TargetTalk

Hello all, I just purchased a S&W model 41, which is my first upper level 22 lr. I am wondering what the consensus is on the cleaning of this and other pistols like the Walther ssp type guns? I have been told everything from don't clean it till it stops working to clean it just like every other gun.

I am curious as I don't want to damage the gun. I am going to but using Eley ammo unless I find something better.

Please let me know what your opinion is. Thanks

Adam

You will hear alot of stories and opinions here about cleaning.
IMO barrels on 22lr don't need cleaning often at all.
actions do...
With that being said I clean my action when it appears dirty.
Semi auto 22s get visably dirty.
I vernture to say its on or b4 I shoot 500rnds.
Lubricaton is needed on the action b4 the 500 rnds.

Eley is good ammo if it functions correctly in your gun.
SK and Wolf is also very good.
CCi Std is also a good choice
The key to the ammo is functionality and accuracy.
it must work in your gun so test it out and find what works best.

The one thing I have done is purchased a 17 cal cleaning rod on the recommendation of Dewey rods. The only question was if it would be long enough. The one I bought was 7 inches and the next longer one is 11 inches. We weren't sure because of the way the barrel is shaped on the 41 with the overhang of the rear sight.

Adam

You'll probably figure it out once you become more familiar with your particular S&W 41. with 22s, cleaning is closely tied to reliability. Some 41s are reliable, while many others are not. The less reliable ones tend to need more cleaning. You want to keep the slide rails clean and well lubed so the slide travels easily. (I use a creamy lube called TW25.) I also keep the breechface and extractor hook clean and free of debris. While it is usually best to not clean a .22 barrel, the chamber is another matter. A short bronze brush bent so that the tip is just under the length of an empty 22 case can be used to keep the chamber clean. If you wish to clean the barrel, use a pull through string made of thin nylon fishing line. Just tie a "noose" so you can easily secure a small patch to pull through the bore.
If you do have any reliability issues, you may want to experiment with reduced power recoil springs by Wolff. They make several starting at about 6 lbs.

Cheers,
Jim

Steve Boelter wrote a book on rimfire guns and suggested that because a 22 rimfire priming material creates a glass like residue to use a loose fitting, wet patch first to push out the residue so it doesn't scratch the bore.

I don't know how you can pull a bore snake or fishing line out of the muzzle without it rubbing more on one side than the other sides??? The muzzle crown is known to have an effect on the precision/grouping of a handguns so why risk damage even if it's a small risk.

I rarely use a brush in the bore and if I do I use a nylon brush - patches only.

I'm over protective of my target guns - probably way overly so. I shoot my bullseye guns a lot and want them to last longer than I do.
You don't want to know about my 45 wad guns - it's becoming an irrational, Zen-like religious ritual to clean them.

There is an article on cleaning a Hammerli that I believe was written by Larry Carter I think most of the rules that he mentions and the reasons for them apply to almost any quality rimfire. http://www.starreloaders.com/edhall/hammerli208sca.html

I admit that I don't take any of my rimfire guns apart. I let the professionals do that. I clean from the chamber end with a brush bent so that the part I put in the gun is only as long as a .22 round. I brush that quite a bit with gunzilla, and then pull a bore snake followed by a couple of dry patches through the gun. I use a nylon brush follwed by patches on the firing pin and in the champber. My AW-93 likes to be VERY clean and needs to be cleaned this way after 150 rounds or so. If you don't do this you will pay for it with a double or triple alabi in rapid fire. My Hammerlis just keep on chugging away. You may find that your .41 is ammo picky. Being very clean will make it less ammo picky but you will still have to find the kind that it likes to echo a previous poster. Isabel

Will Schuemann of Schuemann Barrels has an opinion on cleaning barrels:

"My Personal Practice has become to never clean the bore of my barrels. I do use a brass rod to scrape the deposits out of the chamber. But, I've learned to leave the bore alone and it very slowly becomes shinier and cleaner all by itself. Years ago I occasionally scrubbed the bore with a brass bore brush. But, doing so always seemed to cause the bore to revert to a dirtier look with more shooting, so I eventually stopped ever putting anything down the bore except bullets..."