Need new ideas for removing lead

[Little Dutch]

I need a new idea on cleaning out some lead from a soft steel barrel.

I have an old, 4 digit, 1873 trapdoor (.45/70) that's got some lead in the barrel about 10 inches from the breech. At least it looks like lead. And there's enough of it to fill in the grooves in that spot. So if I shoot a lead bullet it's going to get squeezed down and lose what little ballistics it had. I've examined it pretty carefully with a bore scope and do believe it's a deposit, as opposed to worn lands.

I did a few rounds of electrolysis. The first round pulled out quite a bit of lead. The last round got nothing. It's possible my electrolysis solution is dead.
After that I tried a copper scrubbing pad on a jag, based on internet wisdom. The first pass looked like it got a little bit of white dust out, but subsequent passes just coated the barrel with a copper film. This was a pain in the butt, because you can't get in from the breech side with a rod.

I purchased some Wipe-Out No lead, and accelerator, to try. It will arrive next week sometime. I'm not exactly confident it'll work though.


Anyone have any advice?

[ray1970]

I don?t have much to offer but those regular brass or bronze or copper brushes will scrub lead out with a little elbow grease.

As far as not accessing the barrel from the breach end, what I do is insert my rod carefully from the muzzle end, install the brush on the rod and then pull it out towards the muzzle.

Also, some of those bore snakes or those cleaning kits designed to pull through the bore make cleaning revolver barrels from breach to muzzle much easier than conventional cleaning rods.

Bronze, brass, or copper brushes aren?t going to damage a steel barrel and that old revolver isn?t exactly a match grade, precision piece anyways so I would just scrub the bore until you get the lead out.

Good luck.

[O2HeN2]

Lewis Lead Remover?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP69SZDwbjw

[Little Dutch]

This is a Springfield 1873 trapdoor, if that wasn't entirely clear. .45/70 government. I updated the original post for clarity.

I couldn't find a Lewis Lead Remover for .458, so I didn't buy a kit. The largest it went to was pistol caliber .452. Thanks for the suggestion though. I may have missed a rifle caliber adapter for it, I'll look again in a few.

I tried 8 or 10 times with the copper scrubber, but didn't see any results after the first pass through. Just copper residue when I checked with the bore scope.

[Gman]

I've used a section of a copper Chore Boy pad (you can pull the pad crimps apart to what forms a large tube of mesh) wrapped around an old bronze brush for heavy leading. The copper is harder than the lead, but softer than the steel.

[ray1970]

This is a Springfield 1873 trapdoor, if that wasn't entirely clear. .45/70 government. I updated the original post for clarity.



Ah. Could be reading comprehension issues on my end. I just saw 1873 and somehow thought Colt SAA.

[Little Dutch]

Ah. Could be reading comprehension issues on my end. I just saw 1873 and somehow thought Colt SAA.

My original post wasn’t clear. I hear 1873 and think rifle, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only option.

I’m really confused on what’s in the barrel. It’s about 10 inches down and I can’t get it to move at all. It’s silver, and looks like lead in the bore scope. But how it got there is a mystery too. It’s an odd place for leading I think.

I found this and may give it a try tonight.
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Lead

[BPTactical]

Plug barrel- fill it with M-Pro7 and leave it in it for a couple 3 days. Scrub with nylon brush and clean as usual. Be sure to oil well afterwards.
It may take a couple of such cleanings but it will cut the lead

[ray1970]

Plug barrel- fill it with M-Pro7 and leave it in it for a couple 3 days. Scrub with nylon brush and clean as usual. Be sure to oil well afterwards.
It may take a couple of such cleanings but it will cut the lead

Ok. I only ask because I value your wisdom.

Why a nylon brush and not copper or whatever?

[wctriumph]

Plug barrel- fill it with M-Pro7 and leave it in it for a couple 3 days. Scrub with nylon brush and clean as usual. Be sure to oil well afterwards.
It may take a couple of such cleanings but it will cut the lead

I used this as was recommended by a black powder shooter on a Ruger Super Blackhawk that a hand loader had cooked up a very hot load with some soft lead cast bullets. No gas checks and the barrel was so leaded it looked like little chunks of lead the whole length with lead deposits on the exterior of the muzzle. I let it soak for a whole 36 hours and then brushed the heck out of it. Repeat. Guy still has the gun but only shoots jacketed bullets at light magnum velocity.

[VDW]

Ok. I only ask because I value your wisdom.

Why a nylon brush and not copper or whatever?

I would assume so you don’t leave a copper/metallic residue on the barrel as the OP mentioned noticing.

[Not_A_Llama]

You can know for sure what's going on without spending a whole ton: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TTQF24F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The odds of your electrolyte solution being depleted *and* choreboy depositing copper on lead.. very low. I think your bore is clean.

[BPTactical]

Ok. I only ask because I value your wisdom.

Why a nylon brush and not copper or whatever?

