Lead removal / cleaning a barrel fast & simple

[@bwasman8409]

I especially like your distinct presentation...no added stuff that is immaterial. I like it!

[@rustyhoo1000]

by far the quickest easiest and best method ive used. thank you

[@holton345]

I was taught this method in the Boy Scouts back in 1976 or so. We had a Rifle & Shotgun Shooting merit badge that was focused on marksmanship and gun safety. As an extra, there was a pistol course, and we had a very basic course that taught much more involved repair and maintenance work beyond the basic cleaning and oiling routine. It was excellent, too, as I still remember all of it. Later, as a soldier in the US Army, we were NOT taught advanced repair and maintenance, but we did learn a huge amount on malfunction clearing and work to the bolt carrier group and very basic trigger/seer/etc. adjustments. We only shot FMJ and our barrels were chromed, so leading never really occurred. Years later and I inherited a German 7.65 mm pistol from about 1925 or so. The barrel looked to be shot out, with almost no rifling visible. However, it seemed to be accurate. It is a blowback pistol and it always went fully into battery. So after some research I discovered that it was very badly leaded. I remembered my old Boy Scout range instructor's lessons about how to de-lead a pistol barrel, and it worked on the first try. Of course, it took me about a half hour as it was very old and heavy leading. But it did come out using copper wool strands wrapped around a brass bore brush. Thanks for your video, as it make me happy to see someone else doing this and, thereby, validating my old BSA range instructor. Great video! Liked!

[@davew5611]

I put about 200 rounds of lead uncoated 22lr through my new Ruger SR22 the other day and it got fouled with lead really bad. I scrubbed and scrubbed but it was barely coming out. I came across this video and gave it a try. It worked fantastic. About 4 or 5 passes with the copper wool on a regular brush did the trick. I’ve been shooting and cleaning different types of guns for almost 50 years now and never seen anything like it. So simple and works so good. Thank you for the video.

[@daltexmex]

I got a Taurus tx22 And it got leaded quick. I panicked. Till i seen this video and read your comment.

[@dunk3763]

@@daltexmex After the pass throughs of the copper wool, what did you guys use to finish up the cleaning process? TY

[@linkbond08]

I just started shooting cast bullets out of my 357sig today, how do I know when I need to clean lead out of the bore? I'm gonna apply extra wax to those things they're filthy.

[@357mag84]

I did the same with my Walther p22. Lesson learned.

[@psynurse]

​@@daltexmex exactly why I came here. Tx22

[@linkbond08]

I just started shooting cast bullets today, I didn't know the barrel was gonna be so dirty after only 10 shots!! Looks like I'm gonna be picking up a couple of balls of copper wool, I already have a cleaning kit. Thank you for this tip, you're a real one!!!

[@jeffw1246]

I'm getting back into shotgunning slugs, factory and cast. Always can't seem to get that last bit of lead. Been loading over 40 years, you just confirmed I can get those smoothbores clean without scratching. Thanks.

[@josephagozzino7538]

Thank You for the tip...I cleaned a shotgun barrel using this method that had very bad leading after shooting a few dozen slugs....yes 2 minutes flat and the leading was removed !!

[@ccun5224]

I took my shotgun to the range that only takes slugs. I've spent several hours trying to remove the led. So here I am. In this video, it says to use a smaller brush. I have a 12 gauge shotgun. Would you suggest a 16 gauge brush?

[@jimkelley6366]

I have been powder coating all of my cast bullets which is a LOT of trouble with smaller sizes, i recently loaded about 350 9mm bullets from cast and now I have an excellent lead removal method. Thanks for another fine video.

[@wiederladerTv]

Thanks for your comment Jim. Stay safe buddy.

[@Strelnikov10]

Holy shit! That opening image of your barrel made me feel much better right away! Compared to that, I do not have a leading problem. Wow. I love your videos! You remind me so much of my kind German aunts and uncles.

[@robertyusinski6082]

This method just saved me hours of work.... got a new revolver, cleaned it completely from the factory fired round and took it to the range. Fired 10 test reloads with gas checks on them (thinking that this would prevent the leading). I have never seen a barrel as leaded as my barrel was after shooting it. I used the standard brush and then patch for about a week of letting different cleaners sit in there to break up the leading and there was still chunks of lead falling out every once in a while. This cleaned the barrel up in about 5 minutes with some ballistol oil. Thanks!

