The proper way to clean and take care of a nickel plated Colt SAA???

[Cohiba]

Greetings from Oklahoma!!

I am in need of the proper way to clean and take care of a nickel plated Colt SAA(3rd Gen). I know to stay away from harsh solvents and cleaners, but I need to know what you use and recommend.

Growing up in a rural area, being around cattle and horses, most of the old timers I knew either; #1. Didn't take care of their nickel Colts(they looked like dalmations...spotted/flaked). #2. Several told me to use lighter/butane fluid on the nickel finish.

I have a unique mix of pistols and longrifles, but never owned a nickel plated anything.
***The closest looking nickel plated guns I have are a couple of Colt 38 Supers in their bright stainless steel finish.......which I really like. It looks like nickel, but doesn't have the worry of maintenance.

Please state your regiment on treatment of a nickel plated gun....what to use and not to use.
Is there anyway to safely remove powder blast from the cylinder and the end of the barrel, without hurting the finish?

**This gun will be shot but not in any competition(1-2 times a month...100 rounds at a time). So, should I shoot the blued and display the nickel, or can I shoot it?

Thanks for your help.

Cohiba

[dfariswheel]

Clean the bore and chambers as normal using a mid bore solvent like Hoppe's #9.
The internet accounts of this just eating nickel is way over stated.
All you have to do is not to allow the solvent to soak on the nickel. Clean the gun as normal and wipe the solvent off as soon as possible.
What can damage nickel is allowing solvents to soak for hours, especially on a finish that's cracked, scratched, or chipped, allowing the solvent to infiltrate under the plating.

If you're shooting lead bullets, buy a Lewis Lead Remover Kit from Brownell's to remove leading from the bore and the forcing cone.
For the chambers, buy a couple of Brownell's bronze chamber brushes.

Attempting to remove all the stains from the front of the cylinder on a shooter is not needed or even smart. Attempting to get a cylinder or muzzle to look like it's never been fired only causes damage.
All that's really needed is to make sure the fouling doesn't build up and start to interfere with cylinder rotation.

There are two good ways to remove fouling from nickel cylinders.
One is to use a lead-away cloth. These cloths are used to wipe carbon and lead off cylinders. DO NOT use on a blued gun, they also wipe bluing right off.
While they can be used on nickel, you shouldn't do it very often because they will eventually thin or remove nickel.

The second method is to use a carbon remover chemical like Slip 2000 Carbon Killer.
This is a green liquid that smells like oranges. The jar is well shaken to mix it up, and you can either apply it with a swab or simply drop parts in the jar.
A 15 minute soak will usually remove all the carbon and leading.
I'm not sure about long term use, but it doesn't appear to harm nickel.
After using flush well with water and apply a rust preventing lube.

So, you can certainly shoot a nickel gun and it's finish will be more durable then bluing and color case hardening.
However, like all gun finishes it will wear and scratch, and shooting will cause finish wear.
Attempting to remove all traces of carbon from cylinders will accelerate wear.

[gunshooter]

Thanks!

[Boge]

I use MPRO7, which is an industrial soap that the military uses to clean cannons & artillery. Non-toxic & no smell. Cleans carbon RIGHT NOW. it will not clean out copper fouling but I only shoot lead in my nickel guns and it cleans out lead slick as a whistle.

M-Pro 7 Gun Cleaning Products

[Collects]

I use Eezox to clean my meager collection of firearms (on the metal), then wax them with Rennaissance Wax (on the metal, wood and/or plastic).

[pjv]

Break Free CLP - Nothing harsh there.

[flanman]

I am trying to narrow down my cleaning and maintenance to a minimal number of products yet dfariswheel seems to have tried them all and knows in just what situation to use which product. I am wondering are there any that you do not like, have found ineffective, have found harmful or are there any that just seem to be head & shoulders above the rest?

flanman

[Bart45]

I use Ballistol for everything; however, I do not have any nickel or ss guns. I do shoot real bp in my Sharps and SAA, and never had so much as a spot of rust or discolor. Also clean my entire SAA with a pot of hot water to remove the fouling, and all is well.

[Ratzo]

I use Eezox to clean my meager collection of firearms (on the metal), then wax them with Rennaissance Wax (on the metal, wood and/or plastic).

I just discovered Eezox while viewing this forum. The stuff rocks ! Have you noticed fouling on the exterior easier to remove because of the wax?