Cleaning a Black Powder Revolver with the Infante S6
Sam.S 12.08.21
Welcome back to putting the Infante S6 to the test! Last time I covered the review of the Infante S6 as well as a follow-up with cleaning a rimfire suppressor with this handy ultrasonic cleaner. I decided I have one more mess to throw at it and see how it performs. I have a black powder revolver on hand and it needs to be cleaned thoroughly. Today, I found some time to clean that dirty, fouled up, and gummy black powder revolver. Wondering how it went? Let’s dive right down the rabbit hole!
Headaches of Black Powder
Black powder firearms can be some of the most fun you will have at the range. If you are not used to them then you have the potential to find them extremely satisfying upon initial impressions. They make a big plume of smoke and can be pretty mild in recoil. The experience of loading them can be daunting, take some time, and practice, but overall the whole thing is a real feel-good time. However, there are a whole host of downsides.
The downsides mainly consist of getting dirty. Black powder firearms foul up aggressively and quickly. Even to the point where the mechanism stops working or a bullet can no longer be shoved in a cylinder or bore without strain. Moving parts become gummy and hard to work with. Cocking a gummed-up gun feels like the hammer is fighting a piece of rubber. Besides uncleanliness, they also are prone to damage and rust from the corrosive nature of black powder and its substitutes. All too often is a new black powder firearm shut away – after first use – only to be found in a pitted, messy disrepair and neglect. These negative attributes can make working with black powder firearms sort of intimidating and tiresome.
All of that being said I went out and had some fun with a Pietta black powder revolver I have on hand. I shot it as much as my hands could tolerate in the cold and it was plenty to get the gun dirty. On top of that, I ended up being busy with life events that this revolver fell into neglected maintenance for a few days which worked in favor of this gun being harder to clean. After seeing the work the solution did on the rimfire suppressor I was not worried though.
How Did it Do? – Infante S6
So, how did the Infante S6 perform when it came to the fouling, dirtiness of this revolver, and its parts? It went extremely well once again and only required one cycle! I broke down the revolver to its base parts and prepped them in no way shape or form. I used a tea infuser to hold the smaller parts that would normally just fall out of the Infante cage. From there, they were submerged for a four-minute cycle. The initial reaction to the solution and ultrasonic waves was interesting and different compared to the pistol and suppressor I cleaned before.
Note: When submerging a barrel, suppressor, or anything that may trap air make sure to put it in the solution slowly and at an angle to ensure all air is fully evacuated and now is trapped while cleaning for best results.
Instead of light dust flaking off of dark carbon build-up, it was a brownish cloud pluming in solution. It was awesome to watch because it was so immediate and I have no real idea why that could be. The revolver itself has a polished steel finish and lots of pores from the engraving so I do not know why the dirtiness was removed so well. Perhaps it is because the fouling had not done its dirty duty and penetrated deeper into the materials. A thankful thing because I like this gun.
Upon exiting the solution the components were easily wiped clean. The bore was scrubbed quickly and without the hassle. The stuff that poured out of it was a blackish-brown left from the fouling and lead buildup, but it came out in a thick liquid and was easy to clean. The pockets that usually hold the percussion cap nipples were pretty filthy, but were remedied with a Q-tip. The burn marks from the ignition spots required some light scrubbing with a nylon brush. Normally, I would have to soak the revolver in solvent just to break things up, but the Infante S6 made short work of this challenge, too! Very impressed.
Conclusion – Infante S6 versus Black Powder Revolver
The last sentence says it all. This machine has yet to disappoint me in its quality and performance. It just plain and simply does a great job and I would highly recommend it to any competent gunsmith or hobbyist out there! Til next time my friends, make sure you stay safe out there.
In closing, I want to say thank you to Greg Infante and Infante Ultrasonics for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their Infante S6 Model. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that this Ultrasonic Cleaner is worth spending your money on? Would you use this in your shop? Would this be your go-to cleaning method? Let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
