Do you get your smoothies REALLY clean?

[Skychief]

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to respond here. It's much appreciated! :hatsoff:

 

[paulab]

Get some bronze wool. Wrap a small [repeat: small] tuft around a cleaning patch and wet with hope's #9 bore cleaner. That lead should come out in about 10 strokes. Your bore will be squeaky clean in about one minute.

 

[eaglesnester]

Try some WipeOut Lead Remover or just plain old WipeOut on yur final pass with a wet patch. Let er set for a day or two, Will not harm your bore. WipeOut Lead remover will definatly get the lead out,and U would not have to use a bronze or steel bore brush back and forth in your bore. The regular WipeOut will also do the job but in a more indirect way. It will go for any alloy in the lead, break that down and then well subsequently remove any remaining lead. Leave a little WipeOut in yur bore after cleaning as it also acts as a rust inhibitor. Have been doing this with all my smokesticks for years and my bores are all bright.

 

[stantdm]

I get the same results you do. I have gray patches after all the gunk is gone. I finally quit worrying about it.

I did use a drill and copper pad once to clean it out but what was the point? Lead doesn't rust and this gun shows none when it sets a couple of weeks or so.

 

[Stumpkiller]

J-B Paste will remove leading and not touch the barrel steel.

I load my smoothbores so lead doesn't touch the barrel (either paper or cloth wraps) and don't get leading.

 

[roundball]

It's lead residue...I always noticed the lead film after a pattern testing range session and felt it was possible some amount of moisture / trace of fouling 'could' be trapped under / in it so it had to come out.

The simplest, easiest, quickest, and even enjoyable way I found to get it all cleaned right out was at the end of the range session, I just shot a few of my snug fitting PRBs through it and the tight fitting patches dragged / wiped it right off the bore walls.

 

[eaglesnester]

If yur worried about lead fouling there is a product on the market that can help you out. It is called WipeOut lead out. I have never used it but I have and do use WipeOut patch out in all my center fire rifles and it DOES remove copper and carbon fouling very very well. If WipeOut lead out is like patch out it will remove lead.
After I have used the soap and water cleaning on my smoke sticks I patch out dry. Then as a final treatment I run a patch down the bore wet with WipeOut. WipeOut has a rust preventive in it. I then store my shooters muzzle down in the gun safe.
A few days later I patch out with a clean patch and inspect. Then patch out with more WipeOut and forgetaboutit until next time I shoot.
Now as to lead fouling. Everything I have read about lead fouling indicates that it does not happen until the muzzle velocity exceeds far above what U can expect out of a muzzle loader. I forget exactly what the cut off MV is but U can look it up on google. I could be wrong here.


I need a new gun safe.
Cheers & TIghter Groups: Eaglesnester

 

[matt denison]

" Everything I have read about lead fouling indicates that it does not happen until the muzzle velocity exceeds far above what U can expect out of a muzzle loader. "



Not to be contrary but... I have pulled some considerable amount of lead out of muzzleloading barrels. Once from a 16 ga. Officer's Musket. It came out in long strings. I attributed that incident to a lack of lube on the wads when loading it. My bad.