Quickest and easiest way to remove lead from the barrel?

[Wilson]

About two months ago I spent an hour removing all the leading from a 9mm Storm Lake barrel. Since I've been shooting my own bullets I don't have near that problem, but I've still got 3,000 bullets from a commercial caster that gave me the serious leading mentioned above. I'd like to shoot these bullets up but don't want to spend an hour cleaning the barrel again.
Thanks.

[sundog]

Throw them into your own mix and recast. If YOUR boolits give no problem, then problem solved. Don't buy any more store bought boolits!

[wiljen]

You could try LLA on em and see if the leading was partially due to lack of lube, or melt em and make bullets that fit your bore. One of those two things is probably the best bet.

The best ways to remove lead also tend to be pretty toxic. Mercury will clean it out quickly, a vinegar solution will create soluble lead acetate in water - you then have toxic waste to dispose of.

[GrizzLeeBear]

Melt them down and make good boolits out of them.

The quickest way I have found to remove leading is with a small piece of a copper "Chor Boy" pad wrapped around a bronze brush. You can find copper Chor Boy pads in the cleaner isle of most grocery stores.

[docone31]

I use two methods.
First, I shoot some jacketeds down the barrel. Second, when I get to a place where I can clean, I use ChoreBoy copper pads. I cut one down and wrap it around my bore brush. Lots of Hoppes #9, and scrub a dub.
I have always gotten shiney bores. I do love that squeak.
I then swab the bore with a tight patch.
I only use my castings when I shoot boolitts.
I have never shot swaged lead, so I do not know the issues there.

[870TC]

Well not that I would reccomend this for regular use but, I cut the handle off a pistol cleaning rod, screwed in a bronze bore brush and put the rod in my cordless drill. Worked good, still have the gun, does'nt appear to be damaged and still shoots a tight group.

[DLCTEX]

I sold the offending bullets and cast my own. DALE

[Blackwater]

Some years back, the outfit I worked for used to issue me 1,000 rds. every 6 months to practice with, since I was a member of their pistol team. The only problem was, I think it'd been lubed with cow chips, and the lead used was obviously uncritical. VERY dirty stuff to shoot! I got a Lewis Lead Remover, and some of those "miracle cloths," and cleanup was much, Much, MUCH quicker. The Chore Girl brass pads ought to work nearly as well, but the Lewis Lead Remover uses an expanding shank of rubber that presses the brass screens into the grooves better than a chore girl on a brass brush, I think, and they're not expensive, so I heartily recommend them.

After using the Lewis Lead Remover, I'd wrap a small piece of that Miracle Cloth (I think it's the same as the cloths sold as "Lead Away?") around a brass brush and use that to remove the lube and remnants of lead that remained after the LLR. This kept my gun ship shape for a long time, and saved me a LOT of time and elbow grease that was better spent reloading decent (not to mention more accurate) loads for the gun.

I think the LLR is sold by Lyman now, but I don't recall the name they're using. Can someone without CRS disease fill that in?

[Blammer]

wrap some chor boy around a tight fitting patch.

works quick and easy.

[beagle]

I've always used bronze wool on a copper brush with Ed's Red. Takes even the nastiest stuff out in a couple of good, tight swipes./beagle

[EDK]

+1 on the choreboy and old brush.

0 on the Lewis Lead Remover. I keep breaking the threaded brass end of the rubber thingie. They are $5 and the instructions ain't worth a d---! (BROWNELLS bought this product line, IIRC)

** BEST ANSWER: Get some gas checked 357 boolits and load them light in your 9 mm brass. Veral Smith at Lead Bullet Technology suggests a few lightly loaded gas check boolits to remove lead and it works! I practice for Cowboy Action Shooting with Original Size VAQUEROS/BISLEY VAQUEROS...the last 5 through each gun are LYMAN 358156 at 38 special velocities. Same trick on the 44s.

[454PB]

I use a lightly loaded jacketed bullet or a gas checked boolit to remove lead WHEN I EXPECT LEADING. However, if it appears unexpectedly, I simply slug the barrel. That pushes the lead out and gives me an excuse to remeasure my barrel.

[GabbyM]

I'd like to figure a way to get the black off my stainless revolver cylinder front face. Maybe vinegar? Haven't seen through that to the metal in at least fifteen years.

[FieldShunt]

Jacketed bullets to end a session are the easy way, but Berry's or other plateds seem just a bit more gentle. And they do work!
Failing that, the Chore Boy stuff wrapped around an old bore brush is so easy it's funny. I find it to be more effective than the Lewis, since it has many more scrubbing points, to coin a term. The first couple of swipes can haul out an amazing amount of lead.

[HABCAN]

FWIW the guys in our show group found that a cylinderfull of balloon-buster 'blanks' (loaded with seed tapioca) was super dandy for cleaning lead out of a barrel, LOL.

[gcf]

... Chore Boy stuff wrapped around an old bore brush is so easy it's funny.

1+ for the chore boy. I wrap a patch of it around a nylon brush - enough for a snug fit, & give it a few dry trips back / forth in the bore.

Follow up w/ a swab of solvent, & a couple passes w/ a bronze bore brush. Takes about 2 minutes, & you are good to go!

Note on the solvent: I don't like to leave any copper residue in a bore that I shoot lead out of. Might be overkill, but I like to follow the chore boy w/ Butches Bore Shine - just in case.

[gcf]

I'd like to figure a way to get the black off my stainless revolver cylinder front face. Maybe vinegar? Haven't seen through that to the metal in at least fifteen years.

Eagle Original Wadding Polish, from Wally World. Works better then it has a right to.

Just don't use it on blued steel.

[GabbyM]

Eagle Original Wadding Polish, from Wally World. Works better then it has a right to.

Just don't use it on blued steel.

Thanks gcf. I'll have to write that down.
Google brought up some pics to help me spot it.

[Bret4207]

4/0 steel wool wrapped to a snug fit on a worn bore brush lubed with ATF. Clean as a whistle in no time.

[pjh421]

All good information but I swear by my Outers Foulout. It does the work while I peruse back issues of The Cast Bullet Journal.

p.s. Since studying up here at CBU I don't use it as much.

Paul