Did I damage my .22 ruger pistol?

J

jamesdavid

Inactive
I cleaned my markII barrel perhaps 10 times with a cleaning rod from the breech. It was a non coated rod, and I used a bronze brush for the first couple of strokes. I used the handle and one section from an outers military issue rod.

This was some time ago, and I've long since learned not to use rods in 22s. Could this have reduced the accuracy of the gun by damaging the rifling?

Thanks
 
Probably not.
Unless you were being just brutal with the poor thing.

Did you mar the bore in amyway?


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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
Hey - have you seen the new Ultimate Super Tactical Match Gun?
 
I don't think so. I was really careful to clean from the breech and not force things, allow rod to rotate with rifling, etc. I typically did perhaps 10 passes with the rod.
 
James,

Buy a nylon rod if you are really worried but the BIGGEST amount of wear you'll develop on your ruger is taking the barrel off the frame. In doing this repeatedly you'll notice over time the fit isn't as tight. It will not affect your accuracy however.

Avoid stainless steel "hurricane" brushes and always clean fromthe breech, never the muzzle and you'll do just fine.

Dr.Rob
 
Forgive my ignorance, but why aren't you supposed to use brushes with .22s? I've got a couple of .22 pistols that I've cleaned with brushes--and one is a revolver so I've cleaned it from the muzzle--and have never noticed any damage to the bore. Should I quit using my bronze brush on my .22s and if so, why? Thanks--

Sic semper tyrannis

freedomlover
 
Hi, Freedomlover,

I think he was worried about the steel GI cleaning rod (for the M16), not about the brush. The rod is softer than the M16 barrel, but probably harder than the Ruger .22 barrel. .22 barrels are usually not made very hard, since there is little wear from the .22 lead bullet.

A bronze brush won't hurt any steel barrel.

Jim
 
Thanks Jim--felt like an ignoramus asking that question, but I just had to know. I've learned a lot on this forum and am always looking for good advice. Thanks for your input--

Sic semper tyrannis

freedomlover
 
I should be able to use an aluminum rod on my MkI then, right? Thanks guys, I too was wondering how a rod could be bad . . .

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Don

"Its not criminals that go into schools and shoot children"
--Ann Pearston, British Gun Control apologist and moron
 
Hmm... I have a Remington cleaning kit that is intended for use all the way down to a 22. Funny thing I noticed while cleaning the rifle this weekend, though. A little bit of aluminum from the rod would get shaved off while the rod was being inserted up the barrel. I really don't think that it was hurting the steel of the barrel, but I worry a little bit about shavings falling into the barrel somehow.
 
Last spring the local range had a company come in to demo their gun care products. As part of the demo, they were offering a free cleaning to anyone interested. The idiot, yes idiot, used a stainless brush on a steel rod to scrub my 22/45 bore from the muzzle end. I noticed no degradation of accuracy after his hack job.
He was:
Stupid.
Uninformed.
Lucky.

I was:
Stupid. (To let him do it)
Lucky.
Not overly concerned, because I wanted to see what kind of abuse the 22/45 would stand up to.

On the Ruger, clean from the breech, buy one of the little trigger assy guards and you won't have to take it off the frame as often. Be careful and avoid using brushes, most of the time you don't need them, a wet patch works just fine. Wipe the rod clean so it doesn't collect dirt, the dirt will do more damage than a soft metal rod. I like brass rods because they are soft yet strong, and look better than aluminum. Plastic or nylon rods bend, metal doesn't, so an oops is less likely, other than that, Dr. Rob is 100% on IMO. Most Rugers (22's) are overcleaned and killed with kindness.

In answer to your question, I doubt if you damaged it. This time anyhow. You can use a pair of reading glasses or a magnifying glass to check the bore around the chamber area in the Mark II after a wet patch or two. If there is any lead or crud, you may need a brush to work it out. I use a spent .22 Stinger case to scrape the sides of the chamber clean instead of a brush, followed by a patch of #9. That gets that ring of crud a whole lot faster and easier than anything I've found.

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http://www.ofcc.net
Do what you C.A.N.

http://thematrix.acmecity.com/digital/237/cansite/can.html
 
You ask "Could this have reduced the accuracy of the gun by damaging the rifling?"

Did you shoot it after you cleaned it? How did it shoot? Did the accuracy deteriorate? If not, you're probably alright.

Neil Casper
 
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