Whats the best thing you ever used to clean leading?

[Rule3]

Find a Merck Index and look it up.
The main areas of concern (about 10 years ago, at least) are:
1) breathing mercury vapors while boiling to separate gold from the ore
2) organic mercury compounds, such as formed during blocking of hats and such.
I have had gold nuggets brought in that were covered in mercury and had to separate the mercury. No, you don't put gold nuggets in mercury, it is already a nugget.
Thermometers were considered a hazard not because of the mercury, which will pass through your system rather benignly, but the swallowing of the glass.
Almost everyone over the age of 30 or so has, or had, mercury amalgam fillings in their teeth. Never did show any hazard even with the "scare" in the '90s.
I vote for my Outer's Foul-Out. It is fast and thorough and is not abrasive. I want to keep my lands and grooves with nice sharp edges.

It's the lead that will kill us all!

Used to "play" with mercury as a kid and didn't wear a helmet on my bicycle or my homemade skate board.

 

[Freischütz]

I've had good luck with the 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar. I never leave it in the barrel for more than five minutes. Its never damaged bluing either. But I do wipe it off the bluing immediately.

 

[JohnnieB]

For those of you trying to find some Mercury, try the Clinical Engineering Department at your local hospital, or a medical equipment repair business. Mercurial sphygmomanometers ( Mercury column Blood Pressure measuring devices) are still in use in many hospitals and physician practices and they have to be topped up when someone manages to break or dislodge the glass tube. (I know from personal experience since I've repaired and refilled hunderds of those critters after they have been fumble-fingered) Also, if your local hospital has gone to non-mercury BP meters, where are the old ones they removed from service? Each one had several ounces of Hg in it.

As for de-leading, with the exception of the rimfire types, the last cylinder or magazine through any revolver or pistol I take to the range is FMJ, followed by a few passes of a BoreSnake dampened with Kroil before it cools off. For rimfire, it's just the BoreSnake/Kroil while warm routine.

Of course, prevention is better than cure, so I use Lee Liquid Alox on all the lead bullets I use for reloading.

John

 

[Scarbrod]

Liquid mercury, but I'm not necessarily recommending it.

I was going to say the same thing.

 

[MR.G]

When shooting lead I used a Lewis Led Remover. Then Hoppes and a bore brush. Then a clean patch on a proper size barrel jag.

 

[DWalt]

I keep a small bottle of Mercury for just that purpose. It is safe if you take care to not spill any and work outside.

 

[jschmidt]

Best, as in easiest? Mercury. Run a clean, new, bronz brush through to abrade and claen the surface of the leading, pour in the Mercury, pour out and set the gun aside 30 minutes or so. Just use a tight patch and most, if not all, of the lead will come out with NO scrubbing at all. If not, just apply some more and wait. Don't recall ever needing more than three applications.

As toxic as the greenies want you to think Mercury is, it is amazing anyone born in the 40's didn't die of Mercury poisoning!!!!

There's a reason they're called Mad Hatters.

 

[jschmidt]

Do NOT use regular steel wool on a SS gun as this will leave small bits of the wool embedded in the metal and will increase the likely hood of rusting.

Important advice. Carbon steel in stainless steel will sure make stainless rust. It only takes a trace amount.

 

[glenwolde]

For barrels, a patch cut from lead remover cloth and a brass (not plastic) jag tip. It's been a long time. It's true that a proper matching of cylinder, barrel, and bullet dimensions along with matching the hardness of the alloy to the load will prevent leading.

It sounds complicated but the reality is most of the time the throats are a bit tight. Simply opening them up to bullet diameter tends to solve a whole lot of problems. At least that's been my experience.

 

[Ed Fowler]

Played with mercury a lot in school and at home, just don't heat it up to a boiling point, the vapor is very deadly!!!! Friends were retorting gold out of mercury. Killed the whole family! Today I am 83, been through a lot of tests and no mercury present in me. I do have a strong allergy to gravity

 

[Heinz]

lewis lead remover.

I am on the Lewis lead-remover band wagon. I use the brass screens with Hoppes No 9 for a solvent. Quick, easy and effective.

 

[Laketime]

Lewis led remover kit. When all else has failed use Lewis

 

[Dvus]

Resurrected thread?... Zombie thread! It won't die.

 

[Ruger 13]

Lewis Lead remover!

 

[Tom S.]

Resurrected thread?... Zombie thread! It won't die.

True enough, however it's a problem that new reloaders encounter and need answers to, so it's still relevant.

The overwhelming number of folks here already know what is written below. I include it for the newbie reloaders.

