LEAD FOULING

[gunboy]

I just picked up a used STI Nighthawk and have cleaned the barrel with my normal solvents (Kroil, MP-7, bronze brush) and still have fairly significant amounts of fouling at the first inch of 'twist'. I'm used to copper & carbon problems but not lead. What do you guys do for this? Thank you

[Sixgun]

When I shot lead in my .357, I'd take a .22 cal brush and wrap it with some copper "Chore Boy" kitchen scrub pad. Then run that improvised "lead cutter" up and down the bore several times. That method works extremely well.

Ray

[Ray S.]

Try Shooter's Choice Lead Remover. It's a gel, and stays put in the bore for soaking, put liberal amount on jag and let it sit for a few hours, followed by bronze bore brush. Repeat as needed. If that still doesn't get it, short-stroke some Iosso with a jag. If neither gets it you need to call out the big guns--the "Lewis Lead Remover". This is a bronze patch doohickey you pull through the bore. Shooter's choice and brush should take care of any problem, though.

[TBF]

If you happen to have an Otis pull through, you can use a standard button jag with a patch ( you will need to punch a SMALL hole in patch ) and Kroil.

Since you are pulling the jag through backwards, it will pull very hard.

Alot like a Lewis lead remover, exept without the brass screen.

This will take out everything exept the last little bit of fouling.

Travis F.

[JFD]

One of the most helpful things is firing a few rounds of jacketed bullets at the end of your shooting session.

I've used the Lewis Lead Remover for years and have to say that "Chore Boy" wrapped around a tight bore brush works better. You want a really tight fit, so don't be stingy with the "CB". I've never really found any solvent that was worth the effort for lead. I just use "Ed's Red" since the "Chore Boy" makes quick work of the lead.

[.40AET]

My vote is for Kleen Bore Lead Away Gun Cleaning Cloth. I don't know what's in it, but you just cut a piece to fit on a jag and it really takes a lot of lead out of the barrel. It was the only thing that would get the lead off of the forcing cone of my .357. I still use it on my .40, even though I don't use jacketed bullets. It's pure magic.

[Jasonub]

will shuemann does not advocate cleaning the barrel, just the chamber,

i tried it and my barrel is so easy to clean after every shoot.

here is what i do, i shoot lead exclusively except for matches where i shift to plated. after shooting, i swab it with hoppes 9 until its soaked. i go home and eat lunch and clean the gun, leaving the barrel to clean the last.

then i just pick on the chamber with a brass rod to clean it then run a tight tissue wad 3-5 times and leading is practically gone.

this may not happen the first few sessions but after a while it does.

here is the letter i sent to Wil:

Jason Barretto wrote:

Thanks Wil,

I wont do the lead and fmj routine in my barrel.

One last question, i use plated for competition and lead for practice. alternating this will also be a problem in terms of accuracy?

With what you recommend, ill never clean my ultimatch bore anymore. ill accept the leading and just clean the chamber.

thanks again,

Jason

Wil Schuemann <wil@schuemann.com> wrote:

Hello Jason,

My standard recommendation is to clean the barrel any way you like and

then check its accuracy carefully. Periodically you should recheck the

accuracy. If the accuracy has not deteriorated there is obviously no

reason to clean the barrel.

Each lead bullet fired largely removes the lead left by the previous

bullet and leaves it own lead. So, the first bullet, or at most the

first few bullets, fired after cleaning fouls the barrel thoroughly.

The use of fmj bullets pushes and smears whatever lead is in the bore.

This gives the appearance of a shiny bore, but does not remove all the

lead. The disadvantage is that firing even one fmj bullet leaves small

sharp pieces of jacket welded to the bore. While this does not affect

the accuracy of subsequent fmj bullets, it causes the accuracy of the

subsequent 1000 or so lead bullets to be only half as accurate as they

would otherwise have been.

If accuracy is important I would shoot either lead or jacketed bullets,

but not alternate them.

Your choice is to either accept the ever present dirty looking bore, or

choose to clean the bore and accept that the price for the satisfaction

of cleaning the barrel, and being able to admire its shine, will be

reduced barrel lifetime.

Good luck,

Wil Schuemann

Jason Barretto wrote:

> Hi Wil,

>

> I would like to ask if its safe to clean out the leading of the

> ultimatch barrel with fmj rounds?

>

> I use lead for practice and the barrel gets some leading. My cleaning

> regimen is to swab it with hoppes 9 and scrub it out later which in

> your site you recommend against.

>

> I hate the leading and would like to clean it. some shooters here at

> the end of each shooting session shoot 3 to 4 rounds of fmj to make

> the leading dissapear.

>

> looking inside thier barrels before and after, it seems that the

> leading does dissapear.

>

> What do you recommend?

>

> thanks for your time.

>

> Jason

>

>

[Guest Larry Cazes]

Nobodys mentioned it yet but JB's Bore Paste on a dry patch wrapped around a bore brush does a great job of removing lead, copper, and powder fouling. Takes just a few minutes to run this through the bore 6-8 times being careful of the crown at the muzzle and then to clean up with a few patches of Butch's Bore Shine solvent.

[jcmios]

Lewis or Hoppe’s lead removal tool followed up by Shooters Choice lead remover and an oversized brass brush. The Shooters Choice says not to leave it sit in the barrel more then 15 min but I have left it in over night with no ill effects.

[uscbigdawg]

J-B Bore Cleaner, backed up with Sweet's, then Kroil. If that doesn't do it, then who knows?

Rich

[texasag93]

When my barrel gets really dirty, I put it in a small plastic dish or container(don't borrow wife's Tupperware) filled with Hoppes #9. Let it soak for an hour or more. Remove, drain and hit it with a bronze brush a few times then jag with tight patch. If it doesn't come out with this process, I don't worry about it. TXAG

[Les Snyder]

there is some stuff on the market that looks like titanium lathe turnings...similar to the "chore boy" pot scrubber type pads.... the name is something like "Frontier Big 45" .... wrap some on a bore brush and it works the best I've ever found, better than a Lewis lead remover, and any of the chemical impregnatred patches....guy at a gun show took some and rubbed it on the reveiver of a Browning stack barrel, and you could not see any marring.... regards