With the M-Pro7 it will also attack the bore brush. Plus with it being an original rifle I would want to be a gentle on the bore as possible.

OP- if you do attempt to fire it be sure to only use BLACK POWDER cartridges!

[Little Dutch]

You can know for sure what's going on without spending a whole ton: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TTQF24F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The odds of your electrolyte solution being depleted *and* choreboy depositing copper on lead.. very low. I think your bore is clean.

I’ve got a good bore scope. That’s how I know it’s there, and the only way I can see the coating the chore boy left. Thanks. I wish it were clean. It’s got me stumped though.

[Little Dutch]

Plug barrel- fill it with M-Pro7 and leave it in it for a couple 3 days. Scrub with nylon brush and clean as usual. Be sure to oil well afterwards.
It may take a couple of such cleanings but it will cut the lead

Thanks. I?ll give this a try. Sounds promising.

[Little Dutch]

With the M-Pro7 it will also attack the bore brush. Plus with it being an original rifle I would want to be a gentle on the bore as possible.

OP- if you do attempt to fire it be sure to only use BLACK POWDER cartridges!

<thumbs-up.gif>.

[BushMasterBoy]

Propane torch and heat a long rod smaller than the bore. Wear gloves... use rod heat to distort the lead. Finish with a brush.

[O2HeN2]

I couldn't find a Lewis Lead Remover for .458, so I didn't buy a kit. The largest it went to was pistol caliber .452.
The brass patch goes over a rubber piece that expands when you screw down a nut down on it.

Brownells specifies that it'll go up to .454. I think you could coax another four thousandths of an inch out of it, it's just rubber.

Just get the .45 rubber tip (516-300-045WB) and some .45 brass patches (516-200-145WB). Use a cleaning rod to drag it through.

O2

Those are Brownells part numbers, above, for reference.
https://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/patches-mops/lead-remover/lewis-lead-remover-prod21587.aspx

[Little Dutch]

It's worth a shot. I have two more chemicals in the mail that are paid for. I'm hopeful one of them will work to get it started, then I can go back to a trying to figure out scraping it out. Perhaps a Lewis .454 tip, either tightened to .458 or with 2 screens, is the correct answer.

[Little Dutch]

The M-Pro 7 soak and scrub didn't produce any results. I've uploaded a video if anyone wants to see the trouble spot and offer some advice. I have another cleaner to try tonight still. It's really got me stumped.

https://youtu.be/oI1hRAUtJfI

[Little Dutch]

Propane torch and heat a long rod smaller than the bore. Wear gloves... use rod heat to distort the lead. Finish with a brush.
Looking for a rod. It doesn?t have to get red hot, so maybe an old barracks rod would work.

[BPTactical]

The MPro should work, how long did you let it soak?

[jreifsch80]

Ive heard of people doing a kroil soak they say it gets behind the lead supposedly

[Little Dutch]

The MPro should work, how long did you let it soak?

4 hours short of 3 days.
When I poured it out the fluid looked clean. But the first patch I ran through came out black. I scrubbed and patched for a while but didn’t get any lead out.


82842

[Erni]

4 hours short of 3 days.
When I poured it out the fluid looked clean. But the first patch I ran through came out black. I scrubbed and patched for a while but didn?t get any lead out.


82842

Nice hard drive magnets.

[bczandm]

Works well and is easy to use:
https://rusticsportsman.com/b-c-lead-remover-w-cloth-6x9/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw-af6BRC5ARIsAALPIlWSDO8Z0pDjj8BwpEY04aX8_E9LwT4tRJb LzNtNznAE8kawmwzOHlUaAsWgEALw_wcB

[BushMasterBoy]

Looking for a rod. It doesn?t have to get red hot, so maybe an old barracks rod would work.

I think they have steel rod at Lowes, Ace Hardware, etc. Lead melts at about 621F. Red glowing steel is at least 1000F. Steel melts at about 2500F or more. Just be sure that there are no sharp edges on the rod so the lands and grooves are not damaged. You might be able to brush the lead out while it is still hot. The nearer the melting point of the lead, the softer the lead.

If the rod does not work, try a "curly Q" made out of steel coat hanger. Heat that and apply it to the leading in the barrel. Link below shows the shape of a "curly Q".

https://www.jefferspet.com/products/curly-qs-bulk?sku=RQAG&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsa7u3vjB6wIVS73ACh0sbgF6EAQYBCAB EgL52vD_BwE



There is an discussion in the High Road...

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/heating-a-gun-to-remove-lead-deposits.38075/

[O2HeN2]

Are you sure that's not a manufacturing defect?

O2

[BushMasterBoy]

PM sent.

[Little Dutch]

Are you sure that's not a manufacturing defect?

O2

Reasonably, because the rifling is good before and after it. It’s higher that the lands, so the rifling process wouldn’t have worked.

I can feel a new brush grab it when It reaches it, and my carbon cutter would stop there when dropped through before I started working on it.