Lewis Lead Remover

Your thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

I never had one before and my first kit arrived yesterday. I had shot some lead through my .38 and besides just giving it a cursory cleaning I had left some lead in the forcing cone and barrel to see how the kit would do.

This was my first time using it, so I may need some more experience, but the forcing cone attachment cut some of the lead, and I progressively pulled harder on the handle, but it didn't cut it well. I had soaked a patch in Number 9 and ran it through the bore and let it sit overnight first.

I then formed one of the copper patches for the bore attachment through a cylinder chamber, then put it in the bore and screwed out the little nut one-and-a-half turns like in the instructions. It pulled right through the bore without much pressure.

I then screwed the little nut on the end of the attachment down a little bit and it gave some more resistance, but didn't cut much. I may need to screw it in some more to fill the bore better, but I'm only getting one pass through the bore and can't scrub it. Then I have to unscrew the attachment, put the rod back through the bore, screw the attachment back on again, then make another pass.

I got a bit frustrated and went back to cleaning lead out like I have been doing for....oh, a week or so.

Took a .45 bore brush, soaked it in CLP, and scrubbed the heck outa the bore, then bent the .45 brush at a 45 degree angle at the stem and hit the forcing cone from the chamber end. Got much better results, but there are still some lead streaks in the rifling. Forcing cone looks better though, and I took the small end of a Hoppe's bronze brush and did a good job in the area of the frame at the top of the forcing cone (where flame cutting usually happens). Ran some CLP soaked patches, and a few dry, through the bore and it looks better.

I totally destroyed two .45 brushes.

I put a bit of Kroil on a patch and swabbed the bore, and am going to let that soak overnight and give it a good cleaning with .45 brushes tomorrow. Then shoot some jacketed bullets through it and give it another good cleaning with the .45 brushes and patches and see what happens.

Thoughts, feelings, and opinions?

I love the Lewis Lead Remover forcing cone attachment. I find it cleans a heavy lead spatter covered forcing cone well.

As far as the barrel goes the Lewis works. However, I usually use a piece of Chore Boy copper scouring pad wrapped around an old bore brush. It takes lead out fast.

A reloader is wise to swap to a coated bullet and eliminate the mess while still shooting cheap. I have a revolver I have put around 4k coated bullets thru without cleaning. The barrel has no lead. The forcing cone has minimal spatter.

My experience is that the Lewis Lead Remover removes the majority of heavy leading pretty fast, but does require repeated passes. The remaining stubborn streaks, if any, I have gotten out using J-B bore cleaning paste and a lot of elbow grease. I + 1000 switching to a lightly plated bullet such as Rainier for general target practice and plinking. It is SO worth the slight increase in cost to avoid the hassles of lead bullets and the attendant mess of bullet lube when reloading for most general purposes, YMMV. Of course there are those few times a lead bullet is required or even preferable and that's why I have a Lewis Lead Remover and J-B bore paste.

Although I have not used Kroil in this manner, I believe I have read that for stubborn problems, one plugs the barrel at the muzzle end and FILLs the barrel with Kroil and leaves the gun standing upright, muzzle down for 24 hrs or so.
Short of plugging the barrel and filling it, I would try really soaking a few patches in Kroil and loosely pack them into the bore and leave them in there over night. I suspect that a mere swabbing would be insufficient in a heavily fouled bore, but again I have no first hand experience. Please let us know how the Kroil works for you and what method you end up using.

Thanks John. I seem to remember now about filling the barrel with Kroil. I need to pick up some more bore brushes and I'll see if I can find the J-B paste and try that also.

Colt, I've looked multiple places for Chore Boy and can't find them. Maybe places stopped carrying them as they are used by crack smokers. I have heard to be sure and look on the label and make sure you're not getting copper covered aluminum.

duplicate

http://www.amazon.com/Chore-Boy-Cop...re boy&qid=1462368561&ref_=sr_1_3_a_it&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.com/J-B-Non-Embed...&qid=1462368817&sr=8-1&keywords=jb+bore+paste

Thanks John. I've seen the chore boy online but didn't want to pay shipping for just a couple of pads. I should have put some J-B in the order when I got the Lewis Lead Remover.

Just for grins...I tried to put the LLR through my .357. Twice through a chamber and once through the barrel. Left the nut on the barrel attachment screwed out like in the instructions and...ripped the screen off every time before it even went in the hole. Tore up 3 screens.

I'll try it again in the .38 after awhile.

It IS a well-mentioned cleaning tool ... but I just use the Chore Boy shreds for my cast .45 shooting cleanup.

I'd buy bronze wool, if I could remember to.


AA

Well, I went by the local reloading supply place that hasn't been open very long, and the only one between here and Dallas, and they didn't have ANY cleaning supplies...just powder, primers, bullets, and presses. So went by Wallyworld to pick up some new brushes and saw some Remington 40-X bore cleaner so I picked up a bottle.

Got home and followed the instructions (gasp) on the bottle, and after a few dry patches after cleaning I put some CLP soaked patches through the little Colt and then did the Lewis Lead Remover again, then some more CLP patches. It looks MUCH better. I'm wondering if there was a bit of lead build-up that was in the bore when I bought it that I couldn't see, and what lead I have shot out of it just started building up. I'll run some FMJ .38 rounds through it tomorrow and then do a thorough cleaning again.

And while I was at the reloading supply place anyways...I picked up a box of 100 coated 158 gr. FN bullets and a couple hundred primers. Gonna try a load of Bullseye in the .38 cases. This will be my first time trying coated bullets.

I'll add some J-B paste to my next Brownell's order...I need to get some more screens for the LLR and other stuff.

I have plugged milsurp rifle barrels and filled them with Hoppes or Outers Foul Out for a 24 hour soak before, with mixed results. Seemed to help some, not others. JB paste will do the trick.