The Leaded Bore From Hell...

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MAD DOG

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I just acquired a very nice 1903 Springfield sporter, which has evidently not been cleaned since about 1903. :(
Some yokel shot about a billion rounds of cast lead through it, and never bothered to attempt removing any of it.
The rifling, once I could see it, still appears to be in great shape though.
I have spent the last five hours using Shooter's Choice Lead Remover, Shooters Choice Black Powder Bore Cleaner, JB bore cleaner, inumerable patches, and worn out four brushes. I filed an EPA statement for the pounds of toxic metal I must dispose of.
My arms are numb, and my wife is no longer speaking to me since I spent my entire day off on yet another gun project.
All this and the bore is still a major lead resource.
AARRRGGGHHH!

A few minutes ago, I corked the bore, and filled it with Shooter's Choice Lead Remover.
I intend to let it sit overnight as I meditate on the insidious revenge I will take if I ever run across the previous owner.
(To wife: Honey, HE's the one that caused me to spend what would have been our Valentine's Day *sniffle* on that over leaded bore! Get him!)

Any suggestions short of heating the bore to lead melting temperature and then sandblasting it?
All of my usual repretoire is getting me nowhere, and not even fast...
 
Cork the muzzle and pour mercury down the bore. Let it sit for a day or two. Gay-rawn-teed. Makes a lead-mercury amalgam.

Don't drink it.

Precautions include the use of a funnel and tube while pouring, and resting the muzzle in some sort of container. Spilled mercury goes EVERYWHERE!!! And those eensy-tinsy little beads are hell to clean up!

:), Art
 
Additional precautions must be taken to preclude the local build-up and inhalation of mercury vapors. Ideally place the mercury-filled barreled-action next to an exhaust vent in the shop. Obviously, use gloves in the handling, and ensure it's all away from gerfinkerpokin kindermittens und kritterschnootz. Upon removal with a tornado brush, the amalgam will be softer and easier to strip out, but still constitutes two heavy metals, each with most of its respective toxic characteristics intact.
 
It sure is nice to have an Outer's Foul Out for problem bores. Really bad stuff like this might actually take a couple of nights to clean up, but at least you can let it just sit there and do something else. The outfit cost about $150, perhaps the down side.
 
I'll second the vote for Outer's Foul-Out. It works great for copper and lead. I have a couple pistols that I would dread shooting it wasn't for the Foul-Out sucking out the lead.
 
Whats better that having that - is having a friend who has it... A borrowed Foul Out cost only favors in return and that 150 you saved can buy you more ammo to foul another bore.
Of course if you buy one and your the only friend in your circle to have it - well, you may never have to mow your own lawn again! And THAT can pay for its self in just a few summer weeks!
:D

------------------
I mean, if I went around saying I was an Emperor because some
moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, people would put me away!
 
Rich, your on! In the meantime, I am breaking every thermometer I can find to collect the mercury...
That mercury idea is a good one. I am surprised that I never heard of it before.
That is the great thing about these Forums!
Thanks, TFL!
 
Speaking of Mercury, does anyone know where/how it can be obtained?
I am way short on thermometers.
I need some to have on hand for this, and similar problems in the future.

Also, I presume that you save/reclaim the mercury that runs out of the bore afterwards, as it is still adequately potent to use on lead in the future, and the amalgammed lead/mercury left in the bore is just brushed out with solvent, correct?

One also presumes that the amalgam will reharden in time, much as dental fillings do, so it would be wise to begin the removal process soon after draining the bore of mercury.
 
Another solution, unfortunately no longer available thanks to out overprotective government, was a drug store remedy called Blue Ointment. It was sold as a cure for certain parasites that could infest the human body. The active ingredient was mercury. While it was available, I scrubbed out many a .357 mag. barrel with a patch generously covered with that stuff.
I can't think of the name of this product, but it is a cloth that is used to clean the burn marks off stainless steel revolver cylinders. A tight patch made from this cloth will do a pretty fair job of removing lead from barrels.
If you use mercury, you can strain it by pouring it through a piece of cloth, like an old bed sheet. It must be poured slowly and carefully, but it will get rid of most of the lead that has amalgamated with the mercury.
Shooting jacketed bullets to remove leading has been recommended for minor leading, but I think it just irons the lead into the barrel. Maybe, not so good an idea.
I just might get a "Foulout" myself. With all the lead bullets I shoot in both rifles and handguns, it might just be a wise investment.
Paul B.
 
MAD DOG - Mercury is as expensive as it is dangerous. If you're careful with it and don't let any get away, it's safe to work with. But, the expense may change your mind, it runs over $200 per lb. You can buy it from Fisher Scientific. You may be able to get a better price if you set up a commercial account with them, but I doubt it since you probably won't be buying chems by the truck load.

