Cleaning frequency? BR shooters.

[COLT45SA]

How often doe the bench-rest shooters among you clean your barrels~? Hope this question hasn't been beaten to death in the past~!

 

[Gabe22BR]

Short range shooters- every target-7/9 shots
Long range -(600/1000) every 2 targets- 12-25 shots

 

[MrG52D]

Rimfire: Usually between targets, as to how well cleaned? That's something the rifle will tell you. Some like it more than others. I usually do 2 wet and a 2-3 dry between targets, then a good cleaning after the match.

 

[TRSR8]

Most RFBR shooters have some cleaning regimen after every card shot. I personally use patch, oiled/dry between cards and after match brush/solvent/C4 in throat for a more comprehensive clean.

 

[tmwinds]

I don’t own or shoot any high dollar custom 22 rim fire rifles. I shoot CZ’s and Kimber 82G rifles. I’ve found that they don’t shoot well until the barrel is fully fouled. I usually give the barrels a good scrubbing after 200-300 rounds. It usually takes about 20 rounds before a clean barrel comes around. I do push a dry patch down the barrel about every 25 rounds to clear the crud.
Remember, these are not hand lapped custom barrels.

 

[dusterdave173]

tmwinds is right we shoot a stable of CZ's--leave them alone and they shoot fine--clean them and start all over with your fingers crossed I have not seen a point where they quit shooting because of no cleaning --not yet anyway I am pushing the envelope on one just to see
I will say I am a Boretech fan and the Rimfire blend does a great job

I swear at some matches it looks like they had a cleaning match and some shooting broke out

 

[PWNolan]

Apparently, I forgot to hit send on this earlier...

During a match I do a light cleaning after every card (so 40 or so rounds). Two wet patches followed by two dry. Once home I do a more thorough cleaning

I basically do what Tim (TRSR8) does

 

[PWNolan]

I don’t own or shoot any high dollar custom 22 rim fire rifles. I shoot CZ’s and Kimber 82G rifles. I’ve found that they don’t shoot well until the barrel is fully fouled. I usually give the barrels a good scrubbing after 200-300 rounds. It usually takes about 20 rounds before a clean barrel comes around. I do push a dry patch down the barrel about every 25 rounds to clear the crud.
Remember, these are not hand lapped custom barrels.

The OP asked how bench rest shooters clean their barrels. The more serious ones are, in fact, shooting hand-lapped custom barrels. I do the same regimen as described above even when shooting ARA factory class with a Tikka T1X or CZ 452 American.

Not saying it doesn't work for you, but I've tried the no clean thing with a variety of factory rifles (including a Kimber 82G) and for me they don't seem to shoot any better dirty than they do when I clean them more frequently. Not cleaning just makes it harder to thoroughly clean when it comes time

@COLT45SA you'll get a wide variety of answers in cleaning threads like this. I suggest you experiment and see what works best for you

 

[CharlieNC]

A carbon ring builds up quickly in the throat, which is the primary area of frequent cleaning focus. The remainder of the barrel doesn't foul so badly unless ignored too long. If you do much research you will find the vast majority of BR shooters clean regularly as previously noted, very little debate.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

I was told years ago that a good High quality barrel didn’t need much cleaning and a lower quality barrel needed more cleaning

 

[Link]

A carbon ring builds up quickly in the throat, which is the primary area of frequent cleaning focus. The remainder of the barrel doesn't foul so badly unless ignored too long. If you do much research you will find the vast majority of BR shooters clean regularly as previously noted, very little debate.

a carbon ring in a 22 lr?

 

[tmwinds]

A .22 LR forms a carbon ring just in front of the chamber quite easily. I’m no expert but I suspect that it is because of the straight case, a heeled bullet and the really nasty powder and primer compound.
It’s easily removed by placing a few solvent soaked patches in this area and let it soften the carbon and then rotate a nylon brush.

 

[dutch14]

All cartridges form a carbon ring whether centerfire, rimfire, pistol or rifle.
Special attention has to be given to the carbon ring when cleaning the barrel.

 

[Rsadams]

A .22 LR forms a carbon ring just in front of the chamber quite easily. I’m no expert but I suspect that it is because of the straight case, a heeled bullet and the really nasty powder and primer compound.
It’s easily removed by placing a few solvent soaked patches in this area and let it soften the carbon and then rotate a nylon brush.

