Gradual decline in barrel accuracy
- Thread starter center22
- Start date
Barrels gone bad!
I once bought a brand new Anschutz. The first time I shot it I fired a 400-40X. It seems as the months went by and I fired it more I had trouble shooting a 400 with it every time. Must have been something was just going bad. You try to keep your guns good and pure but they just go bad!
I once bought a brand new Anschutz. The first time I shot it I fired a 400-40X. It seems as the months went by and I fired it more I had trouble shooting a 400 with it every time. Must have been something was just going bad. You try to keep your guns good and pure but they just go bad!
The Jet
New member
Wow theres one at every party. Guns going bad lol .Is there a reason that this has happened to the original poster ? Or is treating it with ISSo the way to go ? Because I would really like to know, please post when you find a suitable solution so we can all learn a thing or two.
kind regards Ben
kind regards Ben
X
xs hedspace
Guest
Muzzle wear from cleaning? Try recrowning, like 1/4" back. Carbon ring in front of chamber? Calfee once mentioned wear at 6 O'clock in front of the chamber from priming compound grit settling there. My $.02......
If this was that easy nobody would have issues. The point some folks are trying to make is that it is less likely the guns simply changed and more likely that the OP might have changed them through cleaning, chemicals, and or damage. When these things happen you need to go down the list, objectively, to find answers.
The three most likely suspects are the
OP changed the interior of the barrel, the crown, or the chamber. One of the biggest and toughest to detect is chambers that are changed during breaking. Some guns can override this dome cannot. Ant time an abrasive is put in a bore raises a question.
M
MIKECAMERON
Guest
I would suspect your cleaning regimen.I have several top competitive rifles Sporter and heavy and the only time they have fallen off even a little is when I didn't do a good job of cleaning.
The heavy I am shooting has about 60 thousand rounds through it and it shoots as good now as it did the first case.I have heard of glazing but have never had it happen to me, if you clean them right they will not fall off gradually.Shilen ratchets have a tendancy to just quit shooting but it happens abruptly and not gradually they just all of a sudden quit shooting, it has been rumored that it has something to do with the softness of their steel.I shoot a broughton and a Rock Creek and as long as I do the correct cleaning job they shoot.
Mike Cameron
The heavy I am shooting has about 60 thousand rounds through it and it shoots as good now as it did the first case.I have heard of glazing but have never had it happen to me, if you clean them right they will not fall off gradually.Shilen ratchets have a tendancy to just quit shooting but it happens abruptly and not gradually they just all of a sudden quit shooting, it has been rumored that it has something to do with the softness of their steel.I shoot a broughton and a Rock Creek and as long as I do the correct cleaning job they shoot.
Mike Cameron
Mike, meet Cecil . From time to time he shows up with stuff that is truly bizarre. He is in the keyboard shooter hall of fame. Stay tuned.
Last edited:
The Jet
New member
Seem there is so much said about cleaning but nearly everyone has a different idea on it. Looking through the shooting forums some swear that a 22 should never be cleaned. I can't understand this point of view as the rifle never came dirty so I will only put one away clean. Now theres clean and theres clean and this is the confusing thing to me. I rarey touch my rifles with a bronze brush but instead when I have completed shooting I run two patches of pro shot cleaning product through them followed by two clean patches. Actually I use the the wool cleaning thingos (GHD) that have the hole through the middle of them because I can squeeze them out a bit wider with the small tightening aluminuim nut that holds them on the jag. after two patches through the second one normally comes out pretty clean. I also do it while the barrel is still warm as I figured this would give the best chance for the pro shot penetrating the debris in the barrel. I have only just purchased my first benchrest rifle which as a Shillen 4 grooze hatchet barrel so do I need to change my cleaning methods? Like Mike I would love to have this barrel for a long time. I never meant to sound silly with the rifle going bad comment but it did put a smile on my face. I do not want to hijack this thread I thought that it would also help the original OP
kind regards Ben
kind regards Ben
bob finger
New member
Ben: Go to a big BR match and watch how shooters clean. Next weekend at The Barn there will be 100 shooters more or less. There will be 100 cleaning processes more or less. About the only common ground will be almost every one of those shooters will "clean" between each card. If you watch carefully and ask questions you will find that there are some common ideas, but none are universal. What each and every one of these shooters is striving for is to "clean" before accuracy can fall off.
