"Alaric B Snell" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:

Don't put anything that's glowing red hot into that barrel. Knock out
what
you can with a brass rod, then get an ounce of mercury (you probably can
find an industrial supplier in Thomas Register that will sell you a
small
quantity; I bought 4 oz. that way a few years ago). Cap one end of the
barrel with a wooden plug; pour in the mercury to fill the barrel; wipe
out
the sludgy amalgam in a week or so.

If you don't whack it too hard, tapping on the end of a brass rod will
do no
damage. You may get lucky and all of the lead will come out just by
tapping.
The mercury is for stubborn cases. I used it to clean out 40 years of
lead
accumulation from the muzzle brake on my Hi-Standard Supermatic.

That's *very* handy - thanks!

I'll tell you all how I get on... it looks like there's multiple pellets
in there, though, from the size of the obstructed region (I stuck one of
my many brass rods in from each end and compared).

FYI, it bears the inscription:

THE GAT
J.101 (letter F in a pentagon)
4.5MM

Made in England
T.J.Harrington & Son
Walton
Surrey


Ed Huntress


ABS


I'll bet you can drift it out with a brass rod, unless there's something
else jammed in the middle. You might try soaking it in one of the strong
bore cleaners that claim to loosen lead deposits (I think they contain
ammonia) before drifting out the lead. But bewa I soaked the barrel of
one of my pistols it in some of that stuff made by Hoppe's (not Number 9)
for a few days, and the bluing wound up being half stripped off. It was a
classy old pistol, too. d8-(

Ed Huntress