removing leading.... is this possible?

[par0thead151]

can i remove leading by heating my barrel up in my lead furnace?
the barrel gets well over 600F while firing it, so would it hurt my barrel to have the lead melt off of the bore?
im new to casting, go easy on me if this is the worst idea ever.[smilie=f:
thanks

[waksupi]

Are you kidding?

If not, figure out why you are leading your barrel, and cure that.

[badgeredd]

It is likely you have a fit problem that is causing the leading, but there are several other posibilities. Like waksupi said, you need to find the cause of the leading. Cleaning the lead out can be done several different ways. It has been addressed several times and a search will give you some ideas on what to do to clean out the lead and how to fix the cause. I honestly think that heating the barrel is about the last resort in my mind. It can't be good on the barrel and I really doubt that you'd get the desired results.

You didn't mention type of gun, caliber, or any other info that would help us to help you. Maybe it would be a good idea to post more details.

Edd

[Bret4207]

Your barrel does NOT get over 600 F when firing. Flame temps and barrel temp are 2 different things. DO NOT put your barrel in the pot under any circumstances.

Leading can easily be removed by taking an old bore brush and wrapping some 4/0 steel wool or Chore Boy type copper scrubbing pad around it. A few strokes and the lead will be gone.

[Whitespider]

par0,
Your barrel does not get to 600+ degrees while firing. Yes, the bore is subjected to temperatures well above 600F, but only for a millisecond or less in any one spot, not long enough to heat the barrel steel to like temperature. Sustained, rapid fire may heat the bore surface of the first few inches or so to harmful temperatures, but that normally takes a deliberate disregard for the well being of the gun.

[par0thead151]

Are you kidding?

If not, figure out why you are leading your barrel, and cure that.

i plan on fixing the problem asap. these were my first cast boolits i have ever casted and shot. the search for the perfectly sized boolit has begun for me, but i would like to expedite cleaning my barrel if possible.

[deltaenterprizes]

Better yet, use a cutting torch!

[par0thead151]

It is likely you have a fit problem that is causing the leading, but there are several other posibilities. Like waksupi said, you need to find the cause of the leading. Cleaning the lead out can be done several different ways. It has been addressed several times and a search will give you some ideas on what to do to clean out the lead and how to fix the cause. I honestly think that heating the barrel is about the last resort in my mind. It can't be good on the barrel and I really doubt that you'd get the desired results.

You didn't mention type of gun, caliber, or any other info that would help us to help you. Maybe it would be a good idea to post more details.

Edd

sig 226 9mm
bullets are sized at .355 with one coat of tumble lube liquid allox. (they were very smoky when shooting)
i will be trying a 2nd coat of tumble lube, and resizing it to a different size. if neither of those work, i will buy a luber sizer, as i plan on getting that eventually. no sense in working up a perfect tumble lube load only to then have to work up the lube/size to not lead...

[snaggdit]

The gun is a total loss. Better just send it to me for proper disposal. J/K. Try the chore boy.

[snaggdit]

Your post appeared as I posted. Try slugging your barrel. Sounds like you are sized too small as many 9mm are .356. Tumble lube typically does not need to be sized if the boolit is not too large. .002 over is fine and at least .001 is necessary to avoid gas blowby and leading.

[dubber123]

sig 226 9mm
bullets are sized at .355 with one coat of tumble lube liquid allox. (they were very smoky when shooting)
i will be trying a 2nd coat of tumble lube, and resizing it to a different size. if neither of those work, i will buy a luber sizer, as i plan on getting that eventually. no sense in working up a perfect tumble lube load only to then have to work up the lube/size to not lead...

I would make up a few at .357" to see if they chamber. I bet they do. More/better lube would be next. I may have missed it, but what is your alloy? 9mm's sem to be a little tougher on boolits than many other cals, so I think I would want a harder boolit, at least straight WW.

For what it's worth, if you have a decent lube, and your boolits are big enough, shooting some lower velocity rounds usually cleans the lead out without scrubbing. I didn't believe it either until I tried it. My .475 always leads a little with full power loads. If I want the bore spotless, I just shoot some 900 fps. stuff at the end of a shooting session.

[par0thead151]

i will have to take a more wide spread of measurements, but i have not resided the bullets to .355. they come out of my 6 cavity lee mold at that size. maybe i was unlucky and got a bad mold?
i will try my 45 Cal mold on my sig 220 and see if i fare better. i believe that one comes out to be .453 or so

[JIMinPHX]

If you get the barrel hot enough to melt lead, you will mess up the heat treat & maybe also warp it. Either way, it's a fast method to make landfill out of what used to be a gun.

[par0thead151]

If you get the barrel hot enough to melt lead, you will mess up the heat treat & maybe also warp it. Either way, it's a fast method to make landfill out of what used to be a gun.

good thing i asked first....
i guess its true, there is no such thing as a stupid question if it saves me from destroying a perfectly good barrel.
what temp does steel start to soften or have its hardness affected? i refinish my FAL's and AK's with powder coat and molly resin which cures at 300 F

[Bret4207]

In layman's terms, if you see a color change to bare metal you've altered the HT. As more accurate description would involve knowing the specifics of the alloy used and some other stuff I imagine. Being a layman it's beyond me. Short answer- 300 F as instructed by the maker of a gun finishing kit I wouldn't worry too much about. Any springs I might worry about, but I bet they have you disassemble the gun and remove springs before baking.

I do know that temps of 4-500 degrees can ruin some blued finishes.

[par0thead151]

I think i left the springs in my FAL bolt when refinishing it, i will have to pick up a few replacements now as i would hate to have my FAL be rendered unreliable. It is by and far my favorite rifle.
I refinished my FAL's before i knew any better about springs and exposure to heat.
thanks for the info, looks like i will stick to scrubbing.

[gray wolf]

Now I have absolutely hear it all. No offence but please don't do it.

[par0thead151]

If you get the barrel hot enough to melt lead, you will mess up the heat treat & maybe also warp it. Either way, it's a fast method to make landfill out of what used to be a gun.


Now I have absolutely hear it all. No offence but please don't do it.

dont worry, im not going to...
that's why i asked first[smilie=1:
to avoid messing up my barrel if it would have an adverse affect on it. which it sounds like it would.

[JIMinPHX]

what temp does steel start to soften or have its hardness affected?

The temperature varies with the particular alloy. Generally speaking, most steels are safe to around 300 or 400F. If you go onto the McMaster Carr website, you can download a detailed steel specification sheet that includes heat treat data for various common steel alloys.