Lewis Lead Remover?

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Rainman

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Mar 13, 2009
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Land of the Cherokee , Georgia
I shoot cast most of the time with a pretty good dose of either 2400 or H-110 in my 44-40 and 45 Colt. Consequently I deal with lead removal a lot. I've been using the copper chore boy treatment but sometime I get some stubborn areas near the forcing cone and first inch of the barrel.

Reading the reviews of the Lewis Lead Remover now made by Brownell's are mixed. youtube.com even has a video using one and it looks like a pain to get through the barrel.

Anybody have enough experience with one to make a recommendation?

Dan
 

Sam Johnson

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Jul 14, 2004
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710
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Olympia, Wa. USA
Dan, I have used the Lewis tool for over 25 years. It is easy to use and it works. The kit also has a tool for cleaning the root of the barrel. I have found that if you scrape the lead from the little brass disc after each pass it works much better.
 

c.r.

Single-Sixer
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Apr 23, 2008
Messages
436
Location
Texas
Dan,

I picked up one a couple months ago. It is not nearly as difficult as that video makes it to be. Actually a lot of the "resistance" is the result of how much you cinch that little nut down on the rubber. Just pull the brass mesh through your cylinder to "shape" it, and you're good to go.

I'm pleased with my purchase. The only thing that makes my cringe is sticking that aluminum rod down the barrel w/o a guide. But i'm just anal about that. I use Dewey rods and bore guide on all of my rifles.

~c.r.
 

GP100man

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Sep 13, 2006
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Tabor City, NC.
just ream the cyl 001" bigger than bore ,then fit boolit to cyl.
maybe a tite spot in the threaded section of barrel but if forcing cone is leaded your gettin gas cuttin before the boolit gets there !
or even try bigger boolits to start no extra $ spent that way.
 

pps

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
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Location
PRK
I've posted these before but here goes.
Here is how bad the barrel was leaded
leading.jpg


Here is how the forcing cone tool looked after 1 pass
Forcingconecleaner.jpg


Here is how the standard tool looked after 1 pass. Barrel was clean as a whistle after the ONE pass.

Lewisleadremover.jpg


[/img]
 

Rclark

Hunter
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Jan 1, 2009
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Butte, MT
Actually some say to put a couple jacketed bullets down range to 'de-lead' your barrel.... I've done that, but not with the 'intention' of deleading. Just shooting hot loads after some lead loads :) ....

Oh, yeah, I have the Lewis Lead Remover system for .357, .44, and .45 . Work great!
 

Tenbore

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Aug 21, 2009
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Oregon
The Lewis Lead remover is easy to use and gets the job done. I could not live without it after using it.
 

tomiswho

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Feb 2, 2008
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323
Location
Georgia
I have the Lewis also - but didn't find it helpful in cleaning the crud from my SRH .454 cylinder after firing .45 Colt loads. I ended up using a lead cloth patch around a wire brush chucked in my variable speed drill. Did the trick and worked great. So sometimes now I use a wire brush with the lead cloth patch around it. Last time was with my Taurus Mod 85 snubbie after firing some HBWC loads.
 

Rainman

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Mar 13, 2009
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Land of the Cherokee , Georgia
I'm a sucker for got-to-have things like that so I ordered one for my 45s today from Brownells along with the extra parts to do my 44s and 357s as well.

Thanks for everyone's input- especially the pictures pps.

Dan
 

jsh

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Oct 6, 2013
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Kansas US of A
I will put up with a little bit of leading in a new project gun. But dang gents, why not address the problem?
Yes I have a Lewis lead remover, I loan it out more or clean others mess up more than I use it for myself.

I refuse to fight the problem on a regular basis. Last time I had a leading issue was my fault, loaded the wrong sized bullets in my 45.
Jeff
 

Sagebrush Burns

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Nov 1, 2007
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Colorado
The best approach I have found to lead cleaning is prevention. There are several issues to address and any of them or a combination of them can make a huge difference in how much lead is left in your barrel. Is the bullet the right diameter? It should be 1 or 2 thousandths oversize to properly fill the bore. Is the lead hardness correctly matched with the load pressure/velocity? Mild to medium loads want softer alloy. The hotter the load the harder the alloy. Bevel base bullets tend to leave more lead in the barrel than flat based, especially in the forcing cone area. Lube can make a difference. Softer lubes (alox, beeswax, etc) really help reduce leading. When I used commercial cast bullets it was normal to spend over 30 minutes removing lead from the barrels of my 45 Colt revolvers at standard pressure/velocity. When I started casting my own I used softer alloys, flat based bullets, and soft lubes and the problem disappeared.
 

jsh

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Oct 6, 2013
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Harder alloy does not always solve a leading problem,contrary to a lot of beliefs. It still falls down to size. Even a hard bullet , slammed into a forcing cone will skid on the rifling rather than grab and spin. And, once leading starts it will only pile up or smear and continue to get worse until removed.

A lot and I do mean a lot of the commercial lubes were made for two things. First and foremost is not to come off during shipping, the other is to look purty. There are some hard lubes out there that work.

There is still to this day a lot of discussion on lubes, or what we think of being used as a lube. More times than not if one would think of it as a sealant or very flexible o-ring. Which is better, one big one, the most common. Or a Loverin or Lee with a bunch of small ones.

I myself dislike bevel base and have had lots of issues with them. They were made for one thing ease of use. I am not a fan of shooting a gas check design with out a check, same results as a bevel.

Not harping on anyone. I have just come to a point where I expect darn close to jacketed results with cast and am not satisfied with less.
 

protoolman

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Oct 15, 2001
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MN and MT
I have a lewis lead remover because I shoot lead .357, some without gas checks. My 45 colt and 44 mag don't lead because I don't push them at as fast velocities. Anyway its a good tool and works well when you need it. Casting correct bullets is a whole nother discussion with tons of variables.
 

Sakoluvr

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 25, 2002
Messages
157
protoolman said:
I have a lewis lead remover because I shoot lead .357, some without gas checks. My 45 colt and 44 mag don't lead because I don't push them at as fast velocities. Anyway its a good tool and works well when you need it. Casting correct bullets is a whole nother discussion with tons of variables.

Yepper, lots of variables INCLUDING pushing cast bullets at FASTER velocities so the bullet will obturate and not suffer gas cutting. Has anyone noticed what date the OP was made? :roll:
 
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