Best Lead remover

[repeat]

Just bought a Marlin 1894 Cowboy and its got lead in the bore close to the throat but enough that I want it gone.
I have not shot it yet but they must have at the factory.
I have used everything I have,Butches Bore Shine,Hoppe's,Shooters Choice,M-Pro 7 and wore out a good new bore brush and still some is left.
What are you guys using?
Thanks

[megasupermagnum]

Hoppes #9, wet patch, let it soak. Then a copper bore brush wrapped in copper chore boy. You can get the worst of the worst leading out this way.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I put a brass jag on a cleaning rod, cotton patch and then wrap it with a thin layer of 0000 steel wool (20-30 strands).
I've done the same using one long strand from a copper choreboy scouring pad.

The Choreboy works better for heavily lead-fouling
and
0000 works better for light lead-fouling.

Good luck.

edit: I use Ed's Red on the patch, but any good bore solvent will work.

[Randy C]

I don't know whats best, when shooting i take a tight patch with turpentine, At home I plug the barrel and fill it with Hoppes and let it set over night i shoot BP. brush then patch the next day. Ive used steal wool it works.

[M-Tecs]

https://shop.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/patches-mops/lead-remover/brass-patches-9mm-38-sku516200038-21587-19650.aspx?cm_mmc=PPC-_-Itwine-_-Bing-_-516-200-038&msclkid=ab6e5e0b602810c636720249150a3d3d

https://sharpshootr.com/no-lead/
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2013/07/new-no-lead-lead-remover-this-stuff-really-works/

http://www.big45metalcleaner.com/

[JWFilips]

1/3 pure turps, 1/3 hoppe's #9, 1/3 Kroil

[upnorthwis]

Outers Foul Out. Don't even know if it's made anymore. Have heard some of the chemicals are hard to get.

[tja6435]

The Barnes cleaner is the best I've ever used

[Bazoo]

Bout the easiest and fastest thing I've ever seen or used is a trick accredited to Veral Smith. Take a bore brush and wrap around it a piece of copper / bronze cleaning pad or wool. Cedar brand cleaning stuff has an all copper scrubber that when unrolled looks like a piece of chainmail, I cut a piece about 1 1/2 wide by 4 wide and wrap it around tight. It will remove the worst fouling in just a few minutes. If you can't find an all copper scrubber PM me and I'll send you one.

[Lefty SRH]

Kroil works GREAT for getting lead out of a barrel

[38-72]

Carburetor cleaner and a tight fitting patch.

[sutherpride59]

Honestly a barrel jag with a cotton patch with some copper wool(chore boy or other found at the hardware store) is what I found works quick, fast and in a hurry. Use a little oil, solvent, grease, whatever you want just to make it easier to pull back and forth. Soaking takes too long when all you need is a few passes with copper wool. I wouldn’t take steel anything to my barrel though.

[Walks]

J-B Bore Cleaner. From Brownell's

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.

You may have a rough spot in your rifles bbl. You can use J-B & Kroil to polish your bore. That may help eliminate some of the leading you are experiencing.

[sw282]

6 rds of JKTD factory ammo

[Petrol & Powder]

The ammonia based solvents (Hoppes #9, Sweets, etc.) are designed to attack copper fouling and are not terribly effective on lead.

Removing lead is more of a mechanical process and the oil based solvents like Kroil (my favorite) are more useful. Turpentine is also fairly effective.

Combining a mechanical method such as wrapping a patch or jag with copper wool (Chore Boy) with a light oil (Kroil) seems to maximize the effectiveness.

You don't dissolve lead fouling, you scrap it out.

[gwpercle]

0000 a 1/4 inch wide strand steel wool wrapped around a bronze bore brush and any solvent, penetrating oil , bore cleaner , Ed's Red (do a search for the recipe) , J-B Bore Cleaning Paste , kerosene , etc.
The steel wool does the work, the oil or solvent just lubes the bore .

