Lead Removal

[Pipedoc]

I hope I am not posting in the wrong subforum. I have a couple of revolvers that have leaded up on me and I am looking at getting a Lewis lead remover.I don't mind spending money on tools that make my life easier and gun cleaning is about the only thing firearm related that I do not enjoy. My question is for you guys that have the Lewis kits is what is the thread size? Brownells says the rifle kits are 8-32 threads but do not give the thread size for the handgun kits. Shotgun is a different size. I would prefer to just order the appropriate caliber conversion kit if it works with a standard cleaning rod otherwise it is about an extra ten bucks or so for what looks like a pretty cheesy cleaning rod if you buy the full kit.Thanks in advance.

[Pipedoc]

I hope that doesn't appear as a wall of text. I broke that up into several paragraphs for easier reading and after submitting it shows as a wall of text on my tablet.

[Moonie]

Personally I just use Chorboy copper scrub pads, take some of the copper threads and wind them around an old cleaning brush and go to it. The copper won't hurt the barrel steel (make sure you get copper not copper colored steel pads).

[gpidaho]

Pipedoc: I use Birchwood Casey Lead Remover & Polishing Cloth Available anywhere you can buy cleaning supplies. Just cut an appropriate size patch and push it through. Works great. Also good to remove carbon. GP

[Pipedoc]

Personally I just use Chorboy copper scrub pads, take some of the copper threads and wind them around an old cleaning brush and go to it. The copper won't hurt the barrel steel (make sure you get copper not copper colored steel pads).
I am probably going to do that in the interim but I still want to buy the Lewis tool. It just looks like it is super simple and painless. The price is right but I don't want to spend the extra 10 bucks or so for the rod if I don't need too.

[Pipedoc]

Pipedoc: I use Birchwood Casey Lead Remover & Polishing Cloth Available anywhere you can buy cleaning supplies. Just cut an appropriate size patch and push it through. Works great. Also good to remove carbon. GP
Can a cloth really wipe out that much fouling? One of my guns is fouled something wicked. I could probably take a hammer and chisel and get enough lead to cast up a box or two of reloads. The other one is not bad at all.
Do you use these for just light leading?

[Dan Cash]

Montana Extreme lead solvent. It is amazing.

[ncbearman]

Shoot a few jacketed bullets through the barrel and that will help get the lead out!

[bullet maker 57]

I agree with Moonie. The chore boy does just as well as the Lewis Lead Remover. Cheaper also.

[Duster340]

Personally I just use Chorboy copper scrub pads, take some of the copper threads and wind them around an old cleaning brush and go to it. The copper won't hurt the barrel steel (make sure you get copper not copper colored steel pads).

/\ /\ /\
This- For me the quickest method to get it done.

[jeepyj]

Personally I just use Chorboy copper scrub pads, take some of the copper threads and wind them around an old cleaning brush and go to it. The copper won't hurt the barrel steel (make sure you get copper not copper colored steel pads).

I couldn't have said it better. Moonie's on the money. I keep an old copper cleaning brush designed for a .22 caliber and wrap it with strips cut of a chore-boy. Out of curiosity though have you looked into why your getting excessive leading? Are you shooting undersized boolits in the one that is leading hard? I mention it because it happed to me. Its actually how I found this site!
Jeepyj

[Moonie]

Once you get the lead out rather than planning on removing more lead in the future work towards creating loads that do not lead. This is a much better investment.

[dudel]

I like my Outers Foul-Out tool. Gets all the lead out atom by atom. No scrubbing. At the end, you know the bore is down to steel.

[trys357]

Chore Boy worked for me in my M&P 9mm.

[ncbearman]

Once you get the lead out rather than planning on removing more lead in the future work towards creating loads that do not lead. This is a much better investment.

What he said ^^^^
slug your barrel, cast, size .001 to .002 over, build an accurate load and you will never have leading again.

[Cadillo]

I agree with Moonie. The chore boy does just as well as the Lewis Lead Remover. Cheaper also.

