Air gun bore cleaning?

Brayhaven · Post by **Brayhaven** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:50 am

OK, it's a little basic for a 50 yr shooter & gunsmith to ask, but I've just gotten into airguns for practice. :o). How often do you clean the bore on airguns? I have a FWB 300S & a FWB 65. They don't really seem to get dirty... Accuracy seems to stay great on them.
Thanks,
Greg

jrmcdaniel · Post by **jrmcdaniel** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:08 am

Rarely. If accuracy deteriorates, I pull a BoreSnake through but that is perhaps 4 times a year or so and I shoot a lot (Steyr LG100 upped to 18fpe and shooting about 870fps). At lower pellet speeds, the need for cleaning is far reduced.

I would clean more on the basis of cleaning (getting rid of lead dust, etc.) rather than bore condition.

Best,

Joe

Pat McCoy · Post by **Pat McCoy** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:42 am

We pull a couple patches thru after every tin of pellets. Takes only a few seconds, and keeps everything in good shape.

Our best air rifle shooter cleaned about every 250/300 shots because he felt it was beginning to degrade accuracy. I can't argue as he went on to be Jr Nat'l Champion.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:33 pm

I have an Anschutz 2002CA, and when I finish a tin of pellets, I run the dry boresnake through 5 times. I never seem to have a problem. I use RWS R10 pellets.
Anschutz prohibits felt pellets for some reason. Do anyone know why?
Ter

laxratnd · Post by **laxratnd** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:07 pm

you guys feels ok with running bore snakes through your air guns.

I just never thought of doing it because well wouldn't want to harm it at all.

stephen

peepsight · Post by **peepsight** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:29 am

Hi guest

I asked an Anshutz gun smith this very question, why not felt cleaning pellets? He said that there was a small risk of some tiny fibres from the felt pellets getting into the valve system. So to play safe, they recommend a pull through only.
Air Arms also don't recommend felt cleaning pellets for the same reasons.

However, FWB, Walther, Steyr and nearly all of the other makes recommend cleaning felts, which suggests they don't feel them to be a risk to the valve mechanism!!

jrmcdaniel · Post by **jrmcdaniel** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:18 am

The Bore Snake has a metal drop weight that you insert into the breech and pull through the muzzle. For some guns, the weight is too long to get it into the bore throught the breech -- I cut my weight off until it fits.

5 pulls is a lot -- one is all I bother with. Some people remove the brass wires in the Bore Snake -- since I clean so seldom and with only one pull, I assume that the brass will not affect the bore. The concern is that the steel used in airgun barrels is softer than for a typical .22LR or high power barrel and anything "vigorous" might wear the barrel over time.

Best,

Joe

laxratnd · Post by **laxratnd** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:50 am

Ive never used a bore snake for my air rifle. and i don't really use one much for my smallbore ever. for my air rifle i use fishing line with a loop at the end and patches, with some non corrisive solvent like TSI-301, you would might be surprised what comes out of an air rifle. I do believe in cleaning air rifles. there is a degrade in accuracy for some rifles. I clean mine about ever tin.

stephen

pwh · Post by **pwh** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:38 am

An excerpt from the book “Air Rifle Shooting” by, Heinz Reinkemeire ©; “…..and don’t forget to clean the rifle. The accuracy is reduced by two tenths of a millimeter if you don’t clean the barrel after every shoot. Up to five tenths, if you leave it generally uncleaned.”

~Phil

jrmcdaniel · Post by **jrmcdaniel** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:42 am

There is an airgun .177 Bore Snake without the brass brush I just noticed in the catalog.

laxratnd · Post by **laxratnd** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:38 am

Which catalog did you notice it in.

Thanks

boris · Post by **boris** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 12:51 am

http://www.natchezss.com/category.cfm?c ... ID=HS24009

jrmcdaniel · Post by **jrmcdaniel** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:04 pm

Brushless Bore Snake at Midsouth