Cleanest .22LR ammo

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phrogpilot

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I have a Taurus 990 Tracker .22LR revolver which I like very much; the problem I'm facing is the cylinder gets very dirty after 50-60 rounds have been fired. I am told this isn't uncommon. I have been shooting bulk ammo and it is very dirty. Do you think cleaner ammo would improve this situation? Is so, which brand do you think is cleanest?

I have a Sig Mosquito; many have complained that it is unreliable. It has been absolutely 100% for me, as loon as I shoot CCI Mini Mags through it. I do notice that when I clean it afterwards, it is much cleaner than the Taurus is after I use bulk ammo. Is this something inherent to a Semi versus the revolver, or is this a cleaner ammo?
 
If it's shooting the bulk ammo accurately enough for your taste then why bother changing to something that's probably going to be 5X the price? Cleaning a gun is half the fun of shooting it. :)

But yes, the brand is probably what's to blame for the "problem."
 
For bulk ammo I have been shooting Aguila subsonics. For cheap ammo I find it very clean. For comparison when I shoot Federal gold medal target it looks like I am shooting a black powder pistol. The Aguila is much cleaner with alot less smoke. Not sure why maybe it is the lube they use.
 
All rimfire LR ammo is lubricated on the bullet by one thing or another, usually some sort of waxy material so it does not wipe off in handling. Therefore it will never probably be as clean to shoot as a centerfire gun with unlubricated jacketed bullets. That said, certainly there is probably some that is cleaner than others. But in your auto, the crud is blown out the barrel, where in a revolver the cylinder gap is gonna blow crud out on the cylinder and frame no matter what. Maybe try plated bullets versus bare lead types and see if it is less messy? Or the aformentioned CCI ammo. Just realise that the better ammo is gonna cost you for the reduced cleanup work. All you can do is try single boxes of several types.
 
The Federal 550 bulk plated hollowpoints sold at Walmart are reasonably clean while Remington Golden bulk is pretty dirty.
If you can't shoot the Federal bulk by the hundreds without cleaning then maybe there's something else wrong.
Keep the cylinder pin and all of the moving action parts lubricated and see if that helps.
If there's not enough clearance between the cylinder and barrel face and powder residue causes it to bind then changing ammo may not cure it. But it's worth a try and it may wear in over time.
 
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ARTICAP
The problem I'm having with the Taurus Tracker after firing 60 or so rounds is a few cartridges start to back out of the cylinder chambers after one or two are fired, causing the action to bind. When the cylinder chambers are clean, this doesn't happen, only when they begin fouling.
 
Ya in a long barrel rifle they are pretty quiet, but not as much as I expected. I would say they are about 70% as loud as a standard 22lr. No where as quiet as say a 22 short but they are tolerable. My rifle is a CZ lux so it has a very long barrel so that helps alot.
 
All .22 ammo is dirty, some more than others, but Minimags seem to be a bit cleaner than Federal bulk packs.

I use both in my .22's, and nothing else so I cant compare them. I have tried Remington and Wildcats in a few mags, but they were both terrible. Never again.
 
From what I've used the Winchester 555 seems to be the cleanest (out of Aguila, Colibri, Remington Hornets and Wildcats) how I base this is how many cylinders I could fire before I couldn't insert fresh rounds into the cylinder.
 
I've tried a variety of .22 ammo and, compared to centerfire ammunition it's all pretty dirty stuff. I don't really see a difference between Federal bulk ammunition, and, for example CCI Standard or Minimags. Usually, after about 30-40 rounds in my S & W 617, I encounter some resistance seating the cartridges in the chambers. By about 100 rounds, the resistance has become pronounced. The cylinder face on my 617 will become totally black after 25 rounds. By 100 rounds the black gunk will have become so thick that I can scrape it off with my fingernail. After 100 rounds there will also be a heavy buildup of crud around the forcing cone.

Needless to say, cleanup is more difficult with my 617 than it is with my centerfire revolvers. I cleaned my 617 the other day and it took me an hour an a quarter to get all of the crud off. I can clean any of my centerfire revolvers in 30 minutes.

The problem of carbon buildup is definitely less pronounced in a semiauto pistol than in a revolver. I agree, more of the dirt is directed down the barrel of a semiauto than with a revolver. My other .22 is a Smith & Wesson Model 41. I can usually get that gun in pristine shape after 45 minutes of cleaning.

One tip about cleaning: use a brush that is of slightly larger diameter than the bore of the barrel/cylinders you're cleaning. I use a .223 brush on the chambers of my 617 to get them spotless. On my 41 I find that a .22 caliber boresnake works really well at getting those last traces of dirt out of the barrel.
 
I have been shooting CCI Standard Velocity (blue pack) in everything lately while target/plinking. Clean, reliable and accurate. Going rate has been $21 for 500 lately.

Beentown
 
for bulk packs - the 550 federal packs from walmart are the best, IMO..

CCI products are also very clean - minimags, and standard velocity are great.
 
the cleanest .22 ammo i have found is wolf gold medal match, its got a great ammonia smell, and verry little residue.

but its price at around $50/500.

my single6 must have wide chambers, i have literally shot a bulk pack between it and my trailside in a few hours. the cases got a bit tight to push out, but not bad.

have you flitzed your cylinder? it really helps with the clean up.
 
The CCI minimags definitely shoot cleaner in my Single Six than the bulk ammo like win 333. But after a time the cyls still get cruddy. If you're shooting many rounds at a range outing, you might want to take a snake with you. If I am shooting alot of .22 in a revolver, I take a snake and a can of clp along and just give it a squirt or two and pull the snake through the cyls when the rounds no longer want to seat properly.
 
Mini mags are great .22 ammo - they have always cycled everything I have shot them in. For budgets, though, the Remington bulk packs I bought by the case works well. 6250 rounds in a case, purchased for $99.00 OTD at a gun show a few years ago. BEST ammo deal ever.......
 
Federal Bulk pack works great there are two different version if the content varies I am not sure but it seems that way to me.

Federal Bulk Blue Box with 525 inside seems a bit dirty

Federal Bulk Red/Brown box 550 inside seems very clean to me

Remington Gold Bulk box 525 inside very very very dirty

Winchester Xpert HV moderately clean

Blazer Bulk 525 inside very clean.

Ranked in order

Federal Bulk Red Box
Blazer Bulk Box
Winchester Xpert
Federal Blue Bulk box
Remington Gold Bulk Box. This would not feed more than 12 rounds in any of my automatics before needed cleaning. I now only use this box for my bolt actions and wish I never would have purchased them. When I run out Remington can bet I will never buy another box of them.
 
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