Nasty Guns

[LAH]

I've shot most powders & several lubes. They are all dirty in my sixguns & pistols. I've never cleaned a firearm using a cast & lubed bullet that was not dirtier than the same firearm using a jacketed bullet. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but that's how it for me. At times I stop loading & shooting long enough to wipe my sixgun down to keep some of it off my hands. But after a couple hundred it's dirty again.

We often discuss which powders/lubes are cleaner but if I shoot'em awhile they are all dirty. I understand how dirty depends on how you define dirty. But dirty is dirty to me. I live with it. There are times I can hardly pull the base pin on my Ruger 'cause it is simply a mess. You would think 500 rounds wouldn't do that but it does.

At times I've considered purchasing a parts washer & tossing my sixgun in there & leave it for a week. Does anyone understand me or is it in my head? Dirty, nasty guns & I've not figured any way round this. My hands are dirty & sometimes my shirt & trousers. Barbara tells me to change my after shave because the old stuff smells like burnt gun powder & bullet lube.

Someone speak up. I hear about all these clean shooting sixguns but after a couple hundred rounds mine looks "used". I wonder if this may have made my hair fall out in my 20's? And now I'm only 66 & my hands are wrinkled & gotta be from handling dirty, nasty sixguns.

[osteodoc08]

We are housing tiny explosions and everything that goes along with it. It's gonna get dirty. I enjoy sitting and watching TV cleaning my guns as much as I do shooting and reloading and casting. It's all part of the hobby. Slow down and enjoy it.

[XDROB]

Some powders and bullets are dirtier than others. With that said, it really depends on your acceptance level of what you think is (Dirty).😢😆

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[bosterr]

I'm 66 as well, but didn't start losing my hair until my 40's but can't blame it on shooting dirty loads. I started doing that way before. I may blame the wrinkles on my butt on it though. I figure I'm not having fun if my guns don't get dirty. I only worry about cylinder pins in my revolvers gumming up before they get hard to cock. Too hard on things inside to let that go. I shoot nothing but lead lubed with Carnuba Red in my revolvers and Contenders and nothing leads up to worry about.

[jeepyj]

Two things I've observed. First, A while back we were video recording some revolver shooting for one reason or another and it was clear as day that P/C coated boolits smoke far less than traditional lube both with the exact same powder load. Now I'm not exactly sure that this smoke adds to the overall condition of cleanliness but I wouldn't be surprised if it did.
Second, It really seems when downloading certain powders such as Unique it burns more dirty.
Just a couple of personal observations hopefully it helps

[JSH]

I usually just keep a towel around to wipe me or it down. No big deal as I never found it hard to remove. A little Kroil or Hoppes on a patch or rag and it comes right off.
A few years ago, I didn't do much more than wipe the face of the cylinder off of my 625JM for about 300 rounds. Came right off, no ill effects.

The reason for the towel after was getting the lube on my hands changed the POI.
Jeff

[retread]

It's nothing compared to using holy black in your 45 Colt. Talk about dirty! But back to your concerns. Powder coating will greatly reduce your problem. After switching to PC, then choose a powder that is cleaner burning. In other words, stop with the Unique and some others and use something cleaner burning like ETR7, Vectan or a host of others.
That should keep your revolvers and hands much cleaner and reduce you time when cleaning your guns.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/IMG_0439.jpg (http://s153.photobucket.com/user/ShawnVT/media/Guns/IMG_0439.jpg.html)

[bob208]

I have never had any problems. I have gone whole matches with out cleaning my .38 or it even looking dirty just a little smoke. I went 4 months with out cleaning just to see what would happen. just wipe the smoke off. the load was 358429 3.5 gr. red dot lubed with the nra lub 50/50 bees wax and graphite. the guns were a ruger security-six and a colt o.p.

in the same matches I have seen guys have to clean their guns every relay.

[Plate plinker]

When I am shooting a lot I give my gun a B&$*H bath. That a good rinse with gun scrubber at the safety area. Followed up with a wipe and a oiling.

