I'm new to big-bore pistols. I usually use Foulout to clean my rifles after shooting jacketed bullets or unjacketed .22 rimfire and it works beautifully with one or two easy applications. I fired about 30 solids out of my new scandium S&W .41 mag and three applications didn't get all the lead out. Does anybody know of an easy way to clean up after soft lead bullets foul my barrel?
How about a not so easy but effective way to get it out?

Why are you shooting SOFT lead? The boolits should be the same size as the throats in the cylinder or even a tad larger. They should be hard enough so they don't lead the bore. Then you need a good lube.
Did you clean out all of the copper fouling before shooting cast?
Go to Wally World and buy some Curly Kate pot scrubbers and wind some on an old bore brush to scrub the bore with.
You will not have much luck with solvents of any kind. Mechanical scrubbing is the only way. Some guys shoot a few jacketed bullets to push out the lead too.

Oh yeah, the foul out needs a different solution for lead then it does for copper.

This is from Montana Bullet works..

Any gun that you plan to shoot cast bullets from has to be cleaned of all copper jacket fouling first. The copper fouling is much harder than any cast bullet and will act like sandpaper on the bullet as it travels down the barrel. Not only will this lead to poor accuracy but may also give you signs of leading that really isn't occurring.



While testing cast bullets, it's also important to keep your barrel free of leading. You may concoct a load that is a little too hot for the bullet/alloy you're using and have a leading issue with that one load. If that leading isn't removed before you fire your next test load, you won't be able to tell which load gave you the problem. Moreover, leading is accumulative and will adversely affect the accuracy of subsequent shots.



But don't despair. I've shot literally 100's of thousands of cast bullets and have found a quick and inexpensive way to remove leading. I use Bronze Wool, available from Brownells, either in the fine or medium grade. Unlike Steel Wool, Bronze Wool is softer than steel and will not scratch your barrel. Also, Bronze Wool is not oiled, so it leaves your barrel absolutely clean. Simply pull some threads of the Bronze Wool off of the pad and wrap it tightly around a slightly undersized bronze barrel brush. The tighter the fit, the faster it will remove leading. Ten to twelve passes up and down the barrel will remove all but the most severe leading. If you do this regularly, you'll never have severe leading to contend with. Bronze Wool has become an integral part of my shooting kit for years. I wouldn't be without it!

The Kurly Kate stuff is brass or bronze too and will not hurt the barrel.
Once you find the right combination of alloy, boolit size, lube, etc, you will not get enough lead in the bore to worry about even if you shoot all year without cleaning.
I use nothing but a jag on my rod, never a slotted patch end. A tight patch will push out a few strands of lead and it is gone. If you are fooling with that slotted thing, get a jag set. Midway sells a kit with all sizes.
Use a steel rod with a muzzle protector and throw out the jointed aluminum rods too.
The wrong cleaning tools will drive you nuts.

I reload some Hornady HPXTP-bullets backward and keep shooting them cleaning the barrel if there is to much lead fouling

You might try a Lewis Lead Remover for cleaning up lead residue. Not sure where you can get them anymore but I'm sure you can google it. I used them back in the day when shooting a lot of lead in .38 SPL and .357 Mag. I'm sure they still make them but not sure who bought up the company.

When shooting handguns with reloads, whether using cast bullets or autoloaders, I would divide the batch between cast bullets and jacketed bullets. I would always start by shooting up the cast bullets, the finish with the jacketed. The latter bullets seemed to make sure that lead fouling was not a problem.

quote:

Originally posted by sputster:
When shooting handguns with reloads, whether using cast bullets or autoloaders, I would divide the batch between cast bullets and jacketed bullets. I would always start by shooting up the cast bullets, the finish with the jacketed. The latter bullets seemed to make sure that lead fouling was not a problem.

The problem with that is, if you get a build up of lead you could damage you gun by shooting jacketed bullets. You can got an over pressure with to much lead fouling.

I buy the lead removal cloth they sell at cabelas and other shops. Cut it into patches and work back and forth. It works great!

quote:

The problem with that is, if you get a build up of lead you could damage you gun by shooting jacketed bullets. You can got an over pressure with to much lead fouling.

For real, I've got a barrel for my Glock 21 that looks like it swallowed a hamster. I'd put about 2500 rounds of lead through it with no problems.Then I was at the range trying a slightly different load that leaded up to beat hell. There in my range bag were two rounds of hard ball, I figured I'd go all Elmer on the situation and save my self some scrub time when I got home. My Lone Wolf barrel is more accurate any how, hadn't planed on buying it, but, there went an eight pound jug of powder.

Before going over how to get the lead out, lets go over how to keep from leading up the gun in the first place. If you've been shooting jacketed bullets, you need to get the barrel buck naked clean before switching to lead. Jacket fouling is there with open arms waiting to grab that lead. Shoot cast bullets that are 0.001" larger than bore dia, not too hard for the loads you are running, and that have a good lube. Unfortunately many commercial cast bullets run undersize, are too hard, and use lubes that are great for staying on the bullet when bounced around the box but are less than ideal for actually lubricating/sealing the bullet on it's journey down the bore. If you're going to shoot mostly jacketed, just stick with jacketed.

But since you have a leaded up tube, and likely forcing cone, there are a few ways to go about removing it. The easy and fun way to get the bulk of the lead out is to run some mild loads with gas checked cast bullets. A couple of cylinders full loaping along at 500-700 fps does wonders. With the bulk of the lead removed, those lead removal patches will get the remaining lead out fairly well. Then I'd finish up with some JB compound, and run some Barnes CR-10 to get out the jacket fouling.

Bob K, I know what you mean, I had a Springfield 1911 45 ACP, I was shooting a bunch of lead ammo though it, I decided to run same ball ammo through the gun, the first shot jammed the gun up. the spent case would not eject. I removed the magazine and checked out the gun, I could see the case partially. I secured the gun in a case and took it to my gun smith, once we were able to get it apart, we found the barrel had split, and that was what was not letting the slide come all the way back. I learned that lesson many years ago. Do not shoot jacketed bullets after you shoot lead bullets, until you remove any leading and do a good cleaning, it is a accident waiting to happen.

maybe im lucky but ive been using jacketed bullets to blow the lead out of my guns for 30 years and have never had a problem with it and i shoot ALOT of lead bullets. If it conserns you to do it a gas checked bullet will do the same thing. It just usually takes a few more of them to get the job done. The trick to it is to do it often enough to not let the lead build up that bad to start with. If a guy runs a jacketed bullet or two through the gun ever 50 rounds or so it should be ok. If your gun is leading that badly in 50 rounds you need to look at your load or your gun anyway as im sure your accuracy isnt good.

All the hard cast bullets I shoot now, have gas checks and leading is not a problem.