[@freerange1776]

Robert Yusinski - your leading was probably due to projectile being too small (you want 0.001-0.002 larger diameter so the base obturates and seals properly), or you need better (or more) lubricant. Gas checks help with heavy loads to avoid melting the base, but if the bullet is a loose fit they don’t stop leading.

[@robertyusinski6082]

@@freerange1776 yes that was the case. I got cast performance bullets that you can only get sized in .511, but i needed to get them in .512. Thanks for the reply though!

[@Larnsdoon]

Awesome tip! I use a slightly modified version I wrap a patch around a worn brush and then wrap that with the copper wool. I find this method presses the copper wool against the barrel much firmer and prevents the wool from just skipping over the fouling.

[@lucasbuck6588]

Do you use a fine, medium , or corse wool? Thanks

[@HD-J.R.]

I've heard this method talked about for decades. I haven't tried it and I never looked for a demonstration until today. Thanks for the demo! I think I'll give it a go on my 44's and 357's that I almost exclusively shoot hard cast lead bullets.

[@linkbond08]

I just started shooting cast bullets today, is it normal for the barrel to get leaded after only 10 shots? Or do I need more lubrication (wax). How else can I minimize leading? How can I tell my bore needs to be cleaned? Can following up with jacketed bullets get me by, so I don't have to clean my barrel every shooting session? Do I need to clean the lead out of the lands and the groves, Or just the lands? I'm sorry for so many questions I'm new to hard cast bullets, and I bout 500 of them so I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I do a dumb. I have a Smith & Wesson 40 with a KKM Stainless 5" 357sig barrel if that helps.

[@tommymccready2155]

Another excellent video. I will gladly abandon my time-consuming hazardous chemicals and adopt this method.Thanks again!

[@wiederladerTv]

Thanks for watching and leaving this comment buddy :-)

[@blackrifle3742]

Im about to dabble in lead casting and getting leaded barrels is kinda scaring me because i have only a few guns but they are of high quality and dont want to destroy my accuracy. Glad i found your video, great stuff.

[@guitareputz]

incredible transformation ...I'm sold! I have bronze wool too

[@MimeswithRhymes]

Order some true bronze wool (absolutely no steel wool). Use your method with a brass jag and cotton patch with enough strands of wool to make a snug fit. Use whatever solvent you have too. It’s a speedier process.

[@davidr2975]

Great advice, worked good for me on my Springfield trapdoor cavery carbine, I used regular hopes number 9 .

[@TehBr0]

Great cleaning method, and the price is right! I will try this. Thanks for sharing.

[@wiederladerTv]

You're welcome buddy. Greetings from Germany

[@vaughnprecision]

Interesting idea using the copper.! I shoot local pistol competitions and run lead bullets 90% of the time. If we have a large and lengthy competition, shooting hundreds of rounds, I know my barrel can get very leaded up. I'll give this a try and see how I like it.! Thanks for the video.!

[@wiederladerTv]

Thaks for your comment buddy. Tell me what you think about it after testing please. All the best from Germany

[@JohnDoeEagle1]

I have four Wilson Combat 5" Government CQB 1911s and Bill Wilson in the owners manual describes doing it very similar to your method. I just thought I'd comment and put that out there in case some guys were apprehensive about doing this. It made perfect sense to me when I first read it in my manuals. Cleaning brushes are typically too loose if you use the correct caliber. This produces a tighter fit to get down into the rifling to dig a little bit. It's basically the same thing as shooting a copper jacketed bullet through your barrel afterwards without the dangers of pressure spikes. These pure copper Chore Boy pads are getting harder to find in stores in favor of the cheaper material. I bought a case of them 30 - 50 on Ebay for less than $40. That should last me decades because you only use a little of the pad at a time and can reuse the brush with it wrapped around it until it wears out or gets too fouled with lead to work.

