Two questions about lead fouling

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LJH

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Years ago I purchased a box of 500 cast 230grain round nose 45acp. I loaded about half right after getting them home. I had no issues what so ever. Shot great, no fowling, no feed issues. I loaded the remainder to the exact same. Took them to the range and after about 50 rounds the slide started stopping about 1/16” short. After getting home and removing the barrel I was shocked to see the amount of lead. I am not sure if fowling describes it. Plastered in lead, describes it better.:what: Anyway the excess leading is what was causing the slide to not lock. My two questions are how do I get the lead out? And what could cause this?
 
1. Get some vaccuum line caps from an auto parts store -- they come in a package of assorted sizes. Make up a 50-50 mixture of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (which you can get at any drugstore.) Strip the gun, plug the breech with a vaccuum line cap, point the muzzle up and fill with the mixture. Let it work a bit and a grey scum will form -- that's the lead. Pour it down the drain. Repeat, if necessary, then dry and lube the barrel.

2. Likely your bullet lube has dried out, and that's causing the leading.
 
Getting the lead fouling out is a little tough but not too bad. You could purchase a Lewis/Hoppe's lead remover kit or take a bore brush and wrap some sections of scrubbing copper pad (i.e. Chore Boy) around it and scrub it out. What is causing the leading now...maybe the lube that was on the bullets has melted off or become too hard.
 
A bronze bore brush and Hoppies #9, and some scrubbing, is all you need to get the lead out.

Hate to disagree with Vern, but I wouldn't put vineger (mild acid) & peroxide (oxidizer) in one of my match barrels on a bet!

rcmodel
 
Lewis Lead Remover

works very well. A tight-fitting brass screen patch is pulled through the bore from the breech end. There is a lead removal cloth, impregnated with some secret compound, which is good for light leading. Then check your bullets for lube, and check that they are not too soft, or driven too fast, or with a powder which encourages leading.

If my barrel were as bad as that, I wouldn't hesitate to use the Vern Humphrey method rather than scour away at the bore.
 
Thank you everyone. It looks as if the lube has in fact dried out.

An hour with a bronze brush and Hoppies #9 didn’t do much. I admit that I am hesitant to try Vern's way, but if the Lewis Lead Remover doesn’t work, then I am giving it a shot.
 
Go down to the store and get some Chore Boy Copper cleaning pads. Take a old bronze brush and wrap about two or three strands around it. Take and dip in Shooters Choice lead remover. About 6 strokes and patch out. May have to do it twice as bad as yours is. Sounds like you didn't have any lube on the bullets. I shoot nothing but lead and this is what I use.
 
The Lewis Lead Remover will work, usually in one pass but sometimes I need two. I have found it to be a very worthwhile investment, especially when it comes to revolver forcing cones.

The copper scouring pad method does work but not as quickly as the LLR, and it's getting real hard to find ones that are all copper. I think they've switched to stainless steel with a copper wash, which is not good for your barrel.
 
oh yeah

i love it !!!!!
i`m a choreboy co. share holder & eds red to keep it all wet with!!!
i`ve leaded my share of barrels & choreboy will make short work of removin it, my lewis kit never sees day lite any more!!!

GP100man
 
I use the vinegar and peroxide mixture all the time--and have for many years. All my guns still shoot as good as they ever did.

Jeff
 
I have simply used an oversized bronze brush and Hoppes # 9 for 50+ yrs. I.E. 40 cal. in 357, 20 ga. in 44/45. Have never hurt a bore and always gets the lead out,but I never hurry, after all its just another aspect of the facinating sport of shooting.
 
Chore boy. dont use vineagar. i have used vineagar to remove the bluing from guns. comes off very quick. Its all about chore boy and some elbow grease.
 
I put together one of those battery-powered lead removers to remove foulin in my wife's Rossi 92 just after we bought it. It was ridiculously fouled with lead.

Worked like a charm.

Also, I used a 9V batt vs a 1.5V batt. Boy, did that hurry the process!
 
dont use vineagar. i have used vineagar to remove the bluing from guns. comes off very quick.
Click to expand...

Agree.

But then again, I've had Shooter's Choice take off the bluing on some Ruger and S&W wheel guns, too.

I love blue guns, but they are a pain in the ass to clean. With stainless, you can dang near use anything--and two of my primary shooters are stainless, thus the vinegar and peroxide any time I get any leading (which I rarely do anymore these days).

Jeff
 
I love blue guns, but they are a pain in the ass to clean. With stainless, you can dang near use anything--and two of my primary shooters are stainless, thus the vinegar and peroxide any time I get any leading (which I rarely do anymore these days).
Click to expand...
As I recall, the gun in question (the one that started this thread) is an M1911. The proper way to clean an M1911 is to strip it, separating the barrel from all the blued parts.
 
The proper way to clean an M1911 is to strip it, separating the barrel from all the blued parts.
Click to expand...

Yep, and my semi-autos are the guns that when I DO get any leading, they get the vinegar and peroxide treatment. Works like a charm every time and I have suffered zero bore concerns.

I was referring to blued revolvers like my old Ruger Blackhawks and S&W Model 19 and Model 29s. And in the Model 29, I'll STILL plug the forcing cone up and fill the barrel about half full of vinegar/peroxide. But then I'll take a bore mop and swish the rest of the concotion up and down the barrel.

Fortunately, I've finally managed to mix up a pretty good alloy mix for my cast boolits, along with a very good lube that has all but eliminated leading up to around 1400 fps.

Jeff
 
On a quick side note, how long will it take for the lube to dry out (on average)?

I ordered 10,000 230gr LRN from Mastercast and it'll be awhile before I go through all of them. They're stored in the shipping boxes they came in, in the garage (~40F winter to ~95 F summer).

Should they all go in a sealed ammo can instead?

Thanks in advance & back to your regularly scheduled thread...
 
Scrat, with a nice protectant of some type, that would look pretty nice.

Cacique, it's not something to really worry about.

It will depend on a lot of factors, but I've stored lead bullets for several years in conditions much like yours, and they shot just fine!

Although if you have an ammo can or two lying around, then why not put it to use?
 
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