Barrel leading

Greetings,

Here is something I never considered and I would like to have your input.

I shoot hard cast lead in all my pistols and I get minimal leading. Something like just a little bit ( 1/8" to 1/4") after the chamber in the grooves. It is like a tiny film. Most of the time a few strokes of brass brush and tornado brush will take it out...Except near the edges of the grooves, I can still see some leading.

Then, I the end of a brass rod that I flattened with a hammed and scrape out most of it. When I read about 98% clean, I give up. I never had any issue.

I spend about 10-15 minutes on my barrel.

My question is: Do I clean it too much still? Could I leave that tiny thin film there? What do you do? Clean it thoroughly or leave a little bit of lead?

Thank you

I use the Lewis Lead Remover, which is now owned by Brownell's. With that tool, you won't spend near as much time cleaning, and the barrel will be cleaner.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Best way to clean leading is to not have it in the first place. You don't mention if you cast or if you buy your bullets. I am going to assume you buy them.

Leading near the chamber is usually caused by bullets being too small, or too hard. Technically, both, since an undersize bullet can obturate and fill the bore if it is close to the right size and is not too hard. Since I am assuming you don't cast, there isn't much you can do about too hard.

As far as the size, check with your supplier and see if they will size them larger. To know exactly how large to go, learn how to 'slug' your bore to determine groove diameter, and get bullets .001" larger than groove diameter. Otherwise, get bullets .001" larger than you have been shooting.

cyl is the place to look , boolit is being swaged down by cyl , then bumps back up to barrel in that short instant a little gas goes around & cuts a little & it`s deposited in throat & first little bit of rifling.
opening cyl will help .
chore boy around old brush & favorite bore juice will get it .

GP100man

Loss of accuracy is barrel leading, anything else it just normal fouling. Leave a little lead, unless gun is going to be put away for a long time. Then soak and patch, brush 1 time a day for a week or so with Hoppies #9. Let the solvent do the work. Why get the bore super clear if you going to shoot it in a couple days? After the first few shots its just as dirty before you cleaned it. My 22lr & 45 acp get cleaned when they fail to feed. Some times all thats needed is hit the bolt face, feed ramp with a tooth brush, good to go for the next wednesday night shoot. The bullseye scores stay the same.

I have never found any bullets in any size or caliber that didn't leave any lead what so ever. I've had some worse than others but never a completely clean bore after shooting lead. I love shooting lead out of my revolvers but no longer want to deal with it in my auto's. I've also never talked to anyone in person that has not had leading after shooting cast boolits. So when I hear people say that you must be doing something wrong on these forums, I'm starting to have a hard time believing that they aren't experiencing leading themselves. It just doesn't seem possible, but I could be completely wrong. BTW, I've slugged my bores and have tried .001"-.002" larger with no avail as well as trying every powder and powder weight combo I could think off.

Did you try Trailboss? Did you try lee liquid alox? You tumble about 100 bullets in a jar after adding 1/2 Tsp of it. Spread them out and let them dry. Trailboss by Hodgden is the best powder for cast bullets IMHO, no smoke and no lead fouling, I use it in .45acp, .45 Colt, .44magnum, .357 magnum and .38special, everything I load with cast or swaged bullets. I have tried many different powders for my target loads over the years. Any high velocity (over 1000 fps) or magnum loads I stick to jacketed bullets.

I have loaded 4000 (so far) .357 magnum target loads using remmington 158 swagged bullets with the black messy lube with 4.5 grains of trailboss, and coated with lee liquid alox. They have been fired out of several .357 revolvers with no fouling at all (900 fps or so).

It works for me great accuracy and no leading.

Did you try lee liquid alox? Tried the Xlox, same thing i think. 44mag, cast bullet, Unique. Sized and lubed with 50/50 bees wax/alox, then tumble lubed with Xlox.Alloy was magnum shot. Shot great accuracy wise, but still left normal fouling in the barrel. http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/th_IMG_3306B.jpg (http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/IMG_3306B.jpg)

Best way to clean leading is to not have it in the first place.
i second that, if it is possible. it is a pain to totally remove all lead from the bore once it is there. i use lee liquid alox on top of the stuff that is in the grooves when i buy cast bullets. one time shooting a couple of boxes, and cleaning the barrel for hours on end was enough for me! also, try shooting a few jacketed bullets through your gun just before you quit shooting. i have done this the last few times out, and it SEEMS like it helps. i have no real proof of it because i have not done enough scientific research or experiments to prove it. but it does seem to help. another thing to put on my experimentation list.

I can truthfully say I push 240gr SWC cast lead bullets 1300+fps and don't get any leading out of my 629-6, 44 Mag.
I use Bullseye to go 1000fps and 2400 for full house loads.

For cleaning lead from barrels I use a little different method. Copper cleaners mostly work by getting under the fouling to loosen the copper up so it can be removed. An "old-timer" told me the copper cleaner really doesn't know what metal is in your barrel, just use copper cleaner for the lead. I use Hoppe's Copper Cleaner on the rare occasions I do get some leading and it works very well.

Soak a patch with the copper cleaner and run it through the barrel until the inside is saturated. Let it sit for a few hours and then come back and run a brush and a few patches through the barrel. When the barrel is clean run some oil through the barrel to protect it and you're done. If the lead is very bad retreat the barrel and let it sit over night. It's an easy and inexpensive method that works...

