Proper Cleaning of a 22 Cal LR

[Shorty03]

Hi everyone. Need help with what is probably a simple problem. I just bought a new S&W 617 6 ". Wanted to clean it up a bit before shooting it for the first time and ran into a problem. I bought one of these "One Piece Gun Cleaning Rods" made of aluminum.

While the rod COULD fit down the barrel, when I put the solvent-laced patch into the gun, it was a scary, tight fit. I cannot imagine using one of the copper brushes in this way if the revolver was really dirty.

Should I buy a cleaning rod solely fitted for 22 cal and if so, what should the rod be composed of? Would it make sense to buy a smaller rod? (ie 17 cal)

Will the aluminum cleaning rod harm the inside barrel or the cylinders?

Can someone have pity on me and explain the best method for cleaning a 22 cal LR such as the 617?

My previous experience is with 45 colts. P.S. I also own a S&W 25-5 nickel plated revolver. It remains the most beautiful revolver I have ever seen in my life... up to now.

Many thanks in advance. Shorty 03

 

[Tam 3]

Get a spray can of Sheath,a can of Gun Scrubber,a toothbrush, a rag, and a .22 brass brush. Use the brush on the chambers only. Use the toothbrush, the rag and the Sheath to keep the exterior clean. The Gun Scrubber is to be sprayed into the interior if you cannot resist removing the side plate. Avoid putting anything into the bore other than bullets that will not remain there long. Once a year or so remove the stocks and wipe the frame down with Sheath (any polarized oil will work). In my experience, more guns were loved to death than neglected to ruin.

Regards,

Tam 3

 

[snowman]

Shorty,

I feel your pain. In my experience, cleaning .22s took some trial and error. Here is what I've learned:

-A rod designated for .22 will work OK, but not with a looped tip. I had never used a jag until I ran into problems on my .22s. Then I discovered that I had to do so. A jag won't bunch up the patch on the front end as much as a loop; it will allow the patch to slide through like it's supposed to.

-An aluminum rod should work OK, but I finally put frugality aside and bought a Tipton carbon fiber rod. There's no chance of barrel/crown damage with one of these.

-A patch of the correct dimension is necessary -there's virtually no leeway on a .22. If I remember correctly, 7/8" was the largest that I could use, and 3/4" fit a little better.

-Brushes(copper or whatever) actually pose no problem. You'll definitely want to use them, but I would use one with a brass core wire and base -there's less chance of marring the crown as it goes in.

-You CAN use Q-tips and their longer cousins, medical swabs, but they don't hold enough solvent and absorb enough residue to suit me.

Hope this helps at least a little.
Andy

 

[Falguy]

I must shoot too much to mess about with these complicated methods.



Shorty03

You can do whatever you want but if you ever run a boresnake through a 22 barrel it will be clean with one pass. You might as well make two passes to be sure but one is enough

One pass with a boresnake through each cylinder hole will be enough

I use a small wire brush on that round thing in front of the cylinder. It might be called a gas ring, don't know but lead builds up on it as well

Lead will also build up on the top strap above cylinder/barrel gap. A small pocket knife will cut this out with little effort


I methodically clean very accurate target rifles with specialized equipment but don't make it near a complicated process as what's been described here.

 

[22steelshooter]

For my stainless 617 I use a bore snake for the barrel every 500 rounds or so with a little CLP on the from edge. I bought a handy .22 cal pistol swab I use for the chambers. I wipe all the residue away with a carbon and lead wipe then use a light cloth covered Hoppes 9 on the exterior surfaces.

 

[SmithNut]

I'd be a bit careful using Gun Scrubber in the internals unless you follow up with some form of oil product, WD40 or something. Gun Scrubber completely dries out all lubricants and oils, and if you live in a humid environment the "clean" stainless (or carbon for that matter) will attract any moisture from the air and cause rust.
Ask me how I know...
Anyway, Gun Scrubber and spray brake cleaner products work great for a good cleaning, but they do remove any protective oils, so always follow up with something to re-coat the metal, this is especially true for internal parts that you cannot get to or see regularly.

FYI

 

[snowman]

I must shoot too much to mess about with these complicated methods.



Shorty03

You can do whatever you want but if you ever run a boresnake through a 22 barrel it will be clean with one pass. You might as well make two passes to be sure but one is enough

One pass with a boresnake through each cylinder hole will be enough

I use a small wire brush on that round thing in front of the cylinder. It might be called a gas ring, don't know but lead builds up on it as well

Lead will also build up on the top strap above cylinder/barrel gap. A small pocket knife will cut this out with little effort


I methodically clean very accurate target rifles with specialized equipment but don't make it near a complicated process as what's been described here.