What's important is why one is getting leading in the first place. Causes for leading:

1) Rough barrel finish. If a barrel has a rough finish, not only will it lead badly, copper will foul as well. Polishing, aka lapping can help, depending on how bad the surface is. It can be done by hand (time consuming) or by fire lapping (shooting bullets coated with various progressively finer grits down the barrel). Hand lapping is better (IMHO) as you are lapping the entire barrel. Firing coated bullets tends to lap the barrel unevenly as the compound wears off before the bullet travels the length of the barrel unless you are doing a short barrel, such as a hand gun. Some barrels are beyond lapping, especially if they are pitted or eroded and you're further ahead to replace it rather than expend the time and effort. If you are going to try and lap a barrel, buy or borrow a good bore scope to see what you are dealing with and to your monitor progress.

2) Too soft lead. This is probably the number one thing people blame when experiencing leading problems, yet it's not as common as most believe. With bargain basement reloads or improperly cast bullets, soft lead can indeed be an issue. Knowing what you are shooting is the key. Even soft lead can provide relatively lead free results provided the barrel is smooth and the loads are mild.

3) Too hard lead. People think that hard lead will cure all their leading ills but alas, such is not the case. A rough bore will still lead no matter how hard the lead is. Furthermore hard lead loaded too hot or too light can lead as bad as soft lead loaded too hot. At firing, the lead needs to expand to fully contact the bore and create a seal to prevent gases from escaping and "cutting" or melting the lead as they pass by. Lead melted in this manner will leave streaks down the barrel, starting at the barrel lead-in or forcing cone in the case of revolvers. Loads that are too hot will cause the base of the bullet to melt as well, creating a similar problem that lack of sealing will cause. The key to hard lead is using the proper load - enough to cause the lead to expand and seal the barrel but not hot enough to melt the base.

Early on, someone discovered that putting a piece of copper on the base of the bullet could cure the leading problem. This is called a gas check and when used properly, can indeed allow higher velocity loads with little to no leading. Gas checks have their own problems however. The bullet must be designed to enable their use, and proper installation, aka crimping them in place, requires an additional step in the reloading process as well as the proper tool(s). Improperly installed gas checks can come off during flight and upset the bullet, impacting accuracy.

So it's a matter of first determining if the gun's barrel is smooth enough to not be a contributing factor or main cause, and matching the proper load to the hardness of the lead being used. Sometimes leading can be eliminated and sometimes it can't. When it can't, the various remedies discussed in previous posts can help, but unless the leading is minor, all require additional work - sometimes a lot of additional work! Count me in with those endorsing the Lewis lead Remover. A few pulls can remove the offending lead and leave the barrel clean and shiny.

 

[gwpercle]

#1) Lewis Lead Remover - it will get the lead out ...no if's , and's or but's . It mechanically scrapes the lead out using brass screen as the scraper ... works fast .

#2) Ed's Red Bore Solvent / Cleaner - old school , requires a long soak for the solvents to get under the lead and lift it . Ed's Red does not dissolve lead but acts like a penetrating oil getting under and breaking loose the lead like penetrating oil does rust .
This is why a 24 hour soak helps it work .

Ed's Red Bore Solvent / Cleaner applied to a 0000 steel wool wrapped brass brush is a very good way to clean a bore ...soaking first helps speed the cleaning

You can mix Ed's Red from 4 common ingredients from big box store / wally mart , 1 gallon for $20.00 ...search the name for recipe .

Gary

 

[mikld]

For lots of leading a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar in the barrel will remove leading chemically. I use a vacuum plug from the auto store of the right size to plug the chamber, set the barrel vertical and pour in the mix. You need to watch the reaction and when it stops bubbling its time to pour out the solution and rinse with plain water as if left any longer it will attack the barrel and pit it. Its best not to leave it in the barrel for more than 10 to 15 minutes. Clean with patches afterward and oil.

The scum that floats to the top contains the lead and as such is toxic so dispose of where it won't contact food (ie. not down the kitchen sink). While all the cautions eem like a lot of trouble, it does save hours of scrubbing with a bore brush.

Yep, this works. But it also will pit the barrel if left to soak! BTDT. Never again. I now have Lewis Lead Removers for all my lead shooting guns...

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Considering the number of recent posts I would opine it is still a viable topic...?

Times change, as do possible solutions(sic)...

Cheers!

P.S. Was it Lazarus or Yogi that mentioned "...deja vu all over again"?

 

[vinn]

lead removing

lewis lead remover.

Hoppes # 9 ; will do the job alone

 

[Tom S.]

Hoppes # 9 ; will do the job alone

The old formula did, though it took a lot of time. The "new" formula, nope. If you really think it's getting rid of lead, you should look with a bore scope.