Acceptable Leading?

[230therapy]

How much leading is acceptable?

I fired 50 rounds of 38 Special Lead SWC. I noticed a line of leading in the bore. I worked on it with some deleading wool, but didn't make much of a dent.

I haven't been able to find a Lewis Deleading Kit.

I will be attending a two day defensive handgun course. Do you think the gun will be able to get through 400 rounds a day? I am thinking it will not; it may not get through 150.

I did as much work as I'll have time for in the course (about 10 minutes). While I'm confident a bit of elbow grease with C&W deleading wool and JB Bore Lapping Compound will get it out, this will take longer than a break during the course.

How much leading can a gun handle? Any suggestions for an easy way to remove lead quickly?

 

[Erich]

Hi Tom,

That's not acceptable - I answered at length over on the other forum. You'll get it worked out, but not with those loads.

cheers, erich

 

[kennyb]

brownells carries the lewis kit

 

[Raider]

Chore Boy cleaning pads (the pure copper kind only). Wrap a swatch around an old used bore brush and make a few dry passes through the barrel. Cleans the lead out of mine nicely.

Charlie

 

[nn]

Chore Boy cleaning pads (the pure copper kind only). Wrap a swatch around an old used bore brush and make a few dry passes through the barrel. Cleans the lead out of mine nicely.

Charlie

+1 works well

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Here's a trick I learned at an Army arsenal many years ago:

Fine steel wool (000 or 0000) wrapped around a worn bore brush will remove just about any amount of bore fouling. I was shown this while cleaning a couple of hundred .50 Browning MG barrels with very heavy fouling from thousands of rounds fired. Each barrel was checked for bore and muzzle erosion prior to re-issue, and none showed any ill effects.

Since then I have used this method for cleaning revolvers used in competition with swaged and cast lead bullets. Works great in bores and cylinder chambers, and won't damage even a highly polished and blued gun when used on cylinder faces and frame recesses.

 

[Dan Cash]

Gum turpentine and a tight patch will remove the lead with out abrading the barrel. Scouring methods can scratch the bore and make it more prone to leading.

The bullets you are using are either too small or too hard or a combination there of. (Sorry, I did not notice that this was the ammo forum as opposed to reloading. Try a different brand of wadcutters or find a source for reloads that don't produce leading.)

Good luck,
Dan