Also a lot easier, more efficient, and faster to use too. I retired my Lewis after I tried Chore Boy on a bore brush.

[brassrat]

I would try the LLR but you need a bunch of different sizes, if I am not mistaken. Its over in a few seconds with a CB.

[Down South]

I bought a couple pads of the Big 45 Metal Cleaner a several years ago I still have most of it. The Chore Boy works well too. The Big 45 Pads look about like a Chore Boy but silver in color and I use them the same way. Wrap several strands around a cleaning brush. The light leading that I get on one of my 6-guns, it only takes a couple swipes.
Be Advised, Not all Copper Colored Scouring Pads Are Copper. Some are Steel with a Copper Coating. These can Damage your Firearm.

​Link to Big 45 Metal Cleaning Pads.
http://www.frontiermetalcleaner.com/

[Airman Basic]

This bronze wool stuff works too. Also cheap:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H5QDUO/

[Alstep]

Personally I just use Chorboy copper scrub pads, take some of the copper threads and wind them around an old cleaning brush and go to it. The copper won't hurt the barrel steel (make sure you get copper not copper colored steel pads).

Moonie is right on the money, and you'll save money at that! Easiest way to get the lead out since sliced bread was invented.

[KYCaster]

Pipedoc: I use Birchwood Casey Lead Remover & Polishing Cloth Available anywhere you can buy cleaning supplies. Just cut an appropriate size patch and push it through. Works great. Also good to remove carbon. GP


Yes, they will remove lead and carbon efficiently.......they will also remove bluing and steel, and will put a high polish on stainless steel.

Try it on an inconspicuous place where the change in the finish won't be noticed before you get too enthusiastic with it, and use it very sparingly in the barrel....you can easily wipe away the sharp edges of the rifling.

After ruining some very expensive boolit molds, the only place I'll use the lead wipe cloths is on the face of stainless revolver cylinders and inside the cylinder cut out in the frame around the barrel stub where carbon fouling builds up really bad.....and only after vigorous scrubbing with good carbon solvent and a brass brush.

YMMV
Jerry

[Bzcraig]

I have to admit I haven't ever had a badly leaded bore (thanks to copious reading here) but the leading I have had got the Chore Boy treatment with outstanding results.

[Virginia John]

Fire a cylinder or two of jacketed ammo and then use the Char-boy. Once you get it cleaned after every session of lead shooting fire a cylinder of jacketed ammo, makes cleaning much easier. You may want to consider Frog Lube as your CLP.

[old benn]

8-32 is standard for USA manufacture of cleaning rods. Lewis will fit them fine. Lewis kit works fine on cylinder throat, forcing cone and barrel. You did not mention caliber, but barrel dia. needs to be smaller than cly. throat by at least .001 and the bullet size needs to fill the cyl. throat. That should stop leading unless
your loads are too hot.

[nemesisenforcer]

spray barrel with some lube (I used WD40 *gasp* whatever you got on hand will work) let sit, copper or bronze brush with copper scrub pad threads around it, scrub, repeat as needed wipe out with patch, clean rest of gun with Hoppes or whatever preferred cleaning agent you use, lube with preferred oil, done.

[44man]

The biggest secret has been told, stop leading your gun to start with. You are doing something wrong. I have revolvers that have not had a patch through the bores in 3 years. I clean the cylinders and lube the pin, ratchet and front bushing with STP and leave the bores alone.
My .475 was shot so much I had a hard time loading because the cylinder was so mucked up with powder fouling and lube. Bore never touched. Shoots as good as day 1.
I have a LLR but never need it and never need Chore Boy either.
DO NOT SHOOT jacketed over bad lead fouling, it irons it into the bore.
Try a soft boolit shot very slow so you can see the boolits in flight. They can push out a lot of lead.
Your best bet is to stop the leading.

[ncbearman]

DO NOT SHOOT jacketed over bad lead fouling, it irons it into the bore.

