Anyone wear out a .22 cal. rimfire barrel?

[His lordship.]

I know that the .22 caliber rimfire cartridge has been around along time and people have had occurences of having numerous afternoons of shooting up alot of ammo between 2-3 shooters, and the gun staying in the family for several generations, for example.  Or the fellow who target shoots for precision and goes to the range alot.

I had read of a fellow in the American Rifleman magazine who had a bolt action .22 rimfire that had been used by several generations in his family and as he put it "it does not group as well now as it did when I had it as a kid in the 1950's", paraphrased as I cannot remember the exact words.

Has anyone worn out a .22 caliber barrel, or know of a friend/family member who did?

Also, I used to clean my .22 rimfire guns after each outing, had read that this was not really necessary as the bullet leaves a waxy lubricant in the bore.  I now rarely clean the bore on them, just the action, bolt face, etc.  Should I clean it like I do my centerfires, or leave it alone?  My bores seem just fine when I check them with the bore light after not cleaning them for 2-3 years.

Thanks.

[jh45gun]

Yea they can wear out but it takes a long time unless they are shot contstantly and even then the accuracy is good enough for plinking. The soft lead does not wear the barrels like jacketed slugs do. That is one nice reason of shooting cast bullets in a centerfire less wear on the barrel. I would say the average person doing average shooting would never wear out a barrel on a 22. Improper cleaning and neglect are worse culprits than shooting. I do not aggressively clean my 22 barrels a dry patch down them to remove the unburnt powder residue and thats about it until they need a good cleaning then it is a patch of Butch's Bore shine or some other good cleaner down the barrel and a clean patch to dry it out and then a lightly oiled one. A 22 should not need brushing unless you shoot some bad amm that has not been lubed right and has leaded the bore. I had Remington THunderbolts do that once. Now I try to stay away from them even though it probably was a bad batch.

[Graybeard]

Highly unlikely anyone will wear out a rimfire barrel in one life time. Maybe in several generations but only if all are really heavy shooters. Now you can ruin one cleaning it improperly for sure. I never clean .22LR barrels unless it "speaks" to me and tells me to do so. Learn the level of accuracy yours delivers, then clean ONLY if it drops off noticeably. I've run many thousands of rounds thru without cleaning. Sure wish it was that easy with centerfires.

[Patriot_1776]

cleaning...was not really necessary as the bullet leaves a waxy lubricant in the bore.

I can understand that; but in another light, what about something like the 17 HMR, or 17 HM2 series?  In my knowledge, they fire conventional jacketed bullets, and don't leave behind anything but maybe a little copper.  I'm a little confused about the whole principle of cleaning a RF.  The 17's bullets are different from a 22LR, but do you still put off cleaning throughly until accuracy goes bad?  I'm sure this question has been asked numerous times (by me especially :oops: ), but I still don't quite grasp the reasoning.  Patriot

[crawfish]

First off the .22lr. Know of a few long strings of 22lr usage. There was a shooter who shot 1x1 wood blocks with a Nylon 66 I think. He shot 200K + without a miss, I also recall he did something like it again with over 300K rounds all from the same gun. Not to long ago I saw one of the Clark boys at a gun show, he was talking about their 10/22 customs and how he used them in his competition and that the gun he had with him had won his last national title. The gun had 100K + rounds through it WITHOUT EVER HAVING THE BARREL CLEANED.  I have a videotape of this same Clark where he shows how to tare down and built up the 10/22. On that tape he comes right out and advises NO CLEANING OF THE BARREL IS NECESSARY.
The .17HMR is a different sort of game altogether. Jacketed bullets at fairly fast speeds in a little bore. Here again though that cleaning rod can muck things faster than those bullets. One has to be very careful when cleaning those .17s’. I my Savage 93 I have found that if I keep the heat down I can go as many as 500 rounds now before I start to miss squirrels. The number of rounds has been increasing the more I shoot the gun and the better the bore becomes polished. BTY I don’t use a rod on it but a bore snake. But even at the speeds of the .17HMR IMO if you keep the heat down it will be hard to “shot out” a barrel.

