Do Rimfire Barrels Rust Internally?

P

pisces

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The reason I ask the question is that I have never heard of a rimfire barrel, 22lr or 17hmr, rusting internally - regardless of how it's been cleaned.

If true, could this be due to the build up of an internal, protective, film of magnatite, magnetic iron oxide ?

Anyone with a borescope seen rust ?
 
Rust.??

If a barrel is cleaned on occasions it should not rust internally.
.22 rounds are lubricated during manufacture they re-lubricate the barrel after each shot.
 
I have a Stevens single shot pistol from about 1900 that belonged to my grandfather that is internally rusted and pitted. It was that way when as early as the late fifties. Whether different steel is used today that is less likely to rust I don't know. I think primer compound back then was more likely to cause rust and needed more cleaning than today. Not sure.
 
do rimfire barrels rust?

the chrome moly ones may also the stainless if you leave them wet,
always use some hoppies left in the bore and you should have little trouble.
The chrome moly draws moisture from humidity.
that old rifle tat was talked about was shot with mercuric priming so it had a salt compound residue today they use lead sty late for priming our 22 ammo. basically ground glass. It sand blasts the barrels so keep it clean.
It takes quite a while to hurt a 22rf barrel if you clean it properly.
i hope this helps . i got this from hart rifle barrels
 
I think they learned, or at least claimed, about 90 years age that the lubricant they begin applying to 22 rimfire bullets, and the priming compound they used, helped prevent, and almost eliminated, corrosion in the bore. They called them names like "Staynless" and "Kleenbore" and "Rustless". I haven't cleaned any of my 22 rimfires for 90 years!
 
pacecil said:
I think they learned, or at least claimed, about 90 years age that the lubricant they begin applying to 22 rimfire bullets, and the priming compound they used, helped prevent, and almost eliminated, corrosion in the bore. They called them names like "Staynless" and "Kleenbore" and "Rustless". I haven't cleaned any of my 22 rimfires for 90 years!
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Thanks. But, how about 22lr copper washed ammo' or 17hmr copper cased ammo' ?

If I leave my rifles uncleaned in a dry, cool cabinet will the barrels rust ?

Anyone ever seen rust in a 17hmr barrel ?

No comments on protective iron oxide film ?
 
Don't take a chance

There's always something lurking somewhere to cause rust.

For example, visitors come to shoot in my home state in the autumn. It's a tad damp where they come from but usually dry as a parched bone here, hottish during the day & brisk at night. Unless they take steps to dry out the foam in their gun cases, their rifles will be dripping water & non-stainless bits a nice shade of mud the morning after they arrive.

I wouldn't like to store good ironware for more than a few days without taking precautions to keep all types of corrosion at bay.
 
John Kielly said:
There's always something lurking somewhere to cause rust.

For example, visitors come to shoot in my home state in the autumn. It's a tad damp where they come from but usually dry as a parched bone here, hottish during the day & brisk at night. Unless they take steps to dry out the foam in their gun cases, their rifles will be dripping water & non-stainless bits a nice shade of mud the morning after they arrive.

I wouldn't like to store good ironware for more than a few days without taking precautions to keep all types of corrosion at bay.
Click to expand...

I appreciate that unprotected wet ironware can rust quickly - dependent on ambient temperature. However, if the outside of the barrel has been passivated - such as blueing - then rusting is prevented.

Now, for the barrel bore, with the 22lr - the ammo' wax is supposed to be the protecting agent. But, is a rimfire barrel protected by any other mechanism, such as chemical passivation as a by-product of barrel steel oxidation so that a 17hmr using copper cased ammo' or a 22lr using copper washed ammo' can be left uncleaned in a dry, cool atmosphere ?
 
If I am not mistaken, even the copper-washed .22 lr bullets are lubricated. The lubricant tends to be a dry type and designed to not pick up 'pocket trash' when used by hunters and plinkers. It still offers bore protection when fired.

The jacketed .17s have no such lubricants and should be treated the same as centerfires. Rust could be a real issue, depending upon the climate you live in and the storage methods you use. In Missouri, I would clean and oil a .17 rimfire after each use in the field - it can get pretty humid around here.

As a side note, I have book in my possession, Small Bore Rifle Shooting, by E.C. Crossman printed in 1927. It belonged to my grandfather, who was an avid target shooter during that period. Most of the target shooters at the time the book was written had not even started using smokeless powder and non corrosive priming yet. Smokeless existed, it was just not considered accurate enough for serious target work. The shooters used target ammo loaded with something called 'Lesmoke,' some kind of mix of smokeless and black and had corrosive primers. Most of the shooting was at 100 and 200 yards. There is a wonderfull 3.3" 200 yard group pictured in the book, shot with Peters TackHole .22 long rifle ammo.

Anyway, there are a few pages in the book devoted to Remington's brand new Kleenbore ammo, loaded with smokeless powder and a new non corrosive primer. The author states, "The samples received by me in October, 1926 were put through a course of severe sprouts. The results , so far as freedom from rust is concerned, amply bear out the Remington claim, except where they concern a considerable length of time, which naturally I cannot report upon....to the writing, however, I have not found ammunition loaded with this primer quite in the accuracy class of the older primer.

This wonderful old book devotes 57 full pages to rimfire ammo and ballistics.
 
do rimfire barrels rust internally

Not if you take care of them"
All fire arms need maintance. clean them all of the time. mine get dusty just sitting in the gun cabinet. you have to clean and oil them from time to time. centerfires too' PM PM pM
 
pisces said:
I appreciate that unprotected wet ironware can rust quickly - dependent on ambient temperature. However, if the outside of the barrel has been passivated - such as blueing - then rusting is prevented.

Now, for the barrel bore, with the 22lr - the ammo' wax is supposed to be the protecting agent. But, is a rimfire barrel protected by any other mechanism, such as chemical passivation as a by-product of barrel steel oxidation so that a 17hmr using copper cased ammo' or a 22lr using copper washed ammo' can be left uncleaned in a dry, cool atmosphere ?
Click to expand...

My friend, you have a fundemental misunderstanding of copper jacketed bullets and fouling. First of all, even a centerfire that copper fouls does not lay down jacket material in the entire bore, certainly not enough to prevent rust. Secondly an HMR will copper foul, some do some do'nt, generally the MV is'nt fast enough to become a big problem. The ammo is subject to the same basic priming as a .22 and it's abrasive, so if you never clean you'll probably, at some point, start to get the pitting, roughness, @ 6 o'clock down your barrel and that may very well become the source of rust.
 
It's your

guns and your call. Just takes a few minutes of your time to make sure your stuff will be around for a while. Clean inside and out!
 
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