Define bad. Since I was a wee lad I have used this method to clear out a bore and I have no lead "ironed into" my bores. I haven't had to do it often as I have made chamber casts (thanks to gear and grumpa) and slugged each of my barrels and know what size they are. And as we all know that is the answer to leading and fouling along with proper lube. So based on my personal experiences I have to respectfully disagree with the above quoted statement.

[44man]

I fear it and even freedom arms will accuse you of shooting over lead and ruining a barrel. I don't believe jacketed can push all lead in front of it.
Most .44's have .430 groove and many bullets are .429". what do you have?
I work on guns and have guys bring guns to be cleaned, seen lead so tight, nothing short of sand blasting would remove it. They always tell me they mixed bullets/boolits.
Solder a piece of metal and rub copper over it and see how good it works!
I believe you can over run lead in the bore.
Small amounts of leading do no harm if the next boolit pushes it out but if it is stuck, more will build up. That stuck lead is nothing you want to shoot jacketed over, you actually expand barrel steel.
Heat in the bore is over soldering heat and any boolit lube is a great flux. I tested all lubes with a soldering iron and all worked on copper, steel and brass.
Do what you want, but I will not in my guns.
Even the wrong alloy with a gas check will show lead on the check of recovered boolits. Tell me a check will remove leading!

[truckjohn]

I really get worried when I hear people talking about "Shooting lead out" of barrels with jacketed....
Why? Lead is a barrel restriction....

Would you shoot jacketed with mud or sand in your barrel? No? Then why would you shoot Jacketed over a leaded barrel? That's flirting with disaster.... To me, it's a recipe for bulged barrels and blown up guns....

If your barrel is leaded - clean the lead out properly. It's REALLY easy and cheap....

Thanks

[ncbearman]

I fear it and even freedom arms will accuse you of shooting over lead and ruining a barrel. I don't believe jacketed can push all lead in front of it.
Most .44's have .430 groove and many bullets are .429". what do you have?
I work on guns and have guys bring guns to be cleaned, seen lead so tight, nothing short of sand blasting would remove it. They always tell me they mixed bullets/boolits.
Solder a piece of metal and rub copper over it and see how good it works!
I believe you can over run lead in the bore.
Small amounts of leading do no harm if the next boolit pushes it out but if it is stuck, more will build up. That stuck lead is nothing you want to shoot jacketed over, you actually expand barrel steel.
Heat in the bore is over soldering heat and any boolit lube is a great flux. I tested all lubes with a soldering iron and all worked on copper, steel and brass.
Do what you want, but I will not in my guns.
Even the wrong alloy with a gas check will show lead on the check of recovered boolits. Tell me a check will remove leading!

This is why I asked "define bad". Agreed, the situation you describe is "Bad" but I guess it all goes back to why would you let a barrel get that "bad" before doing something about it. The instances I experienced and am talking about running a couple jwords through are when leading first appears. Not after many rounds have gone through the barrel. So I guess there are varying degrees of this situation. Personally I watch and maintain my guns while I am shooting along with getting them back into the shop.

So I guess a generic blanket statement of whether to run jacketed through a leaded barrel or not to by either of us may be flawed. If you have light leading or stripping and it is light, jacketed will push it out without barrel expansion. Then proceed to clean properly. And as 44man explains a heavy leaded barrel is risky to push jacketed through.

Mine slugged at groove spec .430 and I shoot .431 with no leading what so ever. I only shoot cast. As far as a check removing leading it is the same scenario. Size matters. If they are sized correctly to the barrel they will not lead.

[gray wolf]

The Lewis lead remover rod does not spin like a regular rod, a normal rod may not be as effective.
But I agree with much of what has been said above.

[44man]

A leaded gas check is caused by a too soft boolit that skids past the check. Gas channels open at the check and cut lead ahead of it. The check will run over lead even if the boolit starts .002" over groove.
The GC was designed to halt skid and keep rifling marks at rifling size but you can overcome it and skid the GC too. You need to start stopping skid before the boolit base is reached. That means a boolit tough enough to take rifling and turn to it.
Fit is not the final solution because you can destroy it.