Precision rimfire and barrel seasoning

[GunsNotPuns]

I'm new to precision rimfire so forgive the potential duh nature of this question.

I've a CZ 457 Varmint MTR and am wondering about barrel cleaning. Given I'm ex-mil I'm an inveterate rifle cleaner but it seems from some light reading that precision rimfire shooters aren't in the same camp. So how often do you clean your barrels after shooting -- or is a rifle once seasoned to a certain ammunition only cleaned sparingly or with an ammunition change?

 

[Mystic Precision]

YMMV... I don't chemical clean my rimfires. I want the lube and light fouling to be left in the bore BUT I don't want the excessive crud that can build up in the chamber, throat, and muzzle. This crud I brush/swab out. If I get leading or hard crud, then I will resort to chemicals and brushes to remove that... but only that.

otherwise, a couple of dry patches every 200 to 500rds and keep at it.

I will need around 5.. to 10 rds to get the barrel back in tune. If I need alot more, either I have cleaned too much or the bore is pretty rough and maybe, I don't want to use it.

Clean the mechanicals really well as these can get filthy. Lube as needed for operation. I try and leave the bore as 'used' as possible.

There will be many different answers but this works for me.

Jerry

 

[grauhanen]

So how often do you clean your barrels after shooting -- or is a rifle once seasoned to a certain ammunition only cleaned sparingly or with an ammunition change?

Cleaning questions about .22LR rifles get a variety of answers, but virtually all serious .22LR shooters clean regularly. How regularly is up to the shooter. No one should ever think that the best .22LR accuracy performance and not cleaning are synonymous.

One of the reasons experienced shooters who strive for the best accuracy clean regularly is to ensure that the leade area in front of the chamber doesn't develop a carbon ring. Carbon rings form as a result of the combustion that occurs with every shot. Left unminded, the carbon ring can develop to the point that it will degrade the accuracy expected of a good rifle. Regular cleaning with proper techniques and equipment can help ensure that a carbon ring never develops.

Otherwise, patching the bore regularly helps ensure that fresh fouling will be inside the bore (after fouling shots, of course). How often this is done is determined by the needs of the shooter. When fouling dries after a period of no shooting (it's wet when fresh), it can result in fliers for the first shot or two. After patching the bore, some fouling shots are taken to give the bore fresh fouling. This results in consistent performance because a clean bore will often throw a flier or two before beginning to settle down.

Depending on how much I shoot during a session, and if I take a break, I may patch after a certain number of rounds. After each shooting session I clean my bore with a brass brush. More fouling shots are usually required after brass brushing. Depending on the ammo used, it may not be necessary to use the exact same am to achieve proper barrel seasoning. For example, I almost always shoot Lapua or SK ammo. I use the least expensive SK ammo for fouling shots as it's lubricant is the same as on more expensive Lapua match ammos.

Whatever method is used (and there's no one right way only to clean), it's important to use a proper bore guide when using a cleaning rod.

 

[Walterfisher]

I will soak the chamber and leade with a mop for 5-10 minutes then clean it out with a bronze brush. The barrel I will run a wet half patch then a dry patch, no more. My competition rifle shoots best between 100 and 300 rounds so that is when I clean.
If I am testing ammo and a lot of different types I will often boresnake it at the range every 100 rounds or so. Then give the chamber and barrel a good cleaning with a bronze brush when I get home. I am not saying this is the only correct way, only what works on my particular rifles.

 

[Biologist]

This topic continues to fascinate me because I have tried the extremes of not cleaning for several hundred rounds, and the opposite of cleaning after every practice session and match, and many variations in between.

I still have no idea what works best. Its an ongoing experiment. I should probably buy a bore scope to see what's happening inside the barrels.

For the past year or so I switched to using VFG felts, both the regular white ones, and the "intensive" green ones that feel sort of like a scrubby pad.

I start with Hoppe's #9 with several of the regular white felts and push them through once. Then I will use an intensive felts and screw it onto the threads of the special jag for felts. Then I scrub back and forth with the intensive felt.

I have also used Iosso bore paste on the intensive felt and this really seems to clean the gunk out. I then run several of the white felts with Hoppe's #9 again to get the paste out. The feel of the felts is less friction after the bore paste scrub, so something is definitely changed after that scrubbing.

I do a final rinse to get out all of the solvents using generous sprays of Ballistol and the white felts.

The cleaner it is, the more rounds it takes to re-foul the bore for a match. The very clean bore groups are crazy big and erratic until several rounds are fired on the sighter targets, and I can see the group tightening. Worst fouling session I had before a match was about 20 rounds needed on the sighters to settle down the very clean bore to shoot like it was supposed to.

So cleaning will definitely cost you extra rounds for re-fouling the bore to get it to shoot well, in my experience anyway.

Overall I am leaning towards cleaning before a match if the barrel has had greater than about 50 or more rounds down it on a previous day.

 

[adamg]

This topic continues to fascinate me because I have tried the extremes of not cleaning for several hundred rounds, and the opposite of cleaning after every practice session and match, and many variations in between.

I still have no idea what works best. Its an ongoing experiment. I should probably buy a bore scope to see what's happening inside the barrels.

For the past year or so I switched to using VFG felts, both the regular white ones, and the "intensive" green ones that feel sort of like a scrubby pad.

I start with Hoppe's #9 with several of the regular white felts and push them through once. Then I will use an intensive felts and screw it onto the threads of the special jag for felts. Then I scrub back and forth with the intensive felt.

I have also used Iosso bore paste on the intensive felt and this really seems to clean the gunk out. I then run several of the white felts with Hoppe's #9 again to get the paste out. The feel of the felts is less friction after the bore paste scrub, so something is definitely changed after that scrubbing.

