EXTREME Lead Fouling in New .22lr Pistol?

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What are the Collective's thoughts on a new Bersa Thunder 22 pistol that leads so badly after 30-40 rounds a .20" cleaning rod cannot even be started into the barrel?

The lead extrudes from the end of you let it go long enough. Rifling disappears and bullets keyhole. Accuracy is impossible. The current situation leaves me trying to keep this gun as TI cannot replace it.

I can't get much of a look in the barrel, when I did there was still so much lead left I didn't know what to make of any of it. I have owned hundreds of .22lr guns and never seen something so bad. Even pitted and worn barrels from old farm guns don't lead like this thing...

I have tried all sorts of amm from fancy to junk, plated and waxed, it all does the same thing.
 
B said:
What are the Collective's thoughts on a new Bersa Thunder 22 pistol that leads so badly after 30-40 rounds a .20" cleaning rod cannot even be started into the barrel?

The lead extrudes from the end of you let it go long enough. Rifling disappears and bullets keyhole. Accuracy is impossible. The current situation leaves me trying to keep this gun as TI cannot replace it.

I can't get much of a look in the barrel, when I did there was still so much lead left I didn't know what to make of any of it. I have owned hundreds of .22lr guns and never seen something so bad. Even pitted and worn barrels from old farm guns don't lead like this thing...

I have tried all sorts of ammo from fancy to junk, plated and waxed, it all does the same thing.
Click to expand...


Sounds to me you have an over-sized barrel. Does the Bersa have Ballard rifling?

Take Care

Bob
 
With 50-100fps lower velocities than I was expecting I am inclined to agree with the barrell being oversized. Logic leaves me scratching my head HOW that would happen as a rifling tool should produce shallower grooves as it wears..?
 
You're probably not running plated bullets? I had a couple of guns that would just stack up lead until it obstructed the bore almost completely with lead bullet ammo. Same deal, had to actually push it out with a cleaning rod, came out as a big slug, lol. Switched to copper plated ammo and never had that problem again.

Edit: Nevermind, apparently my crappy attention span only let me read the first couple lines, lol. Sum ting wong der. Probably a rough section of the bore tearing up the bullets as they pass by. Throw some sandpaper on a little dowel, chuck that fu¢ker up in a drill, and lap the bore yourself, haha. Can't make it much worse than it is?
 
Try to use JB bore bright paste to polish it, of course after removing lead. Standard JB might work also as is IOSSO. If copper plated ammo was fired before lead bullet..lead stick to copper nicely.

Scotty454..sandpaper in a barrel ? This is budda. No way it should be done. Thats not how a barrel lapping is done. Not at all. OP disregard that !
 
I took his suggestion as a joke, which I hope it was haha. A polish is likely as long as TI is ok with me tinkering with it a bit without losing my chance at a return. Getting all the lead out is a massive chore but my biggest issue is tools to get it done.

Nothing I have will fit in the barrel right now and the tool I was using has broken from so much use. A bore scope would be nice but my Chinese unit didn't last very long and I never bothered replacing it...
 
B said:
I took his suggestion as a joke, which I hope it was haha. A polish is likely as long as TI is ok with me tinkering with it a bit without losing my chance at a return. Getting all the lead out is a massive chore but my biggest issue is tools to get it done.

Nothing I have will fit in the barrel right now and the tool I was using has broken from so much use. A bore scope would be nice but my Chinese unit didn't last very long and I never bothered replacing it...
Click to expand...

T'was a joke, indeed.

I mean, if the bore was REALLY chowdered, and the barrel was otherwise scrap, and I had a replacement, and I was just gonna chuck the first one out anyways... I can't say for sure that I wouldn't try it, lol. But it wouldn't be my first choice on a barrel that I wanted to not mess up.
 
Remove the lead w/ a Lewis Lead remover or brass Chore Boy w/ lots of bore solvent.

Then lap the bore w/ 240grit silicon carbide oil base lapping compound on a jag/patch.

The JB,Isso suggestion will work also...but tennis elbow or shoulder issues will ensue first.
 
That's the plan. If the barrel is oversized it will do little to fix anything but getting the barrel cleaned properly again is definitely the first step. The only polish I have around is nowhere near 240, more like 3-4000 grit. I suppose I will pay for that with time.
 
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