What cleans lead bullet "splattering" off of nickel guns?

G

Gene Pool

New member
Gentlemen,
Please forgive me for asking such an elementary question. But I need to know what I can use to clean the exterior of nickel guns with without damaging the nickel. Specifically, cleaning the "splattering" caused by shooting cast lead bullets. Lead splattering is on the front of the cylinder and around the front of the frame where the barrel screws into it. The splattered fouling doesn't seem to come off with traditional mild solvents.

Thank you in advance,
Gene Pool
 
I know a smith who made the mistake of soaking a S+W 29 nickel cylinder in Hoppes #9 overnight.He had to send it to S+W for refinishing.It ate the nickel.

While I can't guarantee this is the best choice,I'd try Kroil.Its popular among the benchrest crowd for bore cleaning.It penetrates well.

Now,for root cause...Maybe the bullets are undersize ,allowing hot gas to flow around them and melt them.How do the bullets fit the cylinder throat?

Maybe gas checks would help.If these are dead soft lead loads,a harder alloy may help.Even plated bullets may help.

And,maybe you have alignment problems,cylinder to bore.

I suggest looking upstream of the symptom to find the problem
 
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Flitz metal polish works well on stainless steel, and I'm SURE it would remove lead spattering on a nickel finish.

Whether or not it also removes the nickel, might depend on how hard you rub!!! I would test something first if you can.
 
Yep, size bullets to make a push fit through the cylinder. That will minimize cylinder leading and produce the best accuracy.
 
Flitz in a tube. I like it much better than bottle. Will remove burn rings, splatter and seal the metal with a great shine. The seal characteristic makes cleaning easier and water rolls off.

The stuff is also gentle enough for jewelry and I even use it on my Rolex watch. Super good on silver tarnish.

Sounds like you have an issue with your barrel and cylinder gap being to big.
 
Flitz will remove the leading, but it will also remove nickel every time you use it. Flitz is an abrasive (I know what the package says.)
Hoppes and similar solvents won't hurt your nickel if they are used properly-just don't "soak" your gun with them. Use them and wipe dry.
 
Polishes do more smearing than removing (but some of both). They take off millionths of an inch or less, so it would take a large number of cleanings to appreciably thin the plating. I'm a little more concerned about the ammonium oleate in the polish.

Another approach is to buy Wipe Out No Lead and apply it and let it sit for 20 minutes. It turns the lead sort of crumbly and it wipes off. However, I would call Sharp Shoot'R (the maker) and double check that a nickel finish isn't bothered by it. 785-883-4444. I doubt it would be, but I don't own any nickel-plated guns, so I can't say with 100% certainty as I haven't tried it on any.
 
I concur ^^^^^^ the stuff works. I would check with the company just to make sure its a go with a Nickel finish
 
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