Chore Girl/Boy???

[SteelEye]

I've seen threads that suggest Chore Girl as an excellent product for removing lead from barrels. However, at my local WalMart they have Chore Boy and a similiar product in copper. Are these the same, and if so, would copper be better then steel?

As these are coiled shavings, how does one use this product?

Thanks,
SteelEye

 

[vertigo7]

Lucky you. None of the Wal-Marts near my house had the stuff. I had to drive around town to 3 different hardware stores to find it. Anyhow, I had a problem with lead buildup in the chambers of my Taurus 617. As to the first part of your question, I'm looknig at the ChoreBoy box now. It's a copper/orange color, and says prominently "Copper Scrubber" on the front/sides. Try it.

I was advised to wrap the ChoreBoy around a tight-fitting bore brush, coat with a few drops of lube, chuck it in my cordless drill and have at it, then clean as normal. About 30 minutes later things were satisfactory.

 

[swifter]

Used it for years.

Snip out a section, wrap around a bore brush, apply solvent, scrub bore. Works like a Lewis Lead Remover, but a lot cheaper...

Tom

 

[Majic]

I never knew they had a female version.

 

[J Miller]

I tried the idea. Cut out a piece, (it shreaded all over the place).
Wrapped it around a brush, and tried to get it into the chambers. No good. Because of the shreading it just fell apart before I could get any use out of it.
Probably did it wrong, but I don't know how.

Joe

 

[Pappy John]

Just cut a bigger piece than you think you'll need. Some of the edges always fall apart while you're wrapping it on the brush.

 

[stans]

Yeah, it can be a little messy to use, but the Chore Boy does remove lead. It works best if the bore is dry, solvent just softens the copper and acts as a lubricant.

 

[Standing Wolf]

...would copper be better then steel?

Using steel inside a bore is a bad idea. Always use cleaning stuff that's softer than steel rather than equally hard.

 

[Jim K]

Copper or brass wool, by whatever name known (Chore Boy, Brillo, etc.), is also excellent for removing light rust and powder marks. It won't scratch, as steel wool can, and won't remove bluing.

Jim

 

[R.H. Lee]

What's the need to remove lead from a bore? Won't it just lead up again next time you shoot? Or how about using some jacketed bullets?

 

[Gameface]

Yes! RileyMc, good point!

Noticed the same thing with my underpants. I was changing them ALMOST everyday. They just kept getting dirty. What a waste.

Gameface

 

[R.H. Lee]

heh. Sounds like a coordination problem.

Too many firearms are ruined by obsessive cleaning. What is the point of constantly sticking something damaging thru the bore? All you are going to do is screw up the lands and grooves, then you're going to have even more leading. It's a downward spiral. Leave it alone. YMMV

 

[Coronach]

Vertigo-

If you have trouble finding ChoreBoy, just go to a gas station in any bad neighborhood. It is popular with the crackheads.

Mike

 

[vertigo7]

Edited to fix a typo in my quote. Oops.

-Coronach

Vertigo-

If you have trouble finding ChoreBoy, just go to a gas station in any bad neighborhood. It is popular with the crackheads.

Mike, I found it already. I just had to check a couple different Ace Hardware shops to find one that had it in stock. Thanks for the tip anyhow.

vertigo7

 

[litework]

We've used Chore Boy copper pads to clean the barrels in our high pressure extruders for years. They work really well and don't damage the barrel. I don't know if we use a vendor like Grainger or McMaster Carr (I'm certain they have them if you check their website) or buy them from a local vendor.

 

[JiminCA]

You can get Chore Boy at the grocery store where they sell pot scrubbing supplies.

Just unravel it into a flat section and cut out about a 2x2 section. Wrap it around an old bore brush, doing your best to get it intertwined into the bristles. It doesn't have to be a tight fitting bore brush as the Chore Boy will make it bigger in diameter.

