Hi Lee, I also have a couple of S&W blued clips which are easily scratched and gunk up quickly, perhaps the soft steel could be part of your problem?
My cleaning procedure for my guns starts with brake cleaner, a quick brush then I cover with a cloth and use 3000psi compressed air from my dive tank to blast out the dirty liquid. Dental picks are used to remove lead build up between the barrel forcing cone and top strap. The moon clips I use are TK Custom Match. They are made of incredibly hard stainless steel, and are cut so accurately that when I stack them together they seem to form one perfect block of steel. Nothing sticks to these clips which are smooth as glass. The TK Custom Match moon clips are of the same quality as you would expect from a jet engine component. Be warned however they cost me $7USD each + tax and shipping. I bought 40. I use a Speed-E-Rack with which they have a perfect fit. Your funky clips could use some fine steel wool and penetrating oil to remove the cooked on carbon buildup?