I should say, first, that I treat my centerfires like I treat my .22WMR. NO brushes, at all. I use a r*d in the .243, BUT, with a plastic jag, bore guide and patches. I use the weed-wacker in my .223 M15.
I always said that the WMR is like a centerfire, because of the jacketed, non-lubed bullet and copper fouling is a good possibility if the bore isn't frequently, properly cleaned.
As you all are probably aware, I am a fanatic about "breaking in" a new barrel. I can spend hours at the range and end up only putting 20 rnds thru it.
I believe this extremely tedious process helps minimize fouling and and makes needing brushes unneccesary. A couple of solvent/dry patches and "walla" finished.
p.s. Ever see what a plastic scouring pad does to highly polished SS? Those ARE scratches!
Chief, I can tell you that in the instructions that came with my Otis .22 cleaning kit from Volquartsen, the Volquartsen instructions say that they DO recommend the use of a brush in their .22 mag barrels BUT NOT in their .22 LR barrels. Other than the different chamber and use of jacketed bullets in the .22 mag, I don't see what the difference could possibly be between the 2 barrels from the standpoint of manufacturing/materials used. Therefore, I never understood why a brush was supposedly "harmful" to the .22 LR barrels to begin with, though since it voids the warranty, I follow the instructions and don't use 'em. After all, the BR folks use brushes in their super-accurate barrels all the time and still manage to shoot miniscule groups, and these barrels are made from the same steels with the same physical properties and have the same hand-lapped bores as the "match" .22 barrels do.
I only use plastic brushes in my centerfire and that is on rare occasions other than that, it is just hundreds of patches. The only thing I use on my WMR is a boresnake with Hoppes on the front end and Kroil on the tail end.
I still have the original factory barrel on my 1022 magnum and have fired way over 25K rounds through it. Just shot another 300 today...did I mention I got my NEW SCOPE yesterday? ANyway...if I clean it when I have shot close to 50 rounds through it, sometimes less when I am bored...I need a life .
I always use a brass brush and either a highly polished stainless rod or a Deweys coated rod and always clean from the muzzle end. I started using the ProShot cleaner but went back to Hoppes #9 and use exclusively Pro Shot brushes and patches (they make the best in my opinion). The rifle has been cleaned ALOT and I'd love to bore scope it to see what it looked like.
You got a bore scope Chief? Maybe I'll switch barrels and send it to you just to find out what it looks like, then put it back on till it gets shot ouot...if that ever happens!
The method I've been using to clean my barrels, which hasn't shown any ill effects so far, is to use 30lb test fishing line with 6, .30 caliber patches tied about 8 inches apart from each other. I saturate the first and third patches with Hoppes, leaving the second and fourth dry. The fifth patch is break-free, the sisth patch is dry.
I do this twice after about every 250 rounds. After about 1000 rounds, I run a patch through with some JB bore cleaner on it too.
Occasionally, I follow up with some FP10 bore lube.
That minimized the amount of nylon that gets pulled through the bore, even though I don't believe, despite what fishing line does to eyelets in fishing poles, that such a small amount will damage a steel bore.
Ya really got me in a bind on this one Ski.. those terms sound awful contradictory to me, considering that normally, "breaking in" is usually meant to be the breaking off and knocking down of rough points and in general, taking the rough edges off the metal, where the use of moly is to coat and cover up imperfections...
Hmmm... haveta scratch my head over that one a bit.
I just returned a Cooper 22WMR because it didn't eject properly. Of course I returned the manual as well, but when I read it last night I am sure that it said to NOT use molly-coated bullets during the breakend period. I will soon read thru the Anschutz manual that came with the "exchange" gun and see what/if they say about the break in period.
BTW I know this isn't 10/22 Magnum stuff, but I just read a post by ski, which said that other 22WMR folks are welcome to use this forum. If that isn't right please advise and I use govern myself accordingly.
We are trying to decide if we should combine all .22WMR rifles into here, or keep it as a 10/22 Magnum based forum, but any and all input to a current topic is most welcome.
