What is the best way to get the lead out of a revolver barrel???

brownells lead removal tool

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

..formerly known as the Lewis Lead Remover.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Pushing to fast--wrong mix-wrong powder-or wrong size-to slow--wrong lube is what leads. The small group I shoot with & we like to keep to ourselves -shoot on the average of 250-350 a week & no lead. We shoot our hard cast any fps by the books. I know you asked about leading but if you shoot the correct components this will end your problem. Slug your barrel & don't go more than .001 over. A cast bullet takes very little lube if it is the correct size. HAPPY LEAD SLINGING. IF you don't cast ---when you figure out the size you need --get a resizer & resize everything you buy. MISSOURI bullet co. makes good bullets & I still resize them sometimes & they offer different hardness. I WISH SKIP WOULD COME BACK FROM HIS VACATION--HE KNOWS MORE THAN ANYONE IN THE WORLD ON RELOADING. JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE COOKING HE WILL COME BACK WITH A SIMPLE STATEMENT THAT MAKES ME THINK. And that hurts my head. ????????????????????????????????I THINK THIS NEEDS TO MOVED TO RELOADING???

Throats need to be checked too. If they are small and swage down your bullets, you no longer have the correct fit. Forcing cone can also be an issue.

But since you asked for how to remove lead, and not how to avoid leading:

- soak bore in Ed's Red (or Kroil which is almost the same) overnight.
- wrap some pure copper Chore Boy scrubber strands around a worn bore brush and pass it through the bore several times. Lead will come out quickly.
- the Lewis lead remover is excellent for removing any lead from the forcing cone and cylinder throats along with the carbon ring

But make sure you have all the copper out of your bore before you ever shoot any lead to start with.

I think that all of the answers provided have value but it seems to me that it is pretty hard to avoid a lead build up in the chambers of .3573 when shooting a lot of low velocity wadctters from .38 cases. I have seated the WCs out about 3/8s of an inch and increased the powder charges slightly. I use Bullseye and yes I've heard that it's dirty.

After 200 or so WCs, that little lead ring is inside of the .357 chambers. It requires a great deal of brushing. The Lewis tool is excellent for me. Kroil helps. Has anyone tried hydrogen peroxide? I'd be anxious to hear your results. Good thoughts from all.

I use the Brownells TORNADO spiral wound brush to remove the described ring quickly and easily. I shoot tens of thousands of .38s in .357 chambers each year.
TORNADO BRUSHES | Brownells

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Science plus Art

Back in the 70's and 80's I shot a lot of 38 loads thru 357 magnums....invariably the chambers would carbon and gunk up to the point where I could not chamber the longer 357's.....I used the Lewis lead removal tools and then took a 38 bore brush, chucked it up in a 3/8 drill, soaked the brush in hoppes and went into the chambers with the bore brush and ran the rotating brush in and out of the chambers until they were clean...also used that same method on hundred's of training handguns that I was in charge of.....

The fastest, easiest, and safest for the gun method to clean the chambers of carbon or leading is to buy a couple of bronze chamber brushes from Brownell's.

These are not only over-sized, they're made of a much stiffer bristle that cleans most chambers in one or two passes with no scrubbing, no chemicals, no soaking, no waiting, and no electric drills:

BRONZE RIFLE/PISTOL CHAMBER BRUSHES | Brownells

To clean leading from the bore, the above mentioned Lewis Lead Remover is fast and safe.
In addition, it's the only way to really clean the critical forcing cone in the rear of the barrel.
Use the forcing cone cleaning tip even if you don't shoot lead bullets. It also cleans off carbon and copper jacket fouling.
All the old time revolver shooters had a Lewis kit.

Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar will destroy bluing and can seriously damage guns. It also combines with lead to make a very hazardous chemical that can damage YOU.