Do you prefer a clean barrel shooter or a dirty barrel shooter?

[JimD]

I figured out recently that my SPA made bullpups, a P35-22 and a Bullshark in 22, really like AEA pellets. A 22 grain for the P35 and a 18.1 (called a 18.3) for the Bullshark. Both have given me a 200 on the 30 yard challenge with these pellets. But they react quite differently from barrel cleaning. The Bullshark had been shooting really well but then gave me a 194 and a 195. I cleaned the barrel and shot two 199s in a row. So when the P35 seemed to be a little off I cleaned it. I fired 10 shots into the practice target then started a "real" target. I dropped 5 points in the first 10 shots and then only 1 on the last 10. So it needed 20 shots to lead in the barrel.

I was shooting the Bullshark this morning in pretty much still air. The scope seemed to be adjusted for a little wind and I was working to dial that out. Then I started this target. I shoot left to right then right to left down the card. Things were going OK until cell 7. I was getting 9s and 10s, not great but normal for me. The first shot on 7 was a 9 but then the second was an 8. I looked at the wind flag and it did not seem to explain it. I moved on to 9. The first shot on the left bull in 9 went a little low and right and is another 8. Then the first shot on the right hand bull went really right and is a 7. So I knew something was off and cleaned the barrel. I used cell 9 to lead in the cleaned barrel and check to see if I "fixed it". Immediately the somewhat wild fliers was gone. I clicked the scope a little but I'm not sure it needed it. I shot the bull on the left in 9 first and then one shot on the bull on the right in 9. Then I shot the left bull on the left in 10 and got a couple 9s before it settled down. I then shot the bull on the right in 10 and I think it is an X.

So my Bullshark seems to get the barrel dirty faster and to really not like being shot dirty. My P35-22 doesn't really like cleaning much and takes longer to settle in after cleaning. I'm not sure which I prefer. I'm lazy enough to like a barrel that doesn't demand cleaning but I don't love it needing 20 pellets to shoot at it's best again. The Bullshark may have needed about the same number of shots to truly settle down but was very close from the first shot on a clean barrel. I guess it doesn't matter much what I want, the guns will do what they do. But just for fun, if you could choose what would you choose?

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

Polish the bore and use something like carnauba wax or gunzilla to finalize the cleaning. Bore polish will cut down on fouling a lot. And wax or gunzilla will cut down even more. Your cleaning interval will almost certainly change dramatically.

 

[beerthief]

I figured out recently that my SPA made bullpups, a P35-22 and a Bullshark in 22, really like AEA pellets. A 22 grain for the P35 and a 18.1 (called a 18.3) for the Bullshark. Both have given me a 200 on the 30 yard challenge with these pellets. But they react quite differently from barrel cleaning. The Bullshark had been shooting really well but then gave me a 194 and a 195. I cleaned the barrel and shot two 199s in a row. So when the P35 seemed to be a little off I cleaned it. I fired 10 shots into the practice target then started a "real" target. I dropped 5 points in the first 10 shots and then only 1 on the last 10. So it needed 20 shots to lead in the barrel.

I was shooting the Bullshark this morning in pretty much still air. The scope seemed to be adjusted for a little wind and I was working to dial that out. Then I started this target. I shoot left to right then right to left down the card. Things were going OK until cell 7. I was getting 9s and 10s, not great but normal for me. The first shot on 7 was a 9 but then the second was an 8. I looked at the wind flag and it did not seem to explain it. I moved on to 9. The first shot on the left bull in 9 went a little low and right and is another 8. Then the first shot on the right hand bull went really right and is a 7. So I knew something was off and cleaned the barrel. I used cell 9 to lead in the cleaned barrel and check to see if I "fixed it". Immediately the somewhat wild fliers was gone. I clicked the scope a little but I'm not sure it needed it. I shot the bull on the left in 9 first and then one shot on the bull on the right in 9. Then I shot the left bull on the left in 10 and got a couple 9s before it settled down. I then shot the bull on the right in 10 and I think it is an X.

So my Bullshark seems to get the barrel dirty faster and to really not like being shot dirty. My P35-22 doesn't really like cleaning much and takes longer to settle in after cleaning. I'm not sure which I prefer. I'm lazy enough to like a barrel that doesn't demand cleaning but I don't love it needing 20 pellets to shoot at it's best again. The Bullshark may have needed about the same number of shots to truly settle down but was very close from the first shot on a clean barrel. I guess it doesn't matter much what I want, the guns will do what they do. But just for fun, if you could choose what would you choose?

