Lewis Lead Remover system for .22lr K22?

[bczrx]

Hello all,



Is there a product that works like the Lewis Lead Remover system, but is designed for our .22lr revolvers? I have the Lewis system for my .38, .44, and .45 barreled revolvers, but Brownells doesn't have anything for .22lr versions.



Any thoughts on best products to clean the forcing cone on .22lr revolvers, if we can't use the Lewis system?

 

[series guy]

I cut a screen into quarters and use it with a .22 jag.

 

[dfariswheel]

There is no Lewis kit for .22.
However, can make your own by wrapping a few strands of copper Chore Boy pot scrubber around a .22 brush.

NOTE AND WARNING.....Make CERTAIN you get genuine COPPER Chore Boy. A lot of the off-brand is stainless steel with a copper wash, This will destroy a barrel.
Look for the 100% copper label.

 

[rockquarry]

I've tried the Chore Boy method; it works but an oversized brass brush will do at least as well. If you'll get some bronze .22 centerfire ( not the smaller diameter rimfire) brushes from Brownells or another distributor, these work well and are of the right diameter to do an effective job removing leading. Don't waste your money on synthetic brushes. Use solvent, any solvent.

 

[Eric300]

Shooters Choice Bore Cleaner and a .243 COPPER Bore Brush for the chamber. Problem solved.

 

[JM4151]

Lead cleaner for 22 cal guns

I recommend breaking and old thermometer and wetting a dry patch with the mercury that came out of the thermometer and run it down the bbl and any other part that needs cleaning. Use rubber gloves to protect your skin.
There is also a lead removing liquid that you can purchase at a gun shop also, that works. I think that Brownells sells it too.

 

[Imissedagain]

I use the pure copper ChoreBoy as well.
Great for cleaning our K22 and chambers of 38/357s and 45Colt/460s.
Only run 460 cases but tried an old box of factory 45Colts from the '80s that were for the Blackhawk convertible.

Also use it to keep the rails on my old Marlin carving machine clean, from the late '70s, as 0000 steel wool could clog/damage the linear bearings.

 

[dfariswheel]

I forgot that what I use is an AR-15 5.56 bore brush.
These are bigger then .22 and are a stiffer bristle than most bore brushes.
These work very well on chambers, but can require effort to use in the bore.

 

[murphydog]

I recommend breaking and old thermometer and wetting a dry patch with the mercury that came out of the thermometer and run it down the bbl and any other part that needs cleaning. Use rubber gloves to protect your skin.
There is also a lead removing liquid that you can purchase at a gun shop also, that works. I think that Brownells sells it too.

Mercury is pretty dangerous stuff to handle, definitely not recommended with all the other methods and solvents available today.

 

[chief38]

Just my opinion, but there is no gun dirty enough worth cleaning with Mercury! It is a highly toxic substance and just not worth the health risk.

After shooting ten and tens of thousands of 22 rimfire bullets over the years I can honestly say I have never had any major issues cleaning a .22 caliber firearm. Actually they are very easy to clean IMHO.

The only notable exception was a M18 that had excessively tight chambers. A little reaming solved that issue.

 

[leadhead2]

When I was a kid, we would take mercury from a thermometer and
spread it on quarters and rub them till they got real silver looking
and they would be slippery and hard to hold on to.
Then we would go and eat cookies without washing our hands.
Didn't seem to hurt us to much.
leadhead

 

[diyj98]

I recommend breaking and old thermometer and wetting a dry patch with the mercury that came out of the thermometer and run it down the bbl and any other part that needs cleaning. Use rubber gloves to protect your skin.
There is also a lead removing liquid that you can purchase at a gun shop also, that works. I think that Brownells sells it too.

In years past, I've used mercury to clean lead out of heavily leaded revolvers. It's not something I'd want to fool with for regular cleaning, it works on severe cases of leading.

 

[JayCeeNC]

In the 1970s I bought some mercury from the drugstore, kept it in a 35mm plastic film canister, and used it to remove leading from .38 barrels because I shot a lot of lead wadcutters.
I'd put a cork in the chamber end of the barrel, stand the gun upright, and fill it at the muzzle. Let it sit a day or two, and pour it back into the film canister.
Got the barrel nice and clean, and I could skim the lead off of the mercury so it was ready for the next use.
No recall of how I got rid of that mercury, but I'm pretty sure I broke some rules.

 

[tmd17]

When I was a kid, we would take mercury from a thermometer and
spread it on quarters and rub them till they got real silver ....
leadhead

We have lots of gas wells in my area, and as a kid I often times found puddles of mercury in the dirt under the old gauges that monitored the sites. Yeah, much different pump stations these days.

We would file down pennies closer to the size of dimes and then rub them in the mercury pool we had in our cupped palms.

Both of my children and all the grandchildren have ten fingers, ten toes, and no obvious signs of dain bramage.

BUT - I would not encourage any of them to play with mercury today, and I have other methods to clean my barrels.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

With my .22's I've never had this problem. In fact I never clean a.22 barrel unless it gets wet.......?leaded up so bad you have scrape it with oversize brushes and screen wire?.....Seems like there is a much bigger problem going on.