I'm new to the forum, and have used all my "Search" foo attempting to find what shooters use for lead removal in the barrel. I did find one poster who used a home made mixture of xylene and tolulene and found that it worked well. I am wondering if there is a commercial lead removal solvent type product available that actually works. I am familiar with the Lewis Lead Remover, JB Compound, etc. Just looking for a good solvent product, if one is available. There are so many cleaning products available it seems a daunting and expensive prospect to try them all. Many of the products seem mainly designed to clean out your wallet. . Thanks for the expertise in this fine forum, I am happy to have found it. This is my first post, but just reading the forum has saved me a lot of grief with my Browning/Winchester Hi Wall.

I don't have any leading problems with my two CPA's.  32/40 & 38/55 good bores well fitted bullets cast soft 1/25. All they take is a spray of JB few patches come out complety clean.  I do deal with leading in my Revolvers and Lever actions. Solutions are different.

Two S&W 625 45 ACP moonclip revolvers get heavy use in IDPA matches including rapid fire.  Hard store bought lead bullets that can't fit the leade cause they have to drop in the chambers for fast reloads. Everything is smooth cylinders forcing cone and barrel.
I spray those guns with Balistol and let them sit overnight. Lead melts away with a few bronze brush strokes.

Levers with rough bores get lead build up on rust spots, Trapdoor same thing.  Only thing thats ever removed lead well for me in rough bores is Balistol overnight. Then brushing with Steel wool wound into the bronze brush, finish tight patch charged with J-B

Balistol is about the right combination of effective nontoxic. JB abrasive cuts but not rough like more aggressive compounds, and mild steel wool when needed.

Boats

Boats,   spray JB.   do you mean spray balistol??

Hoppes and steel wool on a tight patch. #3 or #4

  Joe.

I have found ISSO to be to abrasive unlike JB.

J.Louis

My main problems come from lead bullets in pistols and revolvers, 1911, .357 Mag, .44 Mag. I have a large supply of lead for each caliber but have mostly quit shooting it because I hate to have to scrub out the lead. I have heard both good and bad things about Ballistol, but I will sure give it a try.

I was just sure that someone would come up with a "magic" concotion that would vaporize the lead out of the barrels on the way home simply after uttering the appropriate incantation. Not true??

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John, I was at Connecticut Shotgun on day and talked with their gunsmith about ISSO and it's abrasiveness. He told me that's what they use on the guns in their store.  If they use ISSO on high dollar rifles & shotguns, that was good enough for me.  So I bought some and have been using it ever since

waddy I have used the Lewis Lead remover since the 1960's (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) and it has never failed to get the lead out of my handgun cylinders/barrels even used it on my various 1911's, plus my S&W M52 and even 12ga shotgun barrels when I used the old {Cheap} soft shot for hunting, have never damaged or scratched a barrel in all the years I've used them and it is FAST and easy. Brownell's handles them and I'm sure that midway has them also. Recently purchased the  MONTANA X-TREME COWBOY LEAD SOLVENT and has worked well for minor leading along with their Nylon/Brass core brushes in my BP rifle barrels after getting the charcoal out (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) .

Good luck, Mike





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