Why is 22lr such a dirty ammo?

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Pistoler0

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Does anybody know why 22lr is such a dirty ammo?

I have to clean my 22lr pistol during shooting sessions if I don't want jams, typically after 50 shots or less. I can shoot 200 rds or more through my 9mm or my 45acp Glocks with no issue.

Can a rimfire cartridge be made as clean shooting as a centerfire? Is it an inherent design flaw due to primers, powder....

I wondered if it is the brand I use, but I have changed from CCI to Aguila and others with no difference.
 
It’s the lube on the ammo. It’s not “dirty”, it’s wax lubed and it will build up in the chamber of your gun. I have shot over a half million rounds of .22lr ammo over the last thirty years in practice and at matches. I carry a small cleaning brush made by RCBS that has a plastic handle with a short brush attached that’s bent at 90 degrees. I use it to brush the chamber before starting and during mid-practice/match to keep the wax from building up. Some ammo is worse than others. Most imported, high quality ammo is lubed with a much thinner viscosity lube and doesn’t build up as fast. A match chamber adds to the problem also. That’s just the way it is with rim fire ammo. If it’s not jamming after a couple of hundred rounds (or less) you’re shooting a loose, and probably less accurate chamber.
 
Pistoler0 said:
Does anybody know why 22lr is such a dirty ammo?

Can a rimfire cartridge be made as clean shooting as a centerfire?
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Yes, if quality components are used. Note jacketed bullets don't foul bores as bad as lead bullets.

The best match ammo (RWS, Eley, Lapua) is the cleanest to use but bores still need proper cleaning techniques every 50 to 70 rounds if best accuracy and functioning are prime objectives.
 
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Shot 22 match for a while in the service and one of the guy's was shooting a match Anschutz with Eley match ammo. He told me he never cleans his rifle.Haven't cleaned my own in quite a while but just don't shoot it much anymore.
 
I have to clean my 22lr pistol during shooting sessions if I don't want jams, typically after 50 shots or less.
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You don't say what gun you are using, but if it won't go 50rnds of even the crappiest dirtiest .22LR then I'd say you have a gun problem.

one time I bought a semi .22 from a gunshop, the gun was used, but in good shape, had the box, etc., and was marked down, being about 2/3 the usual price. So, I asked about it.

The shop guy told me it was marked down, because it was a jamm-o-matic. They had used it as a range rental gun for a little bit, but it constantly jammed, so they put it out for sale at a reduced price.

I bought it, and took it home, it looked ok to me. Then I shot it, and dang, they were right, it jammed twice in the first mag, and 3 times during the second magazine.

Then, I OILED it. Ran flawlessly after that, for the couple hundred rounds I fired that day, and has been fine, ever since.

Lesson here, SOMETIMES, all you need is to do things correctly...:rolleyes:
 
Yes, if quality components are used. Note jacketed bullets don't foul bores as bad as lead bullets.
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There are no .22lr bullets that are jacketed. They look like it, but it’s just a copper wash. It’s not any better than the plain lead bullets. All quality match ammo is just plain lead. Your gun doesn’t jam or fail to feed because of the bore being dirty, it does that because the chamber is dirty....plugged with excess lube and fouling.
 
"...have to clean my 22lr pistol during..." That's very unusual. Like Don says, .22's rarely need cleaning at all.
What pistol? What ammo?
"...no .22lr bullets that are jacketed..." Used to say that myself. There are now. Both Federal and CCI make 'em. And what's worse is that they were used during W.W.II.
 
.22 barrels seldom need cleaning. The actions can quickly fill up with firing resuidue and unburned powder.

Sure would like to see factory specs on that jacketed .22lr ammunition. Maybe they only sell it in Canada, or in Mr. O's imagination.
 
I almost never clean a 22 barrel. They just don't need it and the danger of messing it up out weighs the benefit. In fact I can go several hundred rounds before I need to clean the action. But I usually do so once a year regardless.

Maybe it is the guns I'm using. My rifles are all Ruger 10/22's or bolt guns made by Tikka and CZ. The pistols are a Ruger 22/45 and a Glock 44.
 
[ammo?
"...no .22lr bullets that are jacketed..." Used to say that myself. There are now. Both Federal and CCI make 'em. And what's worse is that they were used during W.W.II./QUOTE].

I’d like to see a link to those “jacketed .22lr” rounds. I can’t find them.
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Mid to high grade match .22 LR is not really that dirty. The low end bulk pack stuff, yea, it's dirty. With mid grade (or higher) ammo, I can go 1000 rounds without cleaning. I do occasionally wipe out the big chunks with a Q-tip, but deep cleaning is only 3 or 4 times a year. The low end bulk pack stuff is dirty because they use low quality lube, and low quality powder. They can sell (non panic prices) it for 4 cents a round as compared to mid grade 15 cents, or high end 20+ cents.

If you're using high end .22 ammo and only getting 50 rounds before failures, it may be the gun.
 
Am not a match shooter but in my experience the Fed copper washed shoots much cleaner than any lead rounds tried.
 
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