For example:
You mentioned that your instruction manual said... NOT to use moly-coated bullets during the break-in.
I'm gonna go farther from the area of rimfires, altogether, and mention that the instruction manual for my ArmaLite rifles specifically recommends using moly-coated bullets for the break-in.
This kind of stuff can get the average guy going in circles!
I reviewed my Anschutz manual last night for the 22WMR and the 22LR. They keep it simple. Basically, run a clean patch (from the breech to the muzzle) before you shoot. After shooting run a couple patches thru it, then one with a little oil on it. Before shooting again run a clean patch through it.
Since I'm a simple man, I'll use a simple cleaning technique!
Ski, is it feasable for Volquartsen to put a hole, chamber size, in the back of the reciever behind the bolt stop pin, with a removable plug so the barrel could be cleaned with a rod from the receiver end like a bolt action? How much gas pressure escapes around the bolt to the back of the reciever?
I'm not ski, but I can tell you that even though this has been done before (M.O.A. Corp., for example, makes an aftermarket S.S. 10/22 receiver with a cleaning hole in the rear), Volquartsen is very unlikely to do this, since they advise against using a cleaning rod in their barrels. In fact, they'll void your warranty if they discover a cleaning rod was used in one of their barrels, due to the supposed risks of scratching the bore finish. I don't personally subscribe to this view. I'm of the opinion that proper cleaning technique with a 1-piece coated rod will never damage a bore, but I'd advise you to follow VQ's cleaning recommendations. Besides, using the method they recommend with the monofilament line works well, is almost as easy to use as a cleaning rod, and you really don't need to clean a rimfire barrel all that often anyway.
I was gonna berate you, severely, about the head and shoulders for putting that "r*d" word and my name in the same post!
But, I've calmed down, now.
I don't use those "things" in any of my .22s.
A "pull-thru" patch system is all ya need.
I'm still using the "Weed-Wacker" string and patch system.
Volquartsen provided an "Otis" Pull-Thru with the rifle that I bought from them.
Ya don't have to dissasemble the rifle, just feed the pull-thru through the ejection port, into the chamber and out the muzzle.
I clean the bore several times while I'm shooting, but, the bolt gets cleaned maybe once a month.
Since I started using only dri-lube teflon, I found that, after shooting all day, just using a toothbrush on the bolt-face was enough. Don't have to take anything apart at all!
I gotta tell ya that after a hunt where 50 to 150rds are fired I have to wire brush the chamber with a 243cal bore brush and Hoppes #9 scrubbing it hard. I do this with a bent rod piece from the chamber end with the bolt out. If I did not do this my rifle would start jamming after about 50rds during the next hunt. I shoot CCI 40gr solids the cleanest WMR I have found.
jehu, have you checked to see if your chamber is rusty? If not, you might consider sending your barrel back to the manufacturer. If there are noticeable tool marks on the chamber wall or if it's rough in any way, brass and carbon could be collecting on the surface.
I sent my barreled action back to Volquartsen and had them ream the chamber but I still have to do the process described above to insure that I can get thru over 50rds with very few jams. If the chamber does not recieve this treatment then spent casings will stick in the chamber so tight that it requires a pocket knife to get it out. I got my first Vol. 22mag in 1997 and my hunting partner had his 4 mos. before me & he has the same problem. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that this is what we need to do to gain the accuracy that we need. We do not dislike the rifles, they are just a pain in the *** to keep clean so they will function thru 150rds.
Have you tried a different type of ammo? VQ uses tight "match" chambers for the best accuracy, and the downside to a tight chamber is that it is very ammo sensitive. Sometimes, live ammo will not eject with a match chamber. I have a complete VQ rifle, albeit a .22LR, and I have never had this problem. I can go hundreds and hundreds of rounds between cleanings without a single problem whatsoever. Of course, I use a very small selection of different ammo in it, though; primarily the "match" stuff.
Good luck!
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