Removing stuck lead bullets from barrel

M

Mach II Sailor

Moderator
Hi folks, don't mean to dredge up old stuff, but removing a stuck lead bullet from a barrel is very easy, but not for the queasy !!

for rifles and pistols, place a fired case in the chamber, stand the gun on the butt, pour in a little mercury and let set for a day, the fired case will catch any "dripping"/"oozing" of lead/mercury amalgum, then invert the muzzle and bump it against a wooden block, the amalgum will fall out, follow up with standard cleaning procedures.

for revolvers plug the "forcing cone" and follow the same procedure.

i have performed this procedure many times for folks when i was in the gun shop/repair business.
 
To be honest, Mach II, that's not a very handy tip. First of all, obtaining a quantity of mercury is difficult at best these days. Having it being poured around any living quarters is never a good idea no matter how careful you think you are.

The cleaning process after removing the bullet by the mercury method will almost certainly release some atomic mercury into the air to be breathed in by you or others. That is the very worst form of the element to deal with.

Lastly, mercury does funny things when in contact with other metals. Yes, it will work on the lead to make it easy to remove, but do you know what it will do the barrel as it sits in there for a day?
 
How about a wooden dowel and a small hammer. Simple, easy and and in less than 2min. it's done. No reason to wait a whole day and deal with the toxic stuff.
 
to all,

it seems you all have swallowed that Mercury scare hook line and sinker and most of the rod :D

i have 70 years on this planet, played with Mercury as a kid, coated copper and silver coins with it, used it to extract GOLD and remove stuck bullets in barrels, in fact i have bought some really nice and expensive handguns and rifles from fools who thought their gun was shot out when all it was, was lead fouling so bad the rifling was not visible.

i take standard precautions when handling Mercury, i bought 5 lbs. of it back in the 60's and have about 4lbs left, as for removing the mercury from the amalgum is done with a chamois (goat skin !) i use "Buckskin" or fine silk.

i do not mind you youngsters telling me i am wrong, but historically, gunsmiths of "oulden tymes" used mercury in many ways, also nitric acid and stuff you will never find in a gunsmiths shop today..., my, my how things have changed !!
 
Mercury...

Mach II Sailor--far be it from me to tell you that what you've been doing for years is wrong. However...

The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland is based on reality. In Victorian times, felt hats were made with mercury, and hatters spent hours each day toiling over the hot felt, forming it into hats, breathing the mercury fumes.

The hatters tended to start stumbling and slurring their words in their 30's, and no hatter lasted much beyond his 45th birthday. You see, it was the mercury vapor that they encountered as an occupational hazard, which was affecting their brains.

Yet there was no shortage of mothers in those days who were eager to apprentice their sons to hatters.

Yes things have changed over the years, and I don't appreciate "the nanny state" any more than the next fellow. But we do know so much more nowadays about long-term chemical nasties than we used to.

I played with mercury myself, as a kid. Wouldn't do that today if you paid me.
 
I agree with Smokey Joe 100%.

Mach II Sailor, I know exactly what you're saying and I did almost all the same things as a youngster. I fondly recall using mercury to coat silver quarters, and roll it around on my school desk while the teacher watched. Today they would close the entire school, the teacher would be fired and I would have to go through a detox period - almost all of which is severe overkill.

However, as Joe said, there is a lot more known today about the toxicity of elemental mercury and more importantly some very toxic mercury compounds.

Mercury isn't alone in the group of substances that have recently been proven to be toxic. Take a look at the list of carcinogens that we had no clue about not too long ago; asbestos is a good example. I am sure you and I both used it at some time or another. I used to play with it; taking a large strand and picking it apart 'til I got a very thin strand - probably on the same school desk where I played with the mercury. :)

Anyway, using a quantity of mercury to remove lead is no longer a good solution to the problem. Why? Because we are a bit wiser these days about what we touch and breathe. Things really haven't changed, it's just that our knowledge of some things has grown.
 
If common mercury vapors are so dangerous then why aren't flourescent light bulbs a hazmat item? Ever broken one in your home? Even the compact flourescents are mercury vapor filled. 3 thousand dollar cleanup for breaking a lightbulb?

I'm not saying mercury shouldn't be respected or carefully handled. Certain kinds of mercury are deadly toxic. I just don't buy how toxic they say it is, just like lead. Sure lead's dangerous when its hot & fuming, but is a different critter when cold. If it was otherwise the flourescent bulbs would be hazmat and 200 bucks a pop to buy with regulated disposal. I'm no scientist though so take this with as much salt as you deem necessary.
 
