I recently got a Stevens crack shot. Great shape, especially for being 100 years old, with one exception the barrel is leaded so badly you can hardly see the lands and grooves.
I don't think it has ever been cleaned other than being wiped off.
I have tried every kind of lead remover that I can find, let if soak for hours, wore out a brush and I'm not making much progress. I have had to use a 17cal. cleaning rod becuase my others wouldn't fit.
Any suggestions?

Thanks

Boiling water? Bore sollivent maybe.

Go get some stainless steel scrubbing pads from the grocery store. You can buy the same pads at Brownells or Midway, but you will pay five times as much for them. Take a few strands, and wrap them onto a cleaning brush. Use a good solvent, and brush the bore well. This will break up and strip any leading I have ever encountered. As a solvent, try something like Kroil or Ed's Red. These are "wetter" (lower surface tension) than many products, and creep under the leading and help it loosen.

Go to the range and shoot some rounds through it, and while it is still hot/warm clean the barrel with some JB's. Good luck.

Try a Stainless Steel brush. I don't know what threads will fit on a .17 cal rod, but if your using an adapter, it should work. Start by firing a couple jacketed or plated type bullets, and then soak the crap out of it with butch's bore shine. Scrub it with the brush, then hit it with the solvent again. If for whatever reason you find any copper fouling that is compounding the problem, try Barnes CR-10. This stuff works great. That has always worked for me, hope it helps you.

I second what Charley said....................that works really good to get the lead out.

After you think you got it all that way, then using the J-Bs Bore paste would probably be a good idea. I hate to think what the rifling is gonna look like under all that lead and the J-Bs ought to smooth it up some.

I'll let you know next week. I'm heading to Cabela's tomorrow and going to get some of that "blue wonder" gun cleaner. Its supposed to be biodegradable and removes lead and copper fouling.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Letting it soak over night (several nights) and using several of the bore cleaners and the stainless steel wool did work.

It's taken alot of time but I think it's as good as it's going to get.

aunsaber:

Use JB's and you will get it out. I works have used it in the past for just that reason. Good luck

Give "blue wonder gun cleaner" a try. If that doesn't work, try the JB compound and elbow grease.