Cleaning lead from your barrel

[tink77]

If you use Hoppe's # 9 solvent, to remove lead from the barrel, how long would you leave it in the barrel? I going to plug the barrel and pour it in and let it set. Just wondering how long to let it set.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Hoppes #9 won't remove lead from a bore effectively.
This is what I use on the rare occasions I have an issue and it works great. Just follow the instructions on the bottle.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/39...ead-remover-bore-cleaning-solvent-4-oz-liquid

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Wrap an old bore brush with some Chore Boy copper scouring pad and clean it out with your Hoppes.

 

[smovlov]

+1 on the chore boy. Make sure it's copper and not copper plated.

 

[Val USP]

As usually use:
1. Gunslick
2. Sharp Shoot R

 

[OCD41911]

Another vote for chore boy. It works very well.

 

[Lee S. Forsberg]

Chore Boy has my vote also.

 

[41 Mag]

Chore Boy copper pad pieces wrapped around an old brush, and a little elbow grease. Usually done with it in about 15 - 30 minutes.

 

[groundsclown]

+1 chore boy

 

[Dframe]

Lewis Lead Remover!

 

[Dr.Zubrato]

As has been said before, chore boy + hoppes 9. Scrub the hell out of it and find out why your barrel is leading. If you're doing things right with lead, you shouldnt be having any leading.

 

[Don McDowell]

Quick and easy lead removal, simply wet a flannel patch with pure gum spirits of turpentine, and push it thru the bore on a jag, then follow with a dry, and back to the wet, until the patches come out just as white as they went in..
Commercial solvent that is really good at cleaning the bore and removing lead is Montana Extemes Cowboy Blend. Nylon bore brush wet with the stuff and about a dozen strokes, dry patch on a jag, followed by a wet patch and dry again. Repeat until the patches come out white. Probably won't need to do it more than a couple of times.

 

[Rule3]

There are no chemicals that will remove leading. AT least none that I would use on an expensive gun. There is a solution you can make but I am not bringing it up.

They all advertise lead and copper removal. There are only two proven ones that remove copper.

Anyway, did anyone mention Chore Boy or Lewis lead remover??

Elbow grease and physical removal is the only way, Followed up with some chemical to get out the lose stuff.

 

[oldreloader]

Chore boy and #9 work fine for me too.

 

[Don McDowell]

No point to expose the bore of a rifle to sharp things like the lewis and a scouring pad stolen from the wifes kitchen sink.
Turpentine loosens lead quickly easily and cheap, and it requires nothing more aggressive than a flannel patch and a jag the proper size for the barrel in question.

 

[Swampman]

If you're not in a hurry, run a patch soaked with a 50% Kroil, 50% Hoppes #9 solution down the bore and let it soak for a day or two, then run a tight bronze brush down it.
You'll actually push out large slivers of lead loosened by the Kroil.

In really bad cases that totally coat the bore, I've used old brass window screen over an appropriately sized jag.
DO NOT use aluminium screen material, it'll generally have an oxide coating that's harder than barrel steel (Hint: look on the back of a sheet of cheap sandpaper).

 

[edfardos]

I know the choreboy sounds stupid at first, bit its miraculous. None of the chemicals worked for me.

 

[Rule3]

No point to expose the bore of a rifle to sharp things like the lewis and a scouring pad stolen from the wifes kitchen sink.
Turpentine loosens lead quickly easily and cheap, and it requires nothing more aggressive than a flannel patch and a jag the proper size for the barrel in question.

Brass and copper (Chore boy, Lewis lead remover) are much softer than barrel steel. It will not phase the barrel.

What are bore brushes made of?? (bronze) Actually a lot of lead can be removed with a fresh new brush.

Most people use a bore brush for to long and it does not do the job. You can even use a size larger for severe leading.

Buy them in 10 packs on Amazon.

 

[Don McDowell]

turpentine patch on a jag, works very well, fast and cheap, no special tools, no chance of scratching a barrel.

 

[hoghunting]

I buy the Lead-Away cloth, cut out the proper size patches for the jag, then run the patched jag through the barrel. Usually only takes 2 or 3 patches and the lead is gone.

