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How do you clean the lead out of a barrel? My 94 .44 mag leads pretty badly at the chamber mouth even with mild loads of Bullseye and Unique. I've just been using Hoppe's 9, a bronze brush, and 2 or 3 patches on a .45 muzzle loader jag (I'm still not getting all of it out ). Is there an easier/better way to clean the lead out of a barrel?
I now have a Lee bullet size and lube kit, so I'm lubing my bullets, sizing them to .429, and seating gas checks. I haven't had a chance to use these bullets yet, but I'm hoping that will make a big difference with my leading problems.
So again, what's the best way to "de-lead" a barrel?
One thing that I've found works very well for major bad leading is to put a tuft of fine steel wool through the slot in a pull-through, then stick it down the barrel and scrub back and forth. You should see a lot of lead on the steel wool. Once you get most of it out, you can use the liquid bore cleaners. Once the barrel is clean, I never use the load that did it again. There is something seriously wrong with the bullet/load if it is giving you major leading at the chamber mouth.
C2N14... because life is not energetic enough. מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976 Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
One half white vinegar and one half hydrogen peroxide...won't hurt the wood or metal and eats lead......Plug one end, fill up....half an hour run some patches thru it.....
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First
Proud Life Member Of:
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Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
DAV
I don't know what could be wrong with the load, though I'll admit that I haven't been reloading for that long. Like I said, I'm using midrange loadings of Bullseye and Unique, neither of which are "hot" powders by any means. I'm kind of excited to see how my lubed/sized/gas checked bullets perform.
What kind of bullet? I'm reloading on a used Dillon 450 Jr that came with a BUNCH of .44 cal Dillon bullets. I have no idea about the alloy, but I know that the bullets can't be marked by a fingernail (if that tells you anything).
If you were shooting a GC bullet without a GC you could be getting some cutting since the base can't obturate enough to seal well...
Just throwing out guesses...
C2N14... because life is not energetic enough. מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976 Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
I found this method to work well. Start with a oversize bronze bore brush, wrap the brush with copper scouring pad. The pad must be pure copper, some are steel that are copper coated. You never want to use steel wool in your barrel." Chore Boy" brand that you can get at the supermarket is the one I use. No liquid cleaners just the dry brush. You can use it for every time you clean as the copper will not wear your barrel. I got the tip from "Wilson Combat" the maker of top of the line 1911's. Good luck!
Here I was all ready to tell you my magical way of cleaning any leading and other assorted stuff outta barrels.
Then I see the LONGILAND FLASH, foxtrapper, has just about said it all and there is nothing to add to his dissertation. It works like a champ !1
foxtrapper wrote:I found this method to work well. Start with a oversize bronze bore brush, wrap the brush with copper scouring pad. The pad must be pure copper, some are steel that are copper coated. You never want to use steel wool in your barrel." Chore Boy" brand that you can get at the supermarket is the one I use. No liquid cleaners just the dry brush. You can use it for every time you clean as the copper will not wear your barrel. I got the tip from "Wilson Combat" the maker of top of the line 1911's. Good luck!
What foxtrapper said, especially the part about running the brush/pad through dry. Any solvent will act as a lube and you'll just polish the lead in place.
Now, I'll bet your bullets are too small in diameter for your barrel. At .429" they are probably .001" to .002" under grove diameter. I'll bet a box of primers that if you slugged that barrel you'd be surprised at what you find.
Regardless of what diameter the barrel is, you should run cast / lead bullets at least .001"-.002" larger than grove diameter.
Sometimes the softer bullets will expand to seal the bore, and that is what it appears is happening with your rifle. But from the experience I've had with my pistol caliber lever actions if you start out with a bullet larger than grove diameter it doesn't have to expand to seal, it seals right off.
Joe
***Be sneaky, get closer, bust the cap on him when you can put the ball where it counts .***
KirkD wrote:One thing that I've found works very well for major bad leading is to put a tuft of fine steel wool through the slot in a pull-through, then stick it down the barrel and scrub back and forth. You should see a lot of lead on the steel wool. Once you get most of it out, you can use the liquid bore cleaners. Once the barrel is clean, I never use the load that did it again. There is something seriously wrong with the bullet/load if it is giving you major leading at the chamber mouth.
I agree 100%. I learned this trick from the late Ralph Walker, founder of Walker Arms in Alabama. It isn't hard enough to scratch moly steel & only burnishes it. I tested this method & found no change in barrel dimensions. In the 80's when I shot over 35,000rounds per year thru my skeet & trap guns, it made cleaning a snap. Literally seconds & the leading was gone. Still use the method.