[@JohnDoeEagle1]

This is what Bill Wilson says to use in his owners manuals. It's the same thing as you were using I think. www.ebay.com/itm/12-Pcs-chore-boy-Pure-Copper-Scrubbers-100-Pure-Copper-/263142141201 Also, I just noticed you are from Germany from your comments. My family ancestry is primarily made up of Black Forrest mountainous region located in Southwest Germany and my real last name matches! :) Take care brother! John kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqGunZSOqqylraM

[@wiederladerTv]

Thanks for the link brother... the black forrest (Schwarzwald) is a beautiful region here in Germany ;-) Stay safe bro. Greetings from Saxony Markus

[@freeandcriticalthinker4431]

I love your style! I know plenty of stiff pricks in my country would whine about you dragging the jag back thru the barrel as supposed it’s going to destroy the crown of the barrel. However I can’t imagine that wouldn’t take thousands of repetitions to impact the crown to that degree. Cheers:)!

[@oneildeathgrip2614]

Thank you for sharing the knowledge. This will help me tame my shotgun barrel. Thanks again.

[@6Sally5]

Thank you thank you thank you! Although I powder coat my bullets, my 9mm Shield still leads up, but my Sig 9mm doesn't. I have recently learned i probably need a larger bullet (.358) for my Shield instead of the .356. I have not found a good demonstration of this process until your excellent video.

[@wiederladerTv]

.358 is large....but as long as you can chamber the round it's ok. All the best from Germany buddy.

[@Toolness1]

I've been trying cast loads for the 6.5 Carcano carbines and got terrible leading with them sized to .268. I checked with pin gauges and there's nearly 2 thou of lead at the muzzle. Turns out Im going to need to size them to .270. First I gotta clean all the lead out, will use this method. Ed's red is good stuff. I also have a specific lead cleaner solution, I forget who made it. It's pretty harsh stuff so I'll only use it if this won't get it all. It's going to be tough since these bores aren't in great shape, a couple are a little rough so that's gonna make the lead so much harder to remove. Problem is no jacketed bullets I can find will shoot well in them since they are all too small or the wrong style of bullet. The only jacketed bullet they like is no longer made, the old .267 Hornady torpedo bullet.

[@rkba4923]

Or you could just shoot 4 or 5 Jacketed bullets after done shooting lead. Ed's Red is good stuff. I mix mine without the Acetone and it works great. Best CLP I've ever used. I do not use it for lube - only cleaning and protectant. Another technique that works great, if you have the time, is to just let your barrel soak overnite in a pan of Ed's Red. Next day you can just swab everything out with 2 or 3 patches. Really makes BCG for ARs easy to clean inside too with Q tip. No scraping required. Ed's Red Formula (exceeded military's specifications for CLP when tested): Equal parts of Low Odor Mineral Spirits, Odorless Heater Kerosene, Dexron II, IIe, III ATF (GM Spec D20265 or later) and, if you need to clean out plastic deposits from shotguns, etc., Acetone.

[@LoadsofBacon]

Great video. I use the same cleaning method, and it has always worked well for me.

[@wiederladerTv]

Thanks for your comment and by the way...great nick name ;-)

[@Pashtet1991]

chevy6299 make a very good point Marcus. Most scrub pads now are copper coated steel. Very good demonstration with the paper to show the lead

[@wiederladerTv]

Thanks for the information about the copper coated steel wool....did not know it when making the video. All the best for you and your family brother.

[@craigsubbert8804]

Thanks for the great video, new to casting bullets, did not see link for solution you used along with copper.

[@TheDiamonddust1]

It's homemade Ed's red solution just look it up by name and it's simple to make .

[@CandidZulu]

Although the link did not work, I found some scouring pads on Amazon. However, they are copper coated, not entirely made of copper. I would guess its Zinc that they actually made of. Can I use them do you think?

[@disgracebook5708]

I have a number of rifles chambered in 22LR. Is there a kit for rifles?

[@Kjell_H]

A totally new approach. Very useful. Thank you for showing us this method.

[@wiederladerTv]

You are welcome. Thanks for leaving a comment.

[@Holden1296]

The Cu wool is a lifesaver!

[@duckuy]

Can you use hoppes number 9 as cleaning solution?

