Handguns Colt Model 1860 Cleaning

[Pollaco]

I've heard lots of praise for Mobil One lately as a gun oil but I also heard almost any synthetic oil will do just fine. Also I've been doing some googling on WD40 and have yet to come across the word Diesel.

 

[Story]

If no gunsmith recommendations, any DYI suggestions for removing the jammed wedge without damaging the revolver? Thanks.

Talk to the folks at Lodgewood first. http://www.lodgewood.com/

 

[rob63]

I have used WD-40 for years when cleaning antique guns without any harmful effects. That said, I also leave them untouched if at all possible and aside from flipping the wedge over I wouldn't do anything to that revolver. I do recommend being careful to make sure any oil only gets on the metal parts and not the wood, but that shouldn't be a problem with fixing your wedge issue.

I know it sounds backwards, but one piece of advise I would give you with the strongest recommendation is to never let a professional gunsmith touch any of your antique guns! The reason is simple, there is no way of knowing what they will do it with it. I'm sure there are a great many good ones out there, but anybody can call themselves a gunsmith, and even the good ones are mostly used to working on modern, working firearms that don't have collectible value. There are no shortage of horror stories out there that are the result of a gunsmith doing something that was never asked for by the customer. In my case, it was an idiot who decided to "clean up the rough spots on the barrel" for me, without asking, and polished off the proof marks!

 

[JOHN42768]

Welcome, enjoy. Great looking Colt. As stated light oiling and leave it alone

 

[Booner]

Thanks for the clarification - in any event, my understanding is still that diesel forms the main ingredient to WD-40.

For some reason, I seem to think the main ingredient is kerosene, not diesel, although there's probably not that much difference between the two. Maybe kerosene has a little more oil in it?

 

[James N.]

For some reason, I seem to think the main ingredient is kerosene, not diesel, although there's probably not that much difference between the two. Maybe kerosene has a little more oil in it?

I was wrong, and the ingredients have been clarified in posts by others farther back in this thread.

 

[Peter Stines]

The original guns looks to be in nice condition. Don't meddle with it, except for light oiling and keep the oil OFF the wood grips. Don't give the gun a bath in oil. I've used Ballistol straight from the can and it works fine. With the Ruger you may need to switch from No. 11 caps to No. 10. The bigger caps are a looser fit and can cause problems. You might also need to replace the nipples (Easily done) A gunsmith might also need to slightly stone and polish the face of the hammer. The hammer face on some replicas are a bit rough with tiny "fangs" that can pierce the fired cap and when the gun is cocked the spent cap falls into the lock work and jams everything to a halt. I've heard this called "cap sucking". You'll see this mostly on the Colt replicas but it can also show up on other types. A gunsmith can smooth up and polish the action and save you a lot of head aches. When cleaning, do NOT use "soap" (A lot of "soap" is actually DETERGENT and can cause RUST) The water can be room temp; you don't need to use boiling water. But the key is to remove ALL WATER/MOISTURE BEFORE YOU OIL AND STORE THE GUN. I spray WD-40 on the parts and wipe/patch dry, THEN APPLY THE OIL. Displace the water first! BREAK FREE is another good product