Cleaning a rimfire

pyscodog

Active member
Acquired a new Anschutz 22LR. I assume breaking it in is in order but I'm curious how and how often you folks clean yours. I spent some big bucks (for me), on this one and want to do it right.I have a bore snake and it does OK for knocking off the high spots but I just am curious on how good I should clean the barrel. I know sometimes cleaning really good can change things and the barrels don't shoot that well until fouled out again. If it matters,most ammo will be lead and standard velocity.
 
Hopefully, you mean coated lead, which almost all RF lead ammo
is anymore.

This is a great question to ask the Anschutz pros over at
Rimfire Central. There's a thread about which cleaning rod to
use going on right now.
https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1157537
Were it me, after spending the big $$$$ for an Anschutz, I would
go there and ask those who are very familiar with those great
rimfires. And congratulations!
 
Bill, a friend Steve Chernicky built the 22 RF that won all the Olympics. I was test firing the rifles which were Rem 40x with Hart barrels, McMillen stocks.

We shot all kinds of ammo from different companies. CCI Green tag was darn good, and for a poor man, the CCI std velocity was great. Eley and RWS makes some great ammo, and we killed a slug of ground squirrels with RWS HP, std. velocity.

Ammo from different Lot# can make you crazy.

We cleaned the rifles every 200-250 rounds, more if high velocity was used.

Give the bore snake to someone that you don't like, or save it for when you trip and stick the muzzle in the mud.

Steve ended up making a twist measurement system for Anschutz that gauges twist rate uniformity, and he was on a team of guys experimenting with a new Match ammo that they sold the patent to Federal, today known as Gold Metal Match.

Steve used regular bronze bristle brushes from Sinclair on those bores with good rod guides. The whole idea that you don't have to clean 22RF is what is the most popular out of pure ignorance when you have a super accurate 22.

Steve was throwing away the new 40x barrels from the factory. I fished them out of the trash can, and chambered them for 22 RF match where the throat barely engraved the bullet. At 80 yards, the bullets would go in the same hole in the underground tunnel with a 36x Leupold on Ruger 10/22's with a custom stock, and tuned trigger.

Steve went on to develop and patent the Browning Boss system, and some of the etched glass reticles that are used in some of the military scopes today.

If you want to break in your Anschutz, then get good bronze bristle brushes, give it 25 strokes with JB cleaning compound and call it good to go. If you are buying your ammo from a local store, when you find a good lot#, go back and buy all they have, and I mean all of it!
 
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Hey the bore snake works good.....when you need a rope or some string. LOL!!

I shot CCI SV today and even in crazy wind, accuracy was very good. I have 4 bricks of it so I'm glad it shot it well.I know the trick to an accurate rimfire lies mostly in the ammo you feed it. Junk in...junk out. But buying a brick of ammo only to find out it doesn't shoot good in your rifle gets expensive. So does buying a few different brands and paying shipping only to turn around and order more. So, whats a good place to start for a guy thats only trying to beat himself? I doubt I'll ever shoot anything more than club matchs and those are few and far between.
 
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Ackleyman was spot on about cleaning you rimfire barrel. I'm a huge rimfire fan and is my preference. In the late 70's I discovered RWS and haven't looked back since. I shoot lots of different rimfire ammo at paper and some are outstanding while some really suck. Bulk ammo sucks and is only good for plinking at stuff. Standard or subsonic velocity is your friend for accuracy. Some of my favorite ammo that shoots very good for me is SK Standard Plus, Norma Tac 22, Norma Subsonics, Remington Match, Wolf MT, RWS Target and my all time favorite, RWS Subsonic. Best darn Squirrel round out there.
I but much of my rimfire ammo from SGAmmo, Graf and sons, and Midsouth Shooters Supply.
Right now SGAmmo has a killer price on RWS Subsonic. RWS Subsonic
 
Bill, you are not alone when it comes to using bore snakes on .22 rimfires. I am not a match shooter so as long as whatever .22 that I take out for the day is giving me 1" or better 50 yard groups then I am fine. I know that the ground squirrels that I am shooting at will most of the time be less than 125 yard shot and too many other variables will come (me, wind, shaky bench, fidgety critters) for me to concern myself too awful much about gilt-edge accuracy.