Then there is always the Lewis Lead Remover.... I've always had success with the bore brush , steel wool and J-B Bore cleaner or Ed's Red.
Gary

[rfd]

lotta great suggestions on how to get the lead out.

and after the leading is out, maybe give paper patching a try for a no-leading load. :)

[rfd]

6 rds of JKTD factory ammo

yep, hickok45's de-leading remedy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGd3H4bQh2w

[Toymaker]

To start I'm with JonB and Lefty. The combination of a little fine steel wool and Kroil has worked wonders for me for light leading. I'll stopper/plug the bore and let a little Kroil sit in the barrel overnight first. That lets it seep under the lead and makes removal easier.

I have had a couple of issues with heavy leading where it just wouldn't move. I stoppered/plugged the bore and filled it with mercury. Then stand it in a corner and let is sit a day or two. Obviously this requires more care and caution. You don't want a spill and you need to carefully dispose of the cleaning patches when you're done.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

+1 sw282 a a half-dozen-twenty jacketed bullets clears most leading

[Shuz]

I've found that a Bhn 11 to 14, .431 sized gas checked boolit of 220 to 250g and a stiff charge of H-110, 296, or WC820, will remove any tuff leading in about 6 rounds. I use this method for revolvers, and have yet to try it in my rifles.

[HARRYMPOPE]

yup,I shoot the lead out also Shuz.

[jmort]

I agree with one of the recommendations of M-TECs
https://sharpshootr.com/no-lead/
Best I have run across.

[JBinMN]

I'd bet that many don't realize this topic has been discussed here at CB.GL Forum approx. 650 times.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Best-Lead-remover+site:castboolits.gunloads.com&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBirqVnvrfAhURx58KHVm0AdEQrQIoBDAKegQIA BAM&biw=1093&bih=501

Search engines work.

Anyway, I have read quite a few of them & "chore boy" with some Ed's Red gets my vote for the easiest solution for me.

I have both here at the house & for the little bit of leading I have had build up in the past, they took it right out. I even take a portable cleaning kit with me when going to shoot & there is a bit of chore boy in the kit for when I am working up a load & may get some leading.

Inexpensive & easy... That works fine for me.

G'Luck! in your choice among all of the suggestions...
;)

[jmort]

I'd bet that many don't realize this topic has been discussed here at CB.GL Forum approx. 650 times.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Best-Lead-remover+site:castboolits.gunloads.com&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBirqVnvrfAhURx58KHVm0AdEQrQIoBDAKegQIA BAM&biw=1093&bih=501

Search engines work.

Anyway, I have read quite a few of them & "chore boy" with some Ed's Red gets my vote for the easiest solution for me.

I have both here at the house & for the little bit of leading I have had build up in the past, they took it right out. I even take a portable cleaning kit with me when going to shoot & there is a bit of chore boy in the kit for when I am working up a load & may get some leading.

Inexpensive & easy... That works fine for me.

G'Luck! in your choice among all of the suggestions...
;)

Yes indeed
But, then that would exclude all the most recent space-age advances

[Lefty SRH]

When I heard about the Kroil I was skeptical, but I tried it. The gun in question was a brandnew S&W 617. The barrel was pretty heavily leaded about halfway. The lead seems to peel right out with the first patch after soaking with Kroil.
I was shocked

[BigAlofPa.]

PB blaster works too. Learned that trick from a friend.

[Static line]

Yep,guess you know Chor Boy works good by now.We all like it.In the solvents,I found Montana Extreme Cowboy Blend to do a fine job also but for the heavy work,no doubt,it's Chor Boy.

[Tom W.]

Just make sure the Chore Boy is not steel..... Take a small magnet to check it.

Kroil works wonders.....

I have three cans of the Outer's Foul Out foam. I'll squirt the barrel full and let it set for maybe 30 minutes if I can stand it that long, then get a nylon brush several passes through the bore from chamber to muzzle. Then I'll wipe a few dry patches through and lastly I'll send some Kroil on a patch. Or two. Or three or four. You'd be surprised how much more junk will come out of the "clean" barrel.

[rfd]

"chore boy" is all copper - and not cheap, as a result.

[Tom W.]

I can't argue that, just that I've heard that some is copper plated steel now.

[Traffer]

Hoppes #9, wet patch, let it soak. Then a copper bore brush wrapped in copper chore boy. You can get the worst of the worst leading out this way.
I have had the best luck with this method. Wrapping chore boy in the bronze brush.

