Stubborn Lead in bore

[Woodbury Woods]

A friend of mine suggested trying a strand of copper chore boy wrapped around a cleaning brush and run it from breach to muzzle to remove some stubborn lead in my .243 M77 flat bolt previously owned by someone who didnt believe in wiping it out on occasion. I didn't think I'd ever get it clean actually I didnt think there was any rifling left and was about to re-bore it to something larger like a .257 and made arrangement to have it done.

4 passes and the bore looks near new and today at 100 it laid (5) in less than 1" using the same reloaded 95gr Nosler blue tips with some 4350 . Im sooooo happy!

 

[Lapua40X]

The choreboy "trick" was quite popular back when I was trying to remove leading from the forcing cone on my revolvers but I have heard very little about it in the rifle shooting crowd. Thanks for bringing it back to the surface.

 

[jonbearman]

Another gun shop sells a pad of some kind of metal fibers and I tried a couple and it worked great,and it will not scratch steel or stainless.If I can find his link,I will post it.

 

[MrMajestic]

Yes Chore Boy gets used when I become overzealous when pushing unchecked lead bullets in my handguns! :-[

 

[fdshuster]

Ken: it's been my experience, and verified with my Hawkeye Borescope, that the Lewis Lead remover will not remove leading in the corners of the lands & grooves. Works fine on the front areas of the cylinder, forcing cone & throat, but not in the rifled portion of the barrel.

I have have very good results using the next larger caliber bronze brush's: 40 cal. brush in a .357. 50 cal. in a 45.

Shooters Choice makes a liquid lead remover that I find to be very effective also, as is the "Wipeaway Gun Cleaning Cloth". Made by Belltown, Ltd. Kent, CT 06757. Cut sections of the chemically impregnated cloth the size of the needed patch & use it as you would a cleaning patch.

Just a few suggestions of other methods & product choices. Not saying one is "better" than the other.

 

[broncman]

I have recently been shooting a lot of lead in several revovlers. Chore boy and the aforementioned oversized brass brush with shooters choice works great.

A new trick I have started in my 1911 that I use dirty Bullseye powder in is to give it a good waxing! Been using carnuba wax! I even wax the bore with a mop and it has made cleanup easier and extended my sessions. I shoot a mild target load that it works great with.

 

[akajun]

ive got to ask, how in the hell did you get lead fouling in a 243? I guess its possible to shoot cast bullets in one but Ive never seen anyone do it, and I cast and shoot lead for all kinds of rifles. YOu sure it wasnt copper or some other kind of fouling?

 

[Milo 2.0]

I used to shoot lead through pistols at steel, it was an issue, finally just gave up on it as plated bullets weren't much higher in price.

I used to use one of those Outer's electric jobs, plug the barrel and fill with solution, then put a couple probes in and turn it on. The crap that would come out was astounding. I think this product has long disappeared.

I gave a couple young boys 22's, and it was getting close to having to shoot lead in them, but luck came around and we found some jacketed stuff. I shudder every time I look at expensive target 22 ammo and see it's lead.

 

[butchlambert]

Go to your wife's cleaning solvent storage and get her bottle of GOO GONE. Learned from the cast bullet and pellet gun folks. My wife had a half full bottle and a full one. Of course she didn't give me the full one. One of my young Grandsons took my nice pellet rifle out and shot it until the bore was clogged with 3 stuck pellets. I use a brass rod and removed them, but the bore was terribly leaded. GOO GONE came to my rescue.