My centerfires? That's another story.
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogK22-that is a great price for that RWS ammo. I got CCI SV for $25 a brick and thought I really made out.



It is hard to beat that price for sure. Darn near as cheap as the 550 bulk packs of Federal HV. Plus, you get gilted edge accuracy.
A friend of mine who shot in the benchrest contests years back used to borrow my KDF K22 to compete in some kind of sporter match they had going. He would use my Squirrel hunting ammo which was RWS Subsonics to compete with. That rifle thinks that stuff is ultra match grade.
smile.gif

Take a look at the price of it on other websites.
 
Lead accumulates in the barrel, especially with hyper-velocity ammo.

Priming compound has glass in it, this erodes the throats, and of course the powder fouling.

You need good quality brushes, which does most of the work.
 
I doubt the Anschutz will ever see anything other than Match grade or standard velocity ammo. My Savage gets the HV stuff or jacketed bullets. I have good rods and brushs but do need to order a rod guide.
 
Originally Posted By: K22Ackleyman was spot on about cleaning you rimfire barrel. I'm a huge rimfire fan and is my preference. In the late 70's I discovered RWS and haven't looked back since. I shoot lots of different rimfire ammo at paper and some are outstanding while some really suck. Bulk ammo sucks and is only good for plinking at stuff. Standard or subsonic velocity is your friend for accuracy. Some of my favorite ammo that shoots very good for me is SK Standard Plus, Norma Tac 22, Norma Subsonics, Remington Match, Wolf MT, RWS Target and my all time favorite, RWS Subsonic. Best darn Squirrel round out there.
I but much of my rimfire ammo from SGAmmo, Graf and sons, and Midsouth Shooters Supply.
Right now SGAmmo has a killer price on RWS Subsonic. RWS Subsonic

Thanks for posting. Never used RWS subsonic HP but I picked up 2000 rounds to try and have on hand.

Need to find a deal on CCI SV for target shooting as I have a Savage MK II BVSS that will put 10 shots under a dime at 50yds. It also likes the Tac 22

I clean my barrels between 200-250 rounds. Except my Ruger Mark III target which I clean when it starts acting up, usually around 500 rounds.
 
Funny thing. I shot small bore match for a while while stationed in Europe years ago. We had a guy shooting that was what everyone called a world class shooter. He shot a one of a kind Anschutz match rifle. Dad was a General and had it special made for him! There was another guy that was in the same league but stationed at a different base, don't recall the rifle he used. Neither of these guy's ever cleaned their rifle's! I cleaned mine but I couldn't shoot with them. Seem's your supposed to clean your rifle! Have no idea how often you need to though!
 
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Originally Posted By: Don Fischer Neither of these guy's ever cleaned their rifle's! I cleaned mine but I couldn't shoot with them. Seem's your supposed to clean your rifle! Have no idea how often you need to though!

Back in the early 80's I lived in West Texas and and old rancher out there carried a Colt Woodsman on his tractor and a S&W K-22 in his pickup. Shot jackrabbits with them on a regular basis. Both he bought back in the 50's and, according to him, he never in his life ever cleaned either of them. I offered to clean both of them for him but he was afraid that if they got cleaned that they would start giving him problems so he would not let me. OK fine. His guns and they both shot well so...who knows? Maybe he knew something that I didn't.
 
Originally Posted By: willy1947

Try a box of these Winchester's. They are very clean, 1030 fps
Winchester made these to burn clean for your suppressor.


Cmeu3MI.jpg


Any difference in the Win. vs the CCI suppressed ammo? I believe the Win. is made by CCI.
 
Seems after cleaning a rimfire it takes 10-12 rounds, sometimes more before it settles down and starts shooting again. A friend said forget everything you know about shooting when you start shooting rimfires. They're a whole different ball game.
 
Bill, it will depend on the barrel. Also, the lube that is on various types of ammo are tremendously different.

If you ever get a barrel chambered with a reamer that slightly engraves the bullet, you will have be in hog heaven!
 
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