Can you tell us specifically what you're finding complicated? I use a Bore Snake occasionally also, but I just think I should get some solvent and a brush in there regularly also, just as I would for any other gun/caliber.

Andy

 

[robertrwalsh]

I like the bore snake for .22.

 

[500 Magnum Nut]

Find cotten patches in 22 cal size. Any cleaning rod will work. Buy yourself a bronze tooth brush and bore brush. Find a solvent like Hoppes to clean out the carbon and lead. Use proper gun oil for lube and protection. My 617 was bought new 25 years ago and still is in very fine condition, even though I'd fired 10's of thousands of rounds down range.
Here is my no dash 617, hand polished and the grips re-varnished for the picture.

 

[JWiley]

I try to pull the brushes, patches (loop jag), etc. from the breach to the muzzle. Even if you have to insert the rod and then screw the attachment on in the breach. (Semi-autos get unhappy having all the crud pushed into the works.)

Being a lazy sort and not liking cleaning at all, I've become a fan of bore-snakes.

John

 

[Shorty03]

Thanks guys- I am going out this morning to get a bore-snake and try that on the 617. Can't wait to shoot it but need just as importantly to be able to clean it after the range.

All your ideas are right-on as usual and I am grateful to you all. Any other inputs are welcome as always!!

Just as an afterthought on the subject of cleaning a 22LR, what ammo leaves the least residue. Any opinions on that one? I purchased the CCI Mini-mags 40 grain copper-plated round nose. I have read that one needs to experiment, but I would certainly want to try the cleanest rounds to keep the after cleaning to a minimum. Not that I mind cleaning- its fun.

One thing that has amazed me about this S&W site is how well you guys keep your revolvers looking in the posted pictures.

Unless- maybe only the prom date pictures are getting shown.

 

[SmithNut]

Cleaning

Shorty03,
Contrary to some folks perceptions, not all the guns shown are safe queens. Some of us like to keep our guns new looking. There are two types of cleaning, a functional clean and a complete cosmetic clean. The difference in time and energy between the two can be extensive. A functional clean has been described here in this thread, swab out the bore, clean the chambers, lube and go about your business. For a complete cosmetic clean, removing the carbon on the cylinder face and underside of the topstrap requires dissassembly, in my case I soak the cylinders in Hoppes and scrub with lead free cloth and then use an air hose to blow out all the extraneous oils/solvents, etc. This takes time, commitment and patience. The result is a gun that looks virtually unfired. Because of this, most of the time a functional cleaning gets done more often when I know I'm going to shoot the gun again in the near future. Only when my guns will be stored for a considerable amount of time (winter for instance) will they get a complete cosmetic clean.

As for the cleanest 22lr ammo, good luck, I've not found any particularly clean ammo, they are all somewhat dirty. That's the nature of shooting rimfire rounds, the good news is that it's cheap......

 

[tomcatt51]

My 617 gets it's chambers cleaned every match or when rounds won't chamber. The barrel hasn't even had a patch run thru it in at least 5,000 rds. I shoot Federal or CCI Blazer bulk (Blazer shoots better but is dirtier) for practice and CCI Mini-Mags or Federal 711B for match.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Just remember that more good .22's have been ruined in the cleaning process than from being shot dirty. Go easy and don't get inclined to disassemble often.

 

[BobK]

If it ain't broke......don't fix it!!!! I usually give my revolvers a quick going-over after every time it is shot. There is little reason to do a complete cleanning, if you're going to shoot again, soon. Bob

 

[flagman1776]

I'm a believer in using the proper jag & the correct sized cleaning patch. The jag should be a round cylinder on the end & be a snug fit with the patch. The jag should also have a smaller section just below the cylinder section for the skirt of the patch to displace into. If you must clean from the muzzle, place a rag, large patch or even paper towel to prevent crud from being pushed back into the action. I have some old ones that are of aluminum but the most recent were plastic. I've even lathe turned custom jags for antique muzzleloaders (brass or bronze).

I'm a very big believer in wiping down... everything but the grips... barrel, chambers, exterior... with Breakfree immediately before a range session. After shooting, most of the crud will just wipe away.

I & others have found that WD-40 is a great penetrant... will even get into primers if sprayed on ammunition... but that it is not a good long term lubricant. Breakfree, gun oil, choose your favorite.
Russ

 

[Shorty03]

Thanks guys!! Sounds like the bore-snake is a good way to do it. Less chance of me like you say possibly ruining a good thing by going overboard. Bought the bore-snake this afternoon. Now hopefully will get to shoot the 617 today or Saturday. Thanks again.

 

[500 Magnum Nut]

CCI Blazer is the best for semi autos or my 617 that I found. The bullets are hard enough not to over lead the forcing cone so I can shoot more before the accuracy drops off.

Thunderbolt is the worst!
IMHO