22lr rifle cleaning method

Erno86 said:
Most 22rf match shooters...at the least, swab the chamber with an oily Q-Tip, after each shooting session; because of the chance that salty sweat gets on the cartridges from handling.
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I've shot 22 rimfire matches with several national and international champions and record holders. Even outscored them a few times. Never saw any evidence they had concerns about salty anything getting in the barrel.

I've never been aware of such behavior. Where did you get evidence of this practice?

The .22 rimfire benchrest 25 shot record group size at 50 yards is about .552 MOA. The American Rimfire Association uses a point scoring system, not group size. The half inch ring is worth 100 points and a shot hole inside its outer edge is worth 100. Each larger ring is worth less points.

......https://www.americanrimfire.com/media/ARA_Target_ScoreBull(1).jpg......

Therefore, it's possible that the smallest groups fired in a match won't have the highest scores.
 
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If you are the only person choosing the way the rifle is loaded, aimed and fired, don't you always do your part for every group?

What's different about groups you think you didn't do your part making them?
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“Overall I am hoping to regularly shoot 1MOA with good ammo, reasonable wind, and me doing my part by choosing to ignore any groups larger than 1MOA.”

There, fixed it for you.


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On the Q-tip cleaning I thought that to be strange as well never seeing anyone ever clean just a chamber and that includes Lones Wigger before his passing, a regular at matches around here.
 
Once in a while I will run a patch with solvent , but mostly I will run a patch with oil only. I like to use weedeater line. I use the solvent only after a few hundred rounds of firing.
 
Bart B. said:
If you are the only person choosing the way the rifle is loaded, aimed and fired, don't you always do your part for every group?

What's different about groups you think you didn't do your part making them?
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There is a difference between choosing and execution. There are a number of things that can effect accuracy, from trigger squeeze, to rifle cant, to the wind call, to body position to name a few. Each firearm has a specific accuracy potential. The question is, is your technique good enough to bring out the rifles full potential.
 
TX Nimrod said:
“Overall I am hoping to regularly shoot 1MOA with good ammo, reasonable wind, and me doing my part by choosing to ignore any groups larger than 1MOA.”

There, fixed it for you.


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The harshness.... No I don't ignore groups over 1MOA. What I am trying to do is track of all my group sizes. I'm going to sort out the best 10% of groups and call that the best potential for me plus the rifle. Then when I go shooting I can call anything under that top 10% average shooter error and try to work on my technique to improve my consistency.
 
Shadow9mm said:
There is a difference between choosing and execution. There are a number of things that can effect accuracy, from trigger squeeze, to rifle cant, to the wind call, to body position to name a few. Each firearm has a specific accuracy potential. The question is, is your technique good enough to bring out the rifles full potential.
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The only technique good enough to bring out the rifles full potential is to eliminate the variables we humans have holding, aiming and firing the rifle.

The USA Olympic Training Center has an indoor 50 meter range for 22 rimfire events and training. There's a machine rest match rifles are clamped in to test rifles and ammo. Their 22 rimfire teams use stuff whose biggest groups are the smallest or have the smallest mean radius. They know the smallest groups most often happen when most of the variables cancel each other out.
 
Bart B. said:
The only technique good enough to bring out the rifles full potential is to eliminate the variables we humans have holding, aiming and firing the rifle.

The USA Olympic Training Center has an indoor 50 meter range for 22 rimfire events and training. There's a machine rest match rifles are clamped in to test rifles and ammo. Their 22 rimfire teams use stuff whose biggest groups are the smallest or have the smallest mean radius. They know the smallest groups most often happen when most of the variables cancel each other out.
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In all honesty there is no way to eliminate the human variable. there are variables controlled by us humans that are subjective. For example the ammunition used, how the ammunition is loaded into the gun, the temperature of the room, the temperature the ammunition is store at, the rate of fire, and to get back on topic, how the barrel is maintained. I am trying to understand how to properly maintain my rifle and how that maintenance can and does effect accuracy.
 
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The harshness.... No I don't ignore groups over 1MOA. What I am trying to do is track of all my group sizes. I'm going to sort out the best 10% of groups and call that the best potential for me plus the rifle. Then when I go shooting I can call anything under that top 10% average shooter error and try to work on my technique to improve my consistency.
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I really did not mean to offend you, but most times when someone uses that phrase they mean they ignore the worst groups and assume they are due to shooter error. Believe me, for most shooters they are not as even machine rest group sizes will plot on a bell-shaped curve. The fact that you confess to ignoring 90% of your groups means you are ignoring statistical analysis - you have zero data to support that claim. Sorry to burst your bubble, but science matters to some of us.



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I always take a control gun to shoot along side the one I'm testing that has a known level of accuracy, if that gun doesn't live up to that known level I know it's either me or the range conditions.
 
TX Nimrod said:
I really did not mean to offend you, but most times when someone uses that phrase they mean they ignore the worst groups and assume they are due to shooter error. Believe me, for most shooters they are not as even machine rest group sizes will plot on a bell-shaped curve. The fact that you confess to ignoring 90% of your groups means you are ignoring statistical analysis - you have zero data to support that claim. Sorry to burst your bubble, but science matters to some of us.



