Airgun cleaning?
Moderators: pilkguns, m1963, David Levene, Spencer, Richard H
Airgun cleaning?
How do u prefer to clean your airguns bore?
-
jrmcdaniel
- Posts: 240
- Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2005 1:01 pm
- Location: Grantsville, MD
Almost never!
Less is More! I shoot many thousands of pellets per year and maybe clean once a year or so. I use lubricated pellets (Tumble a couple of drops of One Lube or Krytech for a tin of 500 pellets) and that seems to reduce any lead build-up to next to nothing. Some gun builders suggest only cleaning when accuracy starts to deteriorate.
Whatever you do, do not use hard rods, cleaning compounds, etc. Airgun barrels are made of softer metals and are easily damaged by cleaning rods. I use a pull-through cleaner (basically weed whacker cord). The seals on guns can be destroyed by the chemicals used in powder guns.
Some guns seem to need several pellets through them after cleaning before accuracy returns (another reason not to clean).
If you shoot a piston gun (not common in target shooting any more), then Dieseling can make the barrel dirtier a bit faster. I am told that this does not affect accuracy significantly, though, unless your gun is sounding like a .22.
Best,
Joe
Whatever you do, do not use hard rods, cleaning compounds, etc. Airgun barrels are made of softer metals and are easily damaged by cleaning rods. I use a pull-through cleaner (basically weed whacker cord). The seals on guns can be destroyed by the chemicals used in powder guns.
Some guns seem to need several pellets through them after cleaning before accuracy returns (another reason not to clean).
If you shoot a piston gun (not common in target shooting any more), then Dieseling can make the barrel dirtier a bit faster. I am told that this does not affect accuracy significantly, though, unless your gun is sounding like a .22.
Best,
Joe
Alex: A very simple method for cleaning an airgun's bore is the felt pellets
from VFG. They're sold either as a kit with dry and oiled pellets, or as bulk dry pellets. It's recommended to stack the pellets - two for pistol, three for rifle - leading off with an oiled felt. (If you buy the bulk dry pellets, just add a drop of oil to the lead pellet. Be sure to use an airgun recommended oil.) The felts are simply shot through the bore, mildly removing fouling as they travel down the rifling.
NOTE: I adhere to the general view of the minimal cleaning of a competitive airgun's barrel. Whatever method used, KEEP THE CLEANINGS FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.
VFG also makes felts in most competitive firearm calibers that are utilized with a cleaning rod an a specially designed jag.
from VFG. They're sold either as a kit with dry and oiled pellets, or as bulk dry pellets. It's recommended to stack the pellets - two for pistol, three for rifle - leading off with an oiled felt. (If you buy the bulk dry pellets, just add a drop of oil to the lead pellet. Be sure to use an airgun recommended oil.) The felts are simply shot through the bore, mildly removing fouling as they travel down the rifling.
NOTE: I adhere to the general view of the minimal cleaning of a competitive airgun's barrel. Whatever method used, KEEP THE CLEANINGS FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.
VFG also makes felts in most competitive firearm calibers that are utilized with a cleaning rod an a specially designed jag.
A simple pull trough ffrom weed trimmer cord (or lod rackets strings if you know someone who does restringing) and a patch lubricated with TSI 301 works fine.
Our best shooters notice acuracy drop off after 300 to 500 rounds, then clean. For our other juniors we just make it a habi t to pull a couple patches through every time they open a new tin of pellets.
Goig on nine years with club equipment, and no problems with declining accuracy using this method, and a can of TSI lasts several years.
Our best shooters notice acuracy drop off after 300 to 500 rounds, then clean. For our other juniors we just make it a habi t to pull a couple patches through every time they open a new tin of pellets.
Goig on nine years with club equipment, and no problems with declining accuracy using this method, and a can of TSI lasts several years.
-
bluechucky
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:13 am
- Location: Victoria, Australia
Could you please elaborate on the "not careful when loading them". Not sure what you mean by that.RobStubbs wrote:It's worth pointing out the felt pellets can lead to problems down the line if you are not careful when loading them. The fibres can get into the air port and lead to problems. I don't know if that was mentioned here or elsewhere but essentially use with care.
Rob.
I clean my daughters air rifle with an Otis pull through cleaning kit about once a year. I'm not sure that even that is nescessary. We have a machine rest at our club for testing rifles/pellets. Using the machine rest and shooting quality pellets (Vogle or R10's) I haven't noticed any degredation in accuracy after several thousand rounds.
An air rifle should be treated as if it were a smallbore rifle. It leds up just as much and as fast. Same with smallbore our team found we had a better grouping when the rifle was clean because the pellet bit into to the rifleing which will produce a more accurate shot.
The best way to clean an air rifle is with a simple pull through, .177 cal brass rod, .177 cal brass brush, .177 cal patches, TSI 301, and tape.
1. put tape over the hole which the air comes out of in the action so no lubricants can get in.
2. take your pull through and push it through action first whith a damp patch of the TSI 301 once.
3. with brass rod and brush push through muzzle first, 15-25 strokes.
4. take your pull again with dry patches and push it through action first as many times until clean or when you get really light pencil like marks
The best way to clean an air rifle is with a simple pull through, .177 cal brass rod, .177 cal brass brush, .177 cal patches, TSI 301, and tape.
1. put tape over the hole which the air comes out of in the action so no lubricants can get in.
2. take your pull through and push it through action first whith a damp patch of the TSI 301 once.
3. with brass rod and brush push through muzzle first, 15-25 strokes.
