Cleaning your rimfire barrel

[Chriswillis696]

Just of late I have stoped cleaning my barrel on my 2013. I have a maddco barrel fitted has always shot well. THAN my top ammo dried up and i really had trouble puting scores together tryed everything really. I ended up finding some more ammo it liked and now its shooting back to its best again BUT I have stoped cleaning the barrel. I used to patch out after every shoot and scrub about every 2 bricks. But when it was clean it took about 25-35 shots than it would throw one big time than back on the money, but you always had to wait for it to really throw that one shot and i got sick of wasting ammo waiting for that shot so i just stop cleaning. So my question is, Can not cleaning the barrel hurt it?? How do others clean or not clean...

[Steve 2141]

Hi Chris

I’m sure that this question you’ll get several different opinions, I’ve always been obsessive with keeping my centre-fire barrels clean when in use and lubricated when in storage, but this rimfire thing is a different animal, it took me some convincing but now I believe that if the barrel has had 50 or so rounds through it the wax on the lead projectiles builds up a protective coating and it wont harm the barrel

I have an Annie 54 and a Remington 541T, if I’m shooting them on a regular basis I don’t clean the barrels, if I don’t intend to use them for a while then I use a nylon bore brush and short scrub in some Inox oil.

I'll only clean it if it stops shooting

Cheers

[fenring]

I clean mine when I feel like it - that probably ends up being every thousand rounds or so. Whether it makes any difference or not I don't know - bearing in mind I'm wholly and soley a hunter and not a paper puncher I'm not likely to notice anyway. I mainly do it to keep the chamber clean, remove a buildup of oxidised rubbish from around the muzzle and also off the breech face, out of the extractor grooves etc. So the barrel gets a clean while I'm doing that.

If I was storing a rifle, I would clean and oil the barrel. Same goes if it had been exposed to rain or condensation.

I think that with .22's being finicky beasts, the only way to answer this question for yourself is to try it with your own rifle and the ammo you routinely use. Shoot a series of groups with the rifle well and truly fouled, then clean and then shoot more groups.

What works for one rifle / ammo combo may not give the same results in another.

[The Raven]

When I got my rimfire it had not be 'properly' cleaned or fired for approx 20 years. Yes, I gave it a good cleaning and then wondered the same as everyone else "how often and how much".

Initially I gave the rifle a good clean which was necessary anyhow as I was rebluing it. Now I use a bore snake for field cleaning, perhaps with a bit of oil afterwards. At home I'll run some cleaning and then oil patches and that's about it. Beyond the barrel I do the usual remove, clean, oil, reassemble. Given the simplicity of my Sportco that basically means removing the bolt...

As for my centrefire, which only has 20 rounds through it, I'm still following a basic break in procedure. That's another story in itself as I did a lot of research and came up with no clear answer. Sure, for competition rifles etc you can get carried away with cleaning barrels and it *might* improve consistency if nothing else. For an off the shelf commercial rifle, only a basic run in appears justifiable.

[Chriswillis696]

Steve I think u answered the question.... Clean it when it stops shooting.

[The Raven]

Ok, time to show my ignorance...

I noticed that many brushes have a VERY tight fit in the barrel. Wouldn't this excess pressure be a little harsh on the barrel, specifically key areas such as the throat?

I can understand a 'firmish' fit so you can scrub the gunk but, if it requires a lot of force just to get the brush into the barrel surely this *could* lead to damage (even if bore guides etc are used).

This is partly why I use bore snakes on my .22LR. The brushed portion isn't as tight in the bore.

[Camel]

Thats probably because most of the 22 cal brushes are for centre fire, 224, where 22lr is actually .222. I use my old centrefire brushes when they get too loose for the centrefire. I dont think there is any possibility that a tight bronze brush will damage your barrel, its softer than steel. I spose the only way you might do some damage is bending the rod while trying to force a tight brush through the barrel.

I think the sizes are correct but then maybe the 22lr is actually .218. Someone smarter than me will know that shit, I never tried measuring a rimfire barrel.

[The Raven]

Thats probably because most of the 22 cal brushes are for centre fire, 224, where 22lr is actually .222. I use my old centrefire brushes when they get too loose for the centrefire. I dont think there is any possibility that a tight bronze brush will damage your barrel, its softer than steel. I spose the only way you might do some damage is bending the rod while trying to force a tight brush through the barrel.

I think the sizes are correct but then maybe the 22lr is actually .218. Someone smarter than me will know that shit, I never tried measuring a rimfire barrel.

My rods and brushes and they are definitely labelled as .22LR but that doesn't mean they aren't a 'standard' sizing with a several different labels.

Bronze may softer than steel but isn't there still the chance of damaging the land/groove faces?

[jimbo]

Steve I think u answered the question.... Clean it when it stops shooting.

And therein lies the answer.
As one of the leading barrel makers says, let the barrel tell you.
Now you don't want it telling you it's cleaning time half way through a group or prone match, so keep a record of how may shots you can fire before the group starts to open up.
That way you can get in first and give it a good clean.

[Chriswillis696]

Well said Jimbo