[@peelreg]

Hoppes #9 is no longer a good solvent. There are good copper cleaners that are good for metal (not lead) fouling.

[@ag4allgood]

Hoppes # 9 is a proven way to breakdown lead fouling in a gun barrel. Have to let it soak to do its job. My shot gun gets extreme lead / wad fouling in its smooth bore barrel from shooting rifled slugs. I'll also add the copper strands next cleaning.

[@bhawkins2346]

This worked for me but takes a lot longer on my 22lr. Was very helpful.

[@felixbarroso3263]

Hi! Did you wet the copper filings with the cleaning solution? What is the recipe of cleaning solution?

[@tonybugeja3632]

Tried looking for your cleaning solution but could not find you posting or the link. Nice video, going to try it

[@Ray-xc2jv]

Doesn't it damage the crown of the barrel if you pull it from the muzzle back to the chamber? I'm OCD about not damaging the barrel during routine cleanings, so I've read many articles saying not to

[@TrueMesa]

Have you ever tried shooting a jacket bullet in ever chamber or cylinder it usually takes care of the lead

[@chevy6299]

Copper wool is next to imposable to find here in the states although Amazon has it. But since I have been powder coating my bullets they get no more leading.

[@mic982]

Excelent video, thank you. My smith suggested I do this to my rifle after he had fixed a broken ejector But he didn't described how it was done, just that I use copper wool. Pretty simple but didn't see you use the DYI cleaner you made. I assume you had run some into the barrel with a jag before you start the scrubbing with the brush and wool?

[@ronl384]

What is the solution made of?

[@shamusthacker802]

Great vid - just what I was looking for - thanks.!

[@willcravens2893]

Great information! Thank you for sharing!

[@ybrik5937]

can the copper wool be re-used or I need to put new ones on the bore brush? Also can a powder cleaner be used or oil instead of a bore cleaner?

[@jpdaddy678]

Good thinking putting the paper in front to show the gunk coming out of the bore

[@alihho]

hi , is there any video of the solution formula ?

[@peteralexben]

that works wel ,but i use when needed and i try to avoid it because of bullet choise ,a LEWIS LEAD remover.dont know if they stil available, and i would only pull out the cleaning rod toward the muzzle

[@wiederladerTv]

I only pulled it to the muzzle...I switched the barrel only to film the inside...cleaning was done the "right" direction ;-)

[@peteralexben]

sorry i missed that. danke ihnen

[@Solemngolem]

Thanks for the video! Is it necessary to use the cleaning solution, or will it come clean without?

[@84jgs]

Is that steel coated copper or pure copper?

[@billj5645]

must not use copper coated steel, only use pure copper or pure brass. check it with a magnet

[@ladamyre1]

The risk of harming your barrel with copper in this way is NOT minimal: it's non-existent. No matter how hard the copper, it cannot even scratch your steel barrel this way. It's why the military mostly uses FMJ ammo. Carbon or sand in the barrel can wear the barrel when a copper jacket scrubs the barrel with it, as a round fired through a dirty barrel does, but the copper itself has no effect on the steel.

[@jamesmiller9823]

Just use the Atlas gunworks method of cleaning your barrel, it's the same as the Shuman's , they have more experience than anyone else you could find.

[@diegomagallon321]

No link what is the solution made of?

[@scabstract]

Where's the video link for his cleaning solution

[@jl123ist]

The recipe that I found for Ed's Red cleaning solution is equal parts acetone, mineral spirits, kerosene and automatic transmission fluid

[@PhillipDutton-s3l]

What is the liquid?

[@ulissescondomitti]

Solved my problem! Thank you my friend!

[@mrthomaslaux1]

What solvent u recommend that we might already have at home?

[@24AnVRodri]

Thomas Laux 1) vinegar 2) dish soap 3) wd40 Home stuff you might find. Basically any lubricant

[@patrickkt423]

The copper cleaning pad I heard there just copper plated and that it could scratch up ur barrel is this true??

[@wiederladerTv]

You ave to be carefully when buying those copper pads. Use the one made of pure copper only or you can harm your barrel

[@geoh7777]

Take a magnet along if you don't trust the packaging when it says "all copper" or "no steel."