[FergusonTO35]

Handguns just get dirty faster because they have so many more places for gas (and thereby fouling) to leak out. Plus, we tend to put more rounds through them in a given session. My .30-30's tend to stay quite clean when shooting boolits, actually more so than when using j-words.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I've shot the .45 Colt in Colt's SAA with Unique, cast scrap lead lubed with Alox for months without cleaning just to see what would happen. Scrap lead is dirty. Eventually the pawl couldn't rise in the slot in the frame due to a build up of residue of fouling and lube. I couldn't cock the hammer back. This was after about 100 rounds a week from Spring until the end of summer. There are other lubes, powders, alloys, ext. The Colt's worked very well dirty. I suspect a tight custom six-gun might sieze up earlier and possibly at different choke point. I've found full pressure loads burn more effeciently than light loads. The thing noticeable is how a gun which appears dirty can be easily wiped down when shooting cast lead, when factory boolits require scrubbing to get the lead out, although the appears not as dirty on the outside.

[35remington]

To get truly annoying in terms of dirt most of us, if not all of us, would have to shoot a lot more than we do. It takes a lot of shooting with cast to affect accuracy or make the gun run poorly. If yours quits working after only a relatively few rounds you are doing something wrong.

I love a dirty gun. It means I had a lot of fun shooting it. Drop it in an old fashioned metal coffee can, dissassembled to the extent needed, and drizzle some mineral spirits on it. Scrub with an old toothbrush for a whole minute at most, patch the cylinder and barrel, oil, done.

No biggie. I sorta like tidying up a well used gun. Gives me a sense of satisfaction from a job well earned and done well.

Waterless automotive hand cleaner is intended for exactly the type of residue shooting leaves on your hands. Goop accompanies me on every big pistol shoot.

A wrap of paper towel or dropping the gun in a freezer baggie keeps the pistol cases and handgun rugs clean on the inside, unless they are so cheap you really don't care.

[LAH]

I have no problem with my sixgun working. Sometimes it takes a bit of effort pulling the cylinder pin but other than that & a stiffing of the ejector rod all it well. It's just dirty & this thread was done in humor. I twisted wrenches for several years & welded on equipment & trucks, even spent 4 years in the WV coal mines so I'm no stranger to dirt. Sometimes I do wish I had a parts cleaner though.

You shoot, you get dirty. You shoot a lot you get nasty. That's my life. Cast, load, shoot. Just trying to make ya smile.

[35remington]

You did get a smile.

And......the dirt you get from working on your truck makes shooting dirt look tame by comparison....like pulling a transmission that's been behind a leaking rear main for years. Black powder looks like dainty dirt in comparison.

[mcdaniel.mac]

First off, I have absolutely put a Glock frame through the dishwasher. Real easy to wash and dry. I have a 10/22 integral (I think I have pictures on here) that, when I acquired it, had not been cleaned since 1998. The sealed can was so nasty I ended up running a hose down the barrel and catching the slurry in an oil pan for disposal. Plopped it in the oven (again, just the barrel and stack) on low for a bit, then into tub with some desiccant packs to dry it out. Remounted it, re-zeroed, and it's run fine ever since.

I don't mind dirty as long as they run, with a couple exceptions. I owned (and never should have let go) a Desert Eagle in bright chrome (the MK XIX in .44 Magnum) and a stainless Bisley Ruger Blackhawk in .45 LC. Those two I polished and wiped religiously, because they were as much a trophy as a gun.

Otherwise, I clean them enough to run and not to stain my clothes for carry guns. I generally don't baby them either, any honest wear is a badge of honor.

[Scharfschuetze]

Primers leave a deposit. Powder leaves a deposit and bullets, both jacketed and cast, leave deposits and lubrication eventually leaves a deposit requiring a good cleaning. You can certainly manage how much fouling you get by selecting a clean powder and powder coating, but as was stated in a post above, shooting is a dirty business. With current technology, it can't be anything else. I accept it as part of the hobby. My pick truck needs an oil change every so many miles, my oven needs cleaning from time to time and my bathroom certainly gets a cleaning on a weekly basis.

While cast bullets with conventional lubes may appear to be dirtier than jacketed bullets after firing, for the most part they are easier to clean (if they don't lead the bore) as their fouling is much easier to clean than smears of copper down the barrel.

Dirty gun? They make solvent for that. :)

[LAH]

You did get a smile.

And......the dirt you get from working on your truck makes shooting dirt look tame by comparison....like pulling a transmission that's been behind a leaking rear main for years. Black powder looks like dainty dirt in comparison.

