Cleaning PCP baffles

[GPeach]

I have had my first PCP for just over a year. It's a Benjamin Akela .22. I LOVE IT! I've put at least 1500+ rounds thru.
It has been very accurate so far. However, I cleaned the barrel and it was still doing amazing, until I noticed it was starting to shoot to the left. I removed the shroud and cleaned the barrel again. Then I dumped out the baffles to give them a look..... YUCK! A lot of black powdery stuff came out and the baffels are coated with a fine powder.
Is this normal? How do I clean them? What are they made of?
Thank you in advance! ;-)

 

[Ca_Varminter]

Yes.....
It is Lead and any sort of coating on your pellets residue.
I am lucky to have a good Heated Ultrasonic cleaner. This does a great job of cleaning my baffles off!

Stuart

 

[Firewalker]

Powdered lead, DONT BREATH THAT!

 

[elh0102]

I've never cleaned out the lead dust, and I've never heard of it causing problems. I would think soaking in most any general purpose solvent would work.

 

[Tomygun1]

Solvent works but is can be messy. If you have ever been a powder burner reloader then you might have a vibrating media cleaner for cleaning cases. It really is the solution for your task. They are cheap and if you have more than one pcp baffled air gun it might be worth the investment.

 

[Mr.H]

Be careful of that dust! Use PPE gear when handling, nitril gloves, and a dust mask. Even though solvents are messy, the dust will stay in the solvent you use. Dispose of the solvents according to your county's hazardous waste standards.