Removing .38spl carbon ring from 357?

[buck1]

Hello all just looking for some advice. I bought a early 70s Dan Wesson Model 11 in .357 mag.after full length resizing and then even using a Lee carbide crimp die I still have about 1 in 6 rds wont quite go in the Cylinder all the way. Some chambers are better than others. I figure it must have had a steady diet of .38 spls in the past. I have worn out a hand full of bronze brushes with #9 by hand and by drill. I am soaking it tonight with a bit of Kroil with fingers crossed. But im not confident that will work. Any tricks or advice? Thanks...Buck

[JBinMN]

Choreboy wrapped around a brass brush has worked for me, as well as an expanded 357 case. But I usually do it before it gets too bad, unlike what it sounds like you are dealing with in your D. Wesson revolver.

Here are a some topics that discuss this to give ya some ideas:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?267703-Cleaning-the-357-cylinder-after-an-afternoon-of-38-specials

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?113785-Carbon-crud-ring

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?337057-Best-way-to-clean-ridge-from-revolver-chambers

G'Luck! I hope I helped a bit.
:)

[clum553946]

Get a flex hone 800 grit for 357 and hit your cylinders a few licks to remove the ring if nothing else works. Don’t forget to use hone oil!

[lotech]

Or use an oversized brush and solvent. It comes out easily.

[DougGuy]

Don't use a flex hone. The problem with using something like this is that the hone will shine areas of the chamber that have no carbon, i.e. areas that do not need any extra "shining" and the 800 grit hone is WAY too fine to begin to address the "moonrock" that I see in cylinders all the time. This stuff is sometimes hard enough to take the edge off a new reamer, it is hard as glass and a PITA to remove from a cylinder.

Sometimes it will come out easily with methods mentioned above, 80% of the cylinders that come through my shop have carbon that comes out rather easily during normal cleaning that must be done before measurements with pin gages can be considered accurate. Then there are those that are stubborn and the carbon is harder than woodpecker lips, for these I use a Dremel tool with a #443 wire brush that you can get off ebay pretty cheap.

Another way that works is to use an older dulled finishing reamer that will effectively remove the carbon without cutting any of the existing chamber.

[Wayne Dobbs]

Didn't Clymer make a so-called "deleading" reamer some time back for this purpose?

[curator]

An overnight soaking in Kroil to soften the carbon ring helps. I use a fired .357 case that has the case mouth belled so it is a very tight fit in the chamber, Then I tap the belled case into each chamber with a plastic mallet. The case is tapped out from the front side with a plastic or brass rod. Usually, this scrapes the carbon ring out with one step. Sometimes a second scraping with another belled case is necessary. I follow up with "medium" bronze wool on a slotted rod to polish away any carbon remaining. My S&W 686s get a lot of .38 Special wad cutters fired in them, often 1000 rounds or more before getting a complete de-carboning. The belled case works every time.

[Outpost75]

Some people use a .40 cal. NYLON heavy-duty bore brush (Brownell's 084-444-017WB) to clean .38/.357 using Kroil for cleaning .38/.357 revolver CHAMBERS. The nylon .40 cal. brush can be used as expedient .38/.357 bore brush without harm.

For removing heavy deposits the de-leading reamer is best, but lacking that, use Brownell's stainless steel CHAMBER brush (084-455-137WB) but stainless brushes SHOULD NOT BE USED IN THE BORE!

[Virginia John]

DougGuy knows what he is talking about.

[lazs]

I honestly don't shoot spl's either 44 or 38 in my magnum guns since we can easily just load down magnum cases to spl velocity. But.... people I know do and I have run into some pretty nasty carbon ringed cylinders. Kroil or ATF mixed half and half with acetone will work if allowed to set. Not sure if softening the crud is the right term... I am sure it does do that a little but what they really are is a penetrating oil. they get under the fouling... they also leave an oily deposit in the pores which.. in my opinion.. when used regularly will help keep crud from sticking in the future. kroil actually smells good too!

Chore boy is good but 'Frontier' makes a scrub that looks like a silver version but they swear it won't hurt anything including scrubbing blueing with it! it does work well on leading when strands of it are wrapped around a tight patch.

lazs

[buck1]

Well I soaked it over night in Kroil then made up a chorboy brush and scrubbed it then I found a old style very stiff heavy dudy chamber brush and scrubbed it more then followed up with 20 full in / out passes each hole with JB paste. Finally I cleaned as normal with #9.
ITS CLEAN! All ammo slides right in and I dont see / feel any carbon. Thanks so much everybody!!!

[JBinMN]

Great to hear!
:)

If ya stay on top of it, you should not need to do it again... Or, at least not work too hard at it..
:)

[coalgeo]

Some of us consider Kroil to be a gift sent by the gods.:)

[gwpercle]

The trick is not letting the crud get that bad. I shoot a lot of 38's in a 357 Ruger Blackhawk, since 1971, and a brush, wrapped in 0000 steel wool soaked in Ed's Red Bore Cleaner after extended range trips , has kept the crud at bay and the cylinders nice and shiny all these years....What's that old saying about an ounce of prevention being better than a pound of cure...is true.
Gary

[prestonj12]

Ultrasonic removes the carbon staining extremely well.


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[RED BEAR]

this is a post that is right on time . wife doesn't like recoil so my 357 has had a steady diet of 38s for about the past 20 years or so. went to shoot some 357s at range last week and could only get 3 in the gun the other 3 just would not go. i have been using a brush off and on for a week. i can now get 4 rounds in 2 still a no go but have some kroil will soak and try again. i really thought i was getting it clean but guess not.