Good advice.... I just play with long distance rimfire for fun but when I am done I deep clean with boretech rimfire blend.... At the end I take a patch soaked in it on a jag and stick it into the chamber and let it sit for awhile.... I have been told the boretech c4 carbon remover will remove this ring even faster.... If I shoot something I clean it when I get home... My last outing I put 250 down the pipe and it was nasty... Be sure and clean the chamber well ...

 

[Tim Slater]

I was told years ago that a good High quality barrel didn’t need much cleaning and a lower quality barrel needed more cleaning

In my experience high quality match barrels are faster to clean, but frequency isn't any different.

 

[COLT45SA]

Good advice.... I just play with long distance rimfire for fun but when I am done I deep clean with boretech rimfire blend.... At the end I take a patch soaked in it on a jag and stick it into the chamber and let it sit for awhile.... I have been told the boretech c4 carbon remover will remove this ring even faster.... If I shoot something I clean it when I get home... My last outing I put 250 down the pipe and it was nasty... Be sure and clean the chamber well ...

Got it~! Thanks~!

 

[1911nut]

I do what Dan Killough describes:


“One of the most common questions I receive on the phone and at the test range is "What is your cleaning procedure?"
I will share what we do and why. At the range, we clean after every 90-100 rounds. I do not have any of the data, but the engineers from Eley tell me that clean guns shoot better than dirty guns. They get this opinion from all of the data collected from the three Eley Test Ranges. They keep the test information from every rifle that has ever been tested in an Eley Test Range. When testing a rifle we note when we clean the rifle and data is collected on the fouling shots. They have crunched the numbers from this information and come to the conclusion that cleaning is a good thing for rimfire barrels. I have also drawn the same conclusion from my experience shooting benchrest. It has been my experience that every barrel loses accuracy once it becomes dirty, the point at which it loses accuracy is different for each barrel. Almost all of the competitions across rimfire whether 3-P, Benchrest, or Silhouette require somewhere between 25-100 shots before a competitor can easily clean their rifle. I also have not personally seen a rifle that could not shoot at least 100 rounds before losing accuracy due to fouling. So, we settled on 90-100 rounds in between cleanings.

Now part 2, how do we actually clean. We use a bore guide that fits the cleaning rod tightly and the bore guide does not go all the way to the barrel, it stops at the loading ramp. I like to see the rod as it goes into the barrel so I can verify that it is going down the center of the barrel. I use a Kleen Bore Jag because it is the same diameter as my cleaning rod, we use Pro-Shot 1 1/8" square cleaning patches, and we use Pro-Shot 1-Step Solvent. I push one wet patch down the barrel and remove the patch at the muzzle. I then use a Short 10" cleaning rod with a .22 caliber Nylon brush and I scrub the first 2-3" of the barrel with a back and forth motion for about 10 strokes. This is to remove the combustion ring. I then push more wet patches until they come out clean. Typically this is about 4 patches. If we are still shooting the rifle, then I finish with a dry patch. If we are finished shooting, then I finish with a wet patch. I have bore scoped many .22 barrels and I have not found one yet that the nylon brush would not remove the combustion ring. In the past, I used a bronze brush, JB Bore Cleaner, or Iosso polish. They will remove combustion ring, but JB and Iosso are both removing metal from the barrel. They are removing very, very, little metal, but they are removing some. I do not believe the bronze brush will damage the barrel, but many people do not like to use bronze brushes on rimfire barrels. Now the Nylon brush could not possibly damage the barrel and I know it is getting the job done, so that is what I use.

Also, if you are testing your rifle with us and you have a different cleaning regimen, we will be happy to follow it for your rifle. It is your rifle, and we will do everything we can to accommodate you.

I hope you find this information helpful. Perhaps it is not the best cleaning regimen, but it has served me well. We only shoot lead bullets and the forces for a rimfire are not what a centerfire rifle is subjected to. Cleaning the rimfire is relatively easy and can be done in just a couple of minutes and I think it is extremely beneficial for accuracy. If you are not currently cleaning your rifle on a regular basis, I strongly urge you to do so. “

Until Next Time,

Dan Killough

 

[Dolomite]

For 22lr I wrap a patch around a brush or jag and soak it with C4. Let it sit for about 30 min to 1 hour rinse and repeat till that carbon ring is gone.