What Lead Cleaner Do You Recommend

I need a good solution.  Any recommendations?

I have not tried them all but never found any to be all that effective. I generally resort to a 'Lewis Lead Remover'.

Bruce

Shooters Choice for me

https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/Cleaning-and-Maintenance/Cleaning-Maintenance/Lead-Remover-and-Polishing-Cloth-6-x-9.aspx has worked OK for me especially for mild leading.

Some of those lead cloths work well on the face of revolver cylinders if you shoot those.  You can cut strips to use as patches too.

Any of the Foul Out systems.  They pretty much get rid of all of the lead in barrels.  The Cop-Out works great for copper fouling as well.

Issues:

1.  IF you can find the kits and the solutions.  There are recipes to make similar solutions posted on the web and apparently sources to buy the ingredients.

2.  IF you are prepared to grow a 3rd eye or a tail or worse if you don't take the necessary precautions using them.  


Like DDT, Carbon Tet, etc.  There are pretty good reasons why those kind of things are not used or available anymore.

Used to use mercury,  now I use a lewis lead remover....

kwixdraw wrote:Some of those lead cloths work well on the face of revolver cylinders if you shoot those.  You can cut strips to use as patches too.

Good reminder, I have had very good luck cutting patches from them as well. They are great for removing the black rings on the front of stainless cylinders.

They do carry (at least the ones I have used) a warning about potential damage to nickel finished guns if you are shooting one be forewarned.

Bruce

james r chapman wrote:Used to use mercury,  now I use a lewis lead remover....

Ah yes... always worked like a champ 

just dangerous as all get out...still have some but don't use it any more.

if you are getting serious leading I'd look hard at your bullet lube.

the only thing I still have an issue with is my wife's 52 shooting swaged  HBWC bullets and it's very mild.


In addition to the Lewis unit I will also use copper Chore-Boy scrubbers  that you can get at any grocery. Wrapped around a brass brush they will do a great job of getting the lead out

For the 45 I use a 50 cal brush. 
And remember FIT IS KING!  If the bullet is under sized it will lead.

Dave C.

White vinegar & peroxide mixed 1:1 will dissolve lead if soaked over night.

igolfat8 wrote:White vinegar & peroxide mixed 1:1 will dissolve lead if soaked over night.

From what I've read, it works very well! The problem is the highly toxic compounds remaining after cleaning.
something you wouldn't want to toss randomly out, but, best handled by a waste facility...

jglenn21 wrote:if you are getting serious leading I'd look hard at your bullet lube.

the only thing I still have an issue with is my wife's 52 shooting swaged  HBWC bullets and it's very mild.


In addition to the Lewis unit I will also use copper Chore-Boy scrubbers  that you can get at any grocery. Wrapped around a brass brush they will do a great job of getting the lead out

I feel, the old soft lead myth is the culprit with 38 ammo..I get zero leading from PENN 45 cast projectiles.  I recently talked with Zero about their 38 HBWC projectiles. They have added alloy to bring the hardness up and counter the leading issues in 38.. Even back in my PPC revolver days, I would pull a Lewis screen thru the bore during the prep period at the 50 yard line. Star bullets were terrible... I switched to Remington, which were much better.
Also, alloy is expensive.. Note the cost of tin lately..??

Leading in revolvers is usually undersized cylinder throats, several gunsmiths offer throat honing to match up throats to bore size.  Had it done on a 45 colt blackhawk and it worked well.

igolfat8 wrote:White vinegar & peroxide mixed 1:1 will dissolve lead if soaked over night.

Tried that on a bullet mould and got some pitting of the iron! Lucky none were in the cavity itself.

I have use a Q-tip with vinegar to clean molds but not with peroxide. Talking about a quick scrub and a wipe out with alcohol afterward, not a soak. Melt the lead off of molds.