Greetings,

I shoot 500 S&W full load with hard cast GC and full load with 44 mag and I get no leading with them "most of the time". Sometimes, I get leading in those. In automatic weapons, this is the same thing but more often than not leading is happening. I shoot a few FMJ after my hard cast and yes it helps and eliminates a lot of lead but I found out lately that it compress the lead in the grooves making it harder to remove.

Guy, I appreciate all of your suggestions. But my question is not how to clean or how not to have leading.

My question is: Do I clean it too much still? Could I leave that tiny thin film there? What do you do? Clean it thoroughly or leave a little bit of lead?

Thank you

My question is: Do I clean it too much still? Could I leave that tiny thin film there? What do you do? Clean it thoroughly or leave a little bit of lead?


Do not go too hog wild with the cleaning its really not necessary JMHO YMMV. You may want to try Hoppes elite cleaner (MPRO7) its the best for removing small amounts of lead fouling and is non volitile and low toxicity.

I love shooting lead out of my revolvers but no longer want to deal with it in my auto's. I've also never talked to anyone in person that has not had leading after shooting cast boolits.
Well then you have never talked to the right people. I don't shoot much lead lately, but leading has nothing to do with it.

Autos are easier to stop leading in than revolvers. I used to shoot 1000's of rounds through my .45's without needing to clean lead out. Not much different in revolvers with proper throats once the right combination is found.

Those who give the advise that stopping leading is easier than cleaning leading are right.

Some apps are going to lead a little, but one should not have to clean lead out after every shooting session, period.

I use the Lewis Lead Remover, which is now owned by Brownell's. With that tool, you won't spend near as much time cleaning, and the barrel will be cleaner.

Yep. Reloaderfred knows what he's talking about. I've been using one of these for years, and it's great. You can use all the elbowgrease and chemicals in Christendom and never get nearly the results as with the Lewis, which uses a brass/bronze (I forget which) screen "patch" to mechanically rip that stuff out of your bore. It's shocking to use it first time on a firearm that you 'cleaned' and see all the lead come out, nicely polished, since you worked it so hard with solvents and brushes.:what:

Buy one kit and for the rest of your calibers, just get the adapters. You'll never go back. Once you've scraped the lead out, cleaning is a cinch. Brownell's also sells a longer rod for your rifles....

Seems like Chore Boy wrapped on a brass brush works great for me. Can't imagine the Lewis could do more....

editingfx=Seems like Chore Boy wrapped on a brass brush works great for me. Can't imagine the Lewis could do more....

For a really heavily leaded barrel the Lewis lead remover might be a bit better but like you I use the Chore Boy wrapped around a brass brush too. It's fast and it works.:)

I shoot the lead out with jacketed bullets. At the end of any shooting session, I shoot at least 12 rounds with jacketed, sometimes more, whatever is necessary to swage the lead out the barrel.

If it makes a difference on target, it is inside my hold.

I recall some factory ammo that leaded horribly. It was Aquila in 32 S&W Long. By the time 50 rounds had been through the barrel, I could not see rifling.

Before I finished for the day, I would shoot the barrel clean with jacketed.

There is always the possibility that lead is still in the barrel, maybe pushed into the bores. But if it is not lumpy, I can’t see it.

Gotta agree with the Lewis Lead remover. I use it just now and then when the lead seems to be building up.

I agree with Walkalong in the fact that once you find that right combination, leading wont be nearly a problem at all.
I enjoy cleaning my rifles when I shoot and probably clean more than I need to but I what the heck, that's part of it.
My handguns do alot of blasting as much as the next guy but like I said, you got to clean it after you shoot anyways...

LGB

Sorry, I rambled a bit on this one.

I shoot the lead out with jacketed bullets. At the end of any shooting session, I shoot at least 12 rounds with jacketed, sometimes more, whatever is necessary to swage the lead out the barrel.

If it makes a difference on target, it is inside my hold.

I recall some factory ammo that leaded horribly. It was Aquila in 32 S&W Long. By the time 50 rounds had been through the barrel, I could not see rifling.

Before I finished for the day, I would shoot the barrel clean with jacketed.

There is always the possibility that lead is still in the barrel, maybe pushed into the bores. But if it is not lumpy, I can’t see it.

So what about the claims your gun would blow-up if you used jacketed boolits as lead removers??? :scrutiny:

So what about the claims your gun would blow-up if you used jacketed boolits as lead removers???

My claims? I hope I have not made any statements like that.

I shoot jacketed after shooting 32 S&W Long, 9mm, 38 Spl, 357, 44 Spl, 44 Mag, 45ACP and 45 LC.

Nothing blown up to date.

Does it matter (and I can already hear the chorus of "No!" but I'm asking anyways) if there are tiny little streaks or smears of lead left over in a pretty shiny, clean looking barrel? I know you aren't supposed to over clean, but something in my head just doesn't sit right knowing there is gunk in the barrel that doesn't belong there.

Of course, the fact that the next round at the range instantly defeats your mindlessly scrubbing it clean is something to consider. I guess there are safe queens and there are shooters. I think the guns are happier when they are shooters.

I will try that deleading metal wrapped around an old brush next time at the range while the barrel is still hot, and hopefully it will get it all out.

Does soaking in Kroil get the job done? I'm willing to be patient, and I am not yet willing to get the outers foul out electronic contraption to do it...

I will try that deleading metal wrapped around an old brush next time at the range while the barrel is still hot, and hopefully it will get it all out.

So far the easiest thing I've used is Chore Boy (make SURE they're the copper ones) wrapped around a brass brush, after spraying some CLP down the bore & letting sit overnight. Worst leading I've had (which isn't bad, btw) is gone in a few easy swipes.