Quickest and easiest way to remove lead from the barrel?

[Wilson]

About two months ago I spent an hour removing all the leading from a 9mm Storm Lake barrel. Since I've been shooting my own bullets I don't have near that problem, but I've still got 3,000 bullets from a commercial caster that gave me the serious leading mentioned above. I'd like to shoot these bullets up but don't want to spend an hour cleaning the barrel again.
Thanks.

[sundog]

Throw them into your own mix and recast. If YOUR boolits give no problem, then problem solved. Don't buy any more store bought boolits!

[wiljen]

You could try LLA on em and see if the leading was partially due to lack of lube, or melt em and make bullets that fit your bore. One of those two things is probably the best bet.

The best ways to remove lead also tend to be pretty toxic. Mercury will clean it out quickly, a vinegar solution will create soluble lead acetate in water - you then have toxic waste to dispose of.

[GrizzLeeBear]

Melt them down and make good boolits out of them.

The quickest way I have found to remove leading is with a small piece of a copper "Chor Boy" pad wrapped around a bronze brush. You can find copper Chor Boy pads in the cleaner isle of most grocery stores.

[docone31]

I use two methods.
First, I shoot some jacketeds down the barrel. Second, when I get to a place where I can clean, I use ChoreBoy copper pads. I cut one down and wrap it around my bore brush. Lots of Hoppes #9, and scrub a dub.
I have always gotten shiney bores. I do love that squeak.
I then swab the bore with a tight patch.
I only use my castings when I shoot boolitts.
I have never shot swaged lead, so I do not know the issues there.

[870TC]

Well not that I would reccomend this for regular use but, I cut the handle off a pistol cleaning rod, screwed in a bronze bore brush and put the rod in my cordless drill. Worked good, still have the gun, does'nt appear to be damaged and still shoots a tight group.

[DLCTEX]

I sold the offending bullets and cast my own. DALE

[Blackwater]

Some years back, the outfit I worked for used to issue me 1,000 rds. every 6 months to practice with, since I was a member of their pistol team. The only problem was, I think it'd been lubed with cow chips, and the lead used was obviously uncritical. VERY dirty stuff to shoot! I got a Lewis Lead Remover, and some of those "miracle cloths," and cleanup was much, Much, MUCH quicker. The Chore Girl brass pads ought to work nearly as well, but the Lewis Lead Remover uses an expanding shank of rubber that presses the brass screens into the grooves better than a chore girl on a brass brush, I think, and they're not expensive, so I heartily recommend them.

After using the Lewis Lead Remover, I'd wrap a small piece of that Miracle Cloth (I think it's the same as the cloths sold as "Lead Away?") around a brass brush and use that to remove the lube and remnants of lead that remained after the LLR. This kept my gun ship shape for a long time, and saved me a LOT of time and elbow grease that was better spent reloading decent (not to mention more accurate) loads for the gun.

I think the LLR is sold by Lyman now, but I don't recall the name they're using. Can someone without CRS disease fill that in?

[Blammer]

wrap some chor boy around a tight fitting patch.

works quick and easy.

[beagle]

I've always used bronze wool on a copper brush with Ed's Red. Takes even the nastiest stuff out in a couple of good, tight swipes./beagle

[EDK]

+1 on the choreboy and old brush.

0 on the Lewis Lead Remover. I keep breaking the threaded brass end of the rubber thingie. They are $5 and the instructions ain't worth a d---! (BROWNELLS bought this product line, IIRC)

** BEST ANSWER: Get some gas checked 357 boolits and load them light in your 9 mm brass. Veral Smith at Lead Bullet Technology suggests a few lightly loaded gas check boolits to remove lead and it works! I practice for Cowboy Action Shooting with Original Size VAQUEROS/BISLEY VAQUEROS...the last 5 through each gun are LYMAN 358156 at 38 special velocities. Same trick on the 44s.

:Fire::cbpour::redneck:

[454PB]

I use a lightly loaded jacketed bullet or a gas checked boolit to remove lead WHEN I EXPECT LEADING. However, if it appears unexpectedly, I simply slug the barrel. That pushes the lead out and gives me an excuse to remeasure my barrel.

[GabbyM]

I'd like to figure a way to get the black off my stainless revolver cylinder front face. Maybe vinegar? Haven't seen through that to the metal in at least fifteen years.

[FieldShunt]

Jacketed bullets to end a session are the easy way, but Berry's or other plateds seem just a bit more gentle. And they do work!
Failing that, the Chore Boy stuff wrapped around an old bore brush is so easy it's funny. I find it to be more effective than the Lewis, since it has many more scrubbing points, to coin a term. The first couple of swipes can haul out an amazing amount of lead.

[HABCAN]

FWIW the guys in our show group found that a cylinderfull of balloon-buster 'blanks' (loaded with seed tapioca) was super dandy for cleaning lead out of a barrel, LOL.

[gcf]

... Chore Boy stuff wrapped around an old bore brush is so easy it's funny.

1+ for the chore boy. I wrap a patch of it around a nylon brush - enough for a snug fit, & give it a few dry trips back / forth in the bore.

Follow up w/ a swab of solvent, & a couple passes w/ a bronze bore brush. Takes about 2 minutes, & you are good to go!

Note on the solvent: I don't like to leave any copper residue in a bore that I shoot lead out of. Might be overkill, but I like to follow the chore boy w/ Butches Bore Shine - just in case.