I would stick to the Foul Out system. I can get the lead out in big drossy globs with mine. As the wise old Herodotus said, historically it usually takes several runs to get all of it out.
 
Ed's Red is amazing on lead removal. Lest you forget Ed's Red contains:

1 part odorless mineral spirits
1 part acetone
1 part kerosene
1 part auto transmission fluid

It WORKS... and it is CHEAP. Cork the chamber and fill the barrel up with Ed's Red... let it sit overnight, and the brush will take out all the lead on the first few passes the next morning.

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"No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority" - Thomas Jefferson
 
First off - let me explain - I come from an engineering background and have had a significant quantity of chemistry hours with all manner of hazardous s%^t and heavy metals. Based on this, let me simply say:

DO NOT USE MERCURY TO CLEAN YOUR RIFLE!

Mercury is incredibly toxic. It can be absorbed through skin, through inhaling its vapor, and by ingestion. Even small amounts (I am talking a couple of drops here) constitute a hazardous spill in a laboratory. I found this out in high school when I spilled a thermometer full on the floor. We are talking hazard suits, gloves, etc. Stick to lots of Lead Away cloths and a foul-out kit. I cannot stress enough how dangerous mercury is, folks. It is also illegal to dispose of the by products of mercury use into a landfill.

Mercury poisoning is painful, debilitating, and can lead to death. Sufferers can expect years of localized paralysis, neurological impairment, and expensive treatment.

Seriously, folks, do not do this. It is simply too dangerous.

Do not believe me: go to http://vest.gu.se/~bosse/yfTAN93a.html
 
A couple of friends of mine chipped in and bought me the replacement chemicals for my Foul Out.(quarts)I cleaned a few guns for them and have enough left to clean mine many, many more times. Everybody is happy.

Joefo
 
I am about to try the scrubbing again, now that it has sat with the Lead Remover in it for a day and a night.
Failing success with that, I will try the "Ed's Red" concoction. I have all of the components for it here, except the kerosene, and I can get that in a jiffy.
(By the way, do you use Dexron or Mercon for the ATF? Does it matter?)
If/when that doesn't work, we will give Rich's foul out system a chance.
 
Ya know...if there's one thing I can't stand it's a guy with no patience. Some people just gotta have what they want...right now. I'll never understand it.

I'll be out there in a few short days with a simple, gentle, environmentally friendly solution (Foul Out).....but NOOOOOO, Mr Dog just has to have a clean barrel *today*. If it was me I'd...why I'd simply...err, I'd....
Have you tried steel brushes? ;)
Rich

[This message has been edited by Rich Lucibella (edited February 14, 2000).]
 
Well, if it's a Chevy Springfield, use Dexron.

$200 a pound for mercury? I got $1,200 sittin' on my dresser? A 76-pound flask was only a couple hundred bucks, last time I looked. Guess I'll look again.

Yes, mercury can be dangerous, but only if you're careless. Back before we knew as much as all these modern folks, and we had real money with silver in it, a standard game was to "mercurize" a quarter so it would be real shiny. And lots of folks went through the hassle of picking up all those little beads when a thermometer got broken.

But we didn't eat it or drink it or let it get into cuts. We knew that it could be a Bad Thing. We didn't have the EPA to protect us; we protected ourselves with a little horse sense.

(Horse sense is what a jackass ain't got.)

If you do run across some mercury for use in de-leading, keep it in an airtight container. A flask with a rubber stopper is good, but glass breaks. The plastic containers the coin shops sell for a roll of silver dollars (the squared-off ones, not the thin-walled, round ones) work best.

Let us know how Ed's Red treats you. Those components are easily come by.

Art
 
Just finished the latest round in the ongoing battle.
Got my butt kicked AGAIN.

The overnight soak in Shooter's Choice Lead Remover, which usually works great, failed miserably.
The patches are still coming out black as the ace of spades. There is, indeed, a buttload of lead in this barrel.

"Ed's Red" is next up to bat but I have little hope of it working given it's constiuent chemicals; then we will let Rich try his gizmo; then I will throw up my hands and rebarrel, or just shoot the damned thing with lead in it...
So much for the "instant gratification" of getting a new (to me) gun.
 
FWIW, here is a trick an old timer passed on. I have never used it, but what the heck...

Take a steel jacket bullet (M2 Ball), and file the base completely flat leaving the sharpest edges possible. Then load it backwards with a light load of powder and fire it. The sharp edges will scrape the bore clean of anything in there, I was assured. Like I say, I have never tried it and accept no responsibility for its use.

Jim
 
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