Ammunition Testing

[Dr.J]

When testing .22 rimfire ammunition for accuracy is it:
1. Best to completely clean the barrel before shooting a different brand?
2. Acceptable to dry patch the barrel before changing brands?
3. Acceptable to shoot, let’s say, 10 rounds of the different ammunition?

What if not changing brands, I.e., shooting different grades of Ely or Lapua? Thanks, Tom

 

[60723]

If shooting Eley 10X or match, do nothing because they both use the same lube. If swapping brands I would run 1 patch with
C-4 and then couple of dry patches

 

[TRSR8]

If shooting Eley 10X or match, do nothing because they both use the same lube. If swapping brands I would run 1 patch with
C-4 and then couple of dry patches

C4 is not a solvent. Rarely carbon down the bbl, you want a proper solvent to remove all prior lube.
That said, zero downside to cleaning between although you can shoot most over ELEY, NOT the other way around.

 

[1813benny]

At $2k a case, why take any shortcut? If you change brands, clean the rifle.

 

[William Vogel]

I find that cleaning the barrel requires me to shoot at least 15 rounds to get the rifle to settle in. I find that about 10 rounds of different brand/lube settles the rifle to the new type. Your rifle is your rifle and you’ll just have to find out. I prefer to clean only when it shows opening groups or unintentional fliers. Mine goes 200+ before I clean and I’m still checking because I haven’t had a calm day in weeks to really test the cleaning schedule.

 

[NileCitySlick]

Lapua or Eley.
Buy 100 (min) of several lots of each brand's different grades; if you can finds them. Shoot at 25 and 50 yards only on 1/4-grid graph paper for targets. Patch-clean after after 200-500 of a brand. Between brands, clean completely.
22LR is made in batches of thousands, per machine, per operator. Eley has or had 14 machines at one time and each operator set it up when they began a run (Lot#). Not sure how many Lapua has or had.
I am down to 5,500 (from 20,000) that are matched to my rifle (~100 within a 3/8" group at 50 yards). I don't shoot much anymore, so at my advanced age, that will probably do me.
Good luck with your quest. Have some fun doing the testing. Buy as much as you can of the same lot when you find your best one.

 

[Brian.Egeberg64]

Clean chamber only, never barrel. Shoot 5 foulers when needed.

 

[doclu60]

Clean chamber only, never barrel. Shoot 5 foulers when needed.

You don't know, what you don't know

Scott

 

[TRSR8]

Clean chamber only, never barrel. Shoot 5 foulers when needed.

You’ve got a future in “ rimfire comedy”, study up, new guy.

 

[Brian.Egeberg64]

Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels said:
Rimfire Maintenance
Cleaning Rimfire Barrels

Rimfire rifle barrels are different from centerfire barrels in that they require very little cleaning and essentially no break-in procedure. We have asked several of the top rimfire shooters and gunsmiths that use our barrels about their procedures and based on our own experience, have come up with our recommendation for cleaning.

In a match-grade stainless steel hand-lapped barrel, leading is an almost nonexistent problem. Powder fouling is minimal too. It is possible however to have an accumulation of fouling in the leade area in front of the chamber. A build up here is detrimental to top accuracy.

We suggest cleaning in the following manner. After approximately 100 rounds push a dry loose patch through the barrel from the breach end. This pushes out loose fouling. Then take a tighter dry patch and work it back and forth about 10 times in the leade area, pushing it out of the barrel at the muzzle end when finished.

Every 200-300 rounds a loose (worn out) 22 caliber bronze brush, wet with solvent, should be worked back and forth in the leade area with short strokes and withdrawn from the chamber end. If there is any evidence of lead in the barrel then brushing the full length of the barrel with solvent is suggested.

Match quality bullets have a wax coating on them that aids accuracy. It may take 10-50 shots to "lay" a good coating of it down in the barrel and using solvents will only remove this desirable wax coating.

Users of the 10/22-type semi-auto barrels may have to remove the accumulated powder fouling buildup that forms on the breach end of the barrel. Extraction problems may result eventually unless solvent is used on this type of fouling.

The 22 WMR and 17 HMR cartridges are rimfires but they fire a jacketed bullet and therefore centerfire cleaning and break-in instructions apply.

I run a Lilja barrel on my 457 so clean the chamber and carbon ring only. The above was from Lilja itself that was posted on the RFC site so I would recommend seeking out advice from the maker of your barrel. I have found when you clean the barrel down to metal it takes many more fouling shots for it to settle down where 5 shots generally work when changing ammo lube types.

 

[Brian.Egeberg64]

I recently tested 10 different mid range and lower ammunitions shooting 5 five shot groups off a plastic table, bipod and squeeze bag. 4 of them averaged in the .3 inch range. SKRM, SKPM, Eley BR Outlaw and Eley Target. Wolf Match and several other averaged .4s. 3 of my so called fouler groups were better than my average group size for these ammos. So the test was 250 plus rounds and I know the barrel had 300-400 rounds on it already. Still haven’t noticed any significant decline in accuracy.

 

[TRSR8]

I recently tested 10 different mid range and lower ammunitions shooting 5 five shot groups off a plastic table, bipod and squeeze bag. 4 of them averaged in the .3 inch range. SKRM, SKPM, Eley BR Outlaw and Eley Target. Wolf Match and several other averaged .4s. 3 of my so called fouler groups were better than my average group size for these ammos. So the test was 250 plus rounds and I know the barrel had 300-400 rounds on it already. Still haven’t noticed any significant decline in accuracy.

