I have two old WW! old rifles with barrels filled with lead. How I can I remove lead and start restoration?

Question

I have two old WW! old rifles with barrels filled with lead. How I can I remove lead and start restoration?

Answer 1

gun barrels are designed to withstand heat above a soldering-iron level , heat barrels 'till lead melts comes out ; )



try a propane torch or something , ask a gun store , gunsmith



more likely if literally "filled" with lead completely obstructed , probably reason as "wolfy" says below , may have to refer to someone who knows about gun restoration or reason for doing that ....

Answer 2

You are saying that the barrels are filled with lead. Do you mean that someone melted lead and filled the barrels to the top? Or do you mean that the barrel have been leaded up from shooting. If they are WW military rifles they were never shot with lead bullets. So it can not be lead you are seeing but rather copper fouling. You can work on them with various bore cleaners for weeks and never get all the fouling out. I would suggest you get a Outers Foul Out system. It has a long rod that is put in the barrel and the bottom of the barrel is plugged with a rubber plug. Then the transformer is plugged in to 110 VAC and the clamps are attacked per instructions. It is a method of reverse plating where the lead or copper is removed from the steel barrel and plated on the steel rod you put into the barrel. There is a liquid that is put in the barrel (2 types of liquid) depending on what you are taking out of the barrel.

Answer 3

I too am wondering what exactly you mean by "filled with lead". Blocking the bore by pouring in molten lead is not customarily a means of permanently deactivating a rifle for the simple reason that it's not permanent. It is easily removed by heating the barrel and letting the lead run out then dissolving the residue. All the "experts" who've offered that the heat of melting lead will ruin a barrel ought to know better. How are the old Mauser and similar rifles sights attached to the barrels? Lead solder my friends.



In any event, your rifles do need to be looked at by a competent gunsmith. No matter how half-assed the demil attempt was, there may very well have been a good reason for doing it. They may be unsafe.

Answer 4

In a previous question I told a user how not to overdo it when cleaning guns. Most guns only need to be thoroughly cleaned about every 50 to 100 shots.



Ok, but in your case, you obviously need a very good bore cleaner. Here's the deal. The best product I have ever used for a thorough cleaning were manufactured by a company called "Shooter's Choice". They make a variety of products for cleaning both copper and lead fouling from rifle barrels. Here's a link that I found on the net that shows some of their products...



http://shopping.msn.com/results/gun-shooting-accessories/bcatid5759/shooters-choice/2-4204032/forsale?text=category:gun-shooting-accessories+Brand:Shooters-Choice&ptnrId=177&ptnrData=5759



Be sure to read the directions! You don't want to swab the barrel and leave the chemicals in there too long. So, please read what they recommend and you will be just fine.



Good luck!

Answer 5

As I read this I assumed they had be de-commissioned by filling up the action and barrel with poured molten lead. Like, really "filled with lead".



If that is the case, it may have been done to be legal. Are you in the UK?



What kind of guns are these? Some WWII guns are collectable, some are a $1000 a dozen.

Answer 6

What kind of guns?



It is possible you are in possession of 2 DEWAT machine guns if the Barrells are filled with lead.... If this is the case you still need the tax stamp to possess them... I think we definatly need clarification as to whether they are plugged with lead or just leaded badly......



The GOOD news is (assuming they are DEWATS's) If whoever you have bought them from HAS the registration paperwork , you can REWAT them by filling out some forms and they could be worth tens of thousands of dollars each....

Answer 7

Were they filled with lead because they were worn-out and no longer serviceable? Or were they filled with lead to de-activate them and enable an owner to legally retain posession of them?



I suggest a competent gunsmith examine the rifles to determine if they're worth restoring or if you're better off keeping them as wall hangers and parade accessories.

Answer 8

Filed or pitted?



Plug the breach end with a dowel rod and a rag. Fill the barrel with solvent, see what happens. I had some old Arisakas that I did this to, let the solvent stay in there for 2 weeks. Not totally clean, but looked much better after the treatment.

Answer 9

sport shops/gun shops sell a chemical for this. Don't remember the brand name, but it is called Lead Remove. And I am not talking about solvent. They are 2 different chemicals. Cost is about $10 for a little bottle.



by the way, JoJo is an idiot, do not try to torch the lead out. He needs to go back to youtube and watch some more Sesame Street videos and leave this stuff alone, cause he obviously doesn't know what he is talking about!

Answer 10

Go to Bass Pro or Cabellas and get the Hope line for cleaning and lead removal.

Answer 11

Gentlewolfie has the right of it. Weapons in restored condition might get you a jail sentence if not legal to possess if operable.

Answer 12

It might be posible to remove the lead but pouring it down there probably wrecked the heat treating. They might never be safe to fire with those barrels.