gun dropped

I was hunting this weekend with my RSBH. I have it in a nylon holster with a nylon strap. Not the best match but it fits. As I was stepping over a log I had to bend over at a weird angle and heard a thump. When I looked down I saw my gun almost completely sunk into what I call sugar sand. Sugar sand is that thin stuff that goes everywhere. Needless to say there was sand in every imaginable part on the gun. To clean it I used a vacuum with a brush nozzle and removed as much as I could. After the vacuuming I got my air compressor and blew air into every part of the gun in an attempt to clear it. After that I cleaned the gun like normal. It appears and sounds OK but I am still a little worried. My question is has anybody experienced this and what have you done to clean.

A little sand may just smooth out the trigger a bit ;-)

I would at least remove the grips and cylinder to get better access to the innards and flush it with an evaporating aerosol cleaner as that should carry away the small particles, and then blow it out with your compressor again. If you are comfortable with splitting the grip frame/frame I would suggest that. Some cleaners are hard on paint, rubber or wood so be sure of what you are using. Some Ruger parts on some guns are painted aluminum so be aware. A good rinse should do her well.

s4s4u is on the mark especially if your not comfortable breaking the gun down yourself and cleaning each piece individually. The two best products I've found that I primarily use in my shop are Break Free Powder blaster and second is non chlorinated brake cleaner from your local auto parts store. Both of those are normally ok with most plastics but still take precautions. The Break Free is sold at Wal Mart under the Winchester name and it's my top pick of the two but either will flush the innerds out. Also dont get carried away with putting a bunch of oil on the gun afterwards as that will just attract sand and dirt. A drop here and there at pivot or friction poinst is all that is needed.

Since all the cleaners also remove lube and the gun will need a little, Plain old hot water and dish soap flushed on all parts works too. Use hot water so it dries and blow the gun out good.
If it is blued steel, spray some Barricade or Sheath in it.

I know how you feel. After checking my trap line using my little skiff I bent over to tie it to the dock and get the truck. Splash. I looked down and saw my 22 pistol in the ocean. The water was about 6 feet deep at the time and the tide was coming in. I had a push pole in the boat and heavy bailing wire so I used it to retrieve my pistol. I was really nervous about the saltwater corroding it badly. I thoroughly rinsed it in fresh water and dried it. Put a good coat of oil on it. Rust was never a problem.