Get The Lead Out!

[DeanoBeanCounter]

Get the lead out of your gun barrel that is. Can anyone tell me a good way to get lead out of a gun barrel. Since steel and lead are close to the same color, how can I tell if there is lead in my barrel?

[versifier]

I use Rigg solvent for 99% of my lead removal, or my homemade FoulOut electrolysis setup for serious cleaning. Lewis tools that use a brass screen on a jag are great for shorter handgun barrels.

[k-g]

I don't use chemicals so my bores are black .
If you don't have obvious leading at the beginning or the end of the barrel you might still see some "plating" or graining on the way. It's usually easy to see disruptions and shades in the bore; the steel soon gets covered with scratching whereas the lead is more plain too.

Look for "lead removal kits" ( i forgot the brand), or replace your patch by some kitchen brass scrubing pad.
In handguns, shooting a few hard unsized bullets with square grooves at moderate velocity, in a hot barrel, will take care of moderate leading.
If the gun leads a lot there's something wrong with it or with the load components.

[klausg]

I agree w/ k-g, if you'e getting a lot of lead, you have other issues. I use a "Lead Removal Cloth", (I forget the actual manufacturer), cut into patches and a tight jag. If it's really bad you may need to hit it a few strokes w/ a bronze brush first.

[Oldbushman]

Lead removal ! From a expert !!!!! Take one bottle of hoppes#9 one cleaning rod with bronze brush ! Tell all & sundry you don't want to be disturbed for oh about a hour !!!! & start scrubbing your bore out ! Elbow grease ! Never fails ! You tend to notice streaks of either silver or just dark streaks in the bore when you use a bore light ! I once forgot to lube a batch of bullets I cast for my .44mag ! Yeah I learnt all about lead fouling !

Dave

[k-g]

I once forgot to lube a batch of bullets I cast for my .44mag ! Yeah I learnt all about lead fouling ! Dave

My best buddy liked shooting my 357, but it was too much work for me to pan lube the extra bullets so I told him to buy some and roll his own (he already reloaded for a couple of calibers).... I even shared the box of 500 boolits, locally made and lubed with some kind of lithium grease....
The curse removed "some" of the grease without telling me, because they were unpleasant to handle....
Once I was done cleaning the bore, I had to trust an other buddy who told me my bullets leaded because I used too much Liquid Alox, and I cut the amount in half to almost nothing....

kg