Like I said, study up.
You go to a bonafide RFBR match you’ll see most guys clean their rifles every 1-2 cards, quite a few with solvent/brush and rarely require more than 5-6 foulers. This is standard SOP.
P.S. that Lilja cleaning suggestion is old and wrong ever since Dan put it up

 

[Brian.Egeberg64]

Well, when you start making a better barrel
than Lilja then I’ll follow your recommendations. The directions are still on their website.

This works just fine for playing battleship with 22s at Mancamp while the smoker is rolling.

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

Well, when you start making a better barrel
than Lilja then I’ll follow your recommendations. The directions are still on their website.

This works just fine for playing battleship with 22s at Mancamp while the smoker is rolling.

Yes, for what you doing minute of squirrel is fine. for what the BR shooters are doing Muller, Benchmark are the preferred barrels. only the older Lija are being used.
I need point out this is a bit contradicting -
a match-grade stainless steel hand-lapped barrel, leading is an almost nonexistent problem. Powder fouling is minimal too. It is possible however to have an accumulation of fouling in the leade area in front of the chamber. A build up here is detrimental to top accuracy.
so, which is it is does or it doesn't?

Lee

 

[doclu60]

Well, when you start making a better barrel
than Lilja then I’ll follow your recommendations. The directions are still on their website.

This works just fine for playing battleship with 22s at Mancamp while the smoker is rolling.

This post again shows just how little you know.
"When you start making a better barrel than Lilja then I'll follow your recommendations" Trash talk from someone who doesn't know any better.

Well, 'Mr Know it All' because I read the Lilja directions for my prefit barrel, you just dissed a top twenty Hall of Fame IR50/50 shooter about something you know nothing about, well except for the 'Bible of RF Barrels' the Lilja prefit barrel directions!! The guy you clapped at has most likely forgotten more about RF accuracy, and barrel maintenance than your current knowledge, based on your posting content.

Oh, by the way since your posts seem to indicate that you don't know, there are several barrel MFG's way better than Lilja at this time. Which is why you don't see many, if any, Lilja barrels at a RFBR match. Don't even respond with the typical, 'well I don't shoot benchrest'. Fine, but remember, the roots of RF accuracy were grown on RFBR ranges and Position ranges and the smiths that supported those endeavors. No one I know of who is successful at RF, cleans the way you described.......repeat, no one! Keep plinking, but don't give any more advice. Plain and simple, from your posts, you do not have the knowledge to give good advice. Enjoy your 'Mancamp' adventures.

Scott

 

[TRSR8]

This post again shows just how little you know.
"When you start making a better barrel than Lilja then I'll follow your recommendations" Trash talk from someone who doesn't know any better.

Well, 'Mr Know it All' because I read the Lilja directions for my prefit barrel, you just dissed a top twenty Hall of Fame IR50/50 shooter about something you know nothing about, well except for the 'Bible of RF Barrels' the Lilja prefit barrel directions!! The guy you clapped at has most likely forgotten more about RF accuracy, and barrel maintenance than your current knowledge, based on your posting content.

Oh, by the way since your posts seem to indicate that you don't know, there are several barrel MFG's way better than Lilja at this time. Which is why you don't see many, if any, Lilja barrels at a RFBR match. Don't even respond with the typical, 'well I don't shoot benchrest'. Fine, but remember, the roots of RF accuracy were grown on RFBR ranges and Position ranges and the smiths that supported those endeavors. No one I know of who is successful at RF, cleans the way you described.......repeat, no one! Keep plinking, but don't give any more advice. Plain and simple, from your posts, you do not have the knowledge to give good advice. Enjoy your 'Mancamp' adventures.

Scott

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

When testing .22 rimfire ammunition for accuracy is it:
1. Best to completely clean the barrel before shooting a different brand?
2. Acceptable to dry patch the barrel before changing brands?
3. Acceptable to shoot, let’s say, 10 rounds of the different ammunition?

What if not changing brands, I.e., shooting different grades of Ely or Lapua? Thanks, Tom

At minimum run a wet patch then dry before switching brands. if shooting the same brands, I normally just run a wet VFG pellet in my case then three dry after 30 rounds. this is of course starting with a clean barrel.

when I could lot test, I would shoot 5 5-shot groups at minimum. currently I shoot 1 or 2 5 shot groups then an ARA UL score target.

Lee

 

[Ron the Nailer]

Yes, for what you doing minute of squirrel is fine. for what the BR shooters are doing Muller, Benchmark are the preferred barrels. only the older Lija are being used.
I need point out this is a bit contradicting -
a match-grade stainless steel hand-lapped barrel, leading is an almost nonexistent problem. Powder fouling is minimal too. It is possible however to have an accumulation of fouling in the leade area in front of the chamber. A build up here is detrimental to top accuracy.
so, which is it is does or it doesn't?

Lee

No Shilen?

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

No Shilen?

I didn't mention them because they are pretty much nonexistent for new barrels

Lee

 

[Brian.Egeberg64]

Yes, for what you doing minute of squirrel is fine. for what the BR shooters are doing Muller, Benchmark are the preferred barrels. only the older Lija are being used.
I need point out this is a bit contradicting -
a match-grade stainless steel hand-lapped barrel, leading is an almost nonexistent problem. Powder fouling is minimal too. It is possible however to have an accumulation of fouling in the leade area in front of the chamber. A build up here is detrimental to top accuracy.
so, which is it is does or it doesn't?

Lee

Thank you, non BR shooters like myself aren’t likely to clean a barrel when changing ammo types or after every box when testing multiple brands. The person who started this thread never indicated what he was trying to achieve and with what rifle, ammo or shooting discipline. This isn’t a BR only forum so to assume everyone should follow what the BR guys do isn’t reality.