Barrel Cleaning Procedure

michaelthomas

michaelthomas

www.thomasrifles.com
I'm curious about what cleaning solvents and procedures are used at specific intervals for keeping things on center.

I have been cleaning with a wet patch of WD-40......followed by 2 dry patches after every card.

I hardly ever make it through a card without things deteriorating somewhat before the last shot. I have a bunch of cards with X after X for the first 10-12 shots......then opening up after that.

I have never been to a match, so I have never had the benefit of talking with others and learning from them about their procedures. I have been reading all I can, but specific information can be hard to find.

I roll sort my pellets, and that has made a tremendous difference in my consistency......although I still cannot rule out pellet problems.

I wash and lube with Krytech, also.

It doesn't help matters that I am shooting a rifle that I built. I have nothing to compare it to. If I had an EV2.....I suppose I may be able to find specific performance info about it.

I am using a 23.25" LW barrel.

Mike
 
Mike,

Try changing your cleaning fluid from WD-40 to Kroil with the same 1 wet / 2 dry, and continuing doing so after each card. Of course, on the initial cleaning you'll want to run several wet patches through to remove any build-up that may have already occurred. Another thing: what size cleaning patches are you using? For .177 most of us use 5/16" to 3/8", and for .22 most use 3/4", square patches, both of which will be tight enough to squeak when pulled through, but just make sure they're not so tight as to bind and potentially break the draw cord.

Another thing I do (but haven't noticed anyone else doing the same, so am not sure how valid this info might be): if I notice any drop off during a card I will shoot 1 or 2 dry felt cleaning pellets through the bore just to make sure that there wasn't a piece of overlooked slag that might have fallen out of a skirt and had gotten itself logded in the bore. And then, quite often I will also shoot 3 dry pellets through after finishing a full card, then collect them and do a visual check on how dirty my bore is getting during a full card (you will find these pellets about 12 yards out from the bench and usually in a nice little almost pile when shooting indoors, but, of course, due to the wind they will be scattered more when shooting outdoors). You can definitely tell which of these pellets was the first, second and third through the bore, that's for sure.

Just remember, this is only my opinion and to always consider the source whenever listening to opinions … because, as the saying goes, everyone has one.

Good luck,

Dave
 
OK......I'll give the Kroil a try.

Do you have a brand, or particular supplier where you get the patches that you mentioned for .177?

I have been using some generic, cut to size, ones that I got locally. They are inconsistent at best.

A while back I had a really tight patch that took tremendous effort to pull through the bore. I gave a mighty tug and managed to backhand my chronograph on release......LOL. Broke my cheap tripod and my lights. ;) Ha Ha

Mike
 
First, let me make a correction. The sizes mentioned are all 1 inch too small. What I had meant to say was between 1 5/16" to 1 3/8" for the .177, and 1 3/4" for the .22

There are several brands, none being any better than the other. The latest ones I've gotten, I bought through Cabela's and are called Eastern Maine Shooting Supplies Double-Napped 100% Cotton Flannel measuring 1 5/16" x 1 5/16". Being all cotton and double napped makes them super absorbent to not only hold the Kroil, but to also grab any lead or other deposits from the bore. One of our top shooters gets his through I believe MidwayUSA and buys the Tiptons, but he buys his a little oversized, then cuts them down. Brownells is another great supplier of these produces, including the Kroil.

Dave
 
Mike,

By the way, the 1 5/16" x 1 5/16" patches are the ones listed for the .28 - .35 caliber.

Dave
 
I gave up on lubing the pellets as that seemed to cause more inconsistencies (.177). I clean my bore with a pull through breech to muzzle but I use a product called Gunzilla. Works very well for me and is safe for air guns ( best to look it up ). Generally do not have any problem running three cards. JSB pellets, Ultra sonic cleaned. The felt pellets can leave fibers behind which can cause transfer port valve problems.
 
I got the Eastern Maine 1 5/16 patches yesterday and ran a few through a barrel to see how they fit. The have a nice consistent, snug feel and are clearly doing a better job of cleaning that what I was using.

I haven't picked up any Kroil yet......but haven't shot much , either.

Thanks for the recommendation, Dave.

I may have to try that Gunzilla......despite its ridiculous name.;)

Mike
 
I have a question about this cleaning issue...

I have a Steyr FT-110 which has a very reduced space (loading chamber) in order to be able to clean the barrel from the breech. I have been using dry pellets and then I tried 1 wet followed by several dry ones...After maybe 500 shots I detached the barrel for cleaning it with a brush and rod, the accuracy after cleaning it with the dry pellets was OK but not nearly as good as when the gun was new.

I scrubbed the barrel with a bronze .177 rod/brush and then finished it with 1-2 wet patches and many dry patches...The barrel came alive, maybe even better that it ever shot...
Note: I marked the barrel before detaching it so there is no indexing factor involved in the accuracy gains...

While what I did works fine, I find it too tedious for regular cleaning intervals and will like to hear how you guys clean those kinds of guns.

I thought about making a rod guide that would attach to the barrel with a slightly less diameter than the crown for protecting it but I have not seen anyone using something like this and wonder if it is not a good idea... I also considered using a small brush attached to a line and pulling it from chamber to barrel tip but also wonder ???

What do you guys use/recommend?

Thanking you in advance, please receive my best regards and wishes for 2014.

azuaro
 
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