what is the best way to get lead out of a 22 barrel
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
you are wanting to get it out and here I am burning through a lot of Norma TAC and CCI trying to get a good coating of the stuff all the way to the muzzle on my 457. 600 rounds into the process now and my group size numbers just keep getting smaller
A Guide to .22LR Barrel Care for the Precision Rimfire Shooter - The Truth About Guns
By Gregory J. Roman As anyone involved in the shooting sports knows, precision rimfire is growing rapidly. The internet is full of tons of advice, good and bad, on how to perform better as a shooter. If there is one thing that my time at Vudoo has taught me, it’s that there is not much ... Read more
www.thetruthaboutguns.com
Roman could very well be right. However, he might be challenged by some. Some very good shooters who have listened to the likes of Eley, Lapua, Anschutz and others have their own ideas. The carbon ring is definately a big deal. Every so many shots it needs to come out. How you do that and not affect the transition to the lead laid down in the barrel is anybody's guess. It stands to reason that you don't want layer on top of layer of lead in a barrel. Sooner or later it must be cleaned. Seasoned or not seasoned....what does that really mean. Those who clean thoroughly and often still win their share of matches. I think a common since approach and doing what works for you could be the best method. Roman and others who have their reasons for a cleaning method are doing so because they have had success with it.you are wanting to get it out and here I am burning through a lot of Norma TAC and CCI trying to get a good coating of the stuff all the way to the muzzle on my 457. 600 rounds into the process now and my group size numbers just keep getting smaller
A Guide to .22LR Barrel Care for the Precision Rimfire Shooter - The Truth About Guns
By Gregory J. Roman As anyone involved in the shooting sports knows, precision rimfire is growing rapidly. The internet is full of tons of advice, good and bad, on how to perform better as a shooter. If there is one thing that my time at Vudoo has taught me, it’s that there is not much ... Read more
you are wanting to get it out and here I am burning through a lot of Norma TAC and CCI trying to get a good coating of the stuff all the way to the muzzle on my 457. 600 rounds into the process now and my group size numbers just keep getting smaller
A Guide to .22LR Barrel Care for the Precision Rimfire Shooter - The Truth About Guns
By Gregory J. Roman As anyone involved in the shooting sports knows, precision rimfire is growing rapidly. The internet is full of tons of advice, good and bad, on how to perform better as a shooter. If there is one thing that my time at Vudoo has taught me, it’s that there is not much ... Read more
Do you mean lead or powder fouling/grease? Lead is not normally considered a good thing, and not very common in a well made barrel.
I have a pair of CZ 452's that are 15+ years old with tens of thousands of rounds each on them. A very occasional dry patch is all they normally ever get. I am carrying a 2233 straight agg for 14 targets right now in ARA factory class. Not great but not bad for a half blind 70 year old. Last summer one the very accomplished CF benchrest shooter who cleans his barrels between targets convinced me I needed to scrub the barrel on my old American. I di, and for the next two matches I could not get that rifle to break 2000 because of random flyers. Took me over 500 rounds of non cleaning to get it shooting right again. Just my experience and others mileage may vary but from now on a patch of C4 and some dry patches are all my rimfires will ever see. Sometimes common wisdom isn't wise at all , rather it's just misinformation that has been handed down from generation to generation.
from the article I linked above, I bolded the pertinent part
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TRSR8
Silver $$ Contributor
That’s because, in all likelyhood, you 1/2 cleaned it. Cannot imagine how hard that carbon ring has become.
Keep referencing the Vudoo guy. Remember, if not mistaken early on, he was the guy with the cleaning video telling you you don’t need a boreguide either.
Random fliers…zero cleaning??? Think maybe there’s a connection? Go to any big ARA match filled with all the guys with custom rifles……notice few if any not cleaning…..learn something.
P.S. If you believe it takes 100’s of rounds to get lube down a 22 barrel, I have a great piece of coastal property down in Fla I’ll make you a great deal on.
Hi-NV Shooter
Gold $$ Contributor
I think how you clean and the type of shooting matters. if you are trying to hit a dot to get the X versus just hitting or keeping it in a 7/8" circle you may need everything that barrel can give and as some of the best in the country knows it takes a very clean barrel to provide that edge.
Lee
Lee
I think we need to differentiate between lead shaved off when chambering that's mixed into the sticky sooty combustion residue which is removed by normal cleaning, and lead that has smeared onto rough spots in the bore which requires heavy duty cleaners, or brushing/pastes. The latter is what I, and I believe most, mean when talking of leading. I can't begin to imagine how this would be beneficial to accuracy, as lead is not a lubricant. I want my bullets to remain whole. I can only assume that Vudoo mean the former; if they expect their barrels to attract lead what are they doing differently in the manufacturing?
I'm well aware that some rifles need fouling shots. And I'm not wholly surprised that yours needed lots; firstly mass produced barrels tend to have a looser chamber, and secondly after tens of thousands of rounds with minimal cleaning there's likely a bit of wear ahead of the chamber. My own experience, and that of many others, is that regular cleaning and brushing neither harms barrels, nor always requires hundreds of fouling shots. I'l admit I'm brushing less often at the moment, but that's shooting indoor prone leagues; technique is the critical factor.
well I know the Vudoo guys qualifications, I have no idea of what yours are. You may be the worlds champion BR shooter or you may be the guy who finished in the last in club matches. Read my post again, the random flyers occurred after I cleaned the rifle, and inspected the cleaning job with a borescope. Before I cleaned it I was getting 4 card aggregates in the 2200 + range. It took 500 more rounds without cleaning before they went away. Coincidence...maybe...but they have not returned my aggs are high and the only cleaning that has been done has been done using the method that guy at VuDoo recommended.
