Lead remover

[MoA]

snIPer:
I have used Hoppes and am not a fan of the product. For leading try and get any of the lead removers that the BP guys use. I could give you the name of what I use, but I doubt if it is available outside of continental europe.
Any engine cleaner will work wonders on carbon.
Given how little a .22 generally gets shot in India, I personally wouldnt worry about lead build up.
Also a .22 doesnt need to be cleaned as often as other weapons. I normally will shot several thousand rounds before cleaning.

[snIPer]

Thanks MoA,
Not going to clean anything soon but just wanted to check on its performance.
/S/

[Vineet]

I clean my firearms in the following way and the barrel shines like mirror.
1. First I clean the carbon with patches soaked in engine cleaner (thanks to MOA for giving the wonderful advice)
2. Then I use metal brush to loosen the lead. And soak the brush in petrol to remove lead and carbon from it.
3. Then remove the loosened lead from the barrel with the piece of plain cloth.
4. And finally apply little oil on a piece of cloth and run it through the barrel.

The whole process is time consuming and needs hard work but it is good for people like me who likes to keep their firearms clean and fire once (5 to 10 shots from each weapon) in three - four months for practice.

[dev]

Aye more guns are ruined by over cleaning then fouling. Specially using metal brushes in a .22 bore is suicide. Next when you oil the bore I hope you remember to remove the said oil before shooting.

[snIPer]

I hope you remember to remove the said oil before shooting.

Yep, thats a mistake i did once or twice but now ensure that the barrel is as oil free as possible before shooting.
/S/

[MoA]

Aye more guns are ruined by over cleaning then fouling. Specially using metal brushes in a .22 bore is suicide. Next when you oil the bore I hope you remember to remove the said oil before shooting.

Yes a larger proportion of guns do sustain damage due to improper cleaning techniques than fouling, but why is using a metal brush in the barrel suicide?

[snIPer]

If the brush is bronze or brass it will not damage the rifling in any way. - Or does it?
/S/

[MoA]

If the brush is bronze or brass it will not damage the rifling in any way. - Or does it?
/S/

A 'properly' used brush will not damage the bore. Use steel wool at the end of a steel rod is a different story.
For weapons I care about in terms of accuracy, I do use a bore guide etc etc.. for others a pull through(never on an accuracy weapon because I am paranoid), in a .22... bore guide metal/nylon brush every 6 months or 5K what ever comes earlier.

Lead remover in a .22? Havent done so, so far.

[snIPer]

Yes thats true. i was inquiring for a 12 guage.
/S/

[MoA]

12 GA's are generally easier to clean since they do not have rifling, which can get damaged by over enthusiasm with a poor rod.

Brush away to remove any and all lead, plastic wad fouling. I normally use a bronze brush.

[DAN]

What about guns shot with the legendary Shaktiman cartridge ?
The black fouling never seems to come off and if left for a long time, seems to become permanent

[xl_target]

Havent tried that but do have some stock of Hopps No. 9 cleaning solvent at home. was wondering if anyone tried it and has some feedback on that.
/S/

From the Hoppe's website:

Famous No. 9 solvent
Hoppe's No. 9 remains the most widely used remover of Powder, lead, metal fouling & rust
Formula penetrates deeply and rapidly
Ultra-Potent, safe and easy yo use
A world wide favorite since 1903

http://www.hoppes.com/products/solvents.html

Hoppe's is a staple in any american gun cleaning kit. Everyone uses it. Some more than others.
With handguns and center-fire rifles, I generally use a (Al. rod) bronze brush with copper remover and then Hoppe's after that, followed by a lightly oiled patch (CLP) and then a dry patch.
My .22: The problem with my 10-22 is that it has to be cleaned from the muzzle end and one has to be careful not to damage the crown. Shouldn't be an issue with a bolt action rifle.

[timmy]

I use hoppe's and now there's a brand that Cabela's sells that I've used, as well.

I have blazed away with my Marlin .22 -- it is as old as I am and before microgroove rifling -- with no problems at all, either from cleaning or from lead build up.

Mercury (Hg) will form an amalgam with some metals, like lead. A similar amalgam is used with silver for dental tooth fillings.

Mercury has long been used by miners to recover placer gold out of their pans. To reuse the mercury, they would place the amalgam in a hollowed out potato, put the potato in a skillet, and then put the whole shebang in a camp fire. The mercury would vaporize into the potato meat, leaving the gold behind. Then the miner would squeeze out the mercury from the potato with a cloth for reuse.

I can imagine that a goodly amount of mercury poisoning was accomplished this way.

In my work as a kid, I used to recover mercury from old relays. I had a nice little collection of it. Even the old guys would come and play with my bottle, because mercury is so intriguing. Now, I wouldn't get near the stuff. I learned that I won't live forever, since those days.