Combat Arms BBS
                              2869 Grove Way
                          Castro Valley, CA 94546
                        Voice phone: (510) 538-6544
                            BBS: (510) 537-1777
                            September 10, 1991


                           CLEANING A .22 RIFLE


          The following material was written by Ed Harris in the
     Firearms Echo. Ed was responding to a question from a man that
     asked how to clean his new Ruger 77/22. Ed Harris is an engineer
     who used to work as a quality control manager at Ruger.


     Richard Bash
     -Your SysOp-


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          I have found that a new rimfire barrel may lead due to the
     presence of tool marks in the chamber from the reaming process,
     until it has a few hundred rounds on it. I would suggest a
     one-piece cleaning rod of spring tempered drill rod, teflon
     coated. I would suggest one from the John Dewey Gun Co., which
     are common among target and benchrest shooters. You should be
     able to get one from Sinclair International, 718 Broadway, New
     Haven, IN 47664, (219) 493-1858. The rod is about $20 but is well
     worth it. While you are at it, I would suggest you get a dozen
     .22 cal. rifle brushes from him, as Sinclair's brushes are good
     quality and have a bronze core do there is no possibility of
     damaging the rifle bore. A dozen will last you a long time. You
     can mix other calibers in an order. I would also get 500 of his
     patches as these are made of a good quality double-napped flannel
     which is more absorbent than the usual ones you buy. For bore
     cleaner I would suggest Shooter's Choice or Lead Out.

          I would suggest initially cleaning the rifle by pushing a
     wet patch through the bore on the jag tip, letting the patch fall
     out the muzzle. Then change to a brush and apply the bore cleaner
     to the brush with a squeeze bottle rather than dipping the brush
     into the bore cleaner; dipping the soiled brush into the cleaning
     solution will foul the bore cleaner fluid. Push the brush through
     the bore from the breech end until it completely exists the
     muzzle, then all the way back out the breech, repeating this six
     times the first time you clean. Then wipe the bore out with one
     wet patch and three dry patches before firing.

          Repeat the cleaning after each 100 rounds for the first 500
     rounds. When you push that first wet patch through take it and
     examine it in good light to see if you can find any lead
     deposits. If you have a nice smooth barrel and chamber you
     probably won't find any lead. If you do, repeat the brushing
     again. After you get some rounds through the barrel it should
     stop leading and you can just clean it with wet patches. Once the
     bore comes clean and stops leading, don't brush it unless
     accuracy starts going to pot or you see lead on that first patch.
     Rimfire barrels are soft and you don't need all that extra
     brushing to wear them out.

          It doesn't hurt to give the barrel two passes of the brush
     every 500 rounds or so just to be sure you don't get any buildup
     in the chamber. Get into the habit of always cleaning your rifle
     after each use, even if you only fire a few rounds. At a minimum
     I run a wet patch through the bore and leave it wet until I can
     come back and do a proper job. I repeat with wet patches until
     they come out clean, then leave the bore wet until my next trip
     to the range, ALWAYS drying it out with three dry patches before
     shooting.


     Regards,


     Ed



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