I've used all kinds of "cheap" plinker 158gr. LRN over the years, but the PPU stuff I tried recently takes the cake. The lead fouling is so bad, I threw away 2 boxes, now need some advice to help me remove what is, in effect, lead plating in the barrel of my 686 and 15. What is the best stuff to use to remove REALLY bad leading. ?? Old guy needing HELP !!

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John

Oldster , The best I have found is using a piece of " chore boy " . It's a pure copper scouring pad . I would cut a piece about the size of my thumb and wrap it around a old wore out bore brush of 38 / 357 size . Attach it to your rod and " bump " it into the barrel . Just a few minutes of passing it back and forth in the barrel should remove all of it . Before I tried this I used to use Lewis Lead Remover cloth , a piece cut to size . Sometimes it took several patch's . Either method will clean the barrel . Good Luck , Regards Paul

Chore Boy works.

But the stuff in the grocery store is probably steel. What you want is the all-copper Chore Boy. I had to go online and find it.

Wrap some of it around a brush, and do the scrub. The copper Chore Boy won't hurt the steel barrel, but will reduce the lead.

PPU ammo is crud. I had a box of 9mm somebody gave me. Refused to operate my Shield, and a squib stuck in the barrel of a Glock. Avoid eurotrash ammo.

I have used aerosol wipe out foam aerosol spray.

I was amazed at the **** that came out of my old rifle that I used it on. follow the directions, it will chemically harm the barrel if left in there too long.

Lewis Lead Remover

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Who are those guys?

a brass (not plastic) jag tip and a patch cut from a lead remover cloth. It'll be a tight fit but it works. The Lewis Lead Remover works too but is more expensive.

Spear Tip .357/.38-9mm Jag

Access Denied

If you haven't already ditched the ammo, clean the barrel to shiny bright. After really, really clean, shoot some of the suspect ammo, it might just be fine in your gun.

Smiles,

Try a regular .38 brush in a bore that's already wet with Hoppe's #9 (or anything similar). Get the big, loose stuff out, then wet the bore again and use a slightly oversized brush. Or, as already mentioned, a Lewis Lead Remover or Chore Boy. Lewis Lead Remover works better than the Chore Boy but it also costs quite a bit more, around $25 -$30 from Brownells.

Me, I'd use Mercury. But I have Mercury, most people wouldn't.

The Lewis Lead Remover is the ticket! Sold through Brownell's.

I feel for you years ago had to clean lead out of a Taurus .38 snub and M&P .22. I couldn't find all copper Chore Boy used some stinking bore cleaner and a few brushes . The snub cleaned up ok and sold it , cleaned the .22 best I could and fired mini mags through it.

This is the correct answer.

You can dick around with all kinds of cleaners, brushes, and gimmicky products you want. At the end of the day the Lewis is the only tool you need. It has a sizing device that lets you add more pressure to the screen. You don't have to cobble something together with a dish pan scrubber, and you will not even come close to harming your gun.

It will pull the lead from your barrel, clean your forcing cone, and you can use it to clean your cylinder of any crud rings.

Another user of chore boy.In fact I got this tip from somewhere on this forum and it along with a good cleaner has worked the best for me.

Still another vote for Chore Boy.

Either use genuine Chore Boy pure copper pot scrubber material wrapped around a bore brush or get a Lewis lead remover. Don't use store brand or off-brand copper pot scrubbers, odds are they are copper plated steel.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Thanks guys for the tips. Since I've used most of the ideas effectively over the years, I think I'll try the Lewis Lead Remover. The deposit left by those PPU bullets is the worst I've ever experienced. This may be the wrong forum for this recommendation; stay away from PPU lead bullets. I've used lots of PPU in semi-autos with no issues, but never used this stuff before, and won't again.

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John

I get the same horrendous leading with the PPU in revolvers.
Oddly enough it doesn't lead my Henry 357 carbine

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Chief

The source of most "leading" comes from improperly barrel to bore fit.

