Crown?

[michael_aos]

I've got 2 .22's that force me to clean them from the muzzle-end. A Ruger K10/22T and a Browning BuckMark Micro.

I'm using a Dewey .22 cleaning rod, and a Dewey or Sinclair .22 rimfire brass jag with 3/4" square patches. I'm also using a Sinclair muzzle-guide for the 10/22.

I keep hitting the crown with the jags. I'm trying to be careful, but it still happens -- maybe even worse the more careful I try to be!

I'm hoping the brass jag is soft enough that it CAN'T hurt the crown.

Or am I likely causing minute damage every time I clean them this way?

Mike

[Vlad]

On both guns the barrels can be removed with ease. Also a lot of people (including top rimfire shooters) recommend never cleaning your bore on .22s. If you want to clean your bores but not take the barrels off the guns then invest in bore snakes or a patch worm or an Otis cleaning kit. All of those are pull though cleaning implements and the last two allow you to use whatever brushes and patches you want, while the boresnakes do both without any other accessories.

Vlad

[JD45]

There definitely are several schools of thought on cleaning .22s . I belong to the one that believes that it is best to never put a brass brush in a .22 barrel. I do clean chambers and especially the action(rimfire powder is nasty). If BoreSnake would make one without the brush imbedded it would be perfect for a .22.

On the same subject, a friend once brought home a nice bolt-action .22 from a gun show. It was made in China, I think around $150, and had a name that was new to me.

I watched him shoot groups at 100yds. that were under 3/4". Some were near 1/2". About a month later I was discussing his awesome .22 with some other guys.

He heard me and said, "It's not so hot now. I can't even break 1.5" at 100yds." I said,"what happened?" "I cleaned it" he says.

[michael_aos]

I guess I'll have to see how much of an accuracy "hit" the cleaning turns out to be.

Worst-base, there are plenty of aftermarket 10/22 barrels out there. Might even look at converting it to HM2 cartridge if it turns out to be more than just hype.

Mike

[Hank Ellis]

I've recently spent a lot of time on the forums at Rimfire Central doing research for my 10/22 project. As JD45 mentioned, there are several schools of thought concerning cleaning. There seems to be one common thread though. More .22 barrels are damaged by overcleaning and improper techniques than simply leaving it alone. My thought on .22 barrels is that the only metal that should go through it is the lead projectiles.

Thanks to the folks at Rimfire Central, I've started using these techniques. Use a Bore Snake with the brass brush removed. The brush held in place by the weave of the fabric like a Chinese fingertrap. Be patient, it will come out. My favorite technique is to use weed-eater line. Cut a piece of line 24" to 28" long for a typical 18" barrel. Make the cut at an angle to make punching a hole through the patch easier. At the other end, heat it with a lighter and when it's soft, press it against a metal can flattening it. Congratulations, you just made a great cleaning tool that has no metal to scratch and can be fed through the breech on any rifle. One wet patch followed by two dry patches and my barrel cleaning is done.

To clean the action, I use Birchwood Casey Gun Scrub to get big chunks out then use a dry Teflon lube for the trigger group and tiny bit of BEnos Slide Glide Lite on the bolt.

[old shooter]

I have 2 different 10/22's and clean them differently. On (volquartssen) I use a small wooden dowel (from home center) and push a cotton patch soaked with hoppe's 9 on it.

On my other older gun (conneticut precision bbl) I have used brass brushes and bore snakes. I have even shot the fire lap bullets thru this bbl. I don't take any extra precautions with this gun.

In the end, they both shoot about the same. My advice? Just don't do anything extreeme to your main shooter.

Mike

[raz-0]

patchworm is your friend, or take some weed whacker line, cut at an angle, and use a lighter to make a sub .22 blob at one end and thread your patches over it, essentially the same thing.

The otis kit is a bit of a PITA to run through most 22 pistols, hence why I own a patch worm (well also because I don't own a yard or a the various machinery that goes with it).

[tightloop]

I agree with Old Shooter....I have a 10-22 with Shilen Select Match stainless bbl, a modified 52D cut chamber, Vol trigger unit, Six stockand big Leopould glass..clean it the same as I do with my centerfire guns...still shoots .33 at 50yds if I do my part....give them good ammo, mine likes Lapua and Ely Gold, and don't worry...if you have a good tube on it, it should really shoot without worrying too much about cleaning it..