It is copper for cryin' out loud. It won't hurt your bore. Every jacketed bullet you fire chases a copper coated bullet down the bore at about 1000 FPS with high pressure/temperature gasses. No need to worry about copper shavings on a bore brush moving one inch per second at room temperature. Really.

I have it down to about a 30 second process and the lead is gone. Do it dry. Do to the bore without any previous effort - it works best if you just run it into the dirty bore. A little back and forth in the throat area and you are done. You'll feel it cutting the lead. Lead shavings will spill out of the brush and the end of your barrel. Couple of passes with your fave solvent on a patch to get any residual powder residue and your bore is clean.

Bill Wilson recommends this technique on his gun care video. That's where I learned it.

 

[sgt127]

I've used it for years. Note though that it might leave a copper wash in the barrel. If you use Hoppes #9, a COPPER solvent, it will clean it back out. Also, try and unwind as much of the Choreboy from the brush before you put it away as the Hoppes will continue to dissolve the copper and make a nasty green mess wherever you leave the brush. I understand thats why bore brushes are bronze. If we could get the crackheads to demand BRONZE choreboy, I bet the companies would listen, then, life would be really good.

 

[albanian]

That is a great tip. I was just about to order the Lewis Lead Remover but now I will just use the copper pads. Great! I was about to give up on shooting lead bullets also because of the leading of some of my guns. Lead bullets are so much cheaper that it is worth the extra effort to clean the guns. Also, I have found a HBWC that works great in both my .38s and .357s with just about any load I cook up. It is also very inexpensive so I want to stick with it.

P.S., what do crackheads use Chore Boy for?

 

[sgt127]

Its refreshing to talk to people that don't know how crack is smoked...thank you albanian. You need a glass tube, or broken hollow car antenna. About 3-4 inches long. Put a little wad of Choreboy in one end and then stick the rock in behind it. Heat the rock end with a lighter and suck on the other end. The Choreboy keeps the hot rock from sailing down your windpipe....I assume that would be a buzz buster.

 

[Brian D.]

When I saw the title of this thread, I actually didn't think about a cleaning product. Was wondering if folks were having a discussion on the merits of hiring a domestic to clean their guns for 'em! Kind of a disappointment to see how wrong I was..

 

[Majic]

Albanian,
For a revolver the Lewis Lead Remover kit is the better idea. When using Chore Boy/brush method you have to push it thru the barrel from the muzzle and the initial start will be tough if you have the brush tightly fitted. The kit pulls thru the barrel starting at the forcing cone making it much easier. They both follow the same concept, but one uses the idea that pulling is stronger than pushing.

 

[JNewell]

If you wanted to use the Chore-boy, couldn't you do it the way you do with the Lewis or Hoppe's cleaners and start from the forcing cone end?

I think the Lewis or Hoppe's versions are a lot easier to use, and since you can get quite a bit of use out of the bronze screens usually, they're not that expensive. Plus, and maybe most importantly, I think you get much more even and thorough cleaning than with the Chore-boy/brush method. YMMV...

 

[Majic]

If you wanted to use the Chore-boy, couldn't you do it the way you do with the Lewis or Hoppe's cleaners and start from the forcing cone end?

Good point! My mind never worked worth s@$% in reverse.

 

[effengee]

Why are you scrubbing???

ROGO spray lubricants makes a product called "firepower"
It's specifically made for removing lead fouling, gum, and varnish from automotive carburetors. Pretty much any brand will work.
Being that it's main ingredient is toluene, it'll literally melt cosmoline but won't affect the bluing. I've been using it ever since it freed up the buttstock cleaning kit from my AK. I sprayed some down the barrel of my friends shotgun and with just the swab and a few patches had it bright and shiny in no time. It's also alot cheaper than the "super-duper plastic and lead cleaners" and eliminates the endless scrubbing with brushes.

I was also once told to pee down the barrel of my old .303 British SMLE.
Granted, it was a way to clean them, but I just never did it that way.


Jim

 

[4v50 Gary]

Always use copper and stay away from steel.