Peracetic acid for de-leading gun barrels

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This stuff works so good it should be illegal. LOL.

You plug the end of the barrel, and then pour in a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. The chemical reaction literally breaks the lead into chunks that fall off.

YES the byproduct is lead acetate and is hazardous!
YES you should only do this if you are capable of being responsible about it and disposing of it properly.
YES this is not recommended for blued firearms or any collectible with a delicate finish.

YES it works better than anything I've tried to get out stubborn lead from shooting moly reloads.

Luckily, I only needed it after I shot the last of my cast lead bullets. I'm sticking with FMJ from now on.
 
Probably my choice of powder. 8.0 grains of Alliant Power Pistol behind a 185gr SWC cast lead with a moly coat.

Pretty hot load on top of this combo not being recommended, but it shot fine, and was VERY accurate.

Gun was a S&W M&P 45.
 
I think I heard of this method . From what I remember , it is very aggressive and can permanently damage the barrel if used incorrectly . ( For instance , leaving the mix in the barrel too long . )

When I shoot a cast bullet , I try for at least .002" over groove size . Helps a lot .

A cousin powder coats his cast bullets & has made great progress .

If your barrel is leading , I recommend a brass bush , Hoppies & elbow grease .
 
Isn't this something similar to what the old Outers "Foul Out", reverse plating gizmo was based on? I know the original 110 Volt powered unit they first put on the market was responsible for trashing several barrels, by transferring barrel steel to the provided anode you put in the barrel if you left it plugged in too long. They later came out with a battery powered unit that was less powerful. They had separate chemicals you had to buy, depending if you wanted to remove lead or copper fouling.

The whole thing used a lot of expensive chemicals that were messy, and leaked everywhere. It ended up to be far more trouble than it was worth. I believe the only way to acquire one now is at a garage sale.
 
Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
I think I heard of this method . From what I remember , it is very aggressive and can permanently damage the barrel if used incorrectly . ( For instance , leaving the mix in the barrel too long . )

When I shoot a cast bullet , I try for at least .002" over groove size . Helps a lot .

A cousin powder coats his cast bullets & has made great progress .

If your barrel is leading , I recommend a brass bush , Hoppies & elbow grease .


If your barrel is leading you're shooting an alloy that is too soft. I've shot cast for years and never had a leading issue. Stick at brindle hardness 15 (Lyman number 2 Alloy) or higher and if you plan on shooting over 1000 fps go to gas checked bullets. Your sizing lube also comes into some play here.

Years ago when I started casting I tested some cast bullets I had bought with my BH tester some of them were BH 9 and 10. They hadn't given me issues but were used for target loads at 800 fps and slower.
 
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Originally Posted By: Reddy45
This stuff works so good it should be illegal. LOL.

You plug the end of the barrel, and then pour in a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. The chemical reaction literally breaks the lead into chunks that fall off.

YES the byproduct is lead acetate and is hazardous!
YES you should only do this if you are capable of being responsible about it and disposing of it properly.
YES this is not recommended for blued firearms or any collectible with a delicate finish.

YES it works better than anything I've tried to get out stubborn lead from shooting moly reloads.

Luckily, I only needed it after I shot the last of my cast lead bullets. I'm sticking with FMJ from now on.



How strong does the hydrogen peroxide have to be?

If it's from a drug store it's only 5% concentration..

Would it still work?
 
You can get 30% acetic acid and 35% hydrogen peroxide off Amazon or ebay.

We use to use these strengths to completely dissolve lead. Will not harm steel.
 
Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
This stuff works so good it should be illegal. LOL.

You plug the end of the barrel, and then pour in a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. The chemical reaction literally breaks the lead into chunks that fall off.

YES the byproduct is lead acetate and is hazardous!
YES you should only do this if you are capable of being responsible about it and disposing of it properly.
YES this is not recommended for blued firearms or any collectible with a delicate finish.

YES it works better than anything I've tried to get out stubborn lead from shooting moly reloads.

Luckily, I only needed it after I shot the last of my cast lead bullets. I'm sticking with FMJ from now on.



How strong does the hydrogen peroxide have to be?

If it's from a drug store it's only 5% concentration..

Would it still work?


Yup I used the consumer grade brown bottle -- so around 5%. Vinegar was white cooking vinegar by Heinz.

If the leading is visibly built up, I'd leave the solution soaking for 10..maybe 15 minutes before dumping it and flushing with water.
 
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