Glad you smiled. Yes transmissions can be dirty especially behind the old 2 stroke Detroit. :x

[bob208]

really like stopping at the store on the way home from a muzzle loader shoot. no body gets near me. I am in and out fast.

[DerekP Houston]

I have no problem with my sixgun working. Sometimes it takes a bit of effort pulling the cylinder pin but other than that & a stiffing of the ejector rod all it well. It's just dirty & this thread was done in humor. I twisted wrenches for several years & welded on equipment & trucks, even spent 4 years in the WV coal mines so I'm no stranger to dirt. Sometimes I do wish I had a parts cleaner though.

You shoot, you get dirty. You shoot a lot you get nasty. That's my life. Cast, load, shoot. Just trying to make ya smile.

Yup I end up filthy each trip to the range. I switched my powder to hp-38 for 38 special and it cleaned up "some" of the black soot but not all of it. I just wash my hands after shooting and don't let it bug me, going bang each time is all I'm concerned with ;).

[bedbugbilly]

I think "dirty" is going to vary by definition depending on who is defining it.

I have shot black powder for well over 50 years now - rifle, pistol, smoothbore/shotgun and yes, even full size Civil War artillery. A lot of folks define BP as "dirty" - I don't. The fouling produced by it is a fact of life and even though my guns get "dirty" . . . as well as my hands . . . . that's part of the hobby and the enjoyment of it.

I also reload and shoot a lot of different revolvers - I use Bulls Eye, Red Dot, Unique, Green Dot and a few others. I often hear some complain about how "dirty" their reloads shoot. Personally, I don't consider any of them dirty. Yes, when I'm done I clean my firearms - that process too is all part of the hobby. All I shoot is my cast out of them as well.

You state that after 500 rounds your guns are dirty as well as your hands, etc. Well . . . common sense would sort of dictate that after that many rounds you could easily expect some fouling/dirt/etc. wouldn't it? Yea, I know . . . they call it "smokeless powder" . . . but I don't think I have ever shot any reloads with the above powders that I use that doesn't produce smoke. Out of a revolver, you can still have unburnt residue left as well depending on the barrel length. If you shoot cast, you can get lead residue at the front of you cylinder too. But . . . it's all part of the hobby and shooting.

Over the years, I have often heard some brag on how they "never clean their gun" . . . it's their gun so I guess that that is their prerogative to not clean it. But I'd wager that they are the same people who never service their vehicle, never change the oil in their lawnmower and never add a little lubricant to a lock or a door hinge either. And those types are the same who go "yuck" when they happen to get some dirt under their fingernails as well.

So yea . . . the definition of "dirty" is dependent upon the individual. Personally, I'm more than happy to put up with a "dirty" gun and having to clean it because I enjoy shooting and thank God, we still have that right in this country. Lord only knows there are more Leftist individuals out there that want to take that right away and most of them don't know how to do an honest day's work or are afraid to get their hand's dirty. So for me, I'll put up with "dirty" six shooters and when I'm done, I'll clean them. And since I'm about your age as well, I'll freely admit that the hair loss I suffer from is due to my genes and probably my g-grandfather whose head looked like a billiard ball! :-)

And if you really want to have fun and aren't afraid to get you six gun dirty, load up some BP cartridges and give 'em a try. The smile you'll have on your face is worth the effort you take to clean up afterwards. :-)

[LAH]

Well said bedbugbilly. While 500 rounds of cast/carnauba red/Promo will dirty your sixgun it doesn't concern me. I wipe the Ruger down & put it in the safe. I know it will be shot again before the week is out. The OP was a poke of sorts at those who complain of dirty sixguns. :kidding:

[telebasher]

Dirty guns mean somebody had a good day.

[LAH]

The beginnings of a dirty gun.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Firearms/SW%20K-38/20150423_172059.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/Creekerpics/media/Firearms/SW%20K-38/20150423_172059.jpg.html)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/Creekerpics/Firearms/SW%20K-38/20150423_182934.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/Creekerpics/media/Firearms/SW%20K-38/20150423_182934.jpg.html)

[daniel lawecki]

Funny people are talking about dirty air and dirty guns. Most of you will breath bad air at work. But of that's for money and that's ok so many things in this world could kill us. Lead smoke primer dust you name it poison to kill weeds we spread on our lawns. Really is this what's on your mind as you reach your golden years.

[dragon813gt]

You did get a smile.