Being a bullet caster I control bullet diameter for barrel fit. I cast 135 grain NOE LRNFP using 10 BRN lead, soft lube sized to .357 and these get shot in 38 Spl. 9mm and 38 Super! I clean my barrels with a rolled up paper towel.

Smiles,

If you own a revolver you should also own a Lewis Lead Remover kit.

Not only does it remove leading, it also cleans carbon and copper fouling off the critical forcing cone.

One of the suspected causes of "K" frame cracked forcing cones was heavy build of copper and carbon on the cone.
The Lewis kit removes that better then anything.

What he said !
Lewis Lead Remover was invented specifically for the purpose of removing lead from a barrel .
If you have a gun prone to lead ...you will never regret buying this gizmo ... works like a New Orleans VooDoo Woman's Black Magic Spell .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

PPU lead is the worst. It's got to be in the alloy; their bullets must not be pure lead ?? Maybe a reloading expert can chime in.

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John

The recommendations here to use a Lewis lead remover or a piece of pure copper Chore Boy are sound.

I would not however blanket condemn PPU ammo as "eurotrash". I have fired PPU ammo in at least a half dozen handgun calibers with no issues what so ever.

It may just be that their .38 Special ammo wasn't a good match with your gun. The only lead bullets from PPU that I have fired were their .32 S&W Long wadcutters and Lead Round Nose .32 S&W Long, and I experienced no leading with those. Their FMJ auto pistol ammo works great.

I gummed up my S&W M&P 22 pretty good. Shame on me. I used the Hoppe's 9. Took about a hour to clean it all out. I got smarter after that.

For excessive leading I use an Ultrasonic cleaner, some distilled water and Dawn dishwashing soap. Works great on any small parts that will fit into the basket. They are readily available, not that expensive and have all kinds of practical uses around the house. Obviously be sure to throughly dry then lightly oil before reassembly. Good luck...
Edit: ok, just reread the OP. Obviously an ultrasonic won’t work for a fix barrel unless you have one large enough to fit the entire pistol. Sorry, 🙄

A S&W 686 2 1/2 inch was brought to me with a barrel so leaded I could not see lands and groves. I started with 45 caliber brush and solvent then Lewis Lead Remover. I used 2 patches to get barrel clean. This is a bunch of lead that came out of the and fell on my pant leg. I used a 22 caliber for comparison

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SWCA 1932 SWHF 135

Ditto this...

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

I've used PPU in my pre model 10 and it doesn't lead. It leads like crazy in my wife's 637. It is an alloy a little harder than pure lead but not by much. A copper Chore Boy works.

I’m thinking about picking up the Lewis Lead Removal. Since I already have plenty of rods, do I order just the kit with the rubber grommet, cone and patch size, or do I still have to order the whole kit? Sorry OP for sneaking a question in. Thanks

I keep a wad of Chore Boy and a length of weed eater cord in a medicine bottle in my shooting bag. Works for rifles and handguns. All I shoot is lead. Even in my 223's.

Leading generally comes from an incorrect barrel dia to bullet dia fit.

Decided to try the Chore Boy method. Stuffed both barrels ( 686-4 and 15-4) with Hoppes-soaked cotton ( a de-leading method I like) and set overnight. Found some copper Chore Boy at Ace hardware. Today wrapped a chunk around a cleaning rod and scrubbed the heck out of the barrels. VOILA-success !! I've never had lead "plating" come out of barrels in slivers like this before.

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John

A standard rod "will" work, but the Lewis kit comes with a Tee handled rod that allows using the forcing cone cleaning tip.
Also the Lewis rod is wide enough to give support for the brass screens to prevent tearing out the brass.
I recommend just buying the complete kit and then buying the parts for other calibers.

