To clean or not to clean.....

[Stantonhog]

also a word about 'seasoning or breaking in barrels', McCormick of McCormick barrels did an article on breaking in barrels. he stated that he loved it when people fired a shot or two, then ran a brass brush down them, lather rinse repeat, then cleaned the **** out of it after each range session. reason: they damaged their barrel more and wore it out faster, so they had to buy a new one way prior to the life expectancy of the barrel. that was for bigger centerfires, not .22's but i go with the same principle. just always ensure your barrel is clear of any debris that could cause a malf.

Sorry to stick my nose in on this, but I just read mcmillian's post on this and think you may be referring to him. He said the "seasoning" recommendation of a barrel was a marketing gimmick, basically the idea of cleaning after first every shot and then every couple of shots to season the barrel for the first 300 shots was just a good way to waste 10% of the life of the barrel (the high end barrels he said are replaced every 3000 shots) and also introduce the possibility of damaging the barrel due to using various compounds and possible damage from the cleaning rod. He recommended only using brass brushes, and to avoid nylon bristles which he said were more abrasive then brass.

Barrel Break-In

 

[Kayback]

Personally I strip a weapon down to check everything is AK and that I understand how to do it, then I re-lube it with my favourite lube (currently SLIP 2000 or SLIP EWL).

But you don't NEED to.

KBK

 

[roadkill45]

Stantonhog you would be correct on the article. found it very interesting as it is a marketing ploy.
basically, i clean as needed, not every time for the sake of it.

 

[Buckskinner]

Not that it has anything to do with the 15/22, here is a good article that will make your head spin about cleaning a barrel. But it does have some good pointers in it if are trying to put one hole in targets.

Bore Brushing--How Much is Too Much?

For the 15/22, you just need to get the lead and fouling out once in a while.

 

[Majorlk]

Sorry to stick my nose in on this, but I just read mcmillian's post on this and think you may be referring to him. He said the "seasoning" recommendation of a barrel was a marketing gimmick, basically the idea of cleaning after first every shot and then every couple of shots to season the barrel for the first 300 shots was just a good way to waste 10% of the life of the barrel (the high end barrels he said are replaced every 3000 shots) and also introduce the possibility of damaging the barrel due to using various compounds and possible damage from the cleaning rod. He recommended only using brass brushes, and to avoid nylon bristles which he said were more abrasive then brass.

Barrel Break-In

Again, this is for multi-thousand dollar benchrest rifles where one is attempting to put all rounds into a single ragged hole. It has little, if any, application to 99 percent of the firearms in use, especially the 15-22. Properly cared for, a .22 LR barrel is good for at least 100k.

 

[Boz]

If brass can destroy steel with over-cleaning, then wouldn't casings be made out of some other material?

It would seem to me the most brass that gets pushed in and out of the barrel is the casing, far exceeding any use of a brass brush. Or, is the chamber made out of a harder steel than the barrel?

I kept one of those carbon rods with a handle in my gun case on the off-chance that a casing would not properly eject. I have since replaced the carbon rod with a brass rod I purchased at a hardware store (a lot cheaper than the carbon rod).

So that begs another question: Which is better, the carbon rod or the brass rod?

 

[roadkill45]

actually for a stuck casing or a squib that is stuck in the barrel i use a wood dowel rod from Lowe's. if you use steel/brass you can run the risk of damaging the crown, use the carbon one. carbon/plastic/wood won't scratch the gun either. just my .02