How many of you air rifle shooters clean your barrel after a days shooting ? When I had shotguns I used to clean the gun the same night I got home but Ive never done that with my air rifles. I realise there's more debris involved with gunpowder in the cartridges etc but surely there's lead deposits with pellets right !
I have a set of .22 rods and wire brush and cotton ends but is a pull through the better option as it cleans in the direction of the pellet travel ? What's the general thoughts on this, how and when did you clean your barrels ?
I only clean my barrel when accuracy starts to drop off and I always use a pull through.
I also use a pull through to clean when groups begin to open up.
But I also pull off my barrel once a year when I do my yearly maintenance...
Use a good cleaning rod and tight jag..
Pushing a tight patch through, from the breech end
Stuart
Pull through only through my barrels 👍
I use a pull through if the gun is either brand new or new to me before i start using it.
Other than that i occasionally use the felt cleaning pellets depending on which gun it is.
I normally get some fishing line and tie on some napster silicone gun cloth with a touch of gun oil on and pull it through the barrel,
Then get a 12 shot mag put 12 shots through my rapid and normally its good to go after that,
:)
Personally my air rifle barrel almost never gets cleaned. Perhaps once per year i may shoot a few felt wads through it. -If accuracy dropped off I would do it but so far no issues seen.
I think it depends on the barrel being used. Mine has been polished and is super smooth to rod a pellet through so i don't think it picks up too much residue.
That said if the rifle has been damp or wet I will obviously wipe the exterior with an oiled cloth.
I normally do it when accuracy starts dropping of.i just remove silencer and shoot a couple of those filter tips through.the ones you use for rolling cigs.shoot 2 through with a little ballistic oil on then a couple dry.
KevG
I use a pull though every now and then with a bit of penetrating oil on the patch let it sit a while to work in either barrel off or rifle upside down so none gets down the transfer port then patch it out. I have in the past never cleaned air gun and rim fire barrels but have changed my view of the never clean em mind set if my rifles get wet or cold and covered in condensation when going from outside to warm indoors I clean the barrel and wipe em down for piece of mind theres no water in the bores.
Apart from if the gun gets wet from condensation or weather the only time I clean airgun barrels is when I buy a new gun or when the accuracy drops off.
I always clean / pull through a barrel of a gun that`s either brand new or new to me.
Apart from that i use felts on occasion, especially if i`ve been pellet testing and then only pull through if the accuracy drops.
As above, i thoroughly clean new barrels to get rid of the gunk still in there from manufacturing, and give a good clean to barrels that are new to me.
Then i start the delights of pellet testing!
It's all shooting tho right?
atb
Bob
I won't clean the bores unless accuracy drops off.
Put a new barrel on my FAC over 3 years ago and gave it a damned good polish, around 10,000 shots and it's still like a mirror.
The only problem I've had as yet was with some AADF-heavy which were really dirty, they literally tumbled and fell out of the air after 200 shots
Been 2 1/2 years since that little fiasco, had to the barrel off and use some elbow grease on it..
I clean and lube the pellets since then and the barrel has remained pretty much spotless.
Only ever clean when accuracy goes off
Like most of you, only clean when accuracy goes. Then its only a pull through, sea fishing line with a loop on the end, works for me. Ken.