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Read an article in a magazine titled "How To Clean Your Double-Action Revolver." One of the last things the author stated in the article was "Do not lubricate the bore of your revolver." I've been cleaning double-action revolvers for many years and although I never put any lubricant in the chambers or underneath the extractor star, I've always put a small (very small) amount in the bore before putting the gun away. Before shooting it I always run one or more clean patches through the bore to clean out the lubricant.

What say ye--little bit of lubricant in the bore after cleaning it, or no?

Crash

PS. The owner's manuals for my semi-autos state that you should put a little bit of lubricant in the bore after cleaning it. Why would a double-action revolver (or any revolver) be different?

Crash wrote:Read an article in a magazine titled "How To Clean Your Double-Action Revolver." One of the last things the author stated in the article was "Do not lubricate the bore of your revolver." I've been cleaning double-action revolvers for many years and although I never put any lubricant in the chambers or underneath the extractor star, I've always put a small (very small) amount in the bore before putting the gun away. Before shooting it I always run one or more clean patches through the bore to clean out the lubricant.

What say ye--little bit of lubricant in the bore after cleaning it, or no?

Crash

PS. The owner's manuals for my semi-autos state that you should put a little bit of lubricant in the bore after cleaning it. Why would a double-action revolver (or any revolver) be different?

I always have, no issues.

I always run a lightly oiled patch thru the barrel and cylinder chambers as one of the last parts of cleaning revolvers.

JustSomeOldGuy wrote:I always run a lightly oiled patch thru the barrel and cylinder chambers as one of the last parts of cleaning revolvers.

JustSomeOldGuy,

I don't put any oil in the chambers because I'm concerned that it will flow out the back and get under the star extractor. I got some oil under the star one time and unburned powder stuck to it and built up to where it raised the star high enough to bind on the recoil shield.

Crash

I've always put an oiled patch through my Ruger SP 101 .357 magnum barrel and then a dry patch after.

Never encountered any sort of problem for doing so.

Sometimes, I think gun writers are bored and want to stir the pot of inanity...

Oil In the chamber is bad because the case cannot grip the chamber walls, in any firearm. For storage, oil can do no harm.
Oil in the barrel might affect accuracy in target shooting, but not enough for sd. In salty coastal areas, it may be a necessity.

I avoid this dilemma by just not buying any revolvers. Problem solved

hovercat wrote:Oil In the chamber is bad because the case cannot grip the chamber walls, in any firearm.

Shouldn't matter, as the cartridge being fired is back against the breech face. The seal is that of case expansion, achieved by chamber dimensions, not oil or a lack there of.

flechero wrote:

hovercat wrote:Oil In the chamber is bad because the case cannot grip the chamber walls, in any firearm.

Shouldn't matter, as the cartridge being fired is back against the breech face. The seal is that of case expansion, achieved by chamber dimensions, not oil or a lack there of.

In revolvers, but the OP also mentioned semi-autos in his post.

hovercat wrote:

flechero wrote:

hovercat wrote:Oil In the chamber is bad because the case cannot grip the chamber walls, in any firearm.

Shouldn't matter, as the cartridge being fired is back against the breech face. The seal is that of case expansion, achieved by chamber dimensions, not oil or a lack there of.

In revolvers, but the OP also mentioned semi-autos in his post.

The cartridge case sits against the breech face in a semi auto as well.

But it is not immovable like the recoil shield. I do not know about centerfire, but oil in the chamber of my .22 semi auto will cause jams.

It looks like most folks agree that it's OK to put some oil in the bore of your handgun after you clean it. But, do you have to remove it before you fire the gun again? The owner's manual for my FNS-9 says to remove it before firing. Which leads to this question: if the gun is your EDC, how do you know when you're going to to fire it? We all hope that we're never in a situation where we have to, but one never knows. So, do you clean your EDC gun and not oil the bore? Or do you just oil it lightly?

Crash

I think the intent of the statement was to use a "lubricant" as a corrosion preventative. Even in the case of the fn mentioned above- wiping it away would only remove excess oil and a light film (which is what almost everyone says to use) would remain. In semi autos- it also keeps cases from getting stuck... for purposes of extraction.

Hovercat- I suspect you and i are on the same page but looking at the terminology differently. As to the amount of oil... I've had many 22s in my life and none would run for long dry... but like other guns, ran just fine with an appropriately light film of oil present.

I always use a slightly oiled patch through. Helps to keep down any rust that may try to come in.

Crash wrote:It looks like most folks agree that it's OK to put some oil in the bore of your handgun after you clean it. But, do you have to remove it before you fire the gun again?

I would assume that most "clean the bore before firing" type advice is given in case you're the type to do a full Cosmoline dip on your guns. A light coating, at worst, might impact your cold barrel shot's accuracy a little bit. Unless you're doing benchrest, it's not likely to be enough to notice.

For an EDC, I'd look at a dry wax-based lube anyway.