How much dirt from lead?

[rd2play]

Another question about lead cleaning...

I shot about three hundred lead bullets, and yesterday evening I started cleaning my 1911 Sig. I soaked the barrel with Ballistol, let it sit, brushed several times and cleaned with a patch. I repeated this a few times, and then I let it sit over night with Ballistol in it and I restarted today. By now I repeated this procedure about 40 times, and patches still come out with dark grey dirt on them.

I cleaned the brush several times while doing this. I couldn't find any Chore Boy in stores around here (I ordered it on Amazon eventually), but the brush is a 45 rifle brush and it's very tight inside the barrel. It feels like it gives it a good scrubbing.

Is this normal? I knew it can be a pain, but this is getting absolutely ridiculous.

[Merc1138]

Why are you soaking it in ballistol? That's not a lead solvent, so you'll only be getting a little at a time with it. Use a proper solvent if you want to remove lead.

[rd2play]

From what I understand, removing lead is to a large degree a matter of friction; I was thinking that the over sized brush would do the job.

It's a good idea though, just to try something else. I'll use Hoppe's 9.

[rd2play]

This is absolutely insane. I started using Hoppe's, letting it soak and all that, and the patches come out with the same amount of lead on them. They come out just as in the morning.

Once I'm done cleaning the gun (probably in a week, cleaning a few hours per evening...) I don't think I'll ever let any lead come close to it. I know that tons of people shoot lead, but spending hours and hours to clean up after 300 rounds is just an awful time investment.

[Merc1138]

Are you using a jag, a patch puller, wrapping the patches around the brush? If you're using something other than just a patch puller, you know you can scrub back and forth with a patch instead of just 1 go through the barrel and that's it, right?

Also, post a picture of one of these dirty patches, at this point it's possible the thing just might be damp with the slightest tinge of lead on it that's meaningless.

Also, I'm not even necessarily sure regular hoppes #9 is a good choice. I meant a lead specific solvent. Like Outers, Shooter's choice, etc. Also, does the bore actually look fouled?

[Whiterabbit]

IMO you will get nowhere unless you use a good jag.

Unless you shot MOLY coated lead. In which case, good luck. But don't confuse moly lead for properly lubed lead.

[rd2play]

This is how the last patch looks like: http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/...P/IMG_5882.jpg

I didn't even know until now what a jag is. I'll read some more about how it works and I guess I'll get one.

What I use (after the bronze brush) is a rod with one of those plastic things on top through which you can put a patch. After brushing I go up and down with that patch.

[Merc1138]

Worry less about brushing it. If anything find a brush that you can wrap a patch around down the bore and use that(just roll the patch around the brush, don't worry about the tip, might have to trim the patch to avoid overlap). It'll get you better contact area than a patch through a loop.

A jag is basically the same, concept, more even pressure and contact. However because the jag has no give at all, you get better scrubbing power with that than you do a loop.

Just don't the brush, jag, etc. backwards if you push it too far because you don't want to be dragging it across the crown of the barrel.

[rd2play]

Last one I did wrap a patch around a brush and used that. Still dirty on the other side.

I'll keep doing it, what else can I do...

[Merc1138]

Not shoot lead?

If you're looking to get the thing back to bare steel... probably not going to happen without a lot of work. That's why I asked what the bore actually looked like, since there is "practical clean" and "perfect clean". Is it piled up on the edges of the rifling, or is it just miniscule streaks? Of course there are other solvents like I mentioned(plenty I didn't mention, just named a couple off the top of my head) that may do a better job as well.

[rd2play]

I have a few lead bullets left and I was thinking to shoot them and then go with the plated ones. I don't know though if I want to shoot the remaining lead anymore...

I don't have a lot of experience looking down a bore, but to me it looks perfectly clean, absolutely nothing is visible.

[pisarski]

i use j&b bore paste it works great and gets the lead out

[Merc1138]

I have a few lead bullets left and I was thinking to shoot them and then go with the plated ones. I don't know though if I want to shoot the remaining lead anymore...

I don't have a lot of experience looking down a bore, but to me it looks perfectly clean, absolutely nothing is visible.

So then stop worrying about it, or get some serious lead removal solvent/cleaner/etc. to deal with it.

[rd2play]

stop worrying about it

I can't. OCD

get some serious lead removal solvent/cleaner/etc.

That's what I'm going to do.

[Whiterabbit]

This is how the last patch looks like: http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/...P/IMG_5882.jpg

I didn't even know until now what a jag is. I'll read some more about how it works and I guess I'll get one.

What I use (after the bronze brush) is a rod with one of those plastic things on top through which you can put a patch. After brushing I go up and down with that patch.

Hi RD2PLAY,

The technique you are using is absolutely the cause of the trouble cleaning. I can clean very bad leading (not to be confused with leading from bad bullets) from a 10 inch barrel in about 5 minutes with nothing but hoppes #9 and a couple patches. Half-*** cleaning in less than 3 minutes.

Here's what you do:

1. Go out and buy a really really nice brass jag in the proper size. It'll be expensive (5-12 bucks) but worth it.

2. Run a soaked patch through your bore like you have been. This just gets out the powder residue, you'll see the lead in the bore if it is there, it'll be obvious.

3. Pin a soaked patch to the jag and stick that in the bore. scrub like you would a dirty pan, back and forth. You'll feel the patch hang up where the lead is, and feel when it gives way. if you push too far it'll pop out the other side, just use a new cloth. You'll see the lead chunks.

run a dry cloth at the end if you want.

protect your crown!

If you shot moly coated lead, cry, then google how to remove that. And good luck with that, that stuff is sadistic.