Okay, I am sure that anyone that re-loads with lead has a secret method of getting that stuff out of the bore. A quick cleaning with a toranaodo brush and a brass brush gets about 98% out, but there is always some left right at the beginning of the lands in the barrel. I scrub and scrub, swab and wait, then scrub again, but that stuff is s l o w at coming off. Anyone got any tricks to get the lead out! (pun intended).

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Rick
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson

http://www.findarticles.com/p/artic..._25/ai_70380679 and http://www.findarticles.com/p/artic..._24/ai_64565412. I've used both, and both work.

The Lewis tool will leave a bit of lead in the corners of the grooves. The Outers tool will remove even that, but it is slo-o-o-w.

Good luck!

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The older I get...
...the better I was

First, I remember reading once that the toranaodo brush can be hard on the bore. I don't know that's true, but out of an abundance of caution, I stopped using them.

My normal procedure is to first use the Lewis tool. I then use MPro7 Bore Cleaner. It's a gel so it stays put. I saturate a bronze brush with the cleaner, scrub the bore with ten to twenty strokes and then add some more of the cleaner. I'll then leave it for half an hour or so. Then I'll spray some MPro7 cleaner down the bore, scrub with the bronze brush a little more and then go to patches to get everything out. That seems to work.

With the MPro7, dwell time seems to be key. I believe that it works as a low surface tension wetting agent and will get under and lift off deposits. It just needs time to work.

I've also had some success with JB Bore Cleaner. It's a fine, abrasive paste. The story is that the abrasive elements are harder than lead but softer than steel so they don't scratch the bore. It does need to be mixed with some ElbowGrease.

Good luck.

DVC

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I have always used Hopps #9 and a brass bore brush. It is very slow to remove all the lead but after enough effort I seem to get it pretty darn clean. I have heard after you are wrapping up shooting lead if you shoot some FMJ through that will began to remove the lead. but I am not sure that would not be hard on the bore. Someone else here might know better.

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From my cold dead hands.
If it ain't a Colt its a copy.

Try a copper Chore-Boy cleaning pad. I simply cut a piece off and wrap it around a brush and have at it. There is another product like the Chore-Boy, except that it looks like spirals of stainless steel. I have one and it is soft, very soft, and it does not scratch the bore. It is used like the Chore-Boy.

I have seen generic products like these in copper, bronze, and in stainless. I think that all of them would work fine.

This is more effective than my Lewis Lead Remover, bore brushes, various solvents, and is safer than using Mercury.

Mercury will amalgamate the lead and make it easy to get rid of with a brush and tight patch. However, the Mercury is hard to handle safely and the amalgamated lead is then hard to handle safely and get rid of properly.

Dental picks and mirrors are easy to use and the right shapes can be used to scrape alongside the land edge. It is a little tedious, but with a good light and a little perseveration, it will work on some of the toughest stuff.

Hope that helps.

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Geo.

I use the Chore-Boy method and it works great.

Thanks all.
Frank:
I have used (and still am) the M-Pro7 stuff. It is great stuff; however, even after leaving it on there for over an hour, then scrubbing serveral times, that dang lead is still in the very start of the bore. Right now more of the M-Pro & stuff has been on back-order from Midway for over a month now, I may have to find something else (Brownells wants $20 more a gallon than Midway by the way). As far as the toranodo brush, I am sticking with it. Barrels are made of hardened steel, if I can wear that barrel done with that brush, I imagine it will take a lllooooonnnggg time, and the cleaning it does is so superior it will be worth buying a new barrel in 20 years .

TriumphGT6:
Oh yeah, electropolishing will certaintly work, but like you said way too slow for me. However if you need to remove tarnish on silver, I can tell you a magic way that amaze your friends--all you need is aluminum foil and baking soda--works on the same principal as your lead remover. But you are right, that is probably the best way to make sure that it is all gone.

Geo.:
I'll try the Chore-Boy pads. Kinda like a industrial strength brass brush.

Hunter:
I have heard the same thing, but I am with you. Seems like it might just really force the lead into the bore as much as clean it out the other end. Might have to try it one day, but I am concerned with what the long term effects might be.

Thanks all. Shoot well and stay safe.

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Rick
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson

I use a similar technique using a small flat blade jewelers screwdriver to scrape out the lead; easier on a 1911/semi auto where the barrel can be removed for access, harder with a revolver.

Some say you need to brush at least the number of shots taken: 50 shots = 50 strokes with a brush saturated in solvent, 100 shots = 100 strokes, etc.

I agree that using a brush will not harm or wear out a barrel, provided that damage is not caused - for example, trying to stop and reverse direction with the brush part-way through the barrel. Even stainless steel brushes should not harm a bore if used properly, use lots of solvent.

Military armorers use a solvent containing 28% ammonia to remove fouling, including lead. The barrel is plugged at one end, solvent poured in, plug the other end, wait a bit (not over an hour to avoid damage, less time if it cleans the fouling), pour out the solvent and brush the bore to clean out the fouling. Sweet's 7.62 Bore Cleaner is a consumer-grade cleaner containing 5% ammonia that can be found fairly easily. If using Sweet's be careful not to get the solvent on plastic and wood as they can be harmed.

My $0.02 worth!

I use a magful or two of jacketed ammo at the end of a long session with lead bullets. Makes gettin' the last of it pretty easy...which I rarely bother with any more than about every 2500-3,000 rounds.

Yeah, I know. I've heard the concerns over the jacketed rounds forcing the lead into the pores of the steel in the bore. But...and think about it...If it's a perceived problem with jacketed bullets, it's a problem with lead bullets, too. The lead fouling doesn't know what kinda bullet is mashin' on it, and neither does the barrel.

Anyway, if it's a concern...Just use a good penetrating lube/cleaner like Kroil.
It works its way under the mashed-out lead and loosens it up. Let it soak in overnight, make a few passes with a dry .50 caliber black powder brush(for .45 caliber pistols)...followed with solvent on same, drags it right out.
Patch dry...Use a fresh patch dampened with the Kroil until next trip.
Patch dry and go.

Me? I'm pretty much like Brian Enos. Nothin' much goes down my barrels these days except bullets. A little lead in the bore acts as a lubricant, and forestalls a lot of the wear that comes with a steady diet of jacketed bullets.

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Would ed's red be effective in removing lead fouling? Presently, I only use Hoppe's #9 to clean my pistol and remove the lead fouling, followed it up with a pick to take out stubborn lead. I might go for ed's red soon.
Thanks
Steph