And......the dirt you get from working on your truck makes shooting dirt look tame by comparison....like pulling a transmission that's been behind a leaking rear main for years. Black powder looks like dainty dirt in comparison.

Clean a sooted up oil boiler and get back to me. If anyone has had this happen in their home they know how bad it is. Surfaces look clean but when you run your finger across them they turn black. That's what I consider dirty. And I'm glad I don't have to clean them as work anymore. So shooting is clean IMO.

The outside of a handgun is going to be dirty regardless of what type of bullets you're shooting. Wipe it down w/ a rag and keep going. If it's gumming up the internals you're doing something wrong. Shooting cast will leave more residue due to the lube. But it should not effect function.

[NoAngel]

Light loading a Ruger blackhawk with Unique and Ben's Red lube is the worst I have ever done. Nowhere near enough pressure to seal the case and after a couple hundred rounds, it looked like an elephant took a dump on it. Ben's Red is a WONDERFUL lube but that Lucas Red & Tacky lives up to it's name. ...and they don't call Unique "Flamin' Dirt" for nuthin LOL!

[huntrick64]

I once fired 600 rounds in one afternoon from my SR1911. The load was near max Bullseye and 200 Lead SWC lubed with LBT soft blue. It was hard to tell that the gun was stainless with all of the powder residue. I pulled the grips and blasted it with brake cleaner, wiped it out and down with Eezox and put it up for next time. I can't compare that to shooting 600 rounds of jacketed bullets because I can't afford to shoot 600 rounds of jacketed. End of story for me.

[LAH]

I once fired 600 rounds in one afternoon from my SR1911. The load was near max Bullseye and 200 Lead SWC lubed with LBT soft blue. It was hard to tell that the gun was stainless with all of the powder residue. I pulled the grips and blasted it with brake cleaner, wiped it out and down with Eezox and put it up for next time. I can't compare that to shooting 600 rounds of jacketed bullets because I can't afford to shoot 600 rounds of jacketed. End of story for me.

Feel your pain. I used the Lyman 452374 & 5 grains of Promo. It was dirty. I'm now shooting through a batch of the MP 45-200-SWC-BB & 4 grains of Promo. It is dirty. Bullseye & Unique & Green Dot are dirty. Winchester 231 & HP 38 are dirty. Winchester 296, H110, 2400, 4227, AA9, WC820, AA5744 are all dirty. Carnauba Red, LBT Blue Commercial, LBT Blue Soft, RCBS Rifle, Lyman Black, Ballisti-Cast Hard Blue, all dirty. However some combos do smell better than others. :-)

I've never tried dipping in motor oil but figure it is dirty too. :brokenima

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Some of the worst ammo I ever used was practice ammo on a law enforcement agency where I worked. They got this "Win-Clean." I had to scrub my .45 for hours after using that junk.

Then in about 1982 I bought a brand new in the box Ruger Security-Six stainless. Qualification was 100 rounds. My new Ruger seized up and I took it back to the gunshop I bought it at. Later the gunsmith said there was nothing wrong with the gun but the lead deposits and fouling were so bad he'd never seen anything like it before.

[EMC45]

I use Alliant powder and cast with Moly/beeswax lube. When I get done shooting it looks like I stuck my hands in a bucket of powdered graphite. The guns usually are sooty and have lube smears all over them, but my hands are what gets filthy.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Are you talking dirty? I shoot cap pistols and try to get them to fail by fouling. Black powder lube applied before the session keeps them running all day.

[Scharfschuetze]

Are you talking dirty? I shoot cap pistols and try to get them to fail by fouling. Black powder lube applied before the session keeps them running all day.

Roll caps or Greenie Stick 'Em caps? Could make a difference!

[LAH]

Roll caps or Greenie Stick 'Em caps? Could make a difference!

Love it.

[paul h]

I use Alliant powder and cast with Moly/beeswax lube. When I get done shooting it looks like I stuck my hands in a bucket of powdered graphite. The guns usually are sooty and have lube smears all over them, but my hands are what gets filthy.

Lithi-bee is filthy, but a good lube. I remember years ago I used to sell some of my cast bullets to cover my powder and primer expenses. One of the guys I sold them to turned out to be a neat freak and he complained about how dirty the lithi-bee bullets made his gun. I said, yeah but look how small your groups are! He was more concerned with a clean gun than with small groups. Some people...

