Removing Lead from .22 L.R. Barrel
RCrosby
Member Posts: 3,808 ✭✭✭
Think I sold my Outers Lead Remover too soon.
I've had lots of experience getting lead out of barrels. The Outers was amazing. When I was shooting lots of cast .44 and .357 I had good luck with the Lewis Lead Remover.
Just reclaimed a .22 Woodsman that's been in the family at least since the '50's but that I haven't handled or shot in half a century. It appears that during that time a great quantity of lead shot rounds were fired in it.
I've been soaking the bore with Butches Bore Shine, putting the copper brush to it, then swabbing with
Kleen Bore Lead Away cloth. Slowly getting better but lead is still clearly visible and the lead cloth comes out black.
Short of mercury, which I hesitate to play with, does anyone have any suggestions or do I just keep plugging away till it's clean?
thanks,
Rob C.
Comments
I have an Outers I'll never use again. You want it?
BIG45METALCLEANER.COM. Guaranteed to not harm the bore. I have used it a lot on exterior surfaces. You might try fine steel wool or a copper skillet cleaner first. Plugging the bore and filling it with solvent for a day or two may help.
not sure how you are soaking it, I used to plug barrell and stand it on end then fill with lead solvent and leave it overnight... some guns/rifles are easier to do this way than others
Is there any reason you couldn't shoot it out?? I don't clean .22 LR barrels as a rule. But I don't remember having a problem with them leading up either.
Rocky,
What would you be wanting for the Outers? I sure miss mine.
As for shooting it out, I never had problems with .22 bores, but then I never tried sending a brick of small shot down the bore either!
In the meantime, I'll keep plugging away at it. Thanks for all the responses!
Rob C.
Oh it's shot. I never shot shot except in a shot gun.
Rob, you can have it for the cost of shipping, whatever that turns out to be. It's a Foul Out II model. PM me with your info.
a couple of tight patches down the tube should clean it out.
i just went thru this with a model 17 smith. it ended up being just scrub, scrub, scrub.
There is a penetrating oil called Kroil. You can get it from Kano Labs, or places like Southern States, Tractor Supply, etc. I have used it to clean metal fouling from rifle bored. Mop the bore generously, lay gun flat, wait 24 hrs, push bore brush thru, watch lead fall out.
Some folks plug barrel fill, let set.
I use this: https://www.boretech.com/products/rimfire-blend
do not do this , its more for just old time post reminder .. but I remember some years back some one posted using a bore brush and a electric drill to get the bore clean .
A family member told me never to shoot much .22 birdshot because it will wear out the rifling quickly. As proof, he had an old Model 67 Winchester with no rifling in the barrel and no one knew where the bullet would strike when it went off. We literally could not hit a sheet of plywood at 50 feet with it.
After he died, I got the rifle and started to clean the bore. After a while, lo and behold I could make out some faint traces of rifling! After a lot of soaking and scrubbing, the bore turned out to be in great shape and 1/2" groups at 50 feet became the norm. I should have saved the lead that came out of the barrel; I think it weighed as much as a long rifle bullet.
I've always had good results with Shooters Choice
Years of shooting cast bullets in everything from 22 to 500S&W, I have yet to see a chemical that will remove leading and have tried most. Just a flat waste of time. IMHO chemicals lube the brush and patches so they slip thru the bore easier which prevents your brush or patch from picking up lead thus you cant get it out of your barrel.
The only solution is what varian suggested is to scrub. Had great success using an oversize copper or brass brush, IE, for removing lead from a 22. I use a 30 cal brush. For 38 I use a 20 gage brush, 45 Colt/Casull and 475, I use a 12 gage brush.
Yes the Lewis is the next to the last resort with the last resort being to fire a cylinder full of jacketed bullets. The best way to use the Lewis is to put your barrel in a vice. Considerable force is needed.
Having said all that and to put it simply: LEADING is BAD. You do not want leading. Aside trashing the bore. leading always results in piss/poor accuracy.
Shooters focus should be on preventing leading by using the right ammo, alloyed lead ratter than soft lead. Jacketed bullets dont lead the bore at all.
Reloaders should use a smaller diameter bullet, a good lube, gas checks. My best success has always been to slug the bore and use a bullet size die that keeps the bullet just a tiny fraction above the groove diameter. Sometimes you will have to experiment with different size dies or bullets if you dont cast your own. Yes this is time consuming, but if you want one ragged hole groups, it is well worth the effort.
One last note particularly when dealing with 45 Colt, 44-40, and 44s in general are the vast differences in bore and groove diameters, especially between manufacturers and same manufactures over the years. Explains why some pistols and rifles lead bores and others will not.