to clean it, or not.?.? suggestions

[tignalljeeper]

My grandaddy has an OLD Remington 514 single shot .22. We don't think it has ever been cleaned. So the other day I gave it a good cleaning of the outside and bolt and chamber.

BUT, the bore is so dirty and thick with lead that the .22 cleaning rod itself doesn't even fit into the barrel. the thing is, it shoots pretty freakin accurate.

So, should I plug it and let lead remover sit in the barrel for a while to clean it out or not worry about having it clean and keep on shootin??????

 

[Mals9]

How can a round go down the barrel and not a cleaning rod?

Mals

 

[unwise11]

Clean it, use bore solvent, plug the muzzle, and lean it muzzle down against a wall, with the muzzle on an old towel, and funnel some solvent in the bore.
I use a syringe to inject solvent, and oils, into my gun where I want it.

 

[sappyg]

i don't clean 22 LRs very often but in this case it probably wouldn't hurt.

 

[tignalljeeper]

How can a round go down the barrel and not a cleaning rod?

I don't know, but it does. Like I said, it shoots pretty accurate, and I'm wondering if I do actually clean the bore up that it will make the accuracy go to crap

 

[Gord]

Unless the rounds are getting swaged down as they exit the barrel (in which case I'd be, uh, worried) I don't see how the thing can still shoot while not allowing a cleaning rod down the barrel either. Are you sure it's a .22 cleaning rod?

 

[GoWolfpack]

Shotgun News had an article a few months ago about an Australian gunsmith who made "squeeze bores" that fired .22 rounds thru .17 caliber bores and were apparently very accurate.

Most .22 rounds are pretty soft.

 

[sappyg]

I'm wondering if I do actually clean the bore up that it will make the accuracy go to crap

i'm guessing that accuracy would go south for a bit and then come back in after a bit of shooting. you never know. it could get more accurate after a clean. what do you have to loose?

 

[tignalljeeper]

Are you sure it's a .22 cleaning rod?

Well, it's the same cleaning rod that I use on my marlin 60, fits it just fine. Just doesn't come close to fitting down the bore of the 514.

I haven't inspected it too hard, to see if I could even see rifling, I'll have to look tomorrow.

I hate to clean it and accuracy just goes to crap. I guess technically I have nothing to lose, other than it has a lot of sentimental value with the whole family.

 

[killchain]

Honestly, I would leave it alone. If it's shooting accurately and not giving you problems, no reason to fiddle with it, right?

Also, a lot of competition .22LR rifles have instructions to NOT clean the bore.

 

[tignalljeeper]

Yeah, that is what I'm thinking too. Just thought I'd see what ya'll thought, get an outside opinion.

 

[Floppy_D]

Your average 22 rifle can last a lifetime without a single barrel cleaning. You won't really hurt anything, but I don't think you'll see any improvement.

 

[Deus Machina]

I've found that, on occasion, when a cleaning rod is right at .220 or whatever, it will fit down one bore but not another. Variations in design or manufacture.

I moved to the '.17' rod (which doesn't fit down a .17, anyway) to clean all my .22's, because the .22 rod would jab at the muzzle or chamber on the way in, anyway.

I'm of the opinion that you don't have to clean a .22--to a point. Eventually it will hurt accuracy, and who knows--you might already be past that pojnt and a good cleaning and another fifty rounds might have you picking flies off dog piles.

 

[doc2rn]

I would use a .17 rod

 

[jad0110]

I've found that, on occasion, when a cleaning rod is right at .220 or whatever, it will fit down one bore but not another. Variations in design or manufacture.

This.

I have a .22 cal Dewey cleaning rod that fits down the bore of both my 5.56 AR and my .22LR Marlin Model 60, but doesn't fit in my CZ-452. So I purchased another Dewey rod for .20 cal barrels and it works fine.

I've since read that CZ undersizes their bores just a bit to improve accuracy, so if you've got a 452 or 453 and are looking at coated rods like the Dewey, best to go with a .17 or .20 cal.

Interestingly, I told Dewey Mfg about this and after reporting back that there 20 cal rod worked on my CZ, they added the following statement to their website:

"ATTN: CZ Shooters. CZ rifles have extremely tight barrels, we recommend using a .20 cal. rod with the 17-A adapter in CZ’s for better clearance."

http://www.deweyrods.com/cgi-bin/cc...ef=22_26_COATED_ROD&cat=RODS&catstr=HOME:RODS


To the OP, if it were my rifle, I'd probably give it a good scrubbing as I'd be more concerned about rust forming/building up in the barrel, more than anything else.

 

[jpwilly]

Cleaning won't hurt the bore but in most cases accuracy won't come back to normal until the barred has be seasoned again that will take anywhere from 25 to 100 shots.

 

[gdesloge]

"I've since read that CZ undersizes their bores just a bit to improve accuracy, so if you've got a 452 or 453 and are looking at coated rods like the Dewey, best to go with a .17 or .20 cal.

Interestingly, I told Dewey Mfg about this and after reporting back that there 20 cal rod worked on my CZ, they added the following statement to their website:

"ATTN: CZ Shooters. CZ rifles have extremely tight barrels, we recommend using a .20 cal. rod with the 17-A adapter in CZ’s for better clearance."


CZs have a small ejector protrusion in the receiver area, and many first-time CZ owners discover that their .22 cal. rods won't go into the barrel.

Some owners seem to use .17 or .20 cal. rods to fit past the ejector.

gd

 

[Al Thompson]

I'd put some synthetic automatic transmission fluid in the bore and let it soak for a while. ATF is pretty cheap and does a good job of cleaning. Get some weed wacker line (about 3 feet is plenty) and make a patch puller for the actual cleaning.

 

[BrocLuno]

I'd clean it and do it NOW. You don't know if Grandad used corrosive ammo, but all sorts of nasties could be going on between the crud and the actual bore If it comes out shiny - cool. If not, then go shoot 100 rounds of known ammo like CCI and it'll come back - AND - you'll have a bore that will last another generation

 

[epijunkie67]

Why not just use a bore snake? Many come with a section of brass cleaning element along a part of the length. Zero danger of scraping up anything and you won't scrub away enough to effect accuracy.