, and perfectly and it also very gently polishes the metal so it's less porous and, over time, it becomes even easier to clean.
I tried this on my S&W 686 using the basic green Scotch-Brite pad and Hoppe's - worked great! I went over it a second time with Butch's Bore Shine (and on the forcing cone) - the gun looks the best it has since it was new! Took all of about ten minutes - great suggestion!
I was very happy cleaning my 642 with one of those new fangled Tipton "Power Clean" electric brushes. I bought it to clean my Remington 11-87 gas system (it was totally worth the $40 for this job alone). But it sure made quick work of the marks on the 642. Yes, I use some Hoppes on it as well.
ANYONE WHO WATCHES THIS AND SEES MY REPLY! The BC lead removal cloth is simply AMAZING! I used it on a 1963 Colt Python barrel that looked ABYSMAL! I've never seen a barrel so full of lead and the range I worked at in the '90s didn't always clean the rental guns as the should but THIS THING WAS HORRENDOUS! ( I have before and after pics ) I'm glad I too the advice of my LGS and didn't send it back to the seller. Took TWO of the cloths to get it clean enough to where it shines like a mirror. But here ya have it! I swear by the stuff for lead removal. I use Mother's Magnesium Polish as well, for lead, but the BC cloth is awesome. :)
@opisex Yes, I do clean my bore and I do refinish my gun if it gets scratched. If you clean your gun after each use it is easy to keep it clean. It is when you let it build up that it becomes difficult.
Today I cleaned my .357 mag, and used Mothers mag and aluminum polish, and a microfiber towel, and it came off much easier than your pad and Hoppe's did. And it polished the finish, and no risk of scratching.
Very nice. the 686 I bought the other day was a rental gun at the gun store I got it from and the front of the cylinder is basically black so I'm going to get scrubbin. Great video as always YM!
Greetings Marshall - i enjoy your videos. i have found that using stainless steel and aluminum cleaner - the same stuff i use to clean my weber stainless steel outdoor grill - works great and is easy to use to remove the burn ring on my stainless .357 ruger sp-101. just apply it with a paper towel or cloth, q-tips for the chambers, and wipe it off. burn ring and burn residue gone.
Thanks for the tip. I have used a brass gun cleaning brush with hoppes #9 and it works pretty good on my Redhawk. The scotchbrite pad looks like it does a better job tho and will try that next time. Also on my blued revolvers I take the cylinder off the gun and soak it with the front end down in a small jar with solvent in it. Breaks most of it loose but its pretty hard to see anyway if the bluing is in good shape.
I used some jewelry tarnish remover (it's a paste) with a soft rag and it took all the burn rings off completely. there are probably many different methods, this one worked well on stainless. by the way I used hoppe's to clean everything first.
A toothbrush style BRASS brush with Hoppe's #9 will take those right off on a stainless or blued revolver, and a brass brush is LESS abrasive than your Scotchbrite pad. A brass brush absolutely will not harm a steel revolver, its too soft, while a Scotchbrite pad is abrasive to stainless steel, it will remove a tiny bit of metal, a brass brush won't do that.
TheYankeeMarshal I've done it a bunch of times with my duty revolver, I cleaned the entire cylinder face in about the same time it took to do that small space in the video, much faster, and no risk of damage from the embedded abrasives in the Scotchbrite pad. I sold 3M products at the wholesale level after I retired from law enforcement, I know how aggressive those pads are, a Scotchbrite pad will abrade stainless steel, they are quite aggressive.
I've watched this channel for a long while, but just today found this vid. Awesome tip, I've scrubbed at those stains in my Ruger GP 100 for a month off and on using my regular solvent and brush, and they're finally gone.
Thanks for the vid upload I fire lead bullets mostly in my revolver and it gets really dirty. I tried this method with the scotch pad, I used gun scrubber as alternative to Hoppes 9. Burn rings came right off, took about 5 minutes. Cylinder look like new. Again thanks.
Mothers chrome polish cleans the burn rings on my revolvers like nothing else. It's messy and gets into the cylinder chambers, but I then use a bore brush and it also cleans the burn lines inside the cylinder too. Hose it all out with bore blaster and it's ready for light oil and storage. Makes my revolvers look new and unfired. It also is good on the built up carbon on the frame around the forcing cone/barrel.
Thank you for the video. Put a single action six shooter of mine away for an outing and forgot to clean it. it sat for a little while and i pulled it from the my safe to head to the range. Inspected and Saw my cylinder like you show and was like sh*t!!! tried cleaning but to no avail. used your method and it's like new! Thought my pistol was done for. Thank you....