Sure lead's dangerous when its hot & fuming, but is a different critter when cold.
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Not when you touch it then eat with the same, unwashed hands that touched it. Same goes for any material. When dealing with (lightly) radioactive materials, two things they teach you: First, wash your hands after you're exposed before you eat because of the radiation. Second, wash your hands after you've touched the lead. Ingestion of trace amounts is very poor decision making. If you insist on touching (even lightly) toxic objects, at the very least, wash your hands, as it's a whole different ballgame when you start eating.
 
Edwardnumbers said:
3 thousand dollar cleanup for breaking a lightbulb?
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As ludicrous as it seems, it might be coming to that. You might have seen this report: http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246336

That is taking a minimal problem to the maximum height of ridiculous overkill. However, it does point out that the mercury in fluorescent lamps isn't taken lightly any longer. I wonder how long they will be around.

If anyone would like to comment on mercury any further please do so quickly. This thread has gone astray from the original intent of the poster. It doesn't have to be closed, but we should get back to the firearms aspect of it.
 
As an alternative...

Orchard Supply Hardware has threaded brass rod stock. I have two in my gun box, one is the fractional size that is just under .22" and one is just under .35". They are fifteen inches long and will remove any lead bullet from a barrel using the floor as a hammer.

The brass is softer than the barrel and harder than the lead. The threading deforms so nothing in the bore is over stressed. And I can re-use them.

Please note: these rods will not clean the lead out of the rifling.
 
Yes, washing your hands is a given after handling even cold lead before eating or smoking. You could prolly lick a cold lead ingot and not get as much lead in your system as casting without gloves where your skin is exposed to fuming lead though. That was my point, to not go off the deep end about it. Be careful but keep your feet on the ground.

It's not a good idea to use mercury to try and remove stuck bullets. I wouldn't do it. Messy, involved, somewhat dangerous, and not everyone has 4 lbs of mercury sittin around! If you gotta make a trip to get mercury, you could get a lead out kit or brass/wooden rod instead.;)

But we don't need hazmat teams for lead & mercury handling. A lot of us have played with mercury and not died. Who really thinks that you'd kill someone or poison the planet if you threw amalgumed (?) mercury in the trash? What're they going to do, rip open the bag and lick it up?:rolleyes:
Government propaganda designed to scare you and take your $$. Would they send a team to your house to clean up a spill or broken lightbulb for thousands of dollars? You bet.
 
WIth my smoothbore muzzleloading powder pistol, I have used a rod with a screw imbedded in it to remove lead balls. You screw the screw into the ball and then pull. Can't you do the same with modern firearms? Those gadgets are available from any muzzleloading supply place.
 
Muzzle loading bullets and balls are much looser in the barrel. TBS i have a pilot drill w/guide that attaches to my ramrod, with a wing style handle for upper end. it is much easyer to screw the puller into a stuck ball when there is a piolt hole in it.

I use the brass rod also for breach guns.
 
How about a wooden dowel and a small hammer. Simple, easy and and in less than 2min. it's done. No reason to wait a whole day and deal with the toxic stuff.
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If this works okay, why are we arguing about the other ?

Save the mercury for when the wooden dowel doesn't work.
 
While mercury works as described by Mach II Sailor, I respectfully submit there are more modern methods that entail fewer hazards. Still, it's good to know how things were done before. Right now I'm still trying to learn about 18th Century technology.
 
From what I have been able to learn, cold metallic mercury is not a tremendous hazard. If it gets hot or if in soluble chemical compound is when it gets nasty. The Mad Hatter was afflicted by mercuric nitrate, not metallic quicksilver.

That said, although I used to use it to de-lead barrels, I no longer fool with mercury because of the low probablility effects and the EPA consequences. Remember, the EPA has an armed enforcement department.

I am a little leery of trying to drive out a stuck bullet with a wood dowel. Probably ok for lead, but there have been cases of barrels packed full of splinters from trying to drive out jacketed bullets with wood. I carry a brass squib rod in my modern range bag and a segment of an old aluminum shotgun rod in my CAS satchel.
 
i would also like to remind you people i do not do this every day !! i have performed this method maybe 25 times in over 50 years of gun smithing, the mercury is never heated as in the hat making business, i too have a brass rod with a wood screw that i use to remove lead balls from muzzleloaders and as mentioned they are not as tight fitting as cartridge bullets.

i want to thank you all for your informative feedback, i am certain all your info has helped some understand the hazards of modern day shooting and reloading, no one knows it all, but we ALL know somthing that can help ALL !
 
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