I found a better cleaning fluid for my 22LR

[alamogunr]

For a $5 rifle? Absolutely not! It's an ugly thing anyway.

The little use I have for a gun to shoot .22 shot loads, it's not worth a second thought.

[uscra112]

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. Post a pic and let us judge.

[alamogunr]

I tried posting pictures once and messed up big time. Now I'm really gunshy about it. I'm going to have to get over my hangup soon so I can post pictures in S&S. I've got a ton of stuff that I need to clean out.

[725]

yep. A liner is new life for an old .22. Not expensive either.

[tazman]

I have an update on the cleaning fluid.
I shoot a lot of 38 Special during the winter months. These are run through both 38 and 357 revolvers.
I started shooting this winter without doing any cleaning to the revolvers beyond what I did when I last put them away. The first range trip, I performed about my average. Not good enough for target shooting but good enough for general purposes(fun and defense).
After I got home, I went through my revolvers and looked at the chambers with my bore scope. I found the expected carbon ring in both 38 and 357 chambers.
I used the C4 carbon remover on the cylinders and let them soak for a while, then cleaned them out with a brush and dry patches.
Looking at them again with the bore scope showed the carbon ring gone.
A couple of weeks later I returned to the range and shot really well. Much better groups than I had been shooting previously. Probably 30-40% better than before using the same ammunition.
I cleaned the guns with C4 again and when I returned to the range the following week, I was still shooting tighter groups than before.

Either I am suddenly a significantly better shot(seriously doubtful), or the cleaning process removed a problem I was having with the carbon buildup and not realizing I had it.
I think it must have been the problem with the carbon ring since I don't feel like I am shooting or holding any better than before. I am using the same targets, ammunition, distances, and firearms I have been using for years.
I now realize this cleaning process is curing problems that I wasn't aware I had.
This is just my experience. Your mileage may vary significantly since I am not a great shot.

It is applicable across a wider range of situations than I had though it might be.
I had not thought through all the possible applications for this process and had not thought about all the areas where a carbon buildup may occur.
Now I have more thinking and considering to do. I had shut down my thought process when I got the results I needed with the 22 rifles. Probably more uses for this out there I have not considered yet.

[Harry Tobin]

I have an update on the cleaning fluid.
I shoot a lot of 38 Special during the winter months. These are run through both 38 and 357 revolvers.
I started shooting this winter without doing any cleaning to the revolvers beyond what I did when I last put them away. The first range trip, I performed about my average. Not good enough for target shooting but good enough for general purposes(fun and defense).
After I got home, I went through my revolvers and looked at the chambers with my bore scope. I found the expected carbon ring in both 38 and 357 chambers.
I used the C4 carbon remover on the cylinders and let them soak for a while, then cleaned them out with a brush and dry patches.
Looking at them again with the bore scope showed the carbon ring gone.
A couple of weeks later I returned to the range and shot really well. Much better groups than I had been shooting previously. Probably 30-40% better than before using the same ammunition.
I cleaned the guns with C4 again and when I returned to the range the following week, I was still shooting tighter groups than before.

Either I am suddenly a significantly better shot(seriously doubtful), or the cleaning process removed a problem I was having with the carbon buildup and not realizing I had it.
I think it must have been the problem with the carbon ring since I don't feel like I am shooting or holding any better than before. I am using the same targets, ammunition, distances, and firearms I have been using for years.
I now realize this cleaning process is curing problems that I wasn't aware I had.
This is just my experience. Your mileage may vary significantly since I am not a great shot.

It is applicable across a wider range of situations than I had though it might be.
I had not thought through all the possible applications for this process and had not thought about all the areas where a carbon buildup may occur.
Now I have more thinking and considering to do. I had shut down my thought process when I got the results I needed with the 22 rifles. Probably more uses for this out there I have not considered yet.

Hi tazman, I really like the BoreTech products and I was just over there just last week to pick up a few things. It’s funny never knew they where only 8 miles down the road from me, it does save me shipping cost. Try to stay warm taz, this winters been a real up and down deal.

[truckjohn]

This is a long post, but a good one. It's instructive to see the amount of trash 22's can build up in front of the chamber. I have an old Marlin that probably ate nothing but shorts for 30 years, and the carbon ring was huge. It wouldn't shoot normal LR until I scrubber the thick ring of trash out.

It's also nice to see CZ has cleaned up their chambers. I've got a 453 with a great barrel with a nick at the end of the chamber.

I saw a bunch of people mention fire lapping. This is dangerous with 22's in that it extends the throat really fast. It also doesn't fix an off-center leade. I fire lapped a different Marlin 22. It got rid of the buggers but it extended the throat by almost 0.100". Now, I'm in the process of pulling the barrel and lopping off 1/4" so the chamber won't swallow rounds. It's essentially a "Match" 22mag chamber.

I'd rather shoot and clean.

[Gussy]

So far I'm not that impressed with BoreTech. It took a dozen tries and finally a brass brush to remove a carbon ring. It was not a really heavy ring either. In a SS Ruger 77.

[uscra112]

Not to denigrate Bore Tech, but those nasty carbon rings can be simply dissolved by leaving a patch soaked in Ed's Red in contact overnight.

N.B. what makes those rings so hard is primer residue. They aren't just carbon.

[Walks]

I used Zippo lighter fluid on the Nylon 66 once. Did a heck of a good job. But way to expensive.

[BadgerShooter]

I talked to some USAMU armorers for the Army Smallbore Team when the National Smallbore Championships were still at Camp Perry. They only cleaned maybe twice a season and dry brushed with a very occasional patch, lightly dampened with Hoppes #9. They were not in favor of aggressive chemical cleaning. It's worked for my rifles for many years.

[Meatpuppet]

Really interesting video from a competition rifle shooter experimenting with JB Bore Past, CLR and a spray penetrant called Free-All. He is using a cheap, Teslong Borescope to document the "Works/Dont Work" of the cleaning methods. It is not necessarily about "Lead Removal" but the Carbon removal is interesting.

Note: After watching the video, I bought one of the Teslong's and it worked really well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0uDiD1LbcQ

My biggest takeaway: I do not have the patience to clean that well. Boresnake is my friend.

[BadgerShooter]

As far as rimfires are concerned, I haven't found absolute bore cleanliness to equal accuracy. A consistent bore condition is far more important. Of course. once a carbon ring forms in front of the chamber, the bore needs to be cleaned but the gun will not shoot good until a number of fouling shots have been fired to re-establish that consistent condition.

[Geezer in NH]

Bore scopes!


How does it SHOOT?