Worried - Switching Cleaning Regime

P

pisces

Guest
For the first 2,500 rounds through my rifle I routinely cleaned after every session and deep cleaned every 200 rounds or so. During this entire period the groups obtained were only average. So, I have now adopted a much more relaxed cleaning regime, I treat my 17hmr like my 22lr and leave the bore uncleaned and I have found the groups to be much improved. :) The 17hmr is now as consistent at 100 yards as my 22lr is at 50 yards. Now, I intend to clean only when the groups open up.

But, I am now a tad concerned over the possibility of bore rusting - so my question is: does anyone know for sure, using a borescope, whether following the "clean only when necessary" regime will lead to more corrosion/pitting in a 17hmr than with the "clean every time" regime ?
 
pisces...THINK!

You can use just good old common sense and a little science to answer your question. The 17 is not leaving a protective film on the bore. Therefore the steel is exposed to moisture in the atmosphere. It is more likely to rust than a bore that has some protective coating over it. If you don't want your 17 to rust, you better run an oiled patch thru it after you shoot. You don need no stinking borescope to get an answer to your question!
 
pacecil said:
You can use just good old common sense and a little science to answer your question. The 17 is not leaving a protective film on the bore. Therefore the steel is exposed to moisture in the atmosphere. It is more likely to rust than a bore that has some protective coating over it. If you don't want your 17 to rust, you better run an oiled patch thru it after you shoot. You don need no stinking borescope to get an answer to your question!
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All firearms are exposed to moisture produced as a chemical by-product from the combustion of powder and atmospheric air so the bore metal is vulnerable to galvanic attack from the first shot - regardless of atmospheric moisture content.

When the first 17hmr was manufactured, the accepted wisdom was that the bore would be fouled with copper and so would have to be cleaned like a centrefire. This was the accepted "common sense" - and yet all the 17hmr shooters I know have found no trace of copper in their barrels.

There are many theories re' metal passivation at the molecular surface level which is why I specifically requested response from members who could verify, factually, and, if possible, with a borescope, 17hmr barrel bore condition using the cleaning regime proposed.

So, if you don't have a borescope, stinking or otherwise, or any other factual information then your opnions are superfluous to this thread.
 
WOW! Talk about some snobbish answers to a simple request from Don and pacecil. Some one must have taken a crap in their oatmeal! I don't have a clue wheather pisces is a benchrest shooter or not, but a nice welcoming response should not be that difficult. Unfortunately, I only have a .22 so I can't give you an answer, pisces. You may have better luck at Rimfirecentral.com. At least there, you will get an honest answer from members who's noses are not stuck up in the air.

Ken
 
Yes

Depending on how a barrel is cared for and stored, both Chrome-moly and SS will Rust. If you have that fear, the clean and protect.
 
Sure will

be glad when we can all get out to shoot!........
Don...........I didn't know you knew big words like that!!..HaHaHa [you sure you're really from Arkansas?]

Spinner.........well it is called "Benchrest" Central for a reason.....you are right about Rimfire Central though.They do deal a lot more with just general type questions and .17HMR and 10-22's.
Colt.45
 
Don's a great guy. He was just getting a little shootingosmosisticulistisfondosis syndrome. Yep it's a word. I looked it up! :D
 
Spinner.........well it is called "Benchrest" Central for a reason
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I understand. But, is it too much to ask for a decent, kind hearted answer? One of the best ways to promote a sport or activity is to welcome others with a kind reception, no matter what level or discipline they may favor. From that, they may find that they are more welcome and will further their participation in benchrest shooting.

I hope this doesn't get dragged through the mud and turn into page after page of critisim. I've stated my what my thoughts are and that's enough for me. Thanks for the comment.

Ken
 
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As with all my guns, centerfire or rimfire or shotgun........Clean the d--n thing! It wouldn't be good to store it without being clean. Good intentions of being to the range in a few days doesn't allow for other pressing issues. Clean it and forget it.

Carp
 
Thanks for the advice to all who have posted replies.

I was hoping someone would respond by saying that it was OK to leave the bore uncleaned until such time as the groups opened up - backed up with boroscope observations.

But, in the absence of such incontrovertible evidence, I've decided to go back to the old cleaning regime. I really didn't sleep very well after putting the 17hmr in the cabinet uncleaned - weird really, it just didn't feel right.
 
Here's a wild and crazy thought Pisces.

Instead of expecting somebody else to furnish you with the right answer why not find out for yourself !

If it shoots better with a bit of fouling in the barrel but you sleep better knowing that the barrel isn't vulnerable to rust why not just whipe a patch with some light oil (like G96 spray stuff) down the barrel after use. You are simply whiping the loose powder fouling out and placing some oil in there for corrosion protection, not actually cleaning it as such. Whipe it dry before shooting it of course.

With a little luck you'd get the best of both worlds, happy that it won't rust and enough firing residue left in the barrel to help maintain peak accuracy.

I had an HMR for a while and did just that, seemed to work fine for me.

Bryce
 
BJS6 said:
Here's a wild and crazy thought Pisces.

Instead of expecting somebody else to furnish you with the right answer why not find out for yourself ! ....
Click to expand...

If I had a borescope I would have done so.

As this site is supposed to be the home of THE gun experts I supposed that more members would have access to a borescope and that the information would be readily available.

I'm not sure why this thread is generating so much rudeness, sarcasm and downright hostility. But, it's the last time I visit ! :mad:
 
Trouble is you are asking a very specific question that very few people are ever going to be able to answer in the manner you requested about a situation that isn't that big of a deal and doesn't need the detail that you want.

If you whipe the bore out after shooting with some light oil and the rifle is stored properly it will not rust, you don't need a borsecope to tell you that. If doing this helps maintain the accuracy then problem solved.

What I am saying is, you are making a problem where there isn't one, asked for much more detail that anybody is going to be able to give you and then wonder why people tell you stuff you don't want to hear.
 
More people might have tried to answer as you requested if the standard borescope would fit a 17. The ones that I have used and have access to do not fit in a 177 bore.
 
Actually Don if you are reffering to the Hawkeye, which I'd guess is the most common, they do fit. You have to remove the outer tube with the 90deg. mirror and go with just the main tube. You have to be carefull, go slow, and realize you're going to be looking at a lower light 360deg image of the bore but you get used to it and you can pick up fouling, etc.
 
OK...I thought I took the tube off but still couldn't get it in there but I may be mistaken.
 
I wish I was as smart as this guy

:eek:
pisces said:
All firearms are exposed to moisture produced as a chemical by-product from the combustion of powder and atmospheric air so the bore metal is vulnerable to galvanic attack from the first shot - regardless of atmospheric moisture content.

When the first 17hmr was manufactured, the accepted wisdom was that the bore would be fouled with copper and so would have to be cleaned like a centrefire. This was the accepted "common sense" - and yet all the 17hmr shooters I know have found no trace of copper in their barrels.

There are many theories re' metal passivation at the molecular surface level which is why I specifically requested response from members who could verify, factually, and, if possible, with a borescope, 17hmr barrel bore condition using the cleaning regime proposed.

So, if you don't have a borescope, stinking or otherwise, or any other factual information then your opnions are superfluous to this thread.
Click to expand...
 
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