 

[shadow9]

Don - Turpentine on a S/S barrel? I had read on a BR page (don't remember now) that Hoppe's #9 should NOT be left inside a stainless barrel (Specifically) as some part of it's chemistry will actually eat the stainless if not properly removed...

Also, what are the long term risks of turpentine on the metal? Corrosion? I'd be leery of using a chemical like that since it could eat the edges of rifling and do the same damage as a Stainless or copper-coated steel brush would do...

For the record, I use Hoppes #9 on a piece of a cotton ball, let it soak, then scrub with a .40 Nylon brush with Chore boy wrapped in it. (for .357/.38) Also been using commercial cast, wondering why accuracy sucks and the barrel keeps leading...

SIDE NOTE: You may have to ORDER Chore Boy - when I looked in urban city areas, it was not carried on store shelves anywhere - some internet research concluded that crack/drug addicts use Chore Boy pads in pipes since the copper attracts the chemicals in the smoke, and allows for a second "hit" - so some stores stopped carrying it.

 

[Comrade Mike]

Lead is a pain because most lead salts are extremely insoluble making removal through solvents very hard. Elbow grease with a little oil to loosen the deposits is really the best way to go.

 

[Glock Doctor]

Originally Posted By tink77:
If you use Hoppe's # 9 solvent, to remove lead from the barrel, how long would you leave it in the barrel? I going to plug the barrel and pour it in and let it set. Just wondering how long to let it set.

That's, like, the last thing I would do to one of my barrels with any cleaning solution that contains ammonia.

My barrels are IMMACULATE! I use any of the following methods:

1. Clean with either Flitz Metal Polish, Simichrome Metal Polish, Iosso Bore Cleaner, or, 'Lead Away' clothes. All of these products contain IDENTICAL cleaning chemicals and work very well on lead and guilding metal deposits.

2. An overnight soak in either Ballistol, or Break-Free, 'CLP' prior to scrubbing out the barrel.

3. Gunslick Foaming Bore Cleaner. Wait for up to one hour before you start scrubbing.

If you pre:treat your bores with products like Sentry Solutions, 'Smooth-Kote', or, 'FrogLube' you won't have to worry about ANY bullet metal sticking to the inside of the bore.

NOTES: 'Smooth-Kote' is extremely slippery; BUT it becomes hygroscopic AFTER the gun has been fired. (NOT a big deal if you clean your guns at the end of the day.)

FrogLube, on the other hand, will become tacky after it sits on the gun for a few weeks. (Once more, NOT a big deal. Just use a hair dryer and some heat to make it slippery, again.)

 

[Don McDowell]

Don - Turpentine on a S/S barrel? I had read on a BR page (don't remember now) that Hoppe's #9 should NOT be left inside a stainless barrel (Specifically) as some part of it's chemistry will actually eat the stainless if not properly removed...

Also, what are the long term risks of turpentine on the metal? Corrosion? I'd be leery of using a chemical like that since it could eat the edges of rifling and do the same damage as a Stainless or copper-coated steel brush would do...

I seriously doubt that turpentine would have an adverse affect on any steel if left there very long. I don't see it staying in the barrel as much of a problem as the dry patches pull it out, and the oiled patch that goes thru the bore at the end of the cleaning session eliminate any affects from the turpentine.
I use that stuff to clean any of our guns that we shoot cast bullets in competition with and show signs of lead on cleanup, and over a good many years and thousands of rounds each year. the bores of our Sharps, Hiwalls, rolling blocks, colts , and other "cheap" rifles are just as pristine as the day they were new.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

I buy the Lead-Away cloth, cut out the proper size patches for the jag, then run the patched jag through the barrel. Usually only takes 2 or 3 patches and the lead is gone.

+1 on this. I have used the lead away cloths for years and it is the only thing that really works for me that is quick, easy, and effective. I also us Break Free CLP in the bore - not dripping wet with it but just a pass thru followed by paper towel patches to remove as much as possible.

Repeated applications of the Break Free seem to condition the bore so that nothing really sticks very well in there. After a few sessions the lead comes right out with the first lead away cloth.

Just don't use the lead remover cloths on blued surfaces as it will take the bluing off in time.

VooDoo