using LSWC and Cleaning barrels

I have been using coated lead bullets exclusively now in my .45 1911 and need to transition to using JHP for at least some of my matches (EIC matches). I have some lead remover from champions choice and a bronze brush that I used to get the small amount of lead out that I could see. There is still some that I just can not seem to remove though.

I was letting solvent soak about 15 min or so. Do I just need to let the solvent soak longer?


The Bronze brush did not feel like a tight fit to the bore compared to the brushes I use for rifle cleaning. To the point that I question if it is even doing anything. What do you use for physical removal steps? what brand of brushes do you find work best?

I like to take the bronze brush and wrap it with some strands from a chore boy scrubber to tighten the fit. It usually takes the lead deposit from my cast bullets right out. I use a standard solvent (gunzilla, CLP, Lucas, whatever I have on hand that came from a match grab bag).

Try a bronze .50 caliber pistol brush & Hoppes. I have been rinsing mine (brush not barrel) with water when I'm done, seems to make them last longer.

A tight fitting bronze brush, hoppes number 9 solvent, and something like gun scrubber. First I use a clean brush and dunk it in hoppes. Then scrub the bore really well. Hose it out with guns rubber and hose the brush clean. Dunk it in hopes again and scrub well. Hose out the bore and the brush. Dunk the brush again, scrub the bore and let the hopes sit in the barrel this time to dissolve what’s left in there. Usually I clean the barrel first, move on to the frame, then the slide, then come back to barrel to finish. Hose out the barrel and the brush. Do another two or three times of dunk, scrub, and hose clean. Should be good. For tough copper fouling that won’t come out, try Hoppes semi-auto pistol cleaner solvent (blue label) or their copper fouling remover.

Let the solvent do the work. Soak the barrel over night in Hoppe's #9 and then just push a couple of patches through it. It'll be clean.

Whatever lead your cleaning doesn’t get out, the first magazine of JHP will take out the rest.

I would suggest soaking it in Kroil, rather than solvent. No matter what you do, you'll have to use some elbow grease. The old bore brush wrapped with strands of solid copper Chore Boy is good too! Some say that shooting copper jacketed ammo to eliminate lead build up doesn't work. If one has a bore scope it might either prove or disprove one side's position over the other.

If a brush is too tight, the bristles lay down and tend to slide along. A brush that fits so that the tips are standing tall and scraping along seems to work better. Then there’s the Lewis Lead Remover. It’s a copper wire mesh patch that has very fine wire diameter. It works well but I don’t really use or need it. The choreboy around a slightly smaller brush is middle aggressive between just the brush and the LLR patch methods.

Search firebrushing on this site but penetrating oils like Kroil, or kerosene on a tight fitting patch and jag wok well. Put some elbow grease into it and you'll feel it come free

+1 on the Chore Boy strands on the brass brush ... even better than Lewis Lead Remover, bore gets perfectly clean with a little aggressive scrubbing ..  Soaking longer probably helpful, but when you're that close to finishing, you just want to Get 'Er Done.  Cheap and readily available (Ace Hardware and many others)

I have found shooting self-defense JHP ammunition in any pistol will quickly remove any lead build up.

I could not find 45 brushes that were tight the package said 44 to 45 it sesames they don't know there is .022 difference so I bought 50 cal brush at gun show been using them for 20 years with hoppe's 9
works ok with lead and real good with Brazo coated

I soak my barrel, completely immerse, in Kroil while I clean the rest of my pistol. After my barrel has soaked for about 15 minutes I run a brush through it a few times then with Kroil soaked patches I use the o ringed jag. It takes about 5-6 patches until no more lead appears on them. The o ring jag is sold at Brownells.


 https://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/cleaning-rods-amp-accessories/cleaning-rod-jags/o-ring-cleaning-jags-prod24842.aspx

Bill

I see all these suggestions, but remember the medical oath.  First do no harm.  Anything you take off the edges of the lands or crown can never be put back.  

CR

All I know is what I was told to do - they wanted it done that way so I don’t mess up the barrel by allowing the copper fouling to build and never be removed completely then forcing another bullet through there on top of excessive copper fouling. I didn’t build it, I don’t own it, I just shoot it and take care of it like the asked me to. ‍�

Sounds like AMU has pretty well established what they have found best for the shooters using their guns.
Based on a huge amount of shooting data!

First I'm surprised the OP has any leading issue with coated bullets.  I have none with the Hi-Tek coating.. for lead i use a 50/50 mix of kroil and Hoppe's.. best of both worlds. For jacket fouling the newer copper.cleaners that do Not use ammonia are terrific.. i use Boretech and wipe out.. safe and very effective. With these cleaners you can use nylon brushes

JB bore paste and a worn out 45 bristle brush. At some point, chemical cleaners will not remove impacted fouling. That is when you have to mechanically remove the stuff. I have a GI RIA 1911 that lead and jacket fouls something awful Lead fouling is worse, but after that is scrubbed, I see jacket fouling. I use JB and Sweets on the patch, wrapped around a worn bristle brush for jacket fouling.

There are lead solvents, use them with JB.

I am sure all we are doing is knocking off the stuff on the surface,  within the tool marks made by broaches, there will be lead or copper and that stuff is going to stay. I don't have a bore scope but Bud's that do say they can see stuff in the tool marks.

My RIA has a chromed barrel. It is not a match grade barrel. Mine is not a match grade pistol either. As I have fired FMJ's through the thing, the barrel has gotten shinier. I have also conducted two final finish bore lappings with lead bullets. You roll lead bullets in progressively finer grits, to embed the grit, fire about five of each grit. At that end of those sessions I can tell the bore brightened up, and leaded less.  Since this adds wear to a tube, this is something only for drastic problems.