Lead Remover

[WSM]

Is Wipeout a good lead remover? I have a buddy that somehow clogged his Ruger MKIII. He had to drill out the lead just to get a brush down the barrel. I don't know the exact story of how this went down but we believe he may have had a squib and sent a few down the pipe behind it and clogged the barrel. The barrel is now clear of obstruction but there is a still a ton lead in this thing.

 

[jimbobborg]

If it's that cloth, don't use it on blued guns, it will remove the bluing. I used it on my SS Vaquero all of the time.

 

[Mt Airy]

Is Wipeout a good lead remover? I have a buddy that somehow clogged his Ruger MKIII. He had to drill out the lead just to get a brush down the barrel. I don't know the exact story of how this went down but we believe he may have had a squib and sent a few down the pipe behind it and clogged the barrel. The barrel is now clear of obstruction but there is a still a ton lead in this thing.

It is a Ruger and he is all jammed up. He will spend a load of time on and than what? Tell him to just buy a vulquartzen barrel throw the old one in the trash can and move on.

 

[WSM]

It is a Ruger and he is all jammed up. He will spend a load of time on and than what? Tell him to just buy a vulquartzen barrel throw the old one in the trash can and move on.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the irrelevancy.

 

[Mt Airy]

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the irrelevancy.

irrelevancy maybe your are right he and you can drill it out and screw up that barrell and spend all day doing it .

My time is worth more to me and knowing it is right .

Drill away . have a fun time .

 

[mopar92]

Has he tried heat? Toss it in the oven or a fire if finish isn't an issue and tilt the barrel so the lead can seep out.

 

[Mt Airy]

Has he tried heat? Toss it in the oven or a fire if finish isn't an issue and tilt the barrel so the lead can seep out.

that would not be a wise move.

 

[mopar92]

Didn't know that. Figured since lead melts at a lower temp than steel it'd be okay but nevermind.

 

[Nanook]

Without looking at it myself, I don't know what your situation is, so I may be talking out my....like a politician.

If it was bad enough to require a drill, odds are the rifling was dinged up a bit by the bit. If not, I'd be extremely suspect of possible pressure issues from packing some other bullets in behind the stuck one. Will it blow the gun up? Maybe not, but I'd bet a soda that accuracy is hosed.

MtAiry may not be too far in his assessment. I hope he's wrong and your buddy gets lots of life out the barrel yet.

 

[hvymax]

Heat at this point might be the best bet. Soaking in hoppes or kroil might loosen things up. I have used pieces of window screen on a patched jag on badly leaded barrels with good results as well.

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

Shooters Choice does make a lead remover formula. I dont have any experience with that stuff - but there regular bore cleaner is excellent.

The Shooters Choice Lead remover isnt expensive, so it may be worth a try. Brownells does carry lead removers -that are brass screens that is ran down the bore with a rod. They are supposed to work well, but I dont know if they make them for rimfires or not.

For what its worth - Rugers are supposed to have lifetime warranty. Since rimfire ammo is all factory stuff- I would contact Ruger and see if they will help you out on it, if you cant get it out. If its an issue from manufacturing, they may replace it for you.

The Shooters Choice Lead Remover looks like this :

 

[Mr. Ed]

Is Wipeout a good lead remover?

According to their website:

"WIPE-OUT ™ is a revolutionary new product that solves all the problems encountered with conventional bore cleaners.

It is the removal of these four types of fouling: 1. Powder fouling (smokeless or blackpowder) 2. Metal fouling (copper or lead alloy) 3. Carbon , 4. Molybdenum (usually introduced by the use of Molybdenum coated bullets), which will restore accuracy in a barrel whose usable life is still viable."

The simple answer is, yes, it will work. BUT, even if you use their accelerator it will take a very long time and multiple applications to remove more than a thin film of lead. I'm thinking in terms of months.

 

[303_enfield]

Get some Mercury (Hg), yes the silver stuff. Plug barrel and pour some in. Wait two days, pour out and clean barrel, repeat if needed. Mercury will take the lead out. Bad part can be trying to dispose of the Mercury.

If you use Mercury, use all safety equipment required by law.

 

[lee2]

Get some Mercury (Hg), yes the silver stuff. Plug barrel and pour some in. Wait two days, pour out and clean barrel, repeat if needed. Mercury will take the lead out. Bad part can be trying to dispose of the Mercury.

If you use Mercury, use all safety equipment required by law.

mercury was what was recommended before the days of hazmat.
it does work quite well.
as far as disposing of it, welll... you always dump it in the baltimore harbor,
no one would notice the difference.

 

[WSM]

He is already planning on a new upper but he would also like to clean this one up if possible. It does look like they nicked a land the drill bit but on the whole the barrel looks serviceable. The current issue is the lead stuck in the grooves that won't come out with solvent and a brush. I didn't see the obstruction firsthand but the owner and another friend that worked on it said that 3/4 of the barrel was completely clogged. I'm sure the accuracy of this barrel is dropping by the minute.

 

[4g64loser]

your friend could always have a liner installed (i admit it is an old-school thing) in the bore. I have seen one or two ruger 22 pistols in the past with them installed.

I have one that is marginal (got it used for a great price, intent on just using it for parts, but kept it functional just for the $hits of it) and if the bore gets much worse as a result of cleaning up after high-volume shooting days I may just send it out for a liner.