Don't clean the bore??!!!

Mikey66

Mikey66

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I was just flipping through a Marlin M60 owner's manual and came across this:

"Since modern ammunition burns very cleanly, with normal use it is not necessary to clean the bore of your rifle"

Whaaaat? I have always cleaned the bore of all my rifles after each outing.
Marlin then goes on to recommend cleaning the action every 250 rnds, which sounds reasonable, but never cleaning the bore?
 
I clean rim fires when they quit shooting like they should, which in my 2 samples is many 1000s of rounds. I completed the cgn my 22 can shoot under half inch all day challenge with a semi custom 10/22 that has a green mountain barrel that besides the recommended break in procedure has never been cleaned. many 1000s of rounds.
 
I have a cooey that was my grandpas and my dads, I can't even imagine the number of rounds fired from them but 1000's from me. Never cleaned the bore and never lost any accuracy.
 
Cleaning the bore correctly is not something that the average person is willing to do; Marlin knows that.

Careless (or thoughtless) bore cleaning causes more FAR more problems than it solves. For people like that, it's probably better to not attempt doing it at all.
 
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every brick or so I put a wet patch then a couple of dry. I clean my centre fires regularly but ignore my 22's. tend to shoot better fouled.
 
More damage done than help, by well meant, but not required, cleaning of rim fire barrels.

Most guys wouldn't be able to tell the difference either way. Some can though.

The guys that can tell, are typically those guys that have a supply of a particular batch number or lot number of expensive Target ammunition that they use to tell when their pet rifle is starting to slide, or if they are just having an off day.
 
NucHunter said:
I have a cooey that was my grandpas and my dads, I can't even imagine the number of rounds fired from them but 1000's from me. Never cleaned the bore and never lost any accuracy.
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this, it took me two hours to clean my dads old cooey... The lead likely saved the barrel lmao.

It was in great shape an shoots 1 inch at 50 yards with all ammo.
 
Is it really that easy for someone to clean their .22 wrong and damage the barrel? Wouldn't a guy have to really be ramming something wrong sized?
 
jarutski said:
Is it really that easy for someone to clean their .22 wrong and damage the barrel? Wouldn't a guy have to really be ramming something wrong sized?
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It is easy to damage any firearm with a cleaning rod, especially if the owner doesn’t use a bore guide.
 
jarutski said:
Is it really that easy for someone to clean their .22 wrong and damage the barrel? Wouldn't a guy have to really be ramming something wrong sized?
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It is very easy for someone to damage the muzzle of a firearm. A bore guide is mentioned but most of the people who are "cleaning" the rifle do not use one. Cleaning a rifle from the BREECH end is much better than cleaning the bore from the MUZZLE end. It is very difficult for someone to ram a cleaning rod straight down the muzzle without touching the sides of the bore. This creates an abrasion at the muzzle and damages the crown of the rifling.

The British Military recognized this wear on the rifling, although they still kept issuing a cord for cleaning the bore for the various .303 rifles. Many soldiers held the rifle by the muzzle end, and pulled the cord with the patch through from the breech. The only problem was that the rifle could not be kept perfectly steady so that a straight pull tended up to be a sidewards pull, and the cord wore on the muzzle. This was especially worse if there was a bit of dirt or grit on the cord when it was used.

In a lot of rifles, especially military ones fired with steel jacketed bullets and corrosive powders or primers, cleaning was necessary to prevent rust in the bore. Standard was two quarts of hot water down the bore, followed by patches in the case of the .303.

In the cases of older 22 rifles, there is always the possibility of finding bad bores. Corrosive ammunition was used in a lot of them and it was still available before WWII. However, with modern non-corrosive .22 ammunition and lead bullets, a .22 rifle in most cases will outlive it's original owner and still give acceptable accuracy. This does not suggest that you can store it in a damp or salt water place and expect it to stay pristine, but using a bit of common sense will prevent that.

I have contributed many pounds of lead to the prairie provinces while pursuing Gophers, and did not clean the bore of my .22 rifles. The accuracy did not seem to be affected, much to the dismay of a lot of unlucky Gophers who happened to be at the same place as a fired .22 rimfire bullet when it arrived.

So, if you MUST clean your .22 rimfire bore, then use a bore guide, and if you do not have one, clean from the breech end, NOT the muzzle end.
 
Many 22 rimfire ammunition are wax coated so its not like there is a lot of metallic build up in your barrel. Having that said, I still run a brush for a few passes followed by an oil patch, and end with a outer rifle lube before I put it away in the safe. Whether this is good bad or indifferent, it still shoots as good as it did 40 years ago when I bought it.

Disclaimer: I grew up in a home where every firearm was cleaned and oiled every time it was handled. Failing this practice was the removal of the access to the gun cabinet.
 
I've stopped physically cleaning all my rimfire bores, though I may occasionally spray some (gentle) petro-based cleaner down the bore and allow it to drain via gravity. It removes any loose grit present, and provides a protective layer against corrosion/rust.

I do clean the action of all guns frequently though, particularly blow-back semis.
 
Well i cleaned one once. And it didnt make a difference, havent cleaned one since. And i have some old cooey bolt actions, lee enfield trainers and a few semi autos. 1000's of rounds later. No issues.

Also most rim fire barrels are mild steel. Much easier to damage it over a center fire barrel.
 
Those who shoot highly accurate rifles know that cleaning is a must to maintain gilt edge accuracy, and notice that such accuracy will fade at around the 100 shot mark in a rifle with a tight, match chamber. We're talking like an average increase to group size of 0.1", or more frequent fliers, most shooters wouldn't even notice that, but that'll lose you a benchrest competition.

If 1/2"-1" at 50 yards will do for you, clean only as often as necessary to maintain that and prevent corrosion in the bore.
 
Thank you for all your comments, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.
I wil try to ignore the bores of my rimfires from now on, no match grade accuracy required here.
 
I haven't owned a .22LR yet that benefited from frequent rigorous cleanings. Typically it would take 1/2" performance and throw it out the window for the next 50-100 rounds of re-seasoning, only to settle in again.

That said, I cannot speak to match chambers/barrels.
 
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