How do you get the lead out?

[Micheal Fortune]

Please list the ways you get the lead out of your bore.

With this much shooting it's a real chore with a brush and Hoppies #9

Might be better just to shoot a couple of jacketed rounds at the end of each session

Fortune

[Silver Creek Slim]

Get a Lewis Lead Remover. Also, your lead alloy is probably too soft. I get no leading when I BP. 

Slim

[Doc Shapiro]

Jacketed rounds won't get the lead out, that's a myth.  All they do is polish it into the bore so you can't see it any more.  But it's still there.  And if there's enough lead in there, it could act as a blockage to that jacketed round.  Then you have a real problem.

I've started using Blue Wonder once a month.  Seems to work really well, though can take a few applications to really get it clean. http://www.bluewonder.us/

Doc

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[Delmonico]

Slim I'm gonna disagree with ya, I bets the bullets are too hard, is this revolvers, if so that is most likely the problem.  Just make a tight patch with 0000 steel wool, that is what the serious cast bullet shooters most often use, ya know the shutezen and the Cast bullet As. bench guys, won't hurt a thing, just use a little Hoppe's on it. 

Jacketed bullets leave behind copper fouling, if the gun has ever had jacketed bullets shot in it, get the lead out and then get every trace of the copper out.  Use a good copper solvent, wet the bore and let it sit an hour,  if there is any trace of blue on the patch do it agaiin and again till there ain't no blue.  Lead likes to stick to copper fouling.

Most store bought bullets are too hard for maximum performance in the light CAS type loads in revolvers, fact is they are too hard for almost any revolver use.  The reason is though the alloy most bullet makers use is good for casting, not a lot of rejects. 

What are you shootin' that is leadin' sounds like it is a bad problem if yer cussin' it.  Much easier to prevent it than to clean it.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Delmonico,
You may be right. I think you are referring to "gas cutting". The bullet is too hard and doesn't fill the grooves, causing the gas to melt the lead into the grooves. Is that what happens?

Slim

[Delmonico]

Yep, don't show up much in auto pistol and rifle barrels.  But take a cylinder, cylinder gap and forcing cone and you can get it bad.  Only had it one, cast some 32 wadcutters outa lino, siezed them a perfect 0.314, weighed them, lubed them, used a couple of powder charges suitable fer them expensive blow back pistols they use in the oly-limpics, they shot lousy, and durn near made the riflin' disappear.    Cleaned that mess out, used some lead from the city range, (22 LR) and made some new ones.  Shot fair with less lead,  cleaned that mess out and put a serious powder charge behind it and the accuarcy was what I thought it should be and no lead in the bore. 

Couse the load that worked well was to loud ta be shootin' of the back porch at the acerage, but they sure will whop a squirrel or rabbit.

Guess if I want ta shoot of a the back porch better take the Red Ryder.

[J.D.Cayhill]

I'll ride with the Lewis Lead Remover posse for moderate leading. For heavy leading the Outers Foul Out works wonders. But when you have heavy leading it is time also to take another look at your load and make some changes.

[Nine Toe Jim]

I have to agree with Doc about the alloy also. About 10 years ago a friend told me to cast my bullets hard. I ended up with lots of lead fouling in the bore. I used a tight patch with solvent and got slivers of lead about a half an inch in length. I found that the Lewis lead remover worked well but I actually went as far as buying the Outers electrolitic lead remover. It worked well and I was amazed at the amount of lead that came out of my Barrel. I was shooting a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Cal at the time.

After putting up with this for longer than I should have I was informed that I should be using the softer alloy and I switched to wheel weights. I haven't had any problems since. Mind you Canadian Wheel weights may be softer than your USA ones 

[whip]

There are two possible reasons for your leading. One is---bullet not correct, too small. The other is--- bevel based bullets.
Have you measured the diameter of the chamber throats on your wheel guns or slugged the bore on your rifle??? If not, you need to. Bullets that are smaller then the throats on a wheel gun also may not start straight into the bore, add bevel based bullets and you compound the problem. If the bullet is not the proper bore size for a rifle you again get gas cutting. Accuracy can also be a problem. Hardness of the bullet MAY be part of your problem, however flat based bullets of the correct size should solve your problem.

