Getting the Lead Out 1888 Trap Door

[cpt dan blodgett]

Picked up a nice 1888 Trapdoor a couple of years ago, cant get it to group worth a darn.  Think barrel may be leaded pretty badly.  I plan to use MPro 7 and Big 45 Frontier lead remover to clean bore.  I will bow to collective wisdom it you folks have a better way to get out the lead. 

Once bore is clean plan on testing soft lead 405 grain flat base and .458 and .460 hollow base bullets using olde eynesford and or shuetzen 1.5 or 2 F powder

[LongWalker]

I've had better luck using Kroil to remove lead than MPro 7.  Plug the chamber, then drizzle some Kroil down the bore.  Let it sit for a few days, drizzle some more oil down, then let it sit again.  It looks like the Kroil gets between the lead and the barrel, making it easier to remove when the lead remover goes through the bore.  Rather than risk the crown I put the brush in the action area (where the breech block goes) and thread it onto the rod, then pull it out. 

A few repeats of this will usually get the lead out, then you have to look for jacket fouling.  Clean the bore with Hoppe's to remove the oil, then run a patch soaked with copper remover through the bore.  If you get a blue patch, you've got jacket fouling to remove. 

A lot of old guns will seem to have layers of jacket fouling over powder fouling.  It can take a while to clean them up.  I've always meant to try one of those "Foul Out" rigs from Outers, just never gotten around to it. 

[dusty texian]

Another thing you can try is Gum Turpentine and Flannel patch . Ranch 13 recommended this and I gave it a try on several old rifles of my own and was very happy with the results. The little .32 LC Marlin 1892 before the Turpentine was leaded pretty bad , after the Turpentine scrubbing it looked like a different bore , and shoots better . Give it a try , don't cost much , it worked for me . ,,,DT

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[Lefty Dude]

A copper chore-boy pot scrubber, pieces laced around an old bronze bristle bore brush.
Beware; there are two types of this pot scrubber, one is pure copper. The other is copper plated steel, this one you do not want to use in your Bore.
Then I would use a mixture of 50% Kroil & Hoppes and do a bore soak. for this I use a bore mop for the application, let it soak. Then with a cleaning jag and tight patches remove the gunk. Repeat as necessary, till no more gray patches come out of the bore.
Follow up with an application of JB bore paste, cleaning-up with Hoppes .

This may take some time. I brought a Krag 1894 bore back to life, it took a Week of Soak & Clean. My 1922 CZ 8MM Mauser was in poor condition. This to was restored from decades of neglect.

The best advice; Be patient and do not rush.

[Kent Shootwell]

I have a "Foul Out" and it has paid for itself many times! Another product that I'm very happy with is " Wipe Out" a foaming bore cleaner. This stuff takes out lead, carbon and jacket fouling so well I only use the "Foul Out" just to dubble check with.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Today used Mpro 7.  Initially just sprayed the Mpro 7 into the bore and used a patch to make sure entire bore was wet  Was really surprised to see the intitial patch come out green.  I then used bronze wool wrapped around an old bronze brush to scrub and scrub.  Used a muzzle guide on a dewey coated road so dont think I hurt the crown.  Got very few lead flakes.  Repeated the process several times including using the Mpro 7 applied to a patch wrapped around a nylon brush, still got some green coloring.  Who knows perhaps this old war horse was someones deer rifle and got some jacked rounds fired thru it and did not have a complete and total diet of service lead bullets shot thru it.  After several itterations of the Mpro worked on the bore a bit with QMaxx Black Diamond.  It is supposed to get between any crud in the bore and the actual barrel steel.  Sounds similar to what Kroil does.  In any case after several applications and dry with a patch cycles the patch came out pretty clean.  May try the Kroil and Hoppes mixture also.  I have used turpentine and flannel method before with some success on an Armi Sports 45/70 repro sharps will try it on the Trapdoor also.  Plan on hitting Sportsman's warehouse tomorrow for some of the wipe out.  May also have to get a choreboy.  Wow Mom used them a bunch when I was a Kid in Montana.

T