[gcf]

I'd like to figure a way to get the black off my stainless revolver cylinder front face. Maybe vinegar? Haven't seen through that to the metal in at least fifteen years.

Eagle Original Wadding Polish, from Wally World. Works better then it has a right to.

Just don't use it on blued steel.

[GabbyM]

Eagle Original Wadding Polish, from Wally World. Works better then it has a right to.

Just don't use it on blued steel.

Thanks gcf. I'll have to write that down.
Google brought up some pics to help me spot it.

[Bret4207]

4/0 steel wool wrapped to a snug fit on a worn bore brush lubed with ATF. Clean as a whistle in no time.

[pjh421]

All good information but I swear by my Outers Foulout. It does the work while I peruse back issues of The Cast Bullet Journal.

p.s. Since studying up here at CBU I don't use it as much.

Paul

[Bad Karma]

I use a Lewis Lead Remover, easy and works great! They're available at MidwaUSA.

[looseprojectile]

What works for me has always been a really, really tight fitting dry cotton patch driven through the bore with a brass rod. This takes it all out in one pass. Been doing it this way since before we had j word projectiles for revolters.
In the mid fifties all manufacturers made their boolits from pure lead for the .357, .44 mag. and such. Always was a mell of a hess. Works for leaded autos also. Except ifn it is labeled for "unleaded only". Don't want to violate Fderal law.

Life is good

[trickg]

Jacketed bullets to end a session are the easy way,...
How many rounds are we talking? Would a magazine of jacketed bullets in a 1911 do the trick? I have nearly 500 rounds of inexpensive 230 gr FMJ RN .45 ACP ammo, but I prefer to shoot my own reloads with lead bullets. I've gotten some minor leading (not my castings - purchased bullets) and was wondering if there was an easier way to get rid of it. The jacketed bullet idea seems like it would be an eays way to go as long as I've got those inexpensive jacketed rounds.

[jhalcott]

Some finishes do NOT respond well to lead wipe type chemicals. These are the color case hardened variety. This finish isn't found on semi auto s but older revolvers were "color case hardened" regularly.

[Ricochet]

This finish isn't found on semi auto s but older revolvers were "color case hardened" regularly.Wouldn't it be cool if someone made a color case hardened 1911? :-D

[mike in co]

ha....you guys are all full of it. working on the wrong side of the problem( tho a couple got it right or close.)

the easest way to lead out of a bbl is to pull the trigger!
the clue is to size it properly, with the correct alloy/hardness, and the right velocity for the alloy.

not only does this method remove lead from bbl's it also provides a type of fun called...shooting!

( ok so the clue is ddont lead the bbl.....melt them or sell them, but dont shoot them)



my 44 rem mag srh gets a dirty cylinder, but not a leaded bore........

mike in co

[felix]

Yep, Mike is correct. Shoot slow stuff as a chaser after every 20 rounds or so that have a tendency to load up with lead, as determined by accuracy. When accuracy goes just a little south, it's time for the chasers. About 3, using relatively sticky lead (low antimony) at 750 or so. ... felix

[runfiverun]

shoot a few good boolits after the bad you can see the lead work it's way down the bbl.
and out. don't think so??
weigh the bbl after the leading ones and then go shoot the non leading ones
and go weigh it again.

[unclebill]

I've always used bronze wool on a copper brush with Ed's Red. Takes even the nastiest stuff out in a couple of good, tight swipes./beagle

thats just what i do.
very quick and easy.

[trickg]

Yesterday when I went to the range, right before I left, I ran a magazine full of FMJ .45 ACPs down through and had zero lead in the barrel when I got home. That wasn't the case the last time I went out and I had to scrub to get the leading out. Some people may not think it works and it could be that I just didn't have any leading this time (not likely since I was firing the same reloads with the same bullets) but from my perspective, shooting some jacketed bullets through as a final measure before wrapping things up at the range seems like it works pretty well.

[dromia]

I've always used bronze wool on a copper brush with Ed's Red. Takes even the nastiest stuff out in a couple of good, tight swipes./beagle


Ditto the bronze wool.

Its getting harder to get hold of, ships chandlers are a good source.

The last couple of packets I bought here in the UK were US packaged.

[unclebill]

Ditto the bronze wool.

Its getting harder to get hold of, ships chandlers are a good source.

The last couple of packets I bought here in the UK were US packaged.

i am a window washer and i use it every day to clean stubborn glass.
you can get it from any window cleaning supply house..
i use 0000

[mooman76]

I've never tried it but have heard a load backed with some COW will clean it right out!

[Lloyd Smale]

im in the jacketed or gas checked bullet to clean it out camp but for the most part if your gun leads that badly theres a problem with it that needs to be delt with. You can play around with casting out of differnt alloys sizes ect but if a gun leads that badly its still going to lead to some degree unless you fix the problem causing it.

[SpaceGlocker]

easiest way is to make a mixture of ½ white vinegar and ½ hydrogen peroxide.....plug end of barrel ....pour in and let sit for approx 10 min......run a patch and it will be gone.............keep this mixture off of the blueing...it will remove that too.....works like a charm...an old blackpowder shooters cure!!

[Molly]

One or two shots of a load with Cream of Wheat will clean almost anything out of a bore (Except a stuck slug!). Simply can't be beat for quick, easy, cheap and thorough.

[mdi]

+1 for the Cream o' Wheat. I use a light load of Unique, a card separator (or tissue paper to keep the CoW separate from the powder), and a correctly sized bullet. Fire a few down the bbl, and it scrubs/cleans the lead out clean.