Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Best Way to Remove Lead Fouling?

I was given an 1873 Winchester .44-40 last weekend, and found it's bore to be heavily fouled with lead. The standard solvent and brush treatment has removed most, but it is taking forever to get the last 10% out.

There are centuries of experience here on the 'fire. What are some better ways of getting the *%%#*@ lead out?

Some say to just shoot jacketed bullets in it and most of the lead will be gone.

If a bore shoots well and is safe I see no real problem with some lead or for that matter copper fouling in it.

How leaded is it? Can you shoot it safe? How does it shoot?

One of the FOUL -OUTS using the lead removal liquid works darn good.If not,just a lot of elbow grease.

I copied this from somewhere but can't remember exactly where but it really works. I shoot lead bullets out of the S&W's and this methods 'gets the lead out'.

"Pull some threads of bronze wool off the pad and wrap it tighly around bronze brush. The tighter the fit, the faster it will remove leading. 10-15 passes will remove all but the most severe leading".
I got the #00 bronze wool from Brownell's #439200101

PM or email me with your address and I'll send you some.

Probably got it from Montana Bullet Works that is where I got it from. I've just started loading cast bullets and it sure helps with cleaning the barrel.

Stop by your local supermarket and buy a package of "Chore Boy" pot scrubbers in bronze/brass. Rip one of the pad apart and wrap some around a cleaning brush and run it through your bore. The lead will be gone in no time. I use this trick in my pistols when shooting lead bullets. Works great. Much better than my Lewis lead remover. No need to mail order anything and probably much cheaper than the stuff Brownells sells.

Plug the bore and fill it with a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar. Let stand till it stops fizzing. Lead gone. No harm to bore.

How I love the Campfire! I have to go into town this morning so will see if I can find the Chore Boy scrubbers as an immediate attempt.

The '73 is in absolute shootable condition, and appears to have only some very light bore rusting. Hard to tell what is rust and what is lead until I get the rest of the lead out.

Thank you everyone, and keep the ideas coming!

Hmmm, I may experiment with that as well, although initially on my Colt SAA. Got to devise a plug.

Which results in an aqueous solution of lead acetate.

"An aqueous solution of lead(II) acetate is the byproduct of the 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar used in the cleaning and maintenance of stainless steel firearm suppressors (silencers) and compensators. The solution is agitated by the bubbling action of the hydrogen peroxide, and the main reaction is the dissolution of lead deposits within the suppressor by the acetic acid, which forms lead acetate. Because of its high toxicity, this chemical solution must be appropriately disposed by a chemical processing facility or hazardous materials center. Alternatively, the solution may be reacted with sulfuric acid to precipitate insoluble lead(II) sulfate. The solid may then be removed by mechanical filtration and is safer to dispose of than aqueous lead acetate." [emphasis added]

Oh and the Chore Boy trick does work well. Just make sure it's an all-copper pad and not a copper coated steel one. Use a magnet to verify it's all copper.

Shoot 5-10 jacketed rounds down the bore. Lead will be gone a lot easier than any other means.

The BPCR folks, who are often faced with lead issues, suggest an overnight soaking with mineral spirits (turpentine) and the Chore Boy treatment or hammering an extremely tight jag and patch through the bore.

One might check the Shiloh forum and search for "leading" for additional suggestions. I can well reinforce that accuracy goes to hell in a hurry when leading begins.

Yep, I just pour it into a plastic jug and save it for our annual, community wide hazardous waste/chemical disposal day we have here. I also do it outdoors and wear rubber gloves. I kinda figured anybody should realize the resultant concoction is toxic and aught to be handled as such but maybe not. It is ABSOLUTELY the quickest, easiest, most thorough way to remove lead fouling there is, BAR NONE.

I have heard it works fantastically, I've just never wanted to deal with the mess. I don't know of any thing like a community hazardous waste disposal day around here. I'm not sure what I'd have to do to dispose of it properly...so, I never bothered.

Good to hear more first hand experience that it works so well.

Thank you 1sgLunde for the Chore Boy suggestion. It worked beautifully and immediately brought me past the lead wall. The bore is brightening up wonderfully.

And, Blackheart, I intend to try the Hydrogen Peroxide/White Vinegar as the grand finale too, as soon as I can come up with a satisfactory plug for the breach. Seems there is nothing suitable in my shop, so am still puzzling over what to use.

Chamber Plug

He can make a custom plug if one of those won't work. What diameter is the 44-40 case? The plugs tend to be short.

Thanks, I'm going to need to get one.

IdahoElkHunter
Thank you for the thank you but it was Labman95 with the Chore Boy solution. Mine was the Bronze Wool.
Thanks for acknowledging the response

Mercury works perfectly if you have it on hand. Barring that the easiest method is to drive a soft pure lead slug down the bore. The fouling will come out in chunks.