Rimfire Maintenance
Cleaning Rimfire Barrels
Rimfire rifle barrels are different from centerfire barrels in
that they require very little cleaning and essentially no break-in
procedure. We have asked several of the top rimfire shooters and
gunsmiths that use our barrels about their procedures and based
on our own experience, have come up with our recommendation for
cleaning.
In a match-grade stainless steel hand-lapped barrel, leading is
an almost nonexistent problem. Powder fouling is minimal too. It
is possible however to have an accumulation of fouling in the leade
area in front of the chamber. A build up here is detrimental to
top accuracy.
We suggest cleaning in the following manner. After approximately
100 rounds push a dry loose patch through the barrel from the breach
end. This pushes out loose fouling. Then take a tighter dry patch
and work it back and forth about 10 times in the leade area, pushing
it out of the barrel at the muzzle end when finished.
Every 200-300 rounds a loose (worn out) 22 caliber bronze brush,
wet with solvent, should be worked back and forth in the leade area
with short strokes and withdrawn from the chamber end. If there
is any evidence of lead in the barrel then brushing the full length
of the barrel with solvent is suggested.
Match quality bullets have a wax coating on them that aids accuracy.
It may take 10-50 shots to "lay" a good coating of it
down in the barrel and using solvents will only remove this desirable
wax coating.
Users of the 10/22-type semi-auto barrels may have to remove the
accumulated powder fouling buildup that forms on the breach end
of the barrel. Extraction problems may result eventually unless
solvent is used on this type of fouling.
The 22 WMR and 17 HMR cartridges are rimfires but they fire a jacketed
bullet and therefore centerfire
cleaning and break-in instructions apply.
The solvent we use and recommend for our barrels is Butch's Bore
Shine from BBS
Industries (406-652-2495).
Pictured are Dan and Butch Fisher
at the 2004 Shot Show.
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