Blazer Ammo LEAD FOULING
- Thread starter doc540
- Start date
First, get rid of that stainless steel Tornado bore brush -- switch to a plain bronze bristle brush. Second, try turpentine as a bore cleaner. Third, use the Lewis lead remover when everything else fails -- it will work wonders. When I am through shooting lead bullets I usually run a few jacketed bullets down the bore and this seems to reduce leading.
None of my Colts have ever seen a jacketed bullet, (I'm lying about the Commander). If you think your LRNs are dirty, ya otta load some some swaged Remington 250gr .45s. Pretty sure the outside lube is coal dust and bacon grease. Just remember, if you buy factory ammo,it's not really YOUR bullets.
The second pic makes two very important points, 1, I need to get a life, 2, I should mop my floor.
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm297/farcla/coltshooters.jpg
The second pic makes two very important points, 1, I need to get a life, 2, I should mop my floor.
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm297/farcla/coltshooters.jpg
David Armstrong
Moderator
i'm going to have to admit that I am a little confused here. How would a clean barrel enhance your self-defense as opposed to a barrel that has a little lead in it? Do you really think it will make that much difference?
azredhawk44
Moderator
Doc:
I second the notion that the fouling on your patches is more oriented towards the lube on the bullets and the powder type used in the cartridge rather than "lead" itself.
I shoot lead almost exclusively in my SP-101, 642, 1911's and Redhawks. I push them from 800 to nearly 2000 feet per second.
I've found:
1 - As long as the bullets are swaged to the correct diameter for my barrel, I get very little leading.
2 - Certain powders are a LOT dirtier than others. Unique is filthy, Titegroup ain't bad, AA #7 is pretty nice and H110 is pretty clean.
3 - Soft lead bullets will obturate in the bore from the powder back pressure and the resistance of the barrel. As long as back pressure isn't too high, they will shoot clean.
4 - Hard lead bullets will not lead unless you push them crazy-fast, like 1800+fps.
I also have an 1851 Colt Navy knockoff that I shoot cap and ball with sometimes. I suspect that the chambers in the cylinder are tighter than the bore itself, because when I load it I end up shaving slivers off the ball, but I get a badly leaded bore after shooting.
Something that can contribute to bad leading that I've seen is an improperly timed cylinder. Cartridge goes off without being fully aligned with the forcing cone, smacks on the side and gets deformed. You get shavings, even some powder blow-by. I've seen .357 and .44 Dan Wessons do that, and I've heard Colts are touchy about timing. Never owned one nor do I have friends who own one though.
I second the notion that the fouling on your patches is more oriented towards the lube on the bullets and the powder type used in the cartridge rather than "lead" itself.
I shoot lead almost exclusively in my SP-101, 642, 1911's and Redhawks. I push them from 800 to nearly 2000 feet per second.
I've found:
1 - As long as the bullets are swaged to the correct diameter for my barrel, I get very little leading.
2 - Certain powders are a LOT dirtier than others. Unique is filthy, Titegroup ain't bad, AA #7 is pretty nice and H110 is pretty clean.
3 - Soft lead bullets will obturate in the bore from the powder back pressure and the resistance of the barrel. As long as back pressure isn't too high, they will shoot clean.
4 - Hard lead bullets will not lead unless you push them crazy-fast, like 1800+fps.
I also have an 1851 Colt Navy knockoff that I shoot cap and ball with sometimes. I suspect that the chambers in the cylinder are tighter than the bore itself, because when I load it I end up shaving slivers off the ball, but I get a badly leaded bore after shooting.
Something that can contribute to bad leading that I've seen is an improperly timed cylinder. Cartridge goes off without being fully aligned with the forcing cone, smacks on the side and gets deformed. You get shavings, even some powder blow-by. I've seen .357 and .44 Dan Wessons do that, and I've heard Colts are touchy about timing. Never owned one nor do I have friends who own one though.
Just as an aside Red, I tried all kinds of bullets in my SAA .44spec. and no matter how hard the bullet I got leading. I then acquired a .434 mold for elmers bullet which just barely drags thru the chamber. The shooter now groups rather than patterns and no leading. Gas cutting is a problem in oversized ...(throats?) and need to use a lead bullet that fits.
I'm with those other posters who question whether those patches are showing lead as opposed to carbon fouling. Some powders burn much dirtier than others and it may be that the Blazer powder is an exceptionally dirty powder.
I generally fire jacketed rounds through my larger caliber revolvers. But, I've fired tons of lead rounds through my .22s and have never seen any significant leading problems -- if by leading one means a buildup of lead inside the bore.
I'm a fanatic about keeping my guns clean. Here's what I do to get everything out of the bore and chambers after a range session.
1. I run a swab coated with J & B Bore Compound through the bore and chambers of my revolvers. The compound is a mild abrasive which becomes slightly more liquid in higher temperatures.
2. I then spray a good solvent into the bore and chambers. I like Birchfield Casey Gun Scrubber, but others work just as well.
3. I brush out the bore and chambers thoroughly with a bronze brush.
4. I then run swabs through the bore and chambers. I start with swabs soaked with solvent and I keep running them until they appear clean to visual inspection. That's usually 5 - 6 swabs with the bore and an equal number for EACH chamber. I finish off with clean dry swabs and I keep running them until they come out clean or nearly so.
