OK so this past weekend there were 2 guns shows in my area. One in Norfolk and one in Virginia Beach. Well I went to the one in Va Beach on Sunday. Got an awesome deal on a S&W .357 model 65-3. I knew right off the bat I would have to replacethe grips. No big deal and a minor cleaning. Well finally got the damn old Grips off (the screw and nut were rusted together). Well I wanted to take off the side plate and give her a once over. Whom ever traded/sold this gun should have been ashamed. It was so dirty it's not even funny. I mean to the point that there was pocket fuzz in between the grips and the trigger guard. I was embaressed at the gun shop once the grips were off to say that was my gun, and I haven't even shot it yet. Oh well I have it as clean as I can get it in one sitting, going to go and shoot it on Sunday at Norfolk county. Here's to hoping all goes well. Sorry I just had to rant about that a little, also I would have thought that the people selling it would have cleaned it. Oh well.
Amanda
Ugg I just hate a dirty gun...
Re: Ugg I just hate a dirty gun...
Glad you went to SGK at Virginia Beach. Even though I recommended the Va Beach show to someone else in an earlier post, I got dragged to the C&E show at Norfolk Scope because a friend wanted a "change" of scenery wrt shows. Parking was $5. It was a total waste of an hour. Small venue (saw everything in that hour...twice), very few vendors, and a jerk for an C&E employee who apparently was having a very bad day....er, life. I will NEVER go back to a C&E show.
Sorry for my off-topic rant. Glad you got the deal you wanted. I, for one, love to hear someone say "only one mag through this one from my personal collection" just before I stick a bore light in and find 4 decades worth of uncleaned barrel. It makes the subsequent negotiations so very much more fun! I have found used guns on consignment at gun shops that were totally filthy, too, so it's not just individuals. Wow, even a used car salesman (for all the crap they take) will clean out a used car and give it a wash and wax before putting it on the lot. I understand a DEALER not putting a lot of money into a gun that's being flipped, but it seems like swiping it with a bore snake and an oily rag would just be good business, even if they won't take the time to properly clean it. I would be ashamed, as an individual, to even a show a dirty gun to someone, much less try to sell it that way. I blame the "a dirty gun is a-okay" paradigm on all the tupperware pistols out there, by the way... I wouldn't enjoy cleaning an ugly gun often, either!
Sorry for my off-topic rant. Glad you got the deal you wanted. I, for one, love to hear someone say "only one mag through this one from my personal collection" just before I stick a bore light in and find 4 decades worth of uncleaned barrel. It makes the subsequent negotiations so very much more fun! I have found used guns on consignment at gun shops that were totally filthy, too, so it's not just individuals. Wow, even a used car salesman (for all the crap they take) will clean out a used car and give it a wash and wax before putting it on the lot. I understand a DEALER not putting a lot of money into a gun that's being flipped, but it seems like swiping it with a bore snake and an oily rag would just be good business, even if they won't take the time to properly clean it. I would be ashamed, as an individual, to even a show a dirty gun to someone, much less try to sell it that way. I blame the "a dirty gun is a-okay" paradigm on all the tupperware pistols out there, by the way... I wouldn't enjoy cleaning an ugly gun often, either!
Re: Ugg I just hate a dirty gun...
You could remove the grips, spray it out inside (from the top and bottom) with carb cleaner or brake cleaner and then relube with another spray lube.
I like taking guns apart so that is how a clean a new aquisition. I've also boiled handguns. Remove the grips, put some water in a pot on the stove, put in a squirt or two of dishwashing liquid, bring to a boil and slowly drop the gun into the water. Let it boil till the oil and crud stops coming out of the gun and floating to the surface (the hot water and detergent dissolve the oil and the boiling action breaks up crud, dirt, old lube and bubbles it out of the interior of the frame/cylinder. If you go this route be sure to pour the water off, lay the (very) hot gun on a dry towel and turn it frequently till it cools off. It'll be devoid of all lube on the metal surfaces so you've got to get some oil/lube back on the surfaces and moving parts.
I like taking guns apart so that is how a clean a new aquisition. I've also boiled handguns. Remove the grips, put some water in a pot on the stove, put in a squirt or two of dishwashing liquid, bring to a boil and slowly drop the gun into the water. Let it boil till the oil and crud stops coming out of the gun and floating to the surface (the hot water and detergent dissolve the oil and the boiling action breaks up crud, dirt, old lube and bubbles it out of the interior of the frame/cylinder. If you go this route be sure to pour the water off, lay the (very) hot gun on a dry towel and turn it frequently till it cools off. It'll be devoid of all lube on the metal surfaces so you've got to get some oil/lube back on the surfaces and moving parts.