Thread: Recommendations on precision 22lr

Here's what Lones Wigger, one of the all time USA greats says about cleaning a smallbore rifle

By Lones Wigger
I feel very strongly about cleaning a smallbore rifle. I have, on several different occasions, had it proven to me that when a barrel fouls and started to lead, it will lose accuracy. After you have cleaned that barrel with a brush, solvent and patches, you can lie back down, shoot a couple of fouling rounds and immediately shoot the small groups you should be shooting.

How often should you clean your rifle?
I think you should clean the gun after you shoot a box of ammunition. It probably doesn't need to be cleaned any more often than that. Some barrels seem to take longer to lead than others, and you can get by for a longer time before you lose accuracy. I prefer not to take chances so I clean regularly.

The lesson was once again proven to me at a small match I shot in preparation for Camp Perry. When I started shooting unacceptable groups at 100 yards, I got up, cleaned the rifle, and returned to shoot two tight 10-X groups, about a third of the size of the groups I had been shooting. That's pretty convincing evidence that barrels need to be cleaned.

I have an acquantance shooting a Bleiker (Google it). That person cleans after every outing which is probabaly 100 or so rounds.
The big issues are people sawing away at the chamber with the rod thru lack of use of a good fitting guide, incorrect brushes, muzzle wear by poor technique.

I must admit that when I shot smallbore I never cleaned regularly because of the myth about taking zillions of rounds to regain accuracy.
And maybe a touch of laziness thrown it. I shot with a Walther and an elderly Anschutz.