Pietta/Rem. maintenance

[Pepe Ray]

Hi'
I'm not a BP shooter-yet. However I'm no stranger to gun cleaning. My neighbor has asked me to clean and repair a neglected revolver .
The repairs went well and once I got the nipples out the cylinder seems to be coming along.
My question is in regard to re-installing the nipples. Is a coating of Neversieze or some other thread treatment a good idea?
Also ,is there a link readily available to find more advice?
Thanks,
Pepe Ray

[John Taylor]

Neversieze or antisieze would be a plus.. When it comes to cleaning, hot soapy water works great. Rinse with hot water and let air dry. Use something to keep it from rusting, I use a light oil while the parts are still hot. Never, never, never use WD40 on gun parts.

[daddywpb]

Never, never, never use WD40 on gun parts.

OK, could you explain why? I've been using WD-40 on all of my guns, including muzzleloaders, before storage for the last 40 years. I must be missing something.

[Pepe Ray]

Thanks J.T.
I'm afraid that we're too late for the hot water. I dont know how long the gun had been sitting but it appears that he'd fired 6 rounds and tried to take it apart ,for cleaning? broke the "T" from the center rod, made a few attempts at reassembly and put it away in discust.
So I've been dealing with rust, pits etc.
It'll never be slick but will be shootable when done. I expect that the pits will make it more difficult to clean in the future but he's a good kid. Plows my driveway each winter, no charge.
Thanks for the advice.
Pepe Ray

[coopieclan]

Dixie Gunworks has parts for these guns.

Cylinder pin $7.50

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_434_443_444&products_id=4254

You can replace almost everything (If you want to spent the money)

Barrel $65.00

Cylinder (with 6 new nipples) $69.95

Throw the rusted stuff away!

[gon2shoot]

There are several products available from the BP supply sites, most of us have some concoction we use, but it doesnt necessarily work on all guns.

W-D 40? never! I use a lot of olive oil and other non-petrolem products.

[Alan]

WD-40 is a water displacer. ( that is where the WD comes from). It is NOT a rust preventative, and it dries and leaves a varnish that is VERY nasty to clean up. If you have an old points and condenser distributor, it is solid gold for getting the car running if water gets under the distributor cap. For preserving guns, not so much.

Virtually any vegetable oil, such as olive oil, or animal fats that do not contain salt, are much better preservatives for ML guns. You don't want to use petroleum oils, since unless every trace of them must be removed from the bore, since the carbon from the fouling will mix with them and produce something very close to asphalt in your bore and chambers.

[daddywpb]

I have never had a problem with cleaning or rusting when spraying WD-40 into the bore after cleaning, or with any other gun rusting in storage. A couple of patches with alcohol on them, and they come out squeaky clean. To each his own.

[NickSS]

I do not know why you say never use WD 40 as I have been using it in ML rifles and revolvers for 45 years with very satisfactory results. In fact because I am lazy and do not like to disassemble my revolvers completely for cleaning every time I shot them I spay WD 40 down into the action. When I take the revolver apart once a year for complete cleaning the BP fouling inside is soft and easy to wipe off the internal parts and after flushing the gunk inside the fram out with hot water and a tooth brush I dry it and respray it with WD 40. I own at least 12 revolvers that I have been doing this to for at least 25 to 40 years and have seen no rust, no corrosion and not black tar in the bore of cylinder chambers. Based on this I wonder where you got the idea to Never... Never use WD 40

[Geraldo]

I have never had a problem with cleaning or rusting when spraying WD-40 into the bore after cleaning, or with any other gun rusting in storage. A couple of patches with alcohol on them, and they come out squeaky clean. To each his own.

It seems that muzzleloader shooters are evenly split between petroleum/non-petroleum for lube and rust prevention. I have been using gun oil in MLs for thirty years without any problems whatsoever. I think the "don't use petroleum" idea mostly comes from TC's advertising about seasoning barrels, which is pure bunk.

I have seen WD40 become problematic, but the cases I saw usually invovled semi-auto shotguns that had been in storage for a year or more.

[John Taylor]

Boy did I get something going with the WD40. It is basically kerosene with perfume. I learned a long time ago not to use it in clocks as a lube, it will stop the clock after a short time. It gets very gummy with time and sometimes the only way to clean it out of parts is to use more. I get old rifles in all the time that have had WD40 used on them and they take some effort to get them working again. Most BP guns get cleaned more often than other rifles or pistols if they are used often so the WD40 does not get much of a chance to build up. It does leave behind a sticky goo that attracts dust and sometimes small bugs which cling to the gun like they were glued there. It is not a lubricant, there are other penetrating oils on the market that work better as a lube. Better to spend your money on something that is designed for the job at hand.