Use 0000 grade & try it for yourself...it works for me.
Lewis lead remover works well but not always found on store shelves. Good bronze bore brush wrapped with bronze wool like the boys said. Be sure to use a muzzle guide if cleaning from muzzle. 1886.
A can of Kroil , a 44 and 45 caliber bronze brushlots of passes thru the barrel, some real good heavy cotton patches both dry and soaked in kroil, run thru the bore on 44 caliber jags, the 45 caliber jag, until you quit getting grey on the patches. Lots of elbow grease.
Move those bullets up to .430 or larger and your leading problem will likely subside quite a bit.
When I shot lead out of pistols a lot I would just shoot a few jacketed rounds out of the gun when I got done shooting and it would blow/scrape the lead out.
I have also used a bronze brush and no solvent to scrub lead out. It is not hard to do.
I use the Lewis Lead Remover. I've never been comfortable with shooting a jacketed bullet through my gun to clean out the lead. In my mind it seems there's the possibility of the jacketed bullet riding over the lead and potentially bulging the bbl. Just my opinion.
Copper Chor-Boy wraped around a bore brush does a good job whenever I get lead wich aint often.
Your bullet may be too hard or you are pushing it too hard.
Last edited by Chuck 100 yd on Sat Jan 05, 2008 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When I get serious lead, I don't worry about getting it all at once. I do the soak overnight with Hoppes solvent........patch out next day then brush, repeat if necessary. The copper chore girl sounds like a great idea, especially for Ruger forcing cones You can avoid most leading when you find the right bullet combo. I go .001 over groove diameter.....that or maybe .002 in some guns. I like slower burning, case filling powders for my 356 Win. I shoot the .359 RCBS 200 Gr. FNGC at what should be 2000-2100 fps. Easy cleanup...sometime it requires a few trips of the brush down the bore but not the soak method.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
I did keep a note in thuis subject,a red cleaning cloth was used and any lead residue would show up good on red and it would help determine if the barrel was cleaned good.
Jeff Quinn wrote:I plug the bore and fill it with mercury. Gets out every little speck of lead.
Jeff, that's old school But I still have some from way back when. I still have some old Smithing books that recommended it, too. Almost like magic.
Now Days I use an old bore brush wrapped tight with bronze wool. Brownells has it as does most marine supply stores. I'm not a big fan of steel wool on sharp rifling.
I never thought steel wool was a good idea in a gun barrel. That is until I took a problem gun to Ron Long ( some of you might of heard of him , the highwall guru, king of the 40-65) anyway after we visited about the thing abit. He reached under his bench grabbed some steel wool wound it on a jag oiled it and went to work. I asked him wouldn't that hurt the barrel, Nope actually not a bad thing to do to one once in awhile was the reply.
Hydrogen peroxide is very corrosive. I'd consider it on a stainless barrel but not a carbon steel barrel.
"I have reached up to the gun rack and taken down the .30/30 carbine by some process of natural selection, not condoned perhaps by many experts but easily explained by those who spend long periods in the wilderness areas."~Calvin Rutstrum~
"You come to the swamp, you better leave your skirt at the house"~Dave Canterbury~
Last year, I decided to use extra fine steel wool for a serious lead problem I had in my 25-20, after using it regularly to scrub off slightly raised corrosion spots and hard crud on old Winchester barrels. I have yet to harm the bluing on any of those barrels. If it won't harm the blueing, then it's not likely going to do any worse inside the bore. It sure got the lead out, though. The few times you will need to do this (assuming you quit using the heinous load that is giving you all that lead) will not hurt the bore at all. The method is just as Don McDowell described.
KirkD , You are right. It would take a lot of rubbing to do any damage to a barrel with steel wool. I don`t see a problem with it on modern barrel steel and have done exactly as you describe.
Swampman wrote:Hydrogen peroxide is very corrosive. I'd consider it on a stainless barrel but not a carbon steel barrel.
I'm talking the kind in the brown bottle like you put on your skin, brush your teeth with I don't care if you use it or not, just get your flippin' facts straight
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First
Proud Life Member Of:
NRA
Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
DAV
"I'm talking the kind in the brown bottle like you put on your skin, brush your teeth with"
Me too, I've seen it turn the inside of a barrel to a solid coat of rust pretty fast.
