I have a S&W Model 327 "Performance Center" .357 magnum. This model is an 8-shot N-frame with a titanium cylinder.

Most of the time I have been shooting .38 specials in it. Recently I shot a cylinder full of Geco 158gr. brass cased .357 FMJ and the empty cases were virtually seized in the cylinder! It took some effort to get them out.

Upon examination, I could see a "burnished" ring of crud that I think was from firing the shorter .38 specials. I used some M-Pro7 and a tight patch to clean the cylinder as best I could, but the burnish marks are still there. I suspect this particular gun has a tight cylinder dimension as my titanium 340PD is much more forgiving in switching from specials to magnums.

Here is my question, given that S&W warns against harsh abrasive cleaning on their titanium cylinders, what is the best way to safely clean these cylinders? I do not want to chance using a brass brush and taking off the protective finish. I suppose I could try a nylon brush?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

-i8mtm

This message has been edited. Last edited by: i8mtm,

I always used a nylon brush. If it was tough to clean, I would soak it overnight in Eezox.

A little Flitz on a patch will easily clean that area.

Flitz is an abrasive, mild but still an abrasive. Not sure I would use that. I stay away from titanium because of the extra care they require. I’m sure you know this but the titanium cylinder also has a clear lacquer that you need to be careful what you use on it. For some reason I think ammonia eats through it leaving bare titanium. Not sure of all that but pretty sure, enough that I would use the right stuff only.

I have been through this before with a S&W 342Ti that I once had
When a 38spl is shot a bunch in a 357 cylinder you get that carbon ring that is very hard to remove
I made up a scraper from a spent brass 357 case that has been sharpened on the inside with a tapered reamer & the case swaged with a 50 cal bullet, The primer pocket drilled out to accept a screw the same as a cleaning rod & it makes a great tool for removing the carbon, It just scrapes it away & the case is brass which is a soft metal
Here's a picture of a 38spl Taurus I was working on last month & the tool is at the very top of the photo with an arrow pointing toward the case end of the homemade apparatus
GOOD LUCK & Don't take a Dremel & mop or anything to the Titanium

SORRY FOR THE HUGE PHOTO

I've had good luck cleaning those rings out of cylinders with Hoppes and a brass tornado brush (sized one size up from the bore brush for the given caliber, due to the chamber being slightly larger than the rifled bore). I am not sure, however, if this would be safe on a Ti cylinder. I've heard Hoppes is a no-no on those since it contains ammonia. While the tornado brushes seem less abrasive than a traditional bore brush, I'm not sure if they're soft enough for the coating on a Ti cylinder or not.

I'm interested in the responses to this thread, as I've always been intrigued by the titanium cylinder guns, but have shied away due to this very issue.

Beretta92, I like that tool. I may have to make one. What's the story on that poor Taurus? I'm not overly fond of the company, but that pic makes even me cringe...!

I know this is not exactly what you asked for, but it may be helpful. One of the first pistols I ever bought was a S&W Model 28, a big N-frame .357 mag. At the time, I had a friend that was in the commercial reloaded ammo business. He would sell me .38 wadcutter rounds for a very good price. He had a bunch of reloading machines and loaded them by the thousands. I don't know how many thousands of rounds of .38 wadcutters I put thru the .357. One day I shot it with some .357 ammo and had a heck of a time getting the empty cases out of the cylinder. I found out the hard way that shooting a lot of .38s in a .357 cruds up the cylinder. I used a wire brush and scrubbed and scrubbed and soaked the cylinder and scrubbed some more. I finally got it clean and have no problems with .357 cases in it now. Since then, I never shoot .38s in a 357. That experience gave me a reason to buy several more revolvers, some .38s and some .357.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
I've had good luck cleaning those rings out of cylinders with Hoppes and a brass tornado brush (sized one size up from the bore brush for the given caliber, due to the chamber being slightly larger than the rifled bore). I am not sure, however, if this would be safe on a Ti cylinder. I've heard Hoppes is a no-no on those since it contains ammonia. While the tornado brushes seem less abrasive than a traditional bore brush, I'm not sure if they're soft enough for the coating on a Ti cylinder or not.

I'm interested in the responses to this thread, as I've always been intrigued by the titanium cylinder guns, but have shied away due to this very issue.

I had no idea that there were brass Tornado brushes until your post. I avoid the steel ones like the plague, but would use a brass one on chambers, if not bores.

I have a titanium cylindered 325PD that I just clean normally with Hoppes, and haven't noticed any apparent damage to the finish. Now I have one more thing to worry about.

Thanks, i8mtm, for asking this question. Good luck with the cleaning.
So whar is the Brain Trust recommendation re what solvent to use on titanium cylinders. I have avoided Hoppes, and used CLP, but never been confident that my cylinder won’t one day catch on fire….

