Ridding GP100 barrel of lead

T

Thirties

New member
I've read here that lead is difficult to clean from a gun barrel.

What is the best way to clean a stainless Ruger GP100 4" barrel that's been shooting LRP ammo? After how many rounds should this be done?

Thanks.
 
lead is not difficult to remove from a stainless steel handgun....use the Midway metal magic gun cloth and I believe Birchwood Casey has a lead remover cloth also........use a good solvent and then run a patch of the cloth through and you will be surprised at the lead that will come out.........just keep putting the patches through until it starts to come out clean, then run a regular patch through and check it......the cloth will also remove all the powder burns on the cylinder face and the cylinders.....
 
I have seen a pack of 25 or so patches made out of the same treated material as the lead away cloths. As mentioned above put solvent in the bore and then run the patches through. Another method is the Lewis Lead Remover which uses special brass mesh patches.
 
WARNING (in my GP's)

I use small patches cut from a Kleen-Bore Lead-Away cloth.

Use sparingly; it's abrasive.
Clean residue thoroughly after use.

I only clean my gun(s) if accuracy or reliability is compromised.
 
Would I clean the barrel of powder (Hoppes #9 followed by CLP) after each shooting, as I do with my semi pistos; then only clean out the lead at longer intervals? As a general rule, would one need to clean out the lead, say, after 1000 or 2000 rounds?

Thanks for your replies . . .
 
The easiest way is to not let your bore get leaded-up in the first place.

That's why I shoot a few jacketed rounds after every box or so of lead.......this blows-out much of the lead..

If you finish your range session with a cylinder or two of jacketed ammo, and brush the bore with solvent while the barrel is still hot, it's very quick and easy to clean your bore.
 
Lewis lead remover from Brownells

One of those things that once I got around to buying I kicked myself for about a week for not getting one 20 years ago. Can't believe all the time I wasted over the years (scrub-patch-scrub-patch..) for an hour instead of having the whole barrel done in 15 minutes:mad:
 
The "shoot some jacketed to clean the bore" theory is somewhat controversial, some say it works others claim the jacketed bullets just compress the lead into the lands. Me, I dunno, I lean towards the compresses the lead line of thinking.
Lacking a Lewis Lead Remover the next best thing is to wrap some strands of a copper scouring pad around a bronze brush and have at it. I've tried a bunch of bore cleaners but keep going back to Hoppes. Maybe it's the smell.
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The thing about jacketed bullets cleaning lead out is a great camp story, but not true. I use the lewis lead remover, and stainless bore brushed. Just keep working it until it's gone. I've been thinking about getting one of those foul out contraptions. The price is under $100 now. Sounds about right, if it works.
 
Go to the grocery store, get a Chore girl/boy Brass strip pot scrubber. Cut with scissors, wrap a strand or two around s bronze bore brush never stainless steel! dip in so;vent and scrub. Lead will come out in chunks. Cheaper and easier than a LLR, and works better...:D
Tom
 
Originally posted by Charley:

The thing about jacketed bullets cleaning lead out is a great camp story, but not true. I use the lewis lead remover, and stainless bore brushed. Just keep working it until it's gone.....
Click to expand...

Hello Charley,

It is true that shooting jacketed bullets after lead will clean much of the lead out of the bore.

This is easy to verify...... Take the same gun to the range two times, and fire the same quantity of the same lead bullets, loaded the same way, each time. Shoot a cylinder full of jacketed bullets at the end of your second range session.

Notice the time and effort required to clean your bore each time.
You will have your answer.

BTW, I would never use a stainless brush in the bore......The only place I will use a stainless brush, is to remove the fouling in the front part of the cylinder chambers, ahead of the case mouth, after shooting many .38 Specials in a .357 Magnum revolver.
 
Wrapping the chore boy strands around a bronze bristle works great! First time I did I was amazed at the chunks of lead that came out.
 
Another vote for Choirboy. The Lewis Lead Remover is a great product and I have one myself. But buying Choirboy is cheaper and works great.
 
I shoot only hard cast lead in my Security Six (and Marlin 1894P) and I just clean normally after a range trip - just as I would for jacketed bullets.
 
While you're shopping for the Lewis lead remover, pick up a jar of JB bore compound......stuff is great.....:D
 
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