Scrubbing a leaded bore

[Four-Sixty]

To remove lead in a barrel, I beat a lead ball from the muzzle end, back towards the chamber. The stubborn lead just rolls right up.

[kevin c]

To remove lead in a barrel, I beat a lead ball from the muzzle end, back towards the chamber. The stubborn lead just rolls right up.

Is that soft lead for muzzle loaders (the leading and the ball both)? How about harder lead?

[skeettx]

Lewis Lead Remover

https://www.brownells.com/gun-cleani...prod21587.aspx

[725]

I'll mention it again: Lead Away cloth. Make a tight patch on the cleaning rod and scrub it back & forth.

[Four-Sixty]

I've used the lead balls made by Hornady.

[Traffer]

I have heard that Mercury picks up lead right smartly. Never tired it but if I had some mercury I would.

[Geezer in NH]

Ammonia works on copper, not lead.



I wish I had kept that quart of mercury I had years ago. The price of the stuff now is scary.

The disposal cost is scarier IMHO

[David2011]

I've have read that Kroil will creep under the lead and loosen it. I've used Kroil to help remove Mauser barrels from their actions and to get a cranky spark plug out of an aluminum head. It works well but haven't personally tried to remove lead with it.

[sw282]

A couple jktd boolits will remove lead pretty QUICK

[uscra112]

Tommy Bish recommended mercury in the bore.

That's how they used to do it at Smith & Wesson in the bad old days.

All-copper Chore Boys are sold in almost every supermarket. No need to be buying at inflated prices on the Internet.

[Gohon]

If you look at a real copper chore boy, not the junk sold at Walmart, you will see it can be turned inside out just like a sock. Once you do that you can grab a strand and pull out a 18-24 inch length strand. Snip that off and wrap it around a scrub brush and you have the best tool for removing all lead. Can be used several times before it gets gummed up with lead.

[jimb16]

If you have access to an old copper screen, cut a patch from the copper and push that down the barrel. It does a wonderful job of pulling the lead out of the barrel. You can usually find scraps of lead sticking to it.

[GregLaROCHE]

A couple jktd boolits will remove lead pretty QUICK

I always wondered how shooting a few powder coated boolits would do. Has anyone ever tried it?

[mehavey]

- Slop in Kroil/soak for 10 min
- Scrub with copper ChoreBoy-wrapped bronze brush.
- Dry patch

Max total time: 15-minutes (most of that time spent sipping a frozen Margarita)









postscriptum: Jacketed bullets just tend to iron the stuff into the bore.

[whisler]

Posted by Petander."Before anyone mentions "you get lead acetate", yes you do but yo don't need to touch it."

In my lifetime as a chemist, I have worked with Plutonium, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Nickel Carbonyl (very deadly) and tons of various hazardous solvents in industrial settings. That said there is no way I am going to introduce Organo-lead compounds into my home environment. They are rapidly absorbed through the skin, and very toxic. You may not have to touch them, but you have to dispose of them, and that is not easy to do safely as a homeowner. Compared to them elemental lead is nothing to worry about.
Do as you wish, but even with all my experience, I will not take that chance.

[luv45acp]

Correct me if I’m wrong but, if your leading up your barrel..........your doing it wrong. ie lead hardness, load too heavy or light, gas check, lube, sizing, or any of the other do’s and dont’s about shooting, loading casts. I never have leading problems. But if I did........1 or 2 jacketed rounds through the barrel and automagically no more lead.
My point being fix the problem not constantly deal with the consequence of not casting or loading correctly.

[yeahbub]

Correct me if I’m wrong but, if your leading up your barrel..........your doing it wrong.

Amen. The simplest and most pleasant way of removing lead from a barrel that I've found is to load some ammo with a light load and use a card wad and soft lube cookie under the boolit. Near as I can tell, the pressure squishing the lube cookie between card wad and boolit gets under the lead deposits and strips them out of there. I used to shoot a lot of pin and falling plate matches using commercial cast from various sources and some of them would thickly lead a barrel. Too hard, hard lube, poor fit, etc. I learned to keep a box of .357 brass loaded with .38 Sp starting loads, card wad and lube cookie handy for after the match. It would only take 6 at the most to have a lead free barrel and a lube star forming on the muzzle. Way quicker than scrubbing. More fun too. Just keep in mind that charges need to be reduced because of the case volume taken up by the extra stuff in there. Safety first and all that.

[Petander]

Outer's excellent (now discontinued) Foul Out electrochemical system uses Lead Acetate in it's "Lead Out" solution for electrolysis.

Doesn't mean it's safe of course. I get max 1/4 a cup of waste per year,easy to dispose.

I've never managed to 'shoot the lead out' with j-bullets. Copper just builds on top of lead.

But especially with coatings,leading doesn't happen. I like to experiment a lot and like to have a solution for an occasional disaster. When Foul Out came it was just so great,no more quessing about lead or not lead.

[Traffer]

I was considering the post about kroil getting under it and lifting if off in flakes. It brought to mind a technique that really works for getting stuck bolts off. Like Kroil, this technique lubes between the offending surfaces. I may try it someday if I get another severely leaded barrel to clean (got a 22 from my brother that he used for rat shot in his garage for the last 20 years. it was so leaded he thought the rifling was gone. I cleaned it up with a combo of all of the above methods except mercury)
The bolt removal technique is to heat the offending nut or bolt to just hot enough to melt a candle. (probably about 180° F.) Then hold a candle to it so it melts into the joint. It works like magic. Safe for brake petcocks because it doesn't get very hot.
I thought of heating a barrel to about 180° to 200° and melting a candle down the bore. That just MIGHT get between the lead and the steel and loosen it to flake off...worth a try in my book.

[Texas by God]

Mercury was one of my favorite toys as a kid. Used to just watch it roll around in my hands. Hit it and watch the pieces rejoin into the main mass. All before I knew it would kill you......

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