[@mboe7944]

Only use ChoreBoy brand! Accept no substitutions.

[@scottdenfeld6956]

be careful and don't use the copper coated steel version - it can hurt you barrel!

[@wiederladerTv]

Thanks for the advice...did not know that there is a copper coated version available also...thought it's pure copper every time.

[@FirearmTutorials]

You Germans are so creative.

[@wiederladerTv]

LOL, thanks buddy

[@roxannemussmann3079]

my barrel is very old it has not been for many years and it is a .22

[@mikeyerke3920]

Roxanne Mussmann I have a rifle that’s from 1937 and I have the same problem! I would like to know how you cleaned yours. I wonder if this cleaning method in the video would be helpful on an old rifle... 👍🏻

[@michaelbarncastle7115]

Running jacketed bullets has been a long known method of removing lead, however it comes with risks. If the barrel is heavily leaded, and, or happens to be a higher pressure chambering such as .357, running a jacketed bullet could damage the forcing cone. A heavily leaded barrel could be thought of as a form of barrel obstruction, so the ramifications are obvious and consistent with said conditions. Would you fire a second round down an obstructed barrel? Not advisable, and certainly not intentionally, common sense dictates that the obstruction be removed first, and it the case of leading, good old elbow grease or a product intended for the task is the recommended procedure.

[@mikeyerke3920]

Interesting tip! I knew your accent sounded a little bit different from what I’m used to, because I lived in northern Germany for two years (Mainz). I had some trouble understanding German in Bavaria when I lived there! Hahaha! 👍🏻

[@calicojack556]

Excellent tip - thanks!

[@Holden1296]

awesome vid brother!

[@vajake1]

I've got to try that sometime!

[@wiederladerTv]

Thanks brother for leaving comments since a long time. I appreciate it very much. All the best for you and your family.

[@whitebuffalo4641]

Very useful video, thank you.

[@cdamauser1963]

Well done. Will buy a couple of the brass/copper dishwashing pads and use same method. I have been loading a surplus supply of lead 230 g .45 bullets and enjoy shooting them but the lead is hard to remove from my 1911 barrel.

[@tnekkc]

I do not see any links

[@Wesblumarine]

Thank you!

[@Tunnellord]

Good grief, is there any point in buying bronze brushes when we could just buy copper pads and rap that around our old brushes? Might just do that instead of buying brushes now, i'll have to experiment.

[@waylonlegend4603]

Winchester M-22 ammo coated my barrel so bad I couldn’t see the rifling and the accuracy was terrible

[@sahmadi1000]

It looks much better but it does not mean there is no more lead in there

[@juliosilvavieira]

Thanks a lot

[@keyup2626]

Brilliant idea.

[@craftsman89d92]

y not just use a copper brush??

[@wiederladerTv]

The copper brush is not so effective..

[@mboe7944]

Simply brushing over the lead is not what we are looking for. Its the sharp edges of the filaments that do the trick, arranged in random patterns, cut into the lead.

[@zachz699]

Thank youuu

[@trevorhaynes3566]

Excellent. Vielen Danke.

[@deathmetalbob3231]

thanks bro...

[@GoFlyPix]

nice! thanks 👍🏼

[@harryhenderson334]

Superb !" Thank you !

[@wadewilson6135]

Connect that rod to your drill and it makes it even faster ;-)

[@scottrussell8139]

i just shoot a mag load of jacketed,,, never had any lead to clean out,,, works every time

[@BoggWeasel]

"Can you see?".... not so well, your hand is kind of in the way, great tip though, thank you.

[@wiederladerTv]

Sorry...not so easy to opperate the camera and doing the work

[@45showdown]

Spitze, danke!

[@harbar3000]

Trump 2020. His vision is perfect.

[@Holden1296]

Like having sex. lol

[@theearthisntflatpleasestop9899]

Say goodbye to the barrel crown. You're never allowed to run a copper brush from the crown to the breech. And that copper will chew up the barrel.

[@ag4allgood]

Copper is so much softer than the steel barrel it would take a harder metal than copper or bronze to hurt the crown. Don't use steel wool !