On the flip side my boss was on jury duty and listed his interests as guns, shooting and reloading. The defense attorney asked him a series of questions.

Atty. What is your favorite gun?
Boss All of them
Atty. Let's take another tact, what is your least favorite gun to clean?
Boss I like cleaning all of my guns, cleaning my guns means I've shot them, and I like shooting them.

I don't recall if there were any more questions before he was dismissed from the jury.

He wasn't trying to get off the jury, he was answering honestly.

[buckwheatpaul]

I was at a gunsmith, friend, that has a large bucket filled with mineral spirits and he tosses the weapon into the bucket after the grips are removed and then after a while he pulls the weapon out and all the old guuuuu just goes away.....I am considering the same option....Paul

[Traffer]

Wow, I have not shot a handgun much at all. I was going to get into the whole spectrum, Handloading, casting, powdercoating, maybe even black powder shooting. But not now. Thanks for wising me up here guys. You can keep your filthy handguns. I quit. I don't want any of that nasty stuff on me.


Hahahahahaha. had you going didn't I?

[Silver Jack Hammer]

How do you not get dirty when shooting? Take a lesson from black powder shooters, wear dark clothes.

[fivegunner]

186952186953 Some of my guns are nasty, I knew this would happen when I shot under size soft boolits in it!!:lovebooli

[Geezer in NH]

When I had my shop all used guns we bought went through the Parts washer loaded with mineral spirts.

Most sellers have never cleaned their guns IMHO.

My training by the dept. had all of the guns cleaned every time they were shot. Used what the training officer called dry cleaning consisting of using a stainless brush for the bores and a stainless tooth brush for the slide and frame. Wipe off the loose soot with a dry rag. No spots of carbon to be left visible.

I asked about wear cleaning them like this and he stated good changes the lab results every time you clean. Then said do not believe what you see on CSI. Made sense to me.

Also your carry gun is to never leave the range un-cleaned and never carry a dirty gun.

The reason: If you get involved in a shooting and YOU did not shoot your weapon, you are safe from any wrongful lawsuits that will come in most shootings. Now that is a good thing!!!!!!!

My choice is to clean every gun. I shoot the day I shoot it. Not counting the fouled barrel on my hunting rifle.

[tdoyka]

i've shot my ruger sbh(4 5/8" barrel) about 800-900 times without cleaning the bore. unique is all i shoot. i'll take a 7gr load of unique under a 250gr mihek hp with a 44 sp anytime.

does it get "dirty"? a little. but i'll take out the old ballistol rag and i'll wipe it down( bout 1 a week or every 2nd week). someday i'll have to take the ruger apart, but until i have to, i keep on shooting it.

[ShooterAZ]

If you don't want dirty guns, you have the option of not shooting them. I just shoot em' until they need cleaned, no big deal.

[LAH]

Pulled the base pin this evening on my Blackhawk. Was a chore.

[charlie b]

Yes, they get dirty. But, there are some powders that make much more 'dirt' than others. 2400 and Unique to name a couple.

I went to AA powders for most of my reloading because of that. They leave less residue behind. The other ball powders seem to be just as good.

For revolvers and semi-auto pistols you are just going to get residue in the gun. I am with some others. If I am shooting on a regular basis (weekly) then I clean them every now and then. If the guns are being put away for a while (month or more) then they get a good cleaning.

Yes, sometimes I wish there was an easy clean method, especially when working on a revolver.

[LAH]

Yes, sometimes I wish there was an easy clean method, especially when working on a revolver.

Exactly. BTW I used AA9 in my 357 with 158 gr. JHP bullets. Put a 1000 through it & the sixgun remained quite clean.

[44man]

Worst thing ever was shooting BP revolvers from Creedmore with a blast shield. You could deep fry fish with all the grease on me, the gun and shield. Black grease so a blackened steak is on the menu.

[telebasher]

Worst thing ever was shooting BP revolvers from Creedmore with a blast shield. You could deep fry fish with all the grease on me, the gun and shield. Black grease so a blackened steak is on the menu.

I kept a container of the "baby wipes" in my pistol box. Came in handy to wipe hands or pistol between loadings and relays.

[XDROB]

I keep a Hand-wipe container in my rear door cup holder all the time.
Also have a resealable package in range bag. Been doing that for years.

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