Years ago when I had my shop a couple brought a nickel K frame .38 to transfer ownership. Back then we had a 3 day wait. While we had it I looked down the bore and it honestly looked like the bore was plated and the plating was peeling everywhere. As a courtesy I took the Lewis Lead Remover to it. The gobs of lead that came out of it were unbelievable.

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Who are those guys?

Thank you!

Over the last 50 years I've had a couple guns that leaded very badly. The Lewis lead remover gets most of it out but I fine that the Copper Chore Boy will get it all out, there is also a treated cloth that will remove lead, don't remember the name for the cloth. (The Lewis doesn't get in the bottoms of the grooves). I also have used over sized brushes in cylinders and if the bbl is removable in semi autos. Never found a solvent that would dissolve lead. Mercury will dissolve lead but it's a dirty word now days. I don't know how we survived rubbing it on pennies to plate them.....

It is a Birchwood Casey Lead Remover and Polishing cloth.

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Doug

If you are hell bent on shooting lead bullets there are several suppliers producing polymer coated lead bullets that do not lead foul the barrel. Just make sure that the maker sizes the bullets after the polymer is applied.

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Doug

Being a long-time bullet caster and lead bullet shooter, I've used the over-sized brush and #9 solvent or Kroil to successfully remove any lead fouling from the bore of my handguns. But honestly, I learned long ago that properly sized cast bullets seldom lead the bore. I rarely have much of a leading problem.

Lead Remover.JPG

This product has worked well for me to get the bore squeaky clean. It also helps to clean the area under the top strap.
Sorry for the lopsided photo - I don't know how to fix it!

WYT-P
Skyhunter

Look for a Lewis lead remover. I love them for clean up after shooting lead bullets.

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Bob
Sic Semper Tyrannis

I don't think I ever did use a Lewis Lead Removed kit.

A very long time ago an old timer told me something I never forgot. He said to use a copper remover to clean out the leading without excessively scrubbing the barrel. The copper removed will vet under the lead just like it does with copper and you can then clean as usual.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I use the Lewis lead remover

Wow, a really bad, two year old deposit.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I would shoot them even if they did lead the barrel.

Waste not, want not.

Soak it for a few days with Kroil and then clean with either a copper brush or with an all copper Chore Boy pad.
The Kroil will soak in under the lead and loosen it up, making it easier to push out.
Either the copper pads or copper brushes should not have any effect on the barrel.

As Dwalt said Mercury will work and will not harm the barrel.
However its toxic and will harm you, so use caution.
Also I have no idea where or how you would legally dispose of lead mercury mix.
Mercury is not difficult to acquire, if you know where to look. Find a heating and air guy, they usually remove old thermostats when replacing HVAC systems and will usually have some old stats laying around.
There is a bulb of mercury in them, and some have 2 bulbs.
It only takes a little bit of it to work, and 2 or 3 bulbs will supply enough mercury to do what you need to do, and its reusable.

As a life long bullet caster in both pistols and rifles, I have found that the usual cause of leading is poor bullet fit, but there are also other reasons.
I have found that most commercial cast is way too hard, and that leading with occur more often with a bullet that is too hard than one that is too soft.
Also commercial cast and factory cast loads, are often lubed with lube that is too hard as well. If you recover a bullet and there is still lube in the grooves, the lube was too hard and did not do its job.
Lastly, improper cleaning before shooting cast is another reason, though not as common. Shards of copper in the bore, will gather lead, and the problem compounds as more is shot.
I will probably get flamed for the below statement, but here goes....

Once I season a barrel to shoot cast, I very seldom clean it. The lube, fouling will protect the barrel from rust, except in cases, where it is going to set for a long time. I run a patch soaked in Hoppes # 9 and a couple of dry ones, then one with a coat of oil, about every 500 rounds, and that is it.


Lots of luck.

To summarize:

Lewis Lead Remover - check.
Copper Chore Boy strands around a bore brush - check.
Mercury - effective but highly dangerous.
Proper bullets and lube - check.

Thread closed.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220