Lead Cast Bullets

[coopermania]

Oh god, I gotta quit laughing or I am gonna slip a little mud. Brb.

 

[John from MD]

There is alot to learn about lead bullet shooting so that you don't lead the barrel. Google is your friend.

That said, if you have already leaded the barrel and you don't have a Kroil and Lewis Lead Remover, then the only thing you can do is scrub the bore with a bronze brush and bronze wool after the brush wears down.

For the future. Buy a Lewis Lead Remover for your pistols and revolvers and also buy some Kroil penetrating oil. I use Kroil mostly on rifles as pistols are easy to clean with a LLR. Work a patch in the bore with lots of Kroil and let sit overnight. Next morning, fit a tight patch to a jag and force it down the barrel. In many cases, the Kroil will allow the lead to be forced out in strands as it gets behind the lead and breaks the bond with the barrel. BTW, the LLW and Kroil can both be purchased from Brownells Inc.

The best thing though is to learn how not to lead.

Regards,

John

 

[Biggfoot44]

Yes , it is persistant folklore that shooting jacketed bullets will remove lead deposits.

It might work if there is only a "little bit" of lead. BUT , shooting jacketed thru a Heavily Leaded bore can dangerously raise pressures.

But as with the common there; a well designed bullet , properly sized and lubed will have minimal leading , that is handled by normal routine cleaning.

If you do have lead deposits , a Lewis Lead Remover will make short work of them.

 

[Mooseman]

I want a popcorn cupcake. So does Hooli.

 

[Winterborn]

I guess I'm not aware of most of the jokes that are being referenced in this thread, but my experience in removing lead from a barrel is twofold.

First, as others have said, using the correct bullet: correct size, correct hardness, correct charge, correct amount of lube, etc... is the best way to avoid leading.

I personally have found that when shooting wheel weight lead bullets, that revolvers for some reason will lead much less than autoloaders for whatever reason. Also some autoloaders don't like lead and some do (for instance, my 1911 eats lead bullets like candy but my Beretta leads up when shooting 9mm (same alloy)).

That being said, read the stuff on casting and figure out how to tailor your alloy to your gun. Hardness, velocity, and most importantly slugging the bore to discover your true size needed. One size (or mold) most definately does NOT fit all when it comes to casting bullets.

If you have a leaded barrel, the best way to remove it is the Lewis Lead Remover from Brownells. I have one and it does work well. Wrapping copper chore boy pads around a brush is a pain in the ass.

If you are seeing lead when shooting high velocity (>1500 fps) a gas check may be your answer to avoid gas cutting.

As you can tell from the multiple responses, there is no real one size fits all answer.

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

If your getting a leading issue ... you may need to do a little diagnosing.

Typically revolvers can be more prone to leading, since more happens before the bullet exits the bore. There are more areas that can lead on a wheelgun, including the cylinder throats, forcing cone, and the grooves/bore.

If your getting leading in the bore towards the muzzle, then you are either using the wrong lube, or not enough. As Coopermania pointed out, you should see a greasy residue at the crown if the lube is sufficient.

Leading at the cylinder throat, & in the bore towards the throat, can be a bullet sizing issue. Some wheelguns can even have different throat sizes from each other (Colts are notorious for this)

Leading at the forcing cone, can be a mechinical issue, such as the timing, or not enough cyclinder lock up.

The Lewis Lead remover is a great tool, and will clean out leading. It is a mechnical cleaner (uses brass screens), and chemicals dont really clean out true leading. Normal lead residue cleans out fine with chemicals, but a truley leaded bore, will need a mechnical cleaner. A leaded bore basically has the lead soldered to the bore.

I use my Lewis Lead remover as a maintence tool. The truth of the matter, I get very little leading in the guns I shoot cast out of. I'll use the lead remover to clean out any stubborn smears that appear after a very high round cound. I think after 6000 cast bullet rounds in my 1911, I had a very small smear area in the bore towards the throat. Accuracy was still good, but I finally cleaned out as maintence.

 

[John from MD]

Additionally, you may want to look into Dry Powder Coating your bullets.

I'll admit to being a new convert to PC of bullets but I am sold on the process. So far I have fired 400 rounds in my 300 Blackout, 200 in my S&W M&P 40 and 100 in my S&W Model 625. NO LEADING in any of them!

Regards,

John