Barrel fouling?

domyalex

domyalex

Regular
Rating - 100%
25   0   0
Location
Maple Ridge, BC
Newbie here :)

So, this morning I was at the range shooting my rimfire rifle (Lakefield single shot 22 lr). At one point one of the round sounded "different", so off comes the bolt and sure enough I can't see through the barrel. Pitch black. So, I grab my cleaning rod, expecting to have to force a bullet out, but the rod comes out on the other side without finding any obstruction. :confused: I checked very carefully and it didn't push out anything.

Alright, maybe time for some cleaning then. Sure enough the first patch came out pretty dark, so I proceeded to run two more patches. Satisfied, I fired another run and just for sakes I decided to see how the barrel looked. Well, pitch black again. I fired a couple more rounds, checked again, and this time I could see through.

So, is it normal to have this kind of things happen? Is it just the barrel getting fouled?

I usually clean the barrel with just come gun oil + dry patches. As far as I understand rimfires don't really need solvents, correct?

Btw, I'm shooting AE 38 gr hollow point (copper plated).

Thanks!
 
I shoot all kinds of ammo and only clean when I feel guilty but usually after hundreds of rounds and I can always see thru the barrel. What the heck are you shooting that fouls so much? Shoot something different. Todays ammo does not foul like that and some guys shoot thousands before cleaning and do not reall have to at that point either. Then again, now I shoot CCI Minimags always and may never have to clean a barrel again:)
 
Try this - immediately after firing a shot , pull the bolt and look down the bore. What you may be seeing if it's black or dark is the residual smoke from firing and not fouling at all. Blow through the bore and see if it clears.
 
I had the same issue, I was always one that thought 22's dont need to be cleaned, took my 10/22 to the range, first 100 rounds where decently on target at 100 yards, then the next hundred was terrible, not a single shot hit the target, came home and ran a copper brush through my barrel and a pile of unburnt gun powder piled out and I thought I gauged the rifling because huge thin strips of metal were coming out as well!!! I was totally bummed and thought I needed a new barrel. Then I realized it was fouled, people underestimate the toughness of 22's, surprisingly that thin rifling can take a hard beating without damage. Copper brush your barrel and oil it nicely. I will never neglect mine again! Sorry if this was boring, just my 2 cents.
 
domyalex
You played it right in pulling the bolt and checking the bore. I had a round that gave a suspiciously different sound when fired. I pulled the bolt to take a look and no blockage - I continued shooting. After the training session , I cleaned and realized I had a ring in the barrel about 2" from the muzzle.
After a little surgery that Walther KKMS still shoots an inch at 100m and is well passed 100,000 rounds. Enjoy those twenty-twos !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom