Best way to remove buildup in 357mag cylinder?

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Battler

New member
You know what I mean, shooting 38 special in a 357 magnum, there is a buildup at the seating length of the 38sp that can stop 357mags from fitting.

I have bought a lewis lead remover; but it broke. Still, that was a kind of painful way to do it. Lead removal paper kind of works (always comes out dirty) but the buildup ends up so severe that it would take a crate of the paper to remove it all.

Copper brush doesn't seem to work on this buildup.

I can scrape it out carefully with a screwdriver; but that's not worth it as it could probably scratch.

Does anyone have a good chemical/physical solution? Should I just get another Lewis lead remover (there are many equivalents also, you know, the things you pull a copper gauze disc through wtih)?

Or is there a special brush for this very purpose (38 in 357 mag) somewhere that I could mail order?


thanks in advance to any revolver afficianados that can help me with this.


Battler.
 
P

Paul B.

New member
Battler. How often do you clean your .357? I shoot a lot of .38s in mine as well, sometimes as much as 250 rounds at a session. I have no problem cleaning the residue left in my cylinder with just a bronze brush and solvent. I clean after every session, immediately upon returning home, the only delay being, if my wife has dinner on the table.
You might try a tighter fitting brush. That's all I can think of.
Paul B.
 
S

SgtGunner

New member
Battler,

I shoot alot of revolver. My wife has a SW 66 .357 and she only shoots 38 in it. Even on the oldest cruddiest lead fouling I have found the best product on earth to remove it. Made by Iosso is called Gun Brite polish, comes in a camo tube and is usually available at walmart. Is a pinkish paste. Put just a dab on a patch and run it through a few times, let dry for a few seconds then brush and solvent.....walla no more fouling. Also takes those damned black rings on the cylinder face off. I hate those things. Is a little expensive, near $8.00 for 2 oz. but I am on the same tube 2 years later. a little goes a very long way.

Hope it helps.


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Compromise is not an option
 
S

smoney

New member
Hoppes makes a product called shooters choice that i use, it will take almost anything off, coupled with a stainless steel brush, (wouldn't use that on the bore) it works great! its 3 or 4 dollars for bottle, just run it though on a patch, or brush, and letit set and work a while, then clean it out some more. with shooters choice, and some steel wool you can say good bye to those black powder burns forever.
 
T

Trigger Jerk

New member
Remove the cylinder from the frame. Chuck a chamber brush (available thru the Midway Cataloge) in your cordless drill. wet with your favorite solvent (Shooter's Choice is mine). and scrub out the crud in the cylinder.

The chamber brush is important because it is over sized compared to the bore brush.

This method works great, is quick and doesn't cost much.
 
G

Grayfox

New member
Yep, bought a used .357 once that had a serious build up. I used Trigger Jerks method. Bore brush chucked in a drill. But, use a .40 or .45 cal brush. BTW: don't expect to salvage the brush.

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Politically, Fashionably and Aerodynamically Incorrect!
 
M

Monkeyleg

New member
Because I'm lazy, and also don't like to be scrubbing any part of a gun too much, I remove the cylinder and let it soak in Hoppes
#9 overnight. Use the same cup of Hoppes over and over. The next day the crud comes out with just a couple of brush strokes.

Dick
 
M

MusclesMcGee

Moderator
Monkeylegs technique works well for me too. First time I cleaned a gun I went through 100 patches and was still pulling out lead. Best thing to do is let the cylinder soak for at least 24 hours. Repeat this over a three day period if you continue to remove buildup.
 
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riddleofsteel

New member
you might try an Outers Foul Out electronic bore cleaner. it removes lead and copper by reverse electroplating. i have the large model and all my bores and cylinders are squeaky clean. p.s. don't let that much fouling build up stay on the job man. good shooting.

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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one. Luke 22-36
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
The man that can keep his head and aims carefully when the situation has gone bad and lead is flying usually wins the fight.
 
7

7th Fleet

New member
I can't recall the name of it but this product is in a plastic bag. It consists of a yellowish tan cloth that is impregnated with a chemical. This lead removing cloth also shines brass, silver, etc. It is perfect for removing the dirty black rings on the face of your cylinders of your revolvers. you can cut off a cleaning patch size piece of this material and it does wonders in removing lead from your cylinder and barrel.

7th

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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE, KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT.
 
B

Battler

New member
I have a cloth like that (Kleen Bore lead eating cloth or something) and it's like you say, works great on front of cylinder.

Thing is, the amount of crud in my cylinders seems to use up too much of the cloth.

I'm going to try the soaking in hoppes route.


Battler.
 
W

WESHOOT2

New member
Cheap and easy - dishwashing "green pad" cut into smaller patches and wrapped around a bore brush (the one you've ruined trying to clean the chambers!) and chucked in a drill. Steel wool works, too. Lube with Hoppe's or similar...

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
W

WESHOOT2

New member
Oh, I shoot 357 only in my 357's just to avoid that frickin' build-up! LOL


...any case, CCI 500, 158g LRN, 5.0g Universal Clays, finish with Redding Profile Crimp die...

IPSC Minor, accurate beyond my abilities.......

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
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Gino

New member
This could be THE best thread I've seen on The Firing Line. I've always been aggrevated by lead buildup. This thread should go into an FAQ somewhere.

Thanks guys
 
I

IKE

New member
Get some "bronze wool" from a hardware store ( never use steel wool!!)and wrap enough around a wet patch so it fits the bore or cylinder tight and work it back and forth a few times....easy and very effective.

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J

JoeHatley

New member
Mix up a batch of Ed's Red, and let it soak for an hour. Scrub with a Tornado brush. Repeat as needed.

Once you get it clean, regular brushes and Hoppe's after each range session will keep it clean.

Good Luck...

Joe


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Go NRA
 
W

Walt Welch

New member
First of all, you must be shooting incredibly dirty, soft bullet .38 spl. load. I had a model 28 that I put 100 lbs. of lead/tin/wheelweights through, most loads .38 Spl, and never had your problem.

Or, your cylinders are poorly finished. Have a gunsmith look at them; they may need polishing.

So, you have gunk in the bbl./cyl. There are three methods for removal:

Mechanically. This involves Lead-Away Cloth, a Stainless Steel or Phosphor Bronze brush, a copper strip type cleaning pad unraveled and wrapped around an old bore brush (make sure it says 100% copper. There are several examples of this above.

Chemically. Shooter's Choice or Accubore are very agressive solvents. Which means they may take several DAYS to dissolve lead fouling. Just clean the chambers with a nylon bristle brush (or a phosphor bronze brush if you wash it immediately after in hot soap and water), then run solvent moistened patches through a few times. Leave a layer of solvent in the bore. Repeat every day or so, and the stuff will eventually be removed. Remember that lead is a very nonreactive metal, so any chemical reaction will be very slow with lead. It helps if you apply the first solvent scrub right at the range.

Electrochemically. This is the Outer's Foul Out; works great, but is expensive, and frankly, I have never felt the need to have one.

For stubborn fouling, I combine mechanical and chemical. Saturate the Lead Away patches with solvent (make sure you have a tight fit; put the Lead Away patch over two regular cloth patches). After scrubbing, run a few solvent saturated patches through and let the gun sit overnight. Repeat as needed.

Hope this helps.

Walt

[This message has been edited by Walt Welch (edited March 24, 2000).]
 
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SharpCdn

New member
Is it that easy to remove a S&W cylinder from the frame, or are you guys talking about removeing the cylinders from different types of revolvers for cleaning purposes?

I can't figure out how to remove it (without causing any harm that is).

Excellent topic by the way!
 
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