[Low Budget Shooter]

I use Kroil for this, has worked great. I don't know how I got anything done before buying my first can of Kroil a few years ago.

[knifemaker]

When I was shooting PPC matches, my gun was a S&W model 19 with a Davis bull barrel. During practice I may shoot 100-200 rounds of 38 wadcutter ammo in that 357 mag. cylinder. I never had a problem with carbon crud buildup in the cylinder. As soon as I finished my practice or match shoots, I would use Hoppe's #9 and a 40 cal bore brush to clean the cylinders with about 4-5 passes per chamber. this got rid of the buildup before it became hard and tough to remove. This problem mostly occurs when a shooter fails to clean his gun after shooting 38 spec. ammo in the mag cylinder and it hardens over time.

[JSH]

I can't add much to what has already been said.
I heard for years and years as a kid about shooting 38's in the 357's with great success and great accuracy. So it must be gospel?

I have encountered all of the above, specials in mags is taboo in my stable any more. I never ever owned a 357 that shot 38 length cases as well as it did 357's. I imagine they are out there, I just have never owned one.
On the other hand, my 357 maximum BH, do not have the issues. It is all in the design and how the reamer was ground. The Max's have shot 357's and 38's with good accuracy.

I still only use what the cylinder is cut for, and have had zero issues since.
A lot f guns get put up to be cleaned "later" and then never do. I just picked up a SS S&W 38 a while back. External looked great. Inside was a total mess. I suspect prior owner never cleaned it because it was SS and it looked clean.

[dannyd]

Longhunter shooting supply look for SliX-Scarper works great.

[Biggfoot44]

I've fire truckloads of .38spl from .357 revolvers ( once upon a time had access to free .38's ) . Cleaned them regularly before the residue could build up , never had problems.

In the other question, the accuracy was within expectations, and served to requirements . With my classic load in .38 cases fired from M65 , gave 1in @ 25yds . But as we all know, this can vary from gun to gun , just hasn't been a problem for me .

[Petrol & Powder]

I have NEVER had a problem with the alleged "crud ring" from shooting 38 Special rounds in .357 mag chambers, but I clean my guns after I shoot them.

[Dale53]

I shoot a LOT of .38’s in my .357 revolvers. Immediately after shooting, I run a nylon chamber brush through the chambers while the revolver is still warm. The crud ring is soft and comes out readily. I carry these brushes in several calibers in my range box. Let that crud harden up and it becomes a real chore (as has been witnessed on this thread).

FWIW
Dale53

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm not sure what this "crud ring" talk is. Other than letting a revolver go for weeks with multiple episodes of shooting within those weeks with NO cleaning.

It has NEVER been a problem for me and I don't clean the guns while warm or at the range or after a few shots. I can shoot 38 Specials and .357 magnums interchangeably all day long and clean the gun later with zero issues.

Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you.

[catboat]

Glad you got it cleaned out.

I agree with an earlier post about using a .40 caliber bronze brush and powder solvent to clean 6he chambers after shooting ( .38 specials or .357 mags).

Another way, in case the crud ring happens again, is to soften /soak it with kroil, Sea form engine cleaner, Marvel Mystery oil or liquid wrench overnight. Then use an empty 357 mag case that has a flared out case mouth. Insert into chamber, and tap it in. It scrapes the carbon out. Remove and reflare mouth case as needed, and repeat inserting/tapping into cylinder.

357 mag cases are 1/10th of an inch longer than 38 special cases, and when slightly flared, serves as a cheap, effective cylinder ring carbon scraper.

The easier/better way is to clean the cylinders after a shooting session.

PS. Just saw that “ curator” already mentioned the belled .357 mag case scraper technique. Glad I’m not the only one whas heard of it.

[Grapeshot]

I usually take a .40 caliber cleaning brush, attach it to a section of mil-spec .30 cal cleaning rod. Dip the brush in Hoppe's #9 and attach the rod to a cordless drill and rev it up and enter the chamber with a Back & Forth motion until the crud is gone. Go to next chamber and repeat.

[TDB9901]

.410 shotgun bore brush works very well as a chamber brush. Always took care of any deposit I ever got.

[Lloyd Smale]

Hoppes isn't good for much other then smelling good. Get some shooters choice or what I use is GM upper motor cleaner which is designed to remove carbon depoists in combustion chambers and on valves and mix it about 2 parts to one part kroil and soak the cylinder in that over night and then use a .40 cal brush on a drill. If that doesn't do it them your probably going to need to get a 357 handgun chamber reamer. Only turn it by hand though. I haven't found one yet though with just carbon that needed any more then the first suggestion. Problem comes when you actually have flame cutting of your cylinder from shooting a ton of 38s. But that usually cause extraction problems not a problem chambering a round. Anymore if I want to shoot 38 level loads in a 357 I load them in 357 cases. Same thing with using 44 spec in a 44mag. Just use the brass that was designed to be used.

[trapper9260]

I do like is stated clean the gun after use. I do not have any build up in my guns,If it is just the cylinder I want and not the barrel since I shoot cast with my home made lube I clean the cylinder after use of 38spl. I do the same in my 327 BH when I shoot other then 327 cases in it. I have not had problems with the carbon ring.

[robg]

Lewis lead remover kit worked for me .never let it happen a second time .just used 357 mag ��