Ever have a gun you can't seem to get clean?

[guitar1580]

A S&W revolver I just ran onto looked as if it hadn't been cleaned for a while. There was very heavy lead fouling inside the bore and around the forcing cone, as well as the cylinder and chambers, but no rust or pitting. The riflings look crisp, and everything functions fine.

I mostly use traditional Hoppes liquid solvent, and some spray Hoppes Elite, as well as Kroil. I've gotten the bore and chambers to where they look clean, but the patches keep coming out black. I've applied the solvent, let it soak, used the brush, followed with patches, and repeated the process 8 to 10 times. I've never had any problem getting a gun clean using this process.

Should I keep repeating, or is there something that will clean heavy fouling better than Hoppes?

Josh P

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

There are devices such as the Lewis Lead Remover which I used once years ago with good results. Regarding soaking, try plugging the muzzle and forcing cone with corks or wooden plugs, then fill the barrel, set the gun upright and let it soak.

 

[Rule3]

The Lewis tool is very good but also expensive. Another method is to take a Copper Chore Boy and wrap a strand of it around the bore brush and it will scrape out the lead (will not harm the bore) Kitchen Isle of the grocery store.

Chore Boy - Ultimate Scrubbers, Pure Copper

Another is JB bore paste (Brownells has it and the Lewis)

Wrap the bore brush with a patch, put some paste on it and scrub away, any oil will work with it. I have a tube of it

J-B® NON-EMBEDDING BORE CLEANING COMPOUND - Brownells

And our final item of the day is the Hoppes Tornado Brush. Folks will cry and whine that it is stainless, but it is looped and will not scratch the bore if you don't go crazy.

Hoppe's 9 - Tornado Brushes

Just let the Kroil sit over night and use a over size brush like the next size larger than the caliber.

 

[chief38]

I would go with The Lewis Lead remover. $30 some odd dollars and it will last a lifetime. It will solve your lead build up problem in a few minutes with no damage.

 

[williamlayton]

Clean!?
Blessings

 

[m1gunner]

Have had excellent results with ChoreBoy.

It is available at nearly every convenience store in the country right next to the "cigarette" rolling papers.

 

[LVSteve]

I have owned milsurp rifles that seems to refuse to come totally clean. Sometimes it is just copper, but others have had alternating layers of copper and powder. Then there are the preservative greases that petrify. Those can be a bear to get out.

 

[Andy Griffith]

I bought my Lewis years ago before the the internet, and before when Brownells didn't have the steep markup that they seem to have on them today, but it is one valuable tool if you shoot a lot of revolvers (or buy or clean them) or anything that may take a bit more scrubbing/scouring than your regular bronze brushes.