Everyone is free to do what they want but you will never catch me scrubbing the bore on a rimfire again. I learned my lesson the hard way
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Yup,. Agree with, THIS,.. the CHEAP, Federal AutoMatch ammo, is Nasty "Chit" and by 350 rounds, My well broke in, Green Mountain Barrel, is,.. CRUDDY !
I can't even give this ammo away to, My grandson to, shoot !
My son, DOESN'T want to, clean his Barrel that, often !
When it's gone, I ain't buying anymore AutoMatch to, replace it.
I'll stick with, the SK, Wolf and Lapua, stuff.
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This is the best and easiest way to remove lead from any bore rimfire or center fire.
Just make sure you have the pure copper chore boy and not copper plated stainless steel.
Straightshooter1
Gold $$ Contributor
Having had a major lead problem in firing Thunderbolts, I fired 10-15 copper jacketed bullets and that solved my problem. Then I just cleaned as I normally do and all was good.
I shot 104 cards last year for a 2328 aggregate in ARA Factory class. I scrub the shot out of mine after every card. It takes about 6-8 rounds before it fouls in and starts stacking them on top of each other again.
Mikemontminy
Silver $$ Contributor
I remember doing a comparison several years ago between No-lead brushless lead remover and Bore Tech rimfire blend. What I did was put a small piece of lead in a plastic bottle cap and filled it with No-Lead. Did the same with the Bore Tech. The No Lead started foaming up and eating at the lead Instantly .
After several days the lead was gone. I had to add more No-Lead to the bottle cap every day because it would dry out and seemed to stop working. In the end the No-Lead came out the winner. I decided to repeat the test and measure the thickness of the lead every 24 hours. Also took pictures to show the results. The piece of lead that I used started at 1/8” x 5/16” and .040 thick. After 24 hours I removed the lead, wiped it off and measured the thickness. It was now .026 thick. Placed it back in the bottle cap and added more NO-Lead because the stuff had dried out and looked powdery. 48 hours later did the same and the thickness was down to .019. At the 72 hour mark the lead thickness was .014. I checked again at 96 hours and the lead was completely gone.1Merlin
Silver $$ Contributor
A thought. Did you try it with a sample of steel? If it affects lead what effect would it have on your barrel steel?
The following directions for using No-Lead Brushless Lead Remover suggest that its effect on barrel steel is a real concern if its residues are not removed after a relatively short time.
The intended use for No-Lead is to dissolve lead scale and let fouling in the barrel, top strap, and a face of the cylinder. Remember that No-Lead is not a cleaner. It is a product that is intended only to dissolve lead. When using no lead you must remember that in dissolving lead, all forms of protection for the firearm are dissolved. It is necessary to use either Patch-Out or Wipe-Out in between the applications of No-Lead. ...
The directions for use of are No-Lead as follows: apply No-Lead to the area which has led fouling. Allow the no lead to set for 20 min. After 20 min. wet a patch with either Wipe-Out or Patch-Out, and push through the barrel. The Wipe-Out, and or Patch-Out, will remove the dissolved lead residue and protect the barrel from corrosion. You then inspect the firearm to see if there is still led fouling present. If led fouling is still present, apply a second application of No-Lead, and allow it to set for 20 min. Follow this up with another application of either Wipe-Out or Patch-Out.
The lead that is dissolved will have a white, or gray color. And be somewhat thick to the touch. It will be easily removed with a good caliber specific jagged and a tight cotton patch.
The active ingredients in no lead are totally used up within 20 min. For that reason, we apply no lead in 20 min.cycles. Each of these cycles must be followed within application of Patch-Out or Wipe-Out. The Patch-Out and Wipe-Out insurers the protection from corrosion.
Please be sure to remove any No-Lead that comes in contact with blued surfaces, with an application of Wipe-Out or Patch-Out. Either of these products contain several powerful anti-corrosive.
See https://sharpshootr.com/no-lead/
TRSR8
Silver $$ Contributor
Sure seems a lot easier than sawing away on a rod with various abrasives.
Let’s also remember , I’d guess the vast majority of lead in any RF barrel is likely a hell of a lot thinner than the test example above.
It should never be necessary to go "sawing away on a rod".
If shooters clean after shooting and use a brush regularly, there won't be a problem with lead in the barrel, carbon rings, or anything similarly troublesome.
Never wait until the problem is "up to here" before doing something about it.
If shooters clean after shooting and use a brush regularly, there won't be a problem with lead in the barrel, carbon rings, or anything similarly troublesome.
Never wait until the problem is "up to here" before doing something about it.
Straightshooter1
Gold $$ Contributor
This was the leading problem I had in my bore, until the above:Having had a major lead problem in firing Thunderbolts, I fired 10-15 copper jacketed bullets and that solved my problem. Then I just cleaned as I normally do and all was good.
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