Cleaning conundrum

Hovannes · Post by **Hovannes** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:24 pm

Specifically for my .22 LR pistol.
Years ago I heard that steel rods are safer than aluminium or wood since the softer material can pick up grit and erode the innards of the barrel.
Then reading Dan Nygord's notes, a piece of weed wacker nylon monofilament (the Patch Worm?) is all he recommends. At the Boy Scout camp, all we use on .22 rifles is a Bore Snake. Looking at new cleaning kits on line I notice that aluminium cleaning rods are back in style.

OK I'm completely confused. If picking up grit harms barrels, does it matter if the grit is embedded or not?
I'd guess if not it would be easily wiped away with an oil rag but then steel against steel can't be all that good, can it? And where does all this grit come from anyway in a target firearm that is only fired at the range?

Dan Nygord seems to frown on bronze brushes---why is that? Bronze is certanly softer than steel?

And what is wrong with the Bore Snake for .22s? I understand they won't remove the plastic deposits in shotgun bores which accumulates from the wads,but certainly that isn't an issue with .22LRs?

My cleaning supplies are about due for replenishment and if I make a departure( hopefully an improvement) from my norm, now would be a good time to change, but change to what?

gkn · Post by **gkn** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:27 am

I use a white weed whacker line (0.105") with a round cross section. Don't use the type that has a star shaped cross section, as it can harbor more grit. I wipe it clean before and after use.

I have read that aluminum rods are frowned on, as aluminum reacts with air to form aluminum oxide, one of the toughest compounds there is. Look at some forms of sandpaper and you may see aluminum oxide as the embedded material that does the work.

If you choose to use a cleaning rod, use a bore guide specifically made for your rifle. In your case (a pistol) I don't know what to suggest.

Hope this helps.
gkn

Dr. Jim · Post by **Dr. Jim** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:33 pm

I'm one of those who don't bother to clean a 22. It does more harm than any possible good. Rules given to me around the time I started 36 years ago were:
1) don't clean a pistol until it stops functioning.
2) NEVER start a match with a clean gun.

Most of the time a quick swipe with a nylon brush or a patch will remove any build up of grease and powder on the breach face or bolt. Of course some guns are much fussier and require more frequent cleaning and the situation is undoubtedly different is wetter areas. (Alberta basically can be called semi-desert.) For others, cleaning may offer much more psychological satisfaction.

Dr Jim

Fred Mannis · Post by **Fred Mannis** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:19 pm

I'm with Dr Jim - almost. I clean my pistols just before they stop functioning. With experience you will know whether this is 500 rounds or 1000 rounds.

Seriously, all you need for a 22 is Weed Wacker cord, patches, a nylon brush to clean the breech face and extractor, and a 25 cal brush bent to 90 deg to clean the chamber. Magazines require at least as much attention as the pistol itself because of the grease and residue build up. I clean mine thoroughly every few hundred rounds.

Freepistol · Post by **Freepistol** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:56 pm

Dr. Jim wrote:I'm one of those who don't bother to clean a 22. It does more harm than any possible good. Rules given to me around the time I started 36 years ago were:
1) don't clean a pistol until it stops functioning.
2) NEVER start a match with a clean gun.

. . . . .

Dr Jim

It sounds to me, Dr. Jim, that whoever gave you those rules was afraid of being beaten by you and that person wanted you to have malfunction issues during the match. ben

Levergun59 · Post by **Levergun59** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:47 pm

The benchresters don't like the carbon buildup in the leade to the barrel. It leads to unexplained flyers. They take bristle brushes [brass] to get rid of it. I clean the extractor, the feed ramp and the leade after every match. After the season is over I will clean and oil the barrel. My favorite cleaning rod is a Russian one that was included with his Biathlon rifle. It feels and looks like wood but it could be a composite. I also have a few graphite ones from Sinclair. I wipe the rod every time I run it through the barrel. Hope this helps.
Chris

Dr. Jim · Post by **Dr. Jim** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 9:51 pm

Freepistol wrote:
Dr. Jim wrote:I'm one of those who don't bother to clean a 22. It does more harm than any possible good. Rules given to me around the time I started 36 years ago were:
1) don't clean a pistol until it stops functioning.
2) NEVER start a match with a clean gun.