[afish4570]

Just bought a Marlin 1894 Cowboy and its got lead in the bore close to the throat but enough that I want it gone.
I have not shot it yet but they must have at the factory.
I have used everything I have,Butches Bore Shine,Hoppe's,Shooters Choice,M-Pro 7 and wore out a good new bore brush and still some is left.
What are you guys using?
Thanks

https://search.domyown.com/search?w=copper%20mesh

20 ft. roll cost is $15.50 with free shipping. Works great been using for several yrs. now. afish4570

Check my old posts in 2011 and 2018. Chore Boys are getting hard to find made of PURE COPPER seems alot of copper plated steel out there. Careful and test with magnet. The $15.50 source will give you years of lead removing . 4" wide X 20'. Follow the recommended cleaning procedures by wrapping a piece around a well used cleaning brush or a brass jag. I found running it dry is quickest and then follow with oil, solvent Eds Red etc. afish4570

[repeat]

Thanks for all the help guys.
I still have not shot this 44 mag rifle yet and the fouling is from the factory shooting it.
I have spent the last 2 hours cleaning with steel wool and Kroil,it came out.
If its a tight spot or a rough spot in the bore I expect it will smooth out with shooting but I also have heard they use lead bullets for testing and may not be sized to fit the barrel like I will use.
Sharpshooters No Lead is a product someone listed and a local gunsmith recommended it also but I hope it won't be a future problem as I will shoot cast bullets .002 over bore size so they should not cause much leading.
Thanks again

[repeat]

Just a quick note,Chore Boy is super hard to find here.I searched all supermarkets and next I will hit the hardware stores but I remember it well and will find some.
I will also use the suggestion to shoot it out with 240 gr (12-14 hardness)with gas checks sized to .433 as my bore slugs at .431

[Static line]

Bronze Wool is also good to use. You can use that in place of the Chore Boy.

[rfd]

I can't argue that, just that I've heard that some is copper plated steel now.

absolutely correct = the cheap chore boy imitators.

[leadhead]

I have NEVER had leading in any of my barrels handgun or rifle.
If you make the bullet big enough to fill the bore, you won't
have leading, unless your loading very hot rounds. I size all my
bullets so if they fit in the chamber I shoot them no matter how
bore over size they are. Mostly all my loads are gas checked
except in the 9mm, and most of the smaller handgun calibers
I use all water quenched wheel weights.
Denny

[WheelgunConvert]

You may find this handy. I use the tall skinny olive jars filled with Ed’s red or kroil to soak my semi barrels while cleaning the rest of the firearm. It doesn’t help with revolvers.

I’ve also started using brass (smoking) pipe screens on the tip of a pointed jag, usually with a patch or 2 depending on fit. You can get them at smoke shops in small packs or on amazon in large quantities. 3/4 and7/8 are common. Check with a magnet just to be sure, but I haven’t found any brass coated steel yet. I would avoid the stainless steel version.

[JBinMN]

You may find this handy. I use the tall skinny olive jars filled with Ed’s red or kroil to soak my semi barrels while cleaning the rest of the firearm. It doesn’t help with revolvers.

I’ve also started using brass (smoking) pipe screens on the tip of a pointed jag, usually with a patch or 2 depending on fit. You can get them at smoke shops in small packs or on amazon in large quantities. 3/4 and7/8 are common. Check with a magnet just to be sure, but I haven’t found any brass coated steel yet. I would avoid the stainless steel version.

I forgot about those pipe screens, but your mention of them brought it back. I have some out in the garage I have used just for that purpose, after seeing the Lewis Lead Remover a while back, & I use those brass pipe screens on occasion myself, but my only problem with them is not yet finding a pointy jag to hold them ( I have not looked for one a lot though, as I forget about them since I do not use them often enough) & so I keep dropping them. I find small items hard to pick up and not just those little screens...
They do work though.

[Thundermaker]

I was told by an old smallbore shooter that they used to get the lead out of their barrels with peroxide. He'd plug the chamber and fill the barrel with it. He said it would turn the lead into white powder, and it would pour right out. I have yet to experience leading, so I haven't tried it., but this man was sort of a national legend in competition shooting circles, and I tend to believe him.