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I'm not offended, but did come off unnecessarily harshly. You are missing the point though. You cannot take 100% of the groups and attribute them solely to the rifle, it is the combination of rifle and shooter. I am looking at the top 10% as having the least amount of shooter error and thus being closest to what the gun is capable of. I look at the 90% to find where I am making errors. I am looking at it saying I shot a group over 1MOA, or under the top 10%, what did I do wrong, how can I improve. I have to understand the best, vs day to day, vs doing poorly so I can assess where I am at, and try to improve.
 
Double K said:
I always take a control gun to shoot along side the one I'm testing that has a known level of accuracy, if that gun doesn't live up to that known level I know it's either me or the range conditions.
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not a bad idea. I have a CZ in 17HRM that will routinely shoot 1/2moa. Having a second gun to test against would be helpful.
 
With rimfires it would be best if they were the same cartridge, 17hmr's seem almost impervious to wind inside 100yds unlike 22's.
 
My precision rifle only gets cleaned when the copper is too fouled to where it hinders accuracy, around 200-300 rounds, or when I shoot in harsh weather conditions, like rain, dust, sand, and etc.

I use Hoppes #9 copper solvent to soak and remove copper fouling, and CLP to remove carbon. I'll run some dry patches to get everything out and then make sure to foul my barrel and verify zero with a few shots at the next range trip.

Now to answer your concern, I recommend getting a cleaning rod, nylon brush, jags, patches, solvents, and oil. And watch some YouTube videos on precision rifle cleaning. The bore snake removes carbon, but that's about it. Eventually you'll need to get the copper out.
 
Quote "My precision rifle only gets cleaned when the copper is too fouled to where it hinders accuracy, around 200-300 rounds, or when I shoot in harsh weather conditions, like rain, dust, sand, and etc.

I use Hoppes #9 copper solvent to soak and remove copper fouling, and CLP to remove carbon. I'll run some dry patches to get everything out and then make sure to foul my barrel and verify zero with a few shots at the next range trip.

Now to answer your concern, I recommend getting a cleaning rod, nylon brush, jags, patches, solvents, and oil. And watch some YouTube videos on precision rifle cleaning. The bore snake removes carbon, but that's about it. Eventually you'll need to get the copper out."

Can't say that I've ever gotten copper fouling in a 22lr, I guess it's possible, what ammunition do you shoot?
 
Double K said:
Quote "My precision rifle only gets cleaned when the copper is too fouled to where it hinders accuracy, around 200-300 rounds, or when I shoot in harsh weather conditions, like rain, dust, sand, and etc.

I use Hoppes #9 copper solvent to soak and remove copper fouling, and CLP to remove carbon. I'll run some dry patches to get everything out and then make sure to foul my barrel and verify zero with a few shots at the next range trip.

Now to answer your concern, I recommend getting a cleaning rod, nylon brush, jags, patches, solvents, and oil. And watch some YouTube videos on precision rifle cleaning. The bore snake removes carbon, but that's about it. Eventually you'll need to get the copper out."

Can't say that I've ever gotten copper fouling in a 22lr, I guess it's possible, what ammunition do you shoot?
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I tested several. It really likes cci Standard velocity which is a lead round nose. Copper is a minimal issue with 22lr mostly due to lower pressures and velocities and copper washed bullets rather than copper jackets.

I do have a good cleaning set up, just no specific 22lr cleaner. My understanding is lead and wax buildup are the primary issues. Running a tipton carbon fiber rod, a bore tech rod guide and jag, and a nylon brush the setup I use for my AR's, just with a new rod guide.
 
I should point out that I stopped shooting the copper washed/copper plated stuff awhile back and that was really when I noticed that I didn't need to clean nearly as aggressively as I used to have to.
 
Double K said:
I always take a control gun to shoot along side the one I'm testing that has a known level of accuracy, if that gun doesn't live up to that known level I know it's either me or the range conditions.
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What would it be like if you took a top ranked competitive shooter with you to compare his groups shooting your stuff to how you shoot it? He would be the control rifle aimer and shooter.

Everyone doesn't shoot the same stuff to the same level.

The British commonwealth used to think if everyone was issued the same make and model rifle and they were issued the same lot of ammo, the best marksman would always win the match. Took them over 50 years to realize the fallacy of such reasoning.

In some international long-range rifle matches, everyone is issued the same lot of ammo.
 
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So Per the owners manual these are the cleaning instructions but it did not say how often.

" Push-pull a properly sized, solvent-wetted patch through the bore several
times. Next, using a solvent-wetted brush, run it the full length of the bore as
many times as is necessary to completely remove all foreign matter from the
bore and chamber. Dry the bore with clean patches and examine it. If the bore
remains fouled, repeat the brushing. Complete the cleaning by dry-patch
wiping of bore and chamber."

Since it is a Ruger I contected ruger to ask how often. The short answer is every range session.


"Thank you for contacting Ruger Customer Service.
Your Customer Service Issue # is

After each shooting session the barrel should be cleaned. Only when the firearm has been exposed to water, dirt, etc or not functioning correctly should it be completely disassembled for cleaning. If just rain or fresh water stray, a normal wipe down will be fine. You may refer to page 26 in your owner's manual for care and cleaning instructions.
Thank you for your interest in Ruger.
Ruger Customer Service "

I did find a video review of the ruger american rimfire where the guy was having a terrible time getting good groups. He said he tried everything from free floating, to pressure points on the barrel with tape, to barrel weights. then he cleaned it and the groups sizes got cut in half.

I plan to clean it per the instructions the next couple outings. then start tracking round count and see if the groups open up, and if they do how much and how long it takes. Ruger seems to think it will shoot better clean.
 
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