How do I clean this thing???

[Dan Hatton]

Hi all,

I have a VH Vulcan barred F/Fuller 12G. When I bought it, the bores were like mirrors. I've run a few hundred rounds through it, and the last hundred or so rounds were loaded with fiber wads. There is a crazy amount of lead fouling.

I swabbed it with Hoppe's #9, let it soak, and brushed it with my favorite old brush, but the barrel looks awful. I re-swabbed and let the Hoppe's soak for a while, then put a new bronze brush on the cleaning rod, and used a cordless drill to spin it around for a bit, then cleaned with a Bore Tech cleaning Jag and a cotton patch. Bore Tech (https://www.boretech.com/products/images/shotgunjag_large.jpg)

When that didn't work, I shot some Bright Bore down the tubes, let it sit for a while, did the brush and jag again, but I can still see the lead.

Any recomendation on what to use to "get the lead out?"

Thanks

[Dean Romig]

Yup - wrap a bunch of Frontier Pad around your bore brush, chuck the rod in an electric drill, introduce some Hoppe's and go at it like you rented the gun. The Frontier Pads will NOT harm the bores or choke constriction but I guarantee it will scrub out any lead fouling if you work it long enough.






.

[Jeff Christie]

When I was a kid in the glorious fifties we shot thousands of shells at skeet. All were loaded with wax fiber wads and no shot collars (pre WWMark 5's). When we bothered to clean we used a patch with Hoppe's 9, followed by a dry patch and then some oil on a patch. Mostly we just tried to get back to the range asap. Those barrels are still as good as new. The guns are relics but the bores are beautiful.

[Daniel Carter]

Some old guns i have bought have cleaned up well and the next day show leading raising up from the solvent. A combination of soaking time and the frontier pad will do it. As Dean says it's as close to a miracle cure as your going to find. It really cut's the time it takes down and I always have it on the brush.Dawn dish washing has a material that I can't tell the difference from a frontier pad but stop short of calling them identical. My metallurgist friend passed on last year and i miss his expertise.

[Chuck Bishop]

I've bought bronze wool at the hardware store and i've also used 0000 steel wool and also Scotch Brite pads that don't scratch wrapped on a bronze brush. All used with plenty of oil on a electric drill. Never a problem.

[Daniel Carter]

Dan: Have you come to any conclusions on your search for spreader loads? My VH has .036 in both barrel's and is very good on long clay shots but a handicap under 35 yds. Sreaders are a must at skeet ranges.

[Brian Dudley]

If you are using a bore cleaner that will dissolve lead, keep it off the outside of the barrels! It can attack the solder joints on the ribs if left to sit.

[Richard Flanders]

You might try Gunzilla.

[Dan Hatton]

Dan: Have you come to any conclusions on your search for spreader loads? My VH has .036 in both barrel's and is very good on long clay shots but a handicap under 35 yds. Spreaders are a must at skeet ranges.

I'm waiting to try out my spreader loads at the patterning board. I hope to get to it this week. I have a dozen combinations of spreader loads. I loaded 4 rounds of each combo, all with #8 shot. I'll take pictures of 1, 2 and 4 shots at the board before moving on to the next variation. (Yes, I know... My OCD is showing!) I'll let you know when I have the test.

The combination that I've tried at the range so far is 1oz "Brush Wads" from Ballistic Products, 14.5gr Extra-Lite powder, Win 209 primers, the solid (yellow) Poly-Wads. I put in 3/4 oz of #9, the Poly-wad, then 1/4oz shot on top. I got pretty good scores at skeet. 17, 19, and 20. With my Remington 1100 skeet I usually get 22's and 23's.

[wayne goerres]

Scotch Brite works well inside a bore and will even remove copper fouling. It will remove blueing so stay away from the blued parts of the gun. Run it dry and then clean thoroughly afterwords.

[allen newell]

Follow Dean's advice. All my bronze brushes have strands of a frontier pad wrapped around them. I also us G96 Gun Treatment (hard to find but exceptional cleaner) with the brushes. You just can't beat frontier pads, they will take everything out of your barrels and not harm them at all.

[Frank Cronin]

For stubborn leading in the bores the product I go to is Kano Kroil Penetrating Oil. It is also great for removing lead from rifled bores if you shoot lead bullets in pistols or rifles. The key is to give it time to soak to loosen the lead and brush the bore, and repeat. You'll see chunks of lead come out on the patch.

It is also great to have around the garage when you work on things to help loosen rusted hardware.

They sell this on Midway USA.

[Jeff Christie]

Kano is wonderful for removing lead. NRA Highpower shooters have been mixing it 50/50 with No. 9 for an even better bore cleaner. Back in the Nineties when moly coated bullets were all the rage it cut moly better than just about anything. All the service teams relied on it. I learned of this mixture at Camp Perry. You won't be sorry.