Slugs buliding up lead in the barrel. How do you Deal?

M

mellow_c

New member
When I started cleaning my Stevens 320 after shooting a bunch of bird shot and 25 slugs, I noticed there was a lot of lead build up in the first 1/4-1/3 of the barrel. I ran a brush through more times than I can remember following with patches, slip 2000, and working forever, over and over. Finally I started going back and forth changing directions inside the barrel (an apparent no no) in the areas with the heaviest leading with the brush. That scrubbing effect worked a lot better but it still took some time.

I haven't shot very many slugs from my shotguns. Should I expect this kind of lead build up with all my shotguns any time I shoot a bunch of slugs?

If so, what do you all recommend as the best way to remove it?
 
get some copper chore boys, wrap some pieces around a smaller brush and run it through a few times, you will be amazed...
 
I checked around the net and the copper chore boy looks like some pretty good stuff for this use, with other people claiming they use it for the same thing.

Thanks riflemen
 
I use a bronze brush and Hoppes on a shotgun rod chucked in a 3/8" variable speed drill and slowly run it in and out until it is clean. You may also have a plastic build up from the wad.
 
A note of caution on the chore boys...

The COPPER ones are hard to find. (Well, in my town they are.) Be careful that the ones you buy aren't copper PLATED steel. Most are.
 
A note of caution on the chore boys...

The COPPER ones are hard to find. (Well, in my town they are.) Be careful that the ones you buy aren't copper PLATED steel. Most are.
Click to expand...
Chore Boy brand scrubbers are copper.

It's the cheap off-brand crap that's plated steel.

Buy quality and don't worry about it.
Every grocery store and hardware store that I've frequented in the last 5 years has carried the Chore Boy scrubbers.
Hell, I was at a tack store earlier (you know... saddles, chaps, horse feed, etc), and even they had the Chore Boy brand copper scrubbers.

Yes, they're more expensive. That's because they're made from a better material.


You have to pay to play.... ;)
 
Pure Gum Turpentine, the real stuff, not the imitation stuff will help lift lead out also.

Folks in the BPCR crowd use turpentine when cleaning. It seems to get under the lead as I will get little flakes when cleaning my guns.

It won't hurt your gun (don't get it on the wood) and it won't hurt you, but it stinks. I wear rubber gloves when cleaning.

You can also make a "Bubba Hone" with a 3/8 dowel and some scotch brite. I have been polishing a barrel that had some reamer marks, and while it absolutely does not work as good as a real hone, it is smoothing my barrel up. Of course I am using a real coarse grade of scotch brite.

If you smooth the barrel out, it will reduce the tendency to lead. In the BPCR world, after shooting 100's (if not 1000's of rounds) barrels a being lapped by use. I also have some hand lapped barrels that don't lead as bad as a freshly machined one, simply because there is less "tooth" to grab the lead.
 
I use a flex hone to polish the bore and reduce the leading. Especially in less expensive shotguns, the bores will be rougher and the hone/polish improves accuracy and reduces the amount of cleaning needed. In most cases, a well polished bore does not even need to be cleaned anymore. A set of forcing cone hones from Brush Research with some oil is going to be under $100. Or you can take it to the gunsmith who will charge you $100 to do the work.
 
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