"I have reached up to the gun rack and taken down the .30/30 carbine by some process of natural selection, not condoned perhaps by many experts but easily explained by those who spend long periods in the wilderness areas."~Calvin Rutstrum~
"You come to the swamp, you better leave your skirt at the house"~Dave Canterbury~
Hydrogen Peroxide, The pure stuff is ROCKET FUEL ( highly explosive) My dad hauled the HP fuel that Craig Breedlove used to fire the blue flame to a new land speed record. It is/was made here in Vancouver WA. by FMC corp.
The brown bottle stuff found in the local drug store is only about 1-2% concentration.
Yes it will rust steel but the trick is not to let it dry on without oiling the metal. Oxegen and HP togeather can cause bad rust in a short time.
I will vouch for 0000 steel wool to clean a leaded bore.I was about to have a bore liner put in my 1917 1892 Winchester 32-20. Kirk told me to try the oooo steel wool,I wrapped a .30 caliber bore brush with the wool and soaked it in Hoppe's #9 and the steel wool loked like it was made of silver. I have used it for years with oil to clean rust from gunswith no harm to the bluing. This is what I use,other say it's bad so you do your guns the way you choose.
JerryB II Corinthians 3:17, Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Jeff Quinn wrote:I plug the bore and fill it with mercury. Gets out every little speck of lead.
That is very interesting. Where could one purchase mercury in that quantity?
It does work, it will amalgemate with the heavy metals including gold and silver.
The downside is that it is extremley toxic in quite small quantities. In my teens I worked for a company that refined and reclaimed it. I shudder to think of the things that we did. Now it is a full resperator and body suit job just to handle it.
It is a neuro toxin and that is where the expression mad as a hatter comes from they used to set the nap of the cloth by revolving hats in baths of hot mercury because it dident wet the cloth.
I would imagine you would need all sorts of permits to get it now, at least you do here. If you do aquire it please be very carefull in its handeling for the sake of yourself and family.
Dave wrote:When I shot lead out of pistols a lot I would just shoot a few jacketed rounds out of the gun when I got done shooting and it would blow/scrape the lead out.
I've heard this method will also just force the lead down into the corner at the base of the rifling.
I just use the Kleen Bore "tornado" or "cyclone" brushes. They scrape all the lead out, and they're easy to use. Just keep in mind, they're a one way kinda brush. Don't scrub back and forth with them, or you'll ruin them.
I follow this with a stab jab and Kleen Bore's little lead away patches.
Hunter Ed. instructor
NRA Basic pistol Inst.
NRA Personal protection inst.
NRA Range safety officer
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1
bj94 wrote:Is bronze wool easy to find at a good hardware store, not a HomeDepot but maybe an ACE hardware or TruValue hardware?
I get them at the dollar store, but they can be had just about anywhere.
Hunter Ed. instructor
NRA Basic pistol Inst.
NRA Personal protection inst.
NRA Range safety officer
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1
I tried the jacketed bullet to remove leading thing a couple of times. What it really does is remove most of the lube residue, and leaves alllll the lead right where it twas to start with.
Travis Morgan wrote:
...I follow this with a stab jab and Kleen Bore's little lead away patches.
What's a stab jab?
That's what ya get when ya try to spel "STAB JAG" on a tiny keyboard with big fingers. I hate my wife's laptop.
Hunter Ed. instructor
NRA Basic pistol Inst.
NRA Personal protection inst.
NRA Range safety officer
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1
There are Stab jags, and Wrap jags. The stab jag has the pointy thing on top, and is made for you to stab the little point through a patch, for scrubbing.
The wrap jag is made for wrapping the patch around it, and has no point. (Not that they're pointless. Well, in a sense.......)
Hunter Ed. instructor
NRA Basic pistol Inst.
NRA Personal protection inst.
NRA Range safety officer
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1
No problem, it's all a learning experience. I wish more people were willing to help new guys with basics. Too many seem to think you have no business asking questions unless you were John Browning's teacher.
Hunter Ed. instructor
NRA Basic pistol Inst.
NRA Personal protection inst.
NRA Range safety officer
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1
). Is there an easier/better way to clean the lead out of a barrel?
.***
You can avoid most leading when you find the right bullet combo. I go .001 over groove diameter.....that or maybe .002 in some guns. I like slower burning, case filling powders for my 356 Win. I shoot the .359 RCBS 200 Gr. FNGC at what should be 2000-2100 fps. Easy cleanup...sometime it requires a few trips of the brush down the bore but not the soak method.
I don't care if you use it or not, just get your flippin' facts straight 
I tried the jacketed bullet to remove leading thing a couple of times. 
What it really does is remove most of the lube residue, and leaves alllll the lead right where it twas to start with. 