I do a final rinse to get out all of the solvents using generous sprays of Ballistol and the white felts.

The cleaner it is, the more rounds it takes to re-foul the bore for a match. The very clean bore groups are crazy big and erratic until several rounds are fired on the sighter targets, and I can see the group tightening. Worst fouling session I had before a match was about 20 rounds needed on the sighters to settle down the very clean bore to shoot like it was supposed to.

So cleaning will definitely cost you extra rounds for re-fouling the bore to get it to shoot well, in my experience anyway.

Overall I am leaning towards cleaning before a match if the barrel has had greater than about 50 or more rounds down it on a previous day.

Buy the bore scope. Trust me. Cleaning is a hopeless endeavor until you can see what the inside of the barrel looks like. It changes everything.

 

[grauhanen]

As a general observation and at the risk of stating the obvious, no cleaning regimen will mitigate to any notable degree the performance of the ammo itself. In other words, no method of cleaning makes up for inconsistent ammo. Serious shooters clean to maximize the potential of the ammo they use.

____________________

A very affordable and effective borescope that produces good imaging is the Teslong .20" borescope. There's a model that I have that sees a lot of use that is currently available for about $130 on Amazon, which is a good deal

Below is an image produced with the Teslong. It shows the reflection from the circular mirrror inside the bore.



If the leade looks like the one below, you may become concerned even though it may not appreciably affect performance.

 

[Buck1950]

grauhanen is right about the condition of the barrel itself. I bought a Sav B22 a couple years ago and was really scared when I saw the inside of the bore. However, it shoots as well as my CZ455, getting ca. 0.3xx " on good days.

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[Walterfisher]

No amount of bore scoping will tell you how the rifle and ammo will perform. Only the targets indicate that.

 

[Mystic Precision]

If you have a bore scope, better to look at the condition when the barrel has settled and shooting well. THAT is what will tell you the level of fouling you need in your bore.

Then the condition when it is not shooting well... so you can return to the condition above.

A clean bore just tells you will be spending money making it dirty again

Jerry

 

[*lawrence]

Borescopes; there's a reason they say ignorance is bliss.

But Walterfisher (and others) are correct as he stated above. It's not how a barrel looks it's how it shoots.

As for seasoning as the OP asked I've read that rimfire barrels don't require seasoning however I hope one of the more experienced RF shooters would jump in on this point...

 

[Longstud]

I let the group sizes tell me when a thorough cleaning is required. I do run wet white felts through on a regular basis after a shooting session. As mentioned before, proper bore guide is extremely important to prevent damage.Another overlooked step is pulling whatever is on the end of your rod back through the barrel. Exit the end of the barrel and remove whats on the end of your rod. Your trying to clean so not much sense in pulling the crud back through the barrel!

 

[Walterfisher]

Borescopes; there's a reason they say ignorance is bliss.

But Walterfisher (and others) are correct as he stated above. It's not how a barrel looks it's how it shoots.

As for seasoning as the OP asked I've read that rimfire barrels don't require seasoning however I hope one of the more experienced RF shooters would jump in on this point...

IMO a new rimfire barrel quite often requires considerable seasoning - sometimes several thousand rounds to consistently perform at it's best.
And it will require seasoning after a deep clean and/or when switching types or lots of ammo - 10 to 25 rounds.

 

[*lawrence]

Thanks!

 

[TrxR]

Some top benchrest guys in the US will do a full clean at the range after each target.

 

[skwerl]

I like to throw an empty shell over my left shoulder
and say a prayer to the God of Rimfire .
Works for me...

 

[TrxR]

I like to throw an empty shell over my left shoulder
and say a prayer to the God of Rimfire .
Works for me...

I tried that once , the range officer yelled at me as I caught him on the side of the head.

 

[Toolman]

Some top benchrest guys in the US will do a full clean at the range after each target.

Not a top US BR shooter, I’m just a lowly Canadian RFBR shooter, I clean after every card. Which means every 30 to 35 rounds.

I do this because I know exactly what my barrel will do for those first 30 to 35 rounds. A quality barrel will group very quickly. Typically I can start on score after 7 or 8 rounds.

I’ve shot up to 100 rounds or so in practice without cleaning and have done well but for sure I can see a slight change in POI which is not good for the game we play.

 

[TrxR]

Not a top US BR shooter, I’m just a lowly Canadian RFBR shooter, I clean after every card. Which means every 30 to 35 rounds.

I do this because I know exactly what my barrel will do for those first 30 to 35 rounds. A quality barrel will group very quickly. Typically I can start on score after 7 or 8 rounds.

I’ve shot up to 100 rounds or so in practice without cleaning and have done well but for sure I can see a slight change in POI which is not good for the game we play.

What you currently shooting for a rifle combo and ammo?

I know a couple of guys with Annie's that have to shoot a quite a few folders after a good clean. I've had good luck with my 40x only needing 5 to 10 rounds after cleaning to settle. I wish I could afford a 2500x with a Shillen ratchet or Mueller barrel but that's out of my price range and I'm only shooting small local club matches.

 

[bibatoad]

grauhanen is right about the condition of the barrel itself. I bought a Sav B22 a couple years ago and was really scared when I saw the inside of the bore. However, it shoots as well as my CZ455, getting ca. 0.3xx " on good days.

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A lot of the bores on Savage rifles are seriously messed up, ongoing problem with them as of late. Quality control is poor. Recently went through an episode with a new Savage 110 and found the rifling was completely destroyed from the muzzle down into the bore fore about inch and a half. It was a threaded muzzle and I suspect it was ripped out of the jig spindle during the threading process damaging the bore in the process. Sent it back to Savage Canada and they replaced the barrel and it also had similar damage. Stay away from that brand, not the company it once was.