. . . . .

Dr Jim
It sounds to me, Dr. Jim, that whoever gave you those rules was afraid of being beaten by you and that person wanted you to have malfunction issues during the match. ben

No one need fear being beaten by me, at least not in recent years! And I religiously clean my Walther GSP and my Unique DES69 once every 5 or 6 years, but I have found my Domino 602 to be fussy enough to require a bath after a thousand rounds or so.

Dr Jim

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:45 pm

This has gotten pretty interesting. I clean the chamber, rails and magazine well but I can understand why barrels should be left as is or at the most, a patch. What about protection for corrosion? I remember reading long ago that modern rimfire ammo leaves a residue which resists corrosion(this came froma clerk at Woolworths, back when Woolworths had gun departments)
Is this true? I'd think that corrosion would be more harmfull to a barrel than anything a bronze brush could do.
And what about bore snakes? Why do most target shooters dislike them?

Tim S · Post by **Tim S** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:07 pm

Anonymous wrote:This has gotten pretty interesting. I clean the chamber, rails and magazine well but I can understand why barrels should be left as is or at the most, a patch. What about protection for corrosion? I remember reading long ago that modern rimfire ammo leaves a residue which resists corrosion(this came froma clerk at Woolworths, back when Woolworths had gun departments)
Is this true? I'd think that corrosion would be more harmfull to a barrel than anything a bronze brush could do.
And what about bore snakes? Why do most target shooters dislike them?

With boresnakes (and pull-throughs in general) there's the fear that you can pull the cord against the crown if you're careless.

Fred Mannis · Post by **Fred Mannis** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:17 pm

Anonymous wrote:This has gotten pretty interesting. I clean the chamber, rails and magazine well but I can understand why barrels should be left as is or at the most, a patch. What about protection for corrosion? I remember reading long ago that modern rimfire ammo leaves a residue which resists corrosion(this came froma clerk at Woolworths, back when Woolworths had gun departments)
Is this true? I'd think that corrosion would be more harmfull to a barrel than anything a bronze brush could do.
And what about bore snakes? Why do most target shooters dislike them?

.22 LR bullets carry a wax lubricant, some of which is left behind in the barrel and helps to protect it against corrosion from moisture. I would not depend on it if the gun is stored in a high humidity environment for any length of time. If you are shooting the gun regularly, it provides adequate protection. Removing the wax and relubricating just means you will have to re zero the gun.

I dislike bore snakes because you are simply pulling the same debris back through the bore again and again. I use a fresh patch for each pass.

BTW, there is nothing wrong with using a rod if it passes from chamber to crown. Many FP can be cleaned in this manner

.22-5-40 · Post by **.22-5-40** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:05 am

Hello, I have been using either a Dewey coated .17 rod (discontinued) or a .20 Dewey or Bore-Stix coated rod for rimfire cleaning. I usually only run 1 dry patch thru, then one wet with Hoppe's No.9, & patch dry. If I won't be shooting for season, I will run very light oiled patch thru. On the .17 rod..I have to use adapter to go up to .22 jag.

Levergun59 · Post by **Levergun59** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 10:27 am

I know that this isn't pertinent to rimfire shooters, but to all of you who shoot moly coated rifle, pistol and lead bullets in a humid area, you must run an oil coated patch through the barrel. Moly is hydroscopic, it attracts water and if it is coating your barrel, it will quickly rust your favorite chunk of chrome moly. Someone did make a non-hydroscopic moly but that source dried up at least 10 years ago. Anyways, food for thought.
Chris

JamesH · Post by **JamesH** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 7:43 pm

Theres a small chance thats what etched my Toz49 barrel, live and learn I guess.

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 5:57 pm

. Someone did make a non-hydroscopic moly but that source dried up at least 10 years ago. Anyways, food for thought.
like that quote

Cleaning conundrum

Cleaning conundrum

Colin