Posted: 2/7/2012 3:25:34 PM EDT
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Hey guys,
I have a 1911 .45 acp that I have probably got 2k+ rounds thru. I have only shot 230gr LRN bullets thru it with 5.5 grains of Unique over the years. Took it out last weekend and shot it again for the first time in probably 6 or 7 years and it is still a great shooter. When cleaning it I noticed quit a bit of lead buildup just ahead of the start of the rifling. It has been there a while but I decided to try to get it out. Long story short I ended up letting the bore soak with Kroil overnight then the next morning ran a patch and bronze brush thru it and a lot of the lead came out but not all of it. Was looking thru Midway's catalog and saw some "lead removing wool". The add says it is fine diameter wire. I was wondering if running some 00 steel wool thru the bore soaked with Kroil may help. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. |
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NO.
Never use steel wool in a good gun barrel. To remove leading, the best option is to buy a Lewis Lead Remover Kit from Brownell's. If you're too cheap to buy a quality tool like the Lewis, buy some REAL COPPER "Chore Boy" pot scrubber pads from the grocery store. Cut and pull off a strand or two and wrap around a used bore brush. Brush the bore with that, then finish with a new bore brush used with bore solvent but without the Chore Boy to get the last bits in the corners of the rifling. WARNING: Some of the off-brand stuff is not real copper, it's steel with a thin copper plate. This stuff will DESTROY a gun barrel. Buy only real Chore Boy that says 100% copper. |
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Quoted:
NO. Never use steel wool in a good gun barrel. To remove leading, the best option is to buy a Lewis Lead Remover Kit from Brownell's. If you're too cheap to buy a quality tool like the Lewis, buy some REAL COPPER "Chore Boy" pot scrubber pads from the grocery store. Cut and pull off a strand or two and wrap around a used bore brush. Brush the bore with that, then finish with a new bore brush used with bore solvent but without the Chore Boy to get the last bits in the corners of the rifling. WARNING: Some of the off-brand stuff is not real copper, it's steel with a thin copper plate. This stuff will DESTROY a gun barrel. Buy only real Chore Boy that says 100% copper. X2 and i use some Shooters Choice Lead Remover if its being a real pain. |
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Seems the Army got cheap on cleaning supplies the last deployment to Iraq. This was the last deployment before The Anointed One pulled our men home, leaving a lot of sacrifices at question.
1st Cavalry, 15 has a Sniper Squad. Son called home, said he didn't have everything needed to keep barrels cleaned to his level of performance. So he asked if I would pick up a package at Midway and ship to him. MidwayUSA can't ship Iraq, but civilians can.. Got box home, pulled invoices, restuffed with additional items,. Keeping invoice for shipping declaration and manifest. Made a copy for file too. We were already using Lewis Lead Remover. I asked son about an item on his list, Montana X-Treme 50 bmg copper killer. Single best investment ever made in accuracy improvement. I start with Otis patch soaked in copper killer. Run two patches, both will be black, followed with Otis copper wire brush. Alternating soaked patches with Lewis Lead Removal tool and wire brush. Running patches until clean. Followed with dry patch, then oil patch. We switch between lead, plated and jacketed in one range trip testing various hand load combinations. This works. Using this method closed my pistol groups to tight clover leafs at 15 yards, quarter size groups at 25 yards and working under a 3" group at 600 yards with .308 Winchester bolt rifle. |
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I shoot about 80% LSWC's in 2 of my 1911's.
For what it's worth...once I got the barrels cleaned to my satisfaction (Lewis lead remover), I warmed the barrel up with a heat gun and gave it a couple of coats of Lyman Moly Spray. It hasn't hurt a thing, and makes clean up a lot less of a chore when it comes to lead. |
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When switching from jacketed to lead a thorough cleaning is needed.
The slightest bit of cooper fouling will strip lead of the lead bullets. I have shot lead for many years from a number of 1911s. Some of the newer discharge machined barrels are much better, but I generally have guns reserved for lead and never fire jacketed in them. |