Winchester 1892 check for leading???

[marklyftogt]

I just got a Winchester 1892 .357. I have been shooting copper plated bullets through it only.

I plan on shooting CAS with it someday (and will need to shoot lead) and am wondering how do i check the bore for leading?

I cannot see much detail down from the muzzle even though I have a really bright bore light.

Is there a solution?

Thanks in advance.....

[fouronesix]

First, before shooting cast, get all the copper out. Then the experimenting begins :).

You'll know soon enough if you are getting significant leading. Groups will start opening up and you can feel the lead in the bore when pushing a tight jagged patch through the bore and some lead slivers will come out with a tight patch. Oh almost forgot. The easiest way to clean those type lever guns is too use a gun cradle. Open the action, turn the gun upside down in the cradle and clean from the muzzle. Use a brass muzzle guard. (Dewey makes the best design). The patches will simply drop out the top of the action and none of the junk will end up in the action.

Generally, if the bore is in good shape and you don't try to hot rod the loads, the CAS type pressures and velocities shouldn't give you much leading trouble. I'd first try some fairly soft plain base bullets cast of about 20:1 alloy and sized to groove diameter up to about .001" larger than groove. Use light charges of powders like Trailboss. You can find the CAS type loads in the Hodgdon/IMR data manuals and online.

[BCRider]

For cowboy you'll be shooting lead boolits at lower velocities. So leading is really not an issue assuming you're shooting a reasonable alloy bullet lubed with a decent sort of bullet lube.

And let's not forget that folks shot nothing BUT lead for years before jacketed came out. Leading is only an issue if you use really bad combinations of lead and pressure. But decently cast boolits from decent makers that use lead alloys which are going to obturate correctly will not leave lead in the bore.

On my own Rossi lever '92 I simply do not worry about even bothering to check. And when I have looked down the bore it has been clean as a whistle once a paper patch or two was pulled thru.

For inspecting the bore you really don't want an overly bright light either. It'll blind you and that'll hide any crusty looking bits that are banked up against the edges of the rifling. A medium to slightly dim light is actually better.

[fecmech]

This is what I use. I went to a glass shop and had the guy cut me a couple pieces of mirror glass 1/2" wide by 5" long and glued them to a piece of wood. Cost me a dollar! Open the action, point the muzzle at the sky or light and put the mirror in the action and you can easily see the throat area.

[marklyftogt]

This is what I use. I went to a glass shop and had the guy cut me a couple pieces of mirror glass 1/2" wide by 5" long and glued them to a piece of wood. Cost me a dollar! Open the action, point the muzzle at the sky or light and put the mirror in the action and you can easily see the throat area.

I love this idea!

[fouronesix]

Oh ya, those skinny mirrors are super for looking into bores. For some reason, they make images much clearer. I use one for looking into muzzles and chamber/throat areas of most all action types, even bolt actions. Very handy for inspecting used guns. Mine not so fancy though- just a thin piece of mirror glued onto a popsicle stick. :)

[fecmech]

Mine not so fancy though- just a thin piece of mirror glued onto a popsicle stick.
Yes this is the deluxe model with duct tape at one end and masking tape down the sides(the glue failed)!

[williamwaco]

This is what I use. I went to a glass shop and had the guy cut me a couple pieces of mirror glass 1/2" wide by 5" long and glued them to a piece of wood. Cost me a dollar! Open the action, point the muzzle at the sky or light and put the mirror in the action and you can easily see the throat area.


This is a great idea.

I get best results by opening the action, putting a piece of white paper into the action so that when you look into the muzzle, you can see only the white paper.

Now hold the rifle so that the sun shines directly into the action and onto the white paper. Now inspect the bore by looking into the muzzle.

( Yes, I have a couple of bore lights. )

The sun reflecting off the paper just does a better job.


.

[fouronesix]

Give the little mirror placed right next to the chamber a try. Then shine a light, at an angle, down the bore from the muzzle. You'd be surprised at how clearly you can see the surfaces in the chamber, throat and a ways up the bore.

[btroj]

Buy a Marlin. Take out one screw, hold muzzle to a light, see all you want.

[marklyftogt]

Great ideas guys! Thanks!

Now I have to buy a Marlin too :)