[Fly]

A good way to get rid of the rust on that gun is this.Get some distilled water & pour in a
plastic bucket.Get two copper tubes one for each end of the bucket, so the stick
out of the water.

Add 1/2 cup baking soda to the water & connect A batter charger leads to the copper tubes.

Depending how bad it is, it should clean all that rust off in a few hours.

Fly

[Fly]

"PS" DO NOT LET THE COPPER tubes touch you gun or parts.

Fly

[daddywpb]

Boy did I get something going with the WD40. It is basically kerosene with perfume. I learned a long time ago not to use it in clocks as a lube, it will stop the clock after a short time. It gets very gummy with time and sometimes the only way to clean it out of parts is to use more. I get old rifles in all the time that have had WD40 used on them and they take some effort to get them working again. Most BP guns get cleaned more often than other rifles or pistols if they are used often so the WD40 does not get much of a chance to build up. It does leave behind a sticky goo that attracts dust and sometimes small bugs which cling to the gun like they were glued there. It is not a lubricant, there are other penetrating oils on the market that work better as a lube. Better to spend your money on something that is designed for the job at hand.

Just because you keep saying it, doesn't make it true. I have taken Smith and Wesson and Ruger revolvers, and various rifles including muzzleloaders, out of the safe that have been sitting for 20+ years, and they have been mechanically and functionally perfect, and without a spec of rust anywhere. The last thing I did before putting them away was spray the bore and all surfaces down with WD-40, then zip them up in a pistol rug or stand them in the safe. Before shooting the bores and everything else was wiped down, then off to the range. No gummy stuff, no rust, no damage to wood finishes, no dust, no bugs and nothing hard to clean. You don't think it's a lubricant? Spray some on your fingers and rub them togeather - pretty slick, huh? I will stick with it.

[JudgeBAC]

http://www.ballistol.com/

This is the best all purpose lube and cleaner for black powder. It is water soluble and works great on cap and ball revolvers. You can mix it 50/50 with water and use it to clean and follow up with full strength for storage.

[Montana Slim]

WD = Water Displacer....yes, that's what I use it for. I liberally coat everything I clean on my BP revolvers with the stuff after swabbing with water (or soaking in water such as the entire cylinder).
Thicker products like CLP or Ballistol, or dozens of other poducts are good for longer term corrosion protection...but, sitting in my safe, WD-40 is still effective for months.

As far as the cones in your percussion guns, lube the bores, chambers etc. with awater displacing product (your choice, I use cheapest that consistently works) after cleaning with solvent (water my preference), then loosen & re-snug each one. If they don't appear to have lube on the threads, put 1 drop on them before re-seating.

This has been working for me over 30 years.

Slim

[Pepe Ray]

Thanks, guys, for all the helpfull suggestions.
Looks like I've gotta find a local dealer who handles
Ballistol lube/cleaner.
Pepe Ray

[JIMinPHX]

I've always used CVA breach plug & nipple grease on my nipple threads, just because it came in a kit that I bought years ago. I think that pretty much any grease will work on nipple threads.

The nipple threads on a Pietta are normally m6-0.75, which is an extra fine metric thread. Taps in that size can be had from MSC if you need them.

I too clean with hot soapy water. I then dress the bore out with bore butter. I lube the hand, star & cylinder pin with grease.

I've had situations where WD-40 has turned to glue after being left on mating parts for long periods of time. I've had that happen with Hoppies too.

[gnoahhh]

There's so much lacking about WD-40 that I don't know where to begin. It is not, and never was intended to be, a lubricant or rust preventive. If one thinks otherwise he is only fooling himself. If it has been used as a rust preventive with some degree of success it's due entirely to luck, or dry storage conditions. If you think you might want to refinish a stock sometime in the future, don't get that cr*p anywhere near that gun. No matter what you do you'll never ever get it all out of the wood, thus guaranteeing fish eyes, spots and blemishes. I haven't worked in a shop for many years that didn't ban it outright for that reason alone, and I don't allow it anywhere near my current shop. Just the stray airborne molecules of the stuff will put the kibosh to a wood finish.

[Montana Slim]

........WD-40 that I don't know where to begin. It is not, and never was intended to be, a lubricant or rust preventive. ......

Correct, but it does displace water.....& works well after giving a C&B cylinder a bath in hot soapy water. Note that CLP will displace water also.....along with a number of other products. In the case of CLP this is due to the solvent ingredient, not the lube or protectant ingredients. WD-40 is a solvent that displaces water.

I avoid getting any cleaning solvents, lubes etc into the wood on any of my firearms, so I'm not hip to any problems with this product & wood....likewise for the often heard "varnishing", or "gumming" effect. But, when I use this product, I remove the excess before storage. YMMV, depending on how you use it. I will continue to use it as I have for the past 40 years & hope to continue with such good luck.

Slim