My .02¢

[SGT John Chapman]

The easiest, fastest, and most period correct way to rid a bore of lead is mercury,.............if you happen on to some be very careful with it and research your safety precautions before you use it,................they didn't call the Mad Hatter "Mad" for nothing...........

[Silver Creek Slim]

The easiest, fastest, and most period correct way to rid a bore of lead is mercury,.............if you happen on to some be very careful with it and research your safety precautions before you use it,................they didn't call the Mad Hatter "Mad" for nothing...........

Slim

[Delmonico]

Folks who hunt elerphants for ivroy in the muzzle loadin' days often suffered from "Bush Maddness."

It is now thought that the up to 10% mercury they used ta cast in their bullets ta harden them, might have somethin' ta do with it. 

I all seriousness if you have enough mercury to clean you gun, don't, if the EPA ever found out they would come down on you so hard yer bank account might never recover.

These are the same folks that want ya ta turn in yer medical thermometor that you can trust fer one of those 'lectronic ones ya can't. 

[Lt. Col Mark Flint]

The best way is to shoot BP and you won'rt get leading.  (Really!)


Outer Foul Out is a neat little tool, but mine was not worth the effort.  If steel wool scared you, try a stainless steel chore boy (flat ribbon steel pad.  It won't damage finish and will remove lead if cut into patches and worked through the bore)

Look to your load, you should not get much if any leading if it is tuned right.  You may need more lube or a different lead hardness, bullet shapes can matter too.  Sometimes bumping a load up in pressure gicves better sealing and less gas cutting.

Or just use a blowtorch . . . makes as much sense as mercury!

[Delmonico]

Ok Mark, I's gonna pick on ya a bit, (in a friendly manner)  go back and count the 0's in my post.  0000 or phenonicly four-aught.  Now that yer back from the hardsware store, take the four-aught in one hand and yer chore boy in the tother.  Which one da ya want down yer bore, the 0000 is what ya use when doin' a hand rubbed oil finish ta rub tha oil tween coats.

I beleive Brownell's has bronze wool if any one is skeerted of the 0000 steel wol. 

But if ya got leadin' find out why and fix it, other wise it's kinda like just puttin' a bucket under a leak and not fixin' it.

[Lt. Col Mark Flint]

Delmonico

I will bet you a 1907 Colt Bisley that 0000 steel wool will remove finish long before a chore boy will.

You got a Bisley to bet?

try it on a gun you otherwise hate and it will amaze you, 0000 won't damage a bore anytime soon, but neither will a choreboy.

Like I said before, use proper BP loads and a gun won't lead.  I clean my guns with running water and a paper towel-2 paper towels will clean all 4 guns at the end of a match.

[Delmonico]

I never tried either on the finish of a gun.  A chore boy will remove burnt sugar from cast iron cookware, 0000 won't.  Never really tried a chore boy in the bore.  Course as we've been sayin' find the problem, fix it.  I don't have anyting that leads, even my 22 Hornet at 2000 fps, now if I could just get the accuracy where I want it.

[Lt. Col Mark Flint]

Course as we've been sayin' find the problem, fix it.

[/glow]

Exactly

[Delmonico]

Ok Ya want ta hear a funny story bout leadin'?  Many years ago my brother and I shared our loadin' equipment cause we had split the cost.  He wanted ta load some full house 44 mags fer his SBH.  He had also been buyin' some of them thar news rack gun magazines.  He done read an article on how castlead  bullets were better'n jacketed bullets.  (True in many cases)  So he went down ta the gun store and bought some of them "lead" booolits (240 Hornaday swaged) and loaded them under a max load of H110. 

He told me the first few shot fine and then he could hardly hit anyting, so he put up some paper and the boolits went sideways when they hit.  He got the book, showed me the charge he'd underlined.  And there on the bench was the empty box.  I had him fetch the pistool and I pulled out da cylinder and looked down the barrel.  Had him almost in tears for about 5 minutes, told him the load was to hot and he had shot out the riflin' cause there was none ta be seen.

I let him clean it with a bronze brush and Hoppe' ta teach him a lesson he'd never forget, and he has his older, wiser brother load his ammo now.

[Silver Creek Slim]

ROTFL. 

Slim