Here is how I do it for whatever it is worth. A wet patch followed by three full strokes with a wet bronze brush followed by four dry patches. By wet I mean a mixture of 1/2 Marvel Mystery Oil and 1/2 RimFire blend. Try to do this while the bore is still warm from the last card shot. I clean the tuner insides less often, but at least at the end of a match with a wet patch followed by 2 or 3 dry patches (3 inch square patches). I wipe off the bolt face after every card and make sure the bolt has a wee bit of oil on it and the lugs have a bit of grease on them. I also clean the wax build up off the extractor cuts (or around the cone if a cone breech) and the loading port with a Q-Tip once or twice a match as time allows. And last but not least I use Zeiss lens cleaning wipes on my scope and my glasses at least before the match starts. Shooting indoors I go through a lot of lens wipes. Finally after the last cleaning of the match the bronze brush goes in the trash can. bob
Here is how I do it for whatever it is worth. A wet patch followed by three full strokes with a wet bronze brush followed by four dry patches. By wet I mean a mixture of 1/2 Marvel Mystery Oil and 1/2 RimFire blend. Try to do this while the bore is still warm from the last card shot. I clean the tuner insides less often, but at least at the end of a match with a wet patch followed by 2 or 3 dry patches (3 inch square patches). I wipe off the bolt face after every card and make sure the bolt has a wee bit of oil on it and the lugs have a bit of grease on them. I also clean the wax build up off the extractor cuts (or around the cone if a cone breech) and the loading port with a Q-Tip once or twice a match as time allows. And last but not least I use Zeiss lens cleaning wipes on my scope and my glasses at least before the match starts. Shooting indoors I go through a lot of lens wipes. Finally after the last cleaning of the match the bronze brush goes in the trash can. bob
bob finger
New member
GLP: Sorry, I don't know the answer to your question. I keep some at home because I love the smell of the stuff, always have. I use it on shotguns and pistols. bob
Almost anything is better than straight dry patching.....BUT, why do folks not understand the benefit from using solvents specifically designed for .22's ? Most modern rimfire solvents are designed very well for their intended purpose and tend to be citrus based. As stated, there are lots of methods but probably the single most widely used would be Rimfire Blend. I've never had an issue with it, never heard of one.
C
cjd223
Guest
I was almost "run out of town on a rail" on another forum when I even mentioned that I use a bronze brush. You would think I had slapped their mothers.
The Jet
New member
Thankyou Bob
Thankyou Bob
I would love to come to the barn but its a bit far to go from Australia. I do mean I would love to one day come over and watch you guys shoot. I have been scared off cleaning with a bronze brush by the keyboard experts but I will purchase some for my new rifle and do as you have said you do. I do not want to try and reinvent the wheel so I will take your method as gospel.
Again I hope the original poster finds the answer to his question of his barrels going off and posts his findings. It is certainly a great resource to be able to communicate with like minded competitors on this forum.
kind regards Ben
Thankyou Bob
I would love to come to the barn but its a bit far to go from Australia. I do mean I would love to one day come over and watch you guys shoot. I have been scared off cleaning with a bronze brush by the keyboard experts but I will purchase some for my new rifle and do as you have said you do. I do not want to try and reinvent the wheel so I will take your method as gospel.
Again I hope the original poster finds the answer to his question of his barrels going off and posts his findings. It is certainly a great resource to be able to communicate with like minded competitors on this forum.
kind regards Ben
Ben,
I am the OP and I doubt seriously that cleaning with a bronze brush will harm the bore of a rimfire barrel, if used properly. I believe many prone shooters, who use factory Anschutz barrels with deep conventional rifling want to avoid removing the wax from the deeper rifling, because in some cases it may take a couple of hundred rounds to bring the accuracy back. Not so, with the custom barrel used in rimfire benchrest ... which have shallow rifling referred to as minimally invasive. These MI barrels appear to shoot more consistently when cleaned between targets.
For those who believe a bronze brush will damage their rimfire barrel, they should take a look at a video of Bill Calfee lapping a barrel. He goes to town on that barrel using a cast lead lap with silicon carbide valve grinding compound. One must admit that his taper lapped barrels shoot extremely well and win many matches.
As for my issue with the gradual decline in accuracy. I haven't addressed the problem yet, but I am inclined to try the method in post #13 by DJB in WI. Doug suggests using ISSO on a fiber brush working several inches at a time. I will be taking two rifles to the ARA matches at the Barn next weekend. Hopefully, I will be able to get one of them to shoot some decent targets. Thanks to those who posted many good suggestions. John
Last edited:
Hi John......As I have stated, I have had the same problem in a few rifles, and after cleaning with the Iosso, the rifles started shooting again. As long as the barrel is not too worn or has other issues that are affecting accuracy,it works. I have talked to a others back home, and they seen the same results. I am also going to the Barn and I will be more then happy to discuss this with you. I always carry Iosso with me. Doug
HuskerP7M8
Member
John,
If you wish, have Dan Killough point me out at the Barn and we'll visit.
I'll be there Fri-Sun messing around and trying to gather data. When are you coming?
Landy