base cleaning, how soon after target shoot session

[walther500]

Hello,

I am using semi automatic .22 target sport pistol with lower velocity 327 m/s rimfire cartridges with high quality.
I usually consume 50 cartridges a day (=one box) per day session, with rapid shooting 100-150 cartridges per day.

On your exprerience, how soon should the base cleaning of barrel take place at latest, in my use scenario?
With base cleaning I mean classic cleaning with rod, using CLP oil & nylon brush, then CLP oil & mop - finally wipe barrel dry.

I am doing that base clean during same day, usually 2-6 hours from shooting - soon as I find the time and peace.
Some say they hardly clean target pistols at all, before they have problems. This cannot be good for gun?

Thanks, M

[ojh2]

The question is, how could not cleaning the gun cause irreversible harm for it? Residues of modern primer compounds and powders do not cause corrosion. After enough accumulation they can make the gun unreliable, but that does not mean any permanent damage. In my book unnecessary cleaning means just unnecessary wear for the bore.

[DRB3224]

You wrote that you are cleaning a .22. Rimfire ammo residue is especially abrasive and, in my opinion, must be cleaned.

Not cleaning with some regularity leaves residue on the surfaces of the gun. That residue acts as a lapping compound and wears the frame/slide/barrel surfaces. Thus the close tolerances in the factory new gun will progressively become looser and looser. In my mind, that can not be good for accuracy of the gun. I do clean my gun regularly to (hopefully) prevent premature wear of those surfaces. Regular for me depends upon the matches I've shot but typically is done after firing 100-150 rounds.

For a 22 rimfire I also insert a .243/.25 caliber brass cleaning brush into the chamber; it is inserted slightly deeper than the length of the empty case. Rotate the brush clockwise as you insert it and pull it back out. This prevents accumulation of lead in front of the chamber. Do not use a push-pull, back and forth motion; that can cause the bristles to break off. The brush is used to clean only the chamber and first few millimeters ahead of the chamber; it does not go down the full length of the barrel and out the muzzle.

Most important in any cleaning routine is to avoid damaging the gun. Use a coated cleaning rod. And absolutely do NOT use stainless steel brushes! Read and follow the directions on the cleaning products - some should not be mixed together.

In the end, your gun should be maintained so that you don't have malfunctions due to a dirty gun.

I recall another response to your type question. "If you ask 10 shooters how often they clean their gun, you will get 11 or 12 different answers." They might all be correct so do what works best for you.

Glenn

[Ramon OP]

If you don't use the gun for a long time the rests of powder can attract moisture and end up causing rust.

I heard that the German pistol team cleans every 250-500 shots.

If you are happy with your system I would not change it. The ifle shooters at my club clean their guns after every training as they are putting everything away.

[JamesH]

Depends a bit on the climate - if you live in a dry climate then you can probably leave it forever, in a humid climate its worth getting some oil in there ASAP.

Depends also if the barrel is stainless.

.22LR is lubricated which 'should' give some corrosion barrier, depending on the lube type. At least it should be better than jacketed.

Personally I like to give a quick brush with a nylon brush and fluid followed by some patches well soaked in fluid.
Then thoroughly clean at a later date.

Be careful with dry patches - these can actually be quite abrasive and wear out a .22 barrel.
Patches shouldn't be tight in the barrel, a tight patch seems a good way to get the dirt out quicker but thats the job of the brush, what it actually does is pick up the carbon fouling and become an abrasive pad.
Don't use a dry brush either.
Some manufacturers suggest to run an oiled patch backwards and forwards to 'condition' the barrel. Maybe this pushes oil into any crevices making future cleaning easier. Edit - this is after barrel is thoroughly cleaned

What I do is swab out with loose patches with cleaning fluid, then a loose dry patch, then a patch with gun oil for storage, then a dry patch before use.
Mostly I push the brush chamber to muzzle, take the brush off and repeat, except for stubborn leading - which does happen in .22s - then pulling the brush backwards through the barrel remove more.
Never reverse the direction with the brush in the barrel, this buckles the bristles and grinds the tips into the barrel.

Be very careful of commercial cleaning fluids, you don't want anything with ammonia. Some state they are 'ammonia free' but they sometimes aren't.
It may not attack the barrel, but it will attack a brass or bronze brush, create a copper salt which will then corrode the barrel.
If your brushes are losing bristles unusually fast chances are there's ammonia in the fluid.
Once most of the fouling has been removed I tend to use a bronze brush for the hard-packed fouling and lead.

It seems like a good idea to leave cleaning fluid in the barrel, but this can evaporate leaving a perfectly clean bare metal surface ready to corrode along with a bit of carbon dust which is abrasive and the first bullet picks up.
Its best to only leave gun oil in the bore.

[walther500]

Thank you for all replies.

I can see all answers kind of warn about bad or harmful cleaning.
Clean interval can change and mostly because of surroundings.

Thanks, M