5. Sometimes I will run a bore snake through the bore and chambers 3 or 4 times, between steps 3 and 4.
This technique produces a mirror bright bore and chamber interiors. As I've said, I've never observed significant leading but my guess is that, between the Bore Compound and the bronze brush anything that gets in there is taken out. The bronze brush's bristles are harder than lead, softer than steel, so they should in theory work very well to pull out any residual lead deposits. And, theory seems to work exceptionally well in practice.
Btw, if you want to fire really clean burning rounds, try Magtech Clean Range, Winchester Winfree, and Remington leadless rounds. These rounds apparently use exceptionally clean burning powders and primers. My experience with them is that you can barely see carbon deposits after firing 50 - 100 rounds. Cleanup is, naturally, a snap.
I generally fire jacketed rounds through my larger caliber revolvers. But, I've fired tons of lead rounds through my .22s and have never seen any significant leading problems -- if by leading one means a buildup of lead inside the bore.
I'm a fanatic about keeping my guns clean. Here's what I do to get everything out of the bore and chambers after a range session.
1. I run a swab coated with J & B Bore Compound through the bore and chambers of my revolvers. The compound is a mild abrasive which becomes slightly more liquid in higher temperatures.
2. I then spray a good solvent into the bore and chambers. I like Birchfield Casey Gun Scrubber, but others work just as well.
3. I brush out the bore and chambers thoroughly with a bronze brush.
4. I then run swabs through the bore and chambers. I start with swabs soaked with solvent and I keep running them until they appear clean to visual inspection. That's usually 5 - 6 swabs with the bore and an equal number for EACH chamber. I finish off with clean dry swabs and I keep running them until they come out clean or nearly so.
5. Sometimes I will run a bore snake through the bore and chambers 3 or 4 times, between steps 3 and 4.
This technique produces a mirror bright bore and chamber interiors. As I've said, I've never observed significant leading but my guess is that, between the Bore Compound and the bronze brush anything that gets in there is taken out. The bronze brush's bristles are harder than lead, softer than steel, so they should in theory work very well to pull out any residual lead deposits. And, theory seems to work exceptionally well in practice.
Btw, if you want to fire really clean burning rounds, try Magtech Clean Range, Winchester Winfree, and Remington leadless rounds. These rounds apparently use exceptionally clean burning powders and primers. My experience with them is that you can barely see carbon deposits after firing 50 - 100 rounds. Cleanup is, naturally, a snap.
"I second the notion that the fouling on your patches is more oriented towards the lube on the bullets and the powder type used in the cartridge rather than "lead" itself."
After failing at removing the lead in the barrel, I stopped using patches, soaked it with a bore mop and Sweet's 7.62 solvent, then using a dental pick SCRAPED THE LEAD FROM THE BORE.
It came off in flakes and slivers.
Then more lead came out of it.
Then some more lead came out of it.
I saw how leaded it was and tried using the Tornado brush and patches at first. Thus, the first pic.
Later, I repeatedly soaked it, copper brushed it, then ran patches thru.
It's almost lead free now, but the Lewis Lead Removal kit is on the way and will finish the job.
Sorry if I posted too hastily out of frustration with just how much lead was coating the barrel of my Colt.
And I really don't care if it's good or bad, I don't want it in there.
And I WILL not shoot Blazer LRN through it again.
Soaking with the bore mop and Sweet's.
After failing at removing the lead in the barrel, I stopped using patches, soaked it with a bore mop and Sweet's 7.62 solvent, then using a dental pick SCRAPED THE LEAD FROM THE BORE.
It came off in flakes and slivers.
Then more lead came out of it.
Then some more lead came out of it.
I saw how leaded it was and tried using the Tornado brush and patches at first. Thus, the first pic.
Later, I repeatedly soaked it, copper brushed it, then ran patches thru.
It's almost lead free now, but the Lewis Lead Removal kit is on the way and will finish the job.
Sorry if I posted too hastily out of frustration with just how much lead was coating the barrel of my Colt.
And I really don't care if it's good or bad, I don't want it in there.
And I WILL not shoot Blazer LRN through it again.
Soaking with the bore mop and Sweet's.
You could have had the lead out in short order with some copper pot scrubber fabric wrapped around an old bronze brush.
I'm also in the camp that shoots pretty much nothing but lead in my handguns at the range. The only exceptions are my XD and my Sig. The XD is being fed FMJ since it chokes on SWC. It will get LRN once that's gone. My Sig is fed FMJ only because I have a whole lot of the Blazer Aluminum left from the $3.86 a box days...
I'm also in the camp that shoots pretty much nothing but lead in my handguns at the range. The only exceptions are my XD and my Sig. The XD is being fed FMJ since it chokes on SWC. It will get LRN once that's gone. My Sig is fed FMJ only because I have a whole lot of the Blazer Aluminum left from the $3.86 a box days...
David Armstrong
Moderator
LOL! I wouldn't know, all of my serious social situations have happened with working guns with honest evidence of work on them and in them. But maybe I'll give it a try. Maybe that shiny sparkle will make the bullet go faster or something??