[WheelgunConvert]

I forgot about those pipe screens, but your mention of them brought it back. I have some out in the garage I have used just for that purpose, after seeing the Lewis Lead Remover a while back, & I use those brass pipe screens on occasion myself, but my only problem with them is not yet finding a pointy jag to hold them ( I have not looked for one a lot though, as I forget about them since I do not use them often enough) & so I keep dropping them. I find small items hard to pick up and not just those little screens...
They do work though.
I think the jags are Tipton? I think I got a set of 10 or 12 on amazon for under 15$ couple years back.

[JBinMN]

I think the jags are Tipton? I think I got a set of 10 or 12 on amazon for under 15$ couple years back.

Thanks! Found some. On sale too!
;)

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1014898376/tipton-ultra-cleaning-jag-and-best-bore-brush-set-26-piece-male-thread-nickel-plated-brass-and-bronze

[Elkins45]

I have a Lewis Lead Remover but I haven’t used it in years. I read an article by Ross Seyfreid where he recommended a wad of OOOO steel wool and that is what I have used ever since. If I ever have a problem with a revolver forcing cone I might break out the LLR again, but since I stopped buying cast bullets and started making my own I rarely see lead in a barrel.

If I do then I’m breaking out the steel wool.


I was told by an old smallbore shooter that they used to get the lead out of their barrels with peroxide. He'd plug the chamber and fill the barrel with it. He said it would turn the lead into white powder, and it would pour right out. I have yet to experience leading, so I haven't tried it., but this man was sort of a national legend in competition shooting circles, and I tend to believe him.

I don’t know about straight peroxide but there’s something the silencer guys call “the dip” and it’s a mix of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar. It will eat aluminum like nobody’s business so you’re really only supposed to use it on stainless. It converts the lead to lead acetate, which is HIGHLY toxic and not something that is easily disposed of.

[Elkins45]

Steel wool will damage a bbl, a LLR or bronze will will not.

Steel wool is annealed and is softer than a gun barrel.

[charlie3tuna]

....
It converts the lead to lead acetate, which is HIGHLY toxic and not something that is easily disposed of.

TRUE !! It is also absorbed thru bare skin. Can you say instant lead poisoning?....charlie

[lightman]

A good bore brush and solvent usually work for me. On severe cases I'll use a piece of copper scouring pad. I have bought a few sq ft of copper screen at the hardware store and used a slotted cleaning jag. I think thats pretty much what the Lewis Lead Remover was. My general rule is to use the least aggressive method that works.

[dwtim]

Let soak....though you can't do that with nickel plated guns. I use a brand new brush--the next size up if I can. (Example: .45 for the .44.) And I buy brushes in bulk. The sharp edges on a new brush really get the lead out. If it's really bad: Kroil. I rarely have lead in the bore from my own loads, though. And when it happens, it's only a sliver.

I don't recommend "shooting out the lead" from the bore. If it works for you, fine. For me, it always leaves behind some and successive shots just compacts the lead into the grooves to the point even Kroil won't get under it. I've had used guns where I had to scrape it off with a piece of steel just to lift it.

[LabGuy]

Bronze wool, can get it most marine supply stores, like West Marine.

[Dan Cash]

#1 Montana Extreme Cowboy Blend; #2 Turpentine.

[Texas by God]

Time. Let it sit for a week or two. The lead will oxidize and is easily brushed or steel wooled out.

[Dragonheart]

The very best lead remover is powder coat your bullets so you don't get leading in the first place.

[725]

Lead removal cloth. Check Brownell's. Cut patches from it and use like any other cleaning patch. Used in conjunction with Ed's Red, Kroil, PB Blaster, Hoppe's #9 or Hoppe's foaming cleaner, etc. it will clean it out easily. One of the components of the job is elbow grease applied liberally.

[RU shooter]

A product we use as work called Galv-off for for keeping and and removing galvanize (zinc) buildup on punches ,dies and rolling mill tooling works like magic on zinc I've never seen anything work as well since it works on zinc I don't see why it wouldn't work for lead (cousin of zinc)

234657

[ghh3rd]

http://www.big45metalcleaner.com
Works like a charm on lead and is safe, even to remove rust without damaging bluing. Try it... you’ll like it.

[barnabus]

yep, hickok45's de-leading remedy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGd3H4bQh2w

god he just talks on and on,,,