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Beretta92, I like that tool. I may have to make one. What's the story on that poor Taurus? I'm not overly fond of the company, but that pic makes even me cringe...!

I have also used an old trick wrapping Chore Boy Copper scrubbing pad around an old bore brush & having at the cylinder which I would remove to just get ahold of it better
I also remember some "Special Sauce" my old buddy would use to soak the compensator of his P220Sport in from an auto parts store
It smelled like kerosene to me

That Taurus was bought "By Me" for $199.95 & had rust beneath the grip panels which were the old Pachmayr rubber grips
It cleaned up very good with chore boy & solvo rust
Also got all NEW Wolff Gunsprings throughout
It also got new Pachmayr grips same as the ones removed & is now living in my safe
It's a early 90s Taurus 85CH with bright bluing
has to be worth $200, Its much nicer than the ones made now days...

Here's another shot of that tool when I was breaking the cylinder down for a spit shine
Snap caps in the cylinder to protect the star & pins & use an old drill chuck to remove the ejector rod, Just like a S&W...

Look up SliXprings. They make a carbon scraping tool specifically made for .357 and .44 Magnum cylinders. I tried to post pictures last night, but something has changed on the Imgur photo hosting website and I can’t figure it out. I use these tools on my cowboy action shooting pistols - they work well and save a lot of time. I have a S&W 342PD and Model 296 so I am aware of the special care needed when cleaning the titanium cylinders. These scrapers are machined to the size of the brass casing and should not harm the special coating.

Cheers,
OVW

Slightly over-sized bronze brush chucked into a drill.

Having 3 .357 Max guns the well used cases work great when belled a pinch to scrape out .38 and .357 chambers! First I put a pinch of Kroil on a patch and swab the chambers then I run a knife blade around the case mouth then bell a bit, works very well.

quote:

I have also used an old trick wrapping Chore Boy Copper scrubbing pad around an old bore brush & having at the cylinder which I would remove to just get ahold of it better

I've done that as well, and it works pretty well. I also have a lewis lead remover, which is basically the same concept, but it also comes with a handy forcing cone cleaning tool as well. Ultimately the brass tornado brushes are the best thing I've found for cylinders, though they're not as effective in the rifling as the Lewis tool or the chore boy pads.

That Taurus turned out pretty darn good! Crazy how it was pristine everywhere except under those grips. Makes me want to pull the pachmayrs off any of my guns that have them to check...

What I don’t understand is the rust inside the frame under the Pachmayrs. It seems to have followed the outline of the grips on the outside of the frame to the inside. How does that happen?

OVW - thanks for the info on the scrapers from SliXprings!

I called and spoke with the owner and he said that the scrapers should not hurt the cylinders at all, but will remove the burnished carbon. I ordered a .357 and a .44 mag scraper to try as I also have a titanium 329PD. Although that one I don't really shoot too much, as you can imagine!

Also, thanks to the others that posted some good tips.

Regards,

-i8mtm

quote:

Originally posted by Old Vark WSO:
Look up SliXprings. They make a carbon scraping tool specifically made for .357 and .44 Magnum cylinders. I tried to post pictures last night, but something has changed on the Imgur photo hosting website and I can’t figure it out. I use these tools on my cowboy action shooting pistols - they work well and save a lot of time. I have a S&W 342PD and Model 296 so I am aware of the special care needed when cleaning the titanium cylinders. These scrapers are machined to the size of the brass casing and should not harm the special coating.

Cheers,
OVW

i8mtm -

You’re welcome! I think you will be happy with these scrapers. They can also be used to scrape the chambers of .357 and .44 Magnum rifles as well (I shoot a lot of .38s from my Italian made cowboy .357 lever gun).

And I meant to say on my last post, my hat’s off to you for shooting magnums in these light pistols! The +P loads in mine really get my attention.

Cheers,
OVW

Wanted to give an update for the Forum.

I received the SliXprings scrapers and used oil and the scraper to clean the cylinder of my 327. I think the scrapers are a worthwhile addition to my toolkit, but it did not seem that there was much crud buildup.

Even after cleaning all residue from the cylinders, the Geco brass-cased 158 grain FMJ *still* seized tight in the cylinder!

I then switched ammo, I used some Hornady nickel plated .357 and also some brass Speer .357 and the empties popped right out.

The only thing I can think of is that the Geco may be oversized and then once fired it really gets oversized and stuck.

I think the scrapers are good to have, but this apparently was more of an ammo problem.

If anyone else has insight on the use and care of these titanium cylinder revolvers, I would love to hear it!

Thanks,

-i8mtm