[Glanceblamm]

Had seen some barrels that were scratched and scoured because the  crimp type birdshot shell had been used.

[Patriot_1776]

Here again though that cleaning rod can muck things faster than those bullets. One has to be very careful when cleaning those .17s’.

Is that in the pretense of cleaning from the muzzle first, or any which way?  I'm starting to hate my cleaning rod all the more each time I use it.  Secondly, I wish someone would come out with a rod that is made of carbon fiber, instead of steel like mine.

I don’t use a rod on it but a bore snake.

That is my current pending alternative.  How do you care for them, and do you have to wash them thoroughly once in a while?  Do you have to watch what solvents you use, etc?  I would think it best to get 2 snakes, one for wet use, the other for dry.  The wet one would be the most to have to wash more often, whereas, the dry is for absorption and cleanup only.  I am concerned about my barrel with that steel rod.  And I clean from the chamber first, not the muzzle; but I still feel some resistance somewhere inside the gun.  I sure feel loathesome when it gets hard to push through the gun... :evil:   Patriot

[DWARREN123]

With improper cleaning!

[Glanceblamm]

I'm starting to hate my cleaning rod all the more each time I use it.

That one piece stainless rod is the way to go. No joints to scratch up the rifling and the finish wont retain grit like the porous aluminum.

I also use a gun vice & bore guide. Make sure to hold the rod by the handle only. It is designed to spin freely so your Patch/Brush/Patch will follow the rifling instead of dragging crud & grit across it.
It is fairly easy to make smooth, straight strokes while keeping the rod centered. Just remember that you are not trying to spear a fish or pump water out of a well.

I would say that grit is the worst enemy outside of a jointed alum rod. Dont use a dirty brush "I prefer a bronze bristle"
Dont contaminate your solvent by dipping the brush "or patched rod" into it.
Solvent can be applyed via dispensor, eyedropper, or presoak in a separate container. Keeping a clean rag handy makes it easy to wipe the rod upon patch change. IMO-the pointed jag is superior to the needle-eyed tip for getting the fit right.

I know you love those guns. Practice your Triple P factor of a Weatherby owner on them.

[Charles/NM]

I haven't worn out the barrel itself, but the chamber.  The chamber in my old Glenfield model 60 so loose that it will sometimes split a cartridge case.  Still shoots very accurate, just sounds funny when a case splits.  And no, it's not firing out of battery, bolt is fully home.

[Bigdog57]

Generally, those "worn-out barrels" on old twentytwo rifles are simply leaded.  I've seen the oldtime 'smiths heat a barrel and thump it vertically on the wood bench.  A lot of residual lead falls out.  Many of these old guns can be made like new again.  It's easy enough to find 50 to 70 year old .22 rifles, that will easily outshoot todays slick new rifles.

[papajohn428]

I suppose it could be done, if you shot it enough.  Personally, I don't have the time, the budget, or the patience to shoot a 22 ten hours a day for 50+ years......... :roll:

Papajohn

[Vern Humphrey]

I've put about 180,000 rounds through my Kimber M82 (about two cases of ammo a year.)  It shoots as well now as ever.  I actually wore out the cocking cam on this rifle and had to replace it, but not the barrel.

In older .22s, when corrosive ammo was used, a lot of barrels were RUSTED out, and many were leaded up.  It's certainly possible to ruin a barrel with improper cleaning -- but I really don't think it's possible to wear out a .22 long rifle barrel.

[Robert]

..Ruger 10-22's are famous for burned chambers.  I have worn out two.  They will still shoot accurately, but the cases come out burned.

[Patriot_1776]

Ruger 10-22's are famous for burned chambers...They will still shoot accurately, but the cases come out burned.

Always wondered why I see 22 cases lying all over the range and some of them have soot all over the outside.  How many shots had you fired once it started to occur?  How/why does a chamber get "burned out?"  Poor quality steel, shotty manufact. or what?  Patriot