used revolver lube question

[kmrcstintn]

I bought a used Ruger Security Six; the trigger and the cylinder release are sticky; someone at the shop recommended soaking it in ATF and letting it penetrate for a few hours to clean/lube the inner workings and then proceed with a wipedown and regular cleaning

anyone ever heard of doing this? if so, does it really work?

 

[UncleS2]

That might be fine, but it seems needlessly messy to me. Sounds like you need some serious cleaning first, then good lubrication. These days lots of people use brake & parts cleaner(spray can) for internal cleaning- that might be a good place to start. If you do use it, remember to spray the internals afterwards with a good rust preventative & lube.

If you prefer to "dunk & soak", I'd recommend using something thinner, such as diesel fuel or kerosene, instead of ATF. JMO

 

[reyjay1]

Do a search on the the net for the homemade brew called Ed's Red. works good as a cleaner and lube, made with equal parts of ATF, kerosene, and MEK or Acetone, and you can add lanoline if you can find it for a preservative lube and to be kinder to your hands. Lots has been written about it, have a quart made up ussually. leave out the MEK or Acetone for a just lube.

 

[kmrcstintn]

Thanks...I forgot about the "Ed's Red"

What I actually did earlier today was soak the gun disassembled for about 2 hours in ATF and used Break-Free Powder Blast Gun Cleaner to wash off the ATF and the first layer of gunk;

I used Hoppes 9 for the barrel bore and chambers in the cylinder, patched, sprayed with Break Free again, and generously lubed with Kleen Bore Formula 3 Gun Conditioner (CLP)

I dry fired and worked the cylinder latch release and wiped off the excess lube and patched the bore and cylinders dry; everything seems to work great and it feels like a new gun

 

[Tempest]

I'm assuming that you can't detail strip it. Skip the ATF dunk. With that, I second the brake cleaner...works great. Go with the high power chlorinated stuff, works better IMHO. Just watch your eyes, remove the grips and any plastic, and spray away outside.

This will remove all the oil in/on the gun so relube quickly, inside and out. I recommend FP10 or Corrosion X. Both are very good lubes and will spread very well in areas that you cannot see.