22 Long Rifle Leading in Barrels

IF you clean any bore, be sure to insert the rod from the breech end. NEVER insert a rod from the muzzle, unless you have a tight-fitting muzzle cleaning guide because the rod will wear the crown, the most critical part of the bore.
 
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Picher said:
IF you clean any bore, be sure to insert the rod from the breech end. NEVER insert a rod from the muzzle because it will wear the most critical part of the bore.
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A popular concept. However....

The five 7.62 NATO Garand barrels I've worn out after about 3500 rounds each when test groups with handloads increased from about half MOA to about one MOA at 600 yards. All had no copper wash the last 3/4ths inch of the bore and grooves. Bare steel cleaning rod wear belled the muzzle bore and groove about .002" at the crown past new barrel's dimensions. Cleaning every 50 to 60 rounds.
 
Bare steel cleaning rod wear belled the muzzle bore and groove about .002" at the crown past new barrel's dimensions. Cleaning every 50 to 60 rounds.
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Bare steel cleaning rod....

.22 or any caliber, its not cleaning from the muzzle that is the problem, it is INCORRECTLY cleaning from the muzzle that does it.

Steel rod rubbing on steel barrel = bad
Bore guide helps ALOT.

Aluminum rod on steel barrel = not quite so bad, but still not optimal, as "softer" aluminum, or vinyl coated rods can have grit embed in them, and that wears the steel barrel too.

Best system, no rod touching barrel at all.

Few people do it that way, though.
 
Another option is a pull-through from the open breech to the muzzle, with cap at the muzzle to protect the crown.

A brass rod with a muzzle cap, cleaning from the muzzle, works pretty well if the cap fits properly.
 
Picher said:
Another option is a pull-through from the open breech to the muzzle, with cap at the muzzle to protect the crown.

A brass rod with a muzzle cap, cleaning from the muzzle, works pretty well if the cap fits properly.
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I use a Bore Snake for all my .22 rifles. No cleaning rod to scratch the bore or ding up the muzzle. Plus, if your Bore Snake gets full of carbon and bullet lube/wax, just toss it in washer withyour next load of work clothes and it comes out good as new.

Gary
 
Bore snake or patch Worm are both good options. i use a Path worm on my MKII, bore snake on 20/22s and Henrys. I don't think they would work on a leaded bbl tho.
 
For 22lr. I was a Dewey one piece coated rod , Old reliable Hoppes #9 solvent first and last few patch passes with Ballistol . Works well for me.
 
Use to shoot localprone matches, with a gent that was selected for the Dewar Matches at Camp Perry.

He would shoot the 50yd / m section of the match, then after his scoring rounds, push a patched rod down the action and next two patch following were cut from a OTC lead-away cloth. The set-up for the 100 yd prtion and fire new sighters {sometimes chaning ammo] and then his scoring rounds.

Whenever he was bored, he smear honey on the sighter section and wait till fly(ies) alight and he pick them off. Match cordinator knew the results by ignoring holes with blood spaltteer around them!
 
jrothWA said:
Whenever he was bored, he smear honey on the sighter section and wait till fly(ies) alight and he pick them off. Match cordinator knew the results by ignoring holes with blood spaltteer around them!
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Match coordinator's ignore all bullet holes in sighter targets. You usually can shoot sighters any time during the record shots.
 
Bucksnort1 asked:

Will off the shelf plinking 22 long rifle lead a barrel?

Is this the reason for copper coated bullets in 22 LR?
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Going back to the OP:
I have not experienced barrel leading problems using any 40 gr lead 22LRs
But have had much more barrel fouling with the HV copper plated ammo than the plain lead.
 
Since this thread has wandered a little.

about 5 years ago, I bought a few Anschutz rifles. 2 new and a used 64 MS (metalic silhouette). The 64 was made in the mid 80s. It did not shoot groups like my other two. I decided to clean it. I used a bronze brush and patches with Hoppes.
The first 39 patches came out black. #40 was clean.

Two years ago I shot Sporter rifle with it. Iron sights and scope. 60 rounds a week for 20 weeks. When I cleaned it at the end of the season, the first patch came out black, second was clean. I only use European ammo like SK, Wolfe, or Eley.
All 3 of them are the same way.
David
 
I shot NCAA smallbore 3 nights a week 60 rds per night, all through college. We were forbidden from cleaning the rifle bore.
 
Over many years, I've inspected used rifle bores and never found rust or any corrosion in any .22LR rifle bore. That doesn't mean that they don't get cruddy, but the wax on each bullet fired coats the bore to prevent moisture from getting to it. Barn rifles may look like they were badly abused and be rusty on the outside, but rimfires I've examined have rust-free bores, if left dirty.

However, centerfire rifles shot with copper jacketed bullets, left unclean and in gunstore racks have often exhibited rusty bores. In young adulthood, I was guilty of leaving my woodchuck rifle all summer/early winter without cleaning, after the spring season. That resulted in severe rusting/pitting. I had to soak the bore in oil for several days before a cleaning rod could go through. Never again would I ever "let the sun set on a dirty gun"!
 
cw308 said:
Sorry guys , I clean after every range trip . All my firearms shoot great .
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Amen Brother ...I'll second that .
Daddy insisted ...you didn't go to bed until all the guns were cleaned and lubed, he taught us well .
And you wouldn't believe how many firearms I've "repaired" for friends ...by simply cleaning decades of grime away and lubing them...It's Magic !
Clean guns function better than dirty...You can take that statement to the bank!
Gary
 
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