4. take your pull again with dry patches and push it through action first as many times until clean or when you get really light pencil like marks
An air rifle should be treated as if it were a smallbore rifle. It leds up just as much and as fast. Same with smallbore our team found we had a better grouping when the rifle was clean because the pellet bit into to the rifleing which will produce a more accurate shot.
The best way to clean an air rifle is with a simple pull through, .177 cal brass rod, .177 cal brass brush, .177 cal patches, TSI 301, and tape.
1. put tape over the hole which the air comes out of in the action so no lubricants can get in.
2. take your pull through and push it through action first whith a damp patch of the TSI 301 once.
3. with brass rod and brush push through muzzle first, 15-25 strokes.
4. take your pull again with dry patches and push it through action first as many times until clean or when you get really light pencil like marks
The best way to clean an air rifle is with a simple pull through, .177 cal brass rod, .177 cal brass brush, .177 cal patches, TSI 301, and tape.
1. put tape over the hole which the air comes out of in the action so no lubricants can get in.
2. take your pull through and push it through action first whith a damp patch of the TSI 301 once.
3. with brass rod and brush push through muzzle first, 15-25 strokes.
4. take your pull again with dry patches and push it through action first as many times until clean or when you get really light pencil like marks
Cleaning Air Guns
Are Don Nygord's articles still available anywhere? He wrote an exceptional one on just this subject. With Don's sense of humour & what's right & wrong, it begins "People, people, people, how many times do I have to tell you....."
Check it out.
Helen
Check it out.
Helen
Re: Cleaning Air Guns
Thanks I'll read it after breakfast!Helen wrote:Are Don Nygord's articles still available anywhere? He wrote an exceptional one on just this subject. With Don's sense of humour & what's right & wrong, it begins "People, people, people, how many times do I have to tell you....."
Check it out.
Helen
http://www.nygord-precision.com/cleaning.html
-
Guest
-
Lanning R. Hochhauser
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 8:45 am
- Location: Illinois
Nygord's Notes
As usual a voice of reason.
-
mark anderson
Airgun cleaning
See below from Don Nygords cleaning notes
Air Guns: If there is any gun that can be semi-neglected it is the air pistol. (Top air rifle shooters are as anal as anything described above, but pistol shooters can take it a bit easier.) I have seen air pistols with several thousand rounds through them without cleaning pull out an almost white patch the first pass. On the other hand, one of the top lady US Champions of a few years ago had a Walther CP2 that had to be cleaned every 200 rounds if it was to group at all. But her air gun was the exception. Their low velocity, excellent finish on the barrels and the lack of powder residues make air pistols almost carefree. For these, I recommend a nylon pull-through loop (doubled and crimped .040" trimmer cord) and a .22 cloth patch (1 1/4" diameter) and a spritz of TSI-301 about every couple of cans of pellets. Feed the loop down the bore from the muzzle, fold the patch in half, put into the loop, spritz and pull through. A couple will probably be enough. Then, take a Q-tip and wipe all around the pellet loading area (small bits of lead are common). Use a toothbrush to brush away lint, dust, etc. from all crevices, sights, and crannies. Lightly oil any moving parts like the pellet plunger and cocking lever pivots, wipe down the barrel and other steel external surfaces with "Breakfree" or equivalent (rust spots on an airgun barrel from acids in perspiration make me want to get out the horse-whip!) and you are done. Some think you need to put silicone grease on the seals and it isn't a bad idea to put it on the cylinder/gun fitting seal (and filling adaptor seal) during your regular maintenance sessions, but the other seals need it very infrequently (and sparingly!)
Air Guns: If there is any gun that can be semi-neglected it is the air pistol. (Top air rifle shooters are as anal as anything described above, but pistol shooters can take it a bit easier.) I have seen air pistols with several thousand rounds through them without cleaning pull out an almost white patch the first pass. On the other hand, one of the top lady US Champions of a few years ago had a Walther CP2 that had to be cleaned every 200 rounds if it was to group at all. But her air gun was the exception. Their low velocity, excellent finish on the barrels and the lack of powder residues make air pistols almost carefree. For these, I recommend a nylon pull-through loop (doubled and crimped .040" trimmer cord) and a .22 cloth patch (1 1/4" diameter) and a spritz of TSI-301 about every couple of cans of pellets. Feed the loop down the bore from the muzzle, fold the patch in half, put into the loop, spritz and pull through. A couple will probably be enough. Then, take a Q-tip and wipe all around the pellet loading area (small bits of lead are common). Use a toothbrush to brush away lint, dust, etc. from all crevices, sights, and crannies. Lightly oil any moving parts like the pellet plunger and cocking lever pivots, wipe down the barrel and other steel external surfaces with "Breakfree" or equivalent (rust spots on an airgun barrel from acids in perspiration make me want to get out the horse-whip!) and you are done. Some think you need to put silicone grease on the seals and it isn't a bad idea to put it on the cylinder/gun fitting seal (and filling adaptor seal) during your regular maintenance sessions, but the other seals need it very infrequently (and sparingly!)
Re: Airgun cleaning
But what about a 10 meter air rifle, or even a more powerful Feild Target air rifle? How should we clean them?mark anderson wrote:See below from Don Nygords cleaning notes
Air Guns: If there is any gun that can be semi-neglected it is the air pistol. (Top air rifle shooters are as anal as anything described above, but pistol shooters can take it a bit easier.) I have seen air pistols with several thousand rounds through them without cleaning pull out an almost white patch the first pass. On the other hand, one of the top lady US Champions of a few years ago had a Walther CP2 that had to be cleaned every 200 rounds if it was to group at all. But her air gun was the exception. Their low velocity, excellent finish on the barrels and the lack of powder residues make air pistols almost carefree.