I totally agree with you. I take the burns off all my revolvers as well. I hate seeing burn marks on Stainless, bright Stainless and nickel revolvers. In addition that Magnum Carry is a real beauty sir.
Flitz metal polish works really well and there's no chance of leaving scratches on the finish. Takes a couple applications, but in the end it's spotless.
Man I just ran into this a few days ago with my Redhawk. I used a bronze brush and it worked pretty good but I will definitely give the Scotch pad a try next time. Just found your channel, new subscriber here. Great video.
The M-Pro 7 cleaner works better than Hoppes on my 686. In fact, I was amazed how well it worked. I used to get a build-up of crud around the forcing cone from shooting lead wadcutters and semi-wadcutters that was difficult to remove but the M-Pro 7 just seems to melt it away.
how do you go about it on your 629 performance center?... i just got the 627 pc, so im wondering if the lead remover cloths would work without messing with the matte finish... i normally use mothers polish on my others but.... sure dont want to shine up the matte finish
i use scotchbrite pads on my glass top stove all the time to clean it and never scratches it...make sure it says non scratch on the package when you buy it
I bought an air eraser from ebay. Its an airbrush-sized mediablaster. I used baking soda to clean the burn rings from the cylinder and the crud around the forcing cone. it works a charm. I used it on a stainless S&W 686, dont know if it will hurt bluing. Also good for removing rust and other debris.
I had this trouble for decades. Got some JB bore cleaning compound and an old toothbrush and it cleans the blast-rings like magic!! If you are too impatient, (like me) lightly use a brass brush instead of a toothbrush. Makes the gun look new again. Don't know how the stuff works on a bore. Never tried it there...
Very good guidelines A+ love your anti-scratch experience methods I practice them too after watching your videos. I think you should have a used revolver buying steps video too.
I like the scotch brite idea. Other than hand rubbing with Hoppes and a rag for a blued revolver, do you recommend the scotch brite option? I'm thinking no...
Nice video! I usually use flitz and a dremel buffer which works wonders but requires a very deep clean in order to remove all of the flitz particulates. I love taking my revolvers apart, but there's a limit to what I'm willing to do :p
I have a K22 Masterpiece that has ZERO end shake on the cylinder because I have shot it so much that the cylinder front face is all leaded up. Occasionally I have to clean it off but those lead Eley Match bullets make a mess. But man is that an accurate gun. Thanks for loving revolvers Yankee M.
Yep. It worked. It took a lot of elbow grease and a fair amount of time. Flitz and a rag worked a lot faster than the Hoppes and Scotch Brite, but I think that it changed the finish on the front of the cylinder from a satin or brushed finish to a highly polished finish. I'll probably stick with the Hoppes/Scotch Brite.
Thank you a lot sir. But in my place (Italy) we don't have this kind of cleaner. To remove the stubborn burn marks, I use "SMAC brillacciaio" that is a steel's stain remover, and works greatly. Have a nice day. Dave.
I knocked off some dullness on my 686 cylinder front with Mothers mag wheel polish and the burn marks come right off with a rag and CLP. Of course, an earlier video of yours inspired me to polish the entire revolver as well.
I used a lighter grit scotch bright pad, my friends asked if my .44 was brad new. I also used a little powder solvent and a tooth brush, takes longer but it works too. You can can use the tooth brush as many times as you want too.
I had never thought of using one those pads with my Hoppes I am like you and do use my gun. I just hate after having fun at range the cleaning afterwards. Some people say you don't have to clean it every time you go to range. I tell then if that's how you wanna treat your gun that's fine with me but I'm going to take good care of mine because hopefully it will never happen but if someone or something was about to harm my family i want to make sure my gun is good to go at all times. Nice video.
believe it or not but i do very well with just a simple damp paper towel on my gp100 used it in a pinch one day and figured hell its stainless water won't hurt it a bit, and it works pretty good. odd thing is the forcing cone seems to come clean and the frame around it far easier than the cylinder
Thanks for this video. I used the Lead Away cloth a few months ago to clean my GP100, and it worked pretty damn good. Unfortunately, I've still got some trace amounts of carbon on the face of the cylinder and the muzzle crown, but it's MUCH better than it was before I used the cloth. And I didn't use chemicals, just good old-fashion elbow grease. It took me about 2 hours to get the carbon removed, and I'd say it's about 98-99% gone; just a trace left. When should I replace the Cloth?
My fingers thank you for this video. Up til now I've been using a rag and elbow grease transferred through my fingers. They don't appreciate that kind if abuse very much.
