Kroil

[tactikel]

IMHO Kroil is great at preventing leading. I had leading from some stout .357 SWC loads in my S&W. I cleaned all the lead and fowling out with Hopppes #9 and cleaned it again with CLP until patches came out clean. I applied Kroil and allowed it to soak in for several days and applied more. The same loads show no leading at all. I am more careful about keeping the bore clean, but always finish up with Kroil.

 

[prickett]

+1 to the wonders of the Outer's Foul Out unit.

When the Kroil didn't work, I remembered I had bought a Foul Out (but never used as I didn't have leading - long story). Anyway, I have used it three times in the past three weeks (am brand new to casting bullets and they are undersized - resulting in leading). All three times, the Foul Out saved me mucho scrubbing. The first time it took 5 sessions.

 

[Geno]

No-Expert said:

Leave the lead alone. Brass and/or lead in the barrel serve to fill the pits and rough spots better than polishing and don't remove the steel. Clean the carbon and other dirt and lubricate before storing.

Can you cite the reference where you read that? I have precisely the opposite at various barrel manufacturers. They assert that copper laid down in a new bore is due to rough spots, and that it can take several hundred rounds to break in a carbon steel barrel. Stainless steel barrels break in more quickly. Barrels for .22LR (or other lead) can require as many of 25,000 rounds or more to "break-in". These manufacturers suggest polishing (especially) the first about 4 to 6 inches of the barrel as this area may be rough, and creates the worst fouling & inaccuracy problems.

Geno

 

[Beelzy]

Wow, all of these fancy witch's brew recipes for lead removal and here I have been using
brass screens for all these years.

Kroil should be kept to loosening rusty nuts and bolts, IMO

 

[Mot45acp]

I am someone who uses Kroil on a regular basis at work. It works great if you use it for its intended purposes and not as a miracle product.

It loosens carbon, trash, and other undesirables. With mild lubrication and corrosion inhibitor properties.

The best use I have found for it is this:
When doing a general cleaning of a firearm (read: field strip) such as a pistol, seperate main components and remove grips.

Next, liberaly apply Kroil to all parts, make sure to spray in all nooks and crannies of frame that houses small components and slide housing fireing pin etc. and set aside.

Clean barrel as normal with bore cleaner of choice and wipe barrel, recoil spring and guide rod down with oil of choice.

Next blow out slide and frame with compressed air. Make sure you have a a good water trap on your air line. Blow contents out on to something white like news paper or paper towel. It should come out black. Re-apply and repeat untill solution comes out orange. This will vary depending on how dirty firearm is.

Apply lube and corrosion inhibitor of choice and reassemble.

 

[Fatelvis]

Myself, I would address the leading problem.
#1) Use a bullet sized to groove diameter -.002" over groove diameter. Example: .308 Winchester/ use ..310"-.311" bullets.
#2) Don't use super hard bullets (everybody loves selling hard bullets), unless you're shooting a plain based bullet at very high velocities.
#3) Use a gas checked bullet if you're pushing a bullet over ~1200 fps. I've never found that I needed very hard bullets with gas checks, I use wheelweights + a little 95/5 solder for my 30-30 loads, and they hit 2250 fps.
Now, to get the lead that is presently in your barrel.... Find the all copper pot/pan scrubbers in your grocery store called "Chore Boy", cut off a small piece and wrap it around an old, worn out bore brush of the appropriate caliber, and scrub away with your favorite solvent. The Chore Boy really makes a difference, doesn't harm your bore at all, and is dirt cheap. Follow these tips, and lead fouling will be a thing of the past! Good luck!

 

[wally]

Leave the lead alone. Brass and/or lead in the barrel serve to fill the pits and rough spots better than polishing and don't remove the steel. Clean the carbon and other dirt and lubricate before storing.

I agree with this strategy up to a point, eventually you can end up with so much lead that it affects accuracy. I've had very bad results with Remington Thunderbolt .22LR ammo. A few hundred rounds and the barrel is so fouled accuracy has gone from 1" groups to 10+" groups. A little Kroil and a brass brush and lead "comes out in sheets". Needless to say I don't buy Remington Thunderbolt any more!

Lead and vinegar makes lead acetate, one of the most bio-toxic things you can do with lead. Do it only as a last resort, IMHO.

I generally run a few jacked rounds at the end of each session shooting lead, and then clean normally when guns need cleaning.

--wally.