Leading on lands near muzzle

JimmyDee wrote: I've recently read a similar recommendation Ed made when discusing revolvers.

Tell me, please: how does one “cast a lead lap in the barrel” and afix it to anything that might be used to “give it a few strokes?"

Thank-you!

Easiest way is to heat up your lead pot, clamp rifle horizontally in a padded vise, and put a worn bore brush on a solid, unjointed cleaning rod.  Impale a cleaning patch onto the brush and pull it about 3/4 of the way down the shaft of the brush.  The patch on the brush is your “dam” to contain the lead. Push the through the bore and partially out the muzzle so that only the looped wire end of the brush protrudes slightly.

Preheat the muzzle by pouring repeated dippers full of lead over the muzzle until it is well heated and the molten lead no longer “sticks” but runs off the barrel.  Then tip the muzzle up, pour the muzzle full of molten lead and overflow it well so that the lap is well formed.  

Give it a minute or so to harden fully, then gently tap the lap partly, but not all the way out of the muzzle.  Slobber the AA Clover paste onto the warm lap with a brush and it will melt immmediately and flow around the lap. 

Trim the ragged ends of the cast lap neatly with side cutters and/or a sharp knifve and gently pull the lap back into the bore.  This will be difficult at first and you will have to work slowly and carefully in very short strokes until the hot oil and abrasive mixture begins to work. 

Once you are able to pull the lap back clear of the muzzle and clamp the gun in the vise so that the muzzle is only about 1/2 inch away from the wall or a solid object which acts as a stop for the lap.  Then withdraw the lap towards the breech and alternately back towards the muzzle using full strokes the full length of the bore.  It is OK to “bump” the lap slightly against the wall as it exits the muzzle, as this keeps it from completely exiting the bore.

If you inadvertently withdraw the cast lap out the breech end, it's OK to carefully reinsert it, if you can re-index it with the rifling and start it back without forcing it. Some gunsmiths like to rotate and re-index the lap every few strokes because it helps prevent the grip from sliding back and forth “in the same tracks." 

After about 3-4 full length passes the lap will become more loose in the bore. Give it about six full length strokes, then withdraw, melt the lap off in the lead pot, wet patch, then dry patch patch the bore and and inspect your work. Repeat again if necessary.