View attachment 590954

I do not clean any barrel unless the score goes down two or three days in a row. . i use ONLY a very tiny drop of Pell oil on a patch (patch worm ) pull slowly through breach to muzzle , never the other direction . let sit for a few minutes .10?. then pull dry patches through till clean one show no trace of dirt . i would never use any polish / waxy product in my barrels . Using a wax will only make you clean it out and that takes a very long time .

 

[UDABEGGER]

Clean !

 

[JimD]

I appreciate your thoughts but I am inclined to leave them alone as long as they are shooting so well. I've had the P35-22 for several years and it has had my version of fire lapping. I coat projectiles, preferably slugs, with JB's bore cleaner and shoot a few. Like maybe 10. Then I clean it out. It's also had a lot of shots down the barrel, thousands. I am not sure how the Bullshark started out but I am guessing it has seen less shots. I've tried trewas and Johnson's wax in a few barrels but I could not tell that it did much. I could "fire polish" the Bullshark and see if it increases the cleaning interval but it seems to give me 100s of shots now so it doesn't seem to be a problem that needs fixing at the moment.

I just find it curious that two guns built by SPA have such different requirements to do their best. They like different pellets too so maybe it is just the old "the barrel wants what it wants".

Clean is certainly easier to know you have achieved. "Dirty Enough but not too Dirty" is a bit tougher to make sure you've achieved.

 

[Chukar60]

I leave mine alone unless they start shooting erratically.
When I clean them I do not make them super clean. When the patches are coming out of the muzzle a light gray color I stop. All my liners shoot a bit better slightly dirt to fairly dirty.
The liner in my Maverick 22 is going on about 900 pellets without a cleaning and still shooting nice tight groups.
My two slug guns cannot go that long between cleanings. More like 4-500 shots and they get a clean

 

[Vetmx]

If you’re in love with AEA pellets then you are gonna have to learn to love cleaning. Kinda sucks having a shot meter running when shooting pellets but the only way around that is a couple other brands. I fortunately only have one gun that shoots its best with AEA pellets. When I have that gun on pellets, I treat it like a slug gun when it comes to cleaning.

 

[JimD]

I bought my first small tin of AEA pellets just to try in the Bullshark. To my surprise they shot better than JSB or H&N or FX. So I ordered more and a little tin of 21.9 grain to try in the P35. Again they shot better than H&N Match it's previous favorite. My Caiman prefers H&N 18s. I try not to have prejudices and just let the gun tell me what it likes.

I will have to keep an eye on the need for cleaning. My first target with the bullshark after cleaning was a 188. I've never shot less than a 194 with them previously. So I shot the P35 and shot a 196. So I tried the Bullshark again and shot a 197. So maybe it needs around 20 shots after cleaning too.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

I let each barrel's accuracy dictate it's desire for cleanliness or not. I lube all my projectiles to make this job (or not) easy.

 

[Roy]

When shooting my NOTOS With BRIMSTONE pellets I have to clean after about 125-150 pellets, I belive because they are softer lead. When I use JSB pellets In can shoot about 200 before cleaning, I belive that they must be harder pellets.When I clean my NOTOS I use BALISTOL with patches only,It cleans out the lead great.

 

[JimD]

I also use ballistol. I've tried other things and I don't think what you use is critical but ballistol is reasonably priced and seems to work well.

I haven't been lubing the pellets but I've tried it before in other guns and found a little bit - only a little - silicone oil might help. So maybe I'll do that in this gun. I also need to put my bore scope through it and see if there is any obvious place collecting lead.

 

[kwaping]

I've recently discovered that my barrel likes to be clean. Sadly, I have to take the barrel off the gun for my BoreSnake to fit.

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

I do not clean any barrel unless the score goes down two or three days in a row. . i use ONLY a very tiny drop of Pell oil on a patch (patch worm ) pull slowly through breach to muzzle , never the other direction . let sit for a few minutes .10?. then pull dry patches through till clean one show no trace of dirt . i would never use any polish / waxy product in my barrels . Using a wax will only make you clean it out and that takes a very long time .

Gunzilla extends my cleaning interval on powder guns almost 3x (judged by loss of accuracy). Not something you have to clean out. Thats usually what I use after I clean a barrel. Most of my bores are polished as well. When done throughly, properly, should extend cleaning interval even more. But I also understand not wanting to mess with a good thing. I think on my most used barrel, the service interval is something absurd like 1k rounds. But also normally shoot it around 650fps (380mm stx fx .22) But if out hunting its doing 960fps and sometimes I turn it up on the range for kicks as well

 

[Mycapt65]

I polish a bore with jb paste and I'm done. I use only soft lead pellets and never clean a barrel. I have rifles that have 30k shots on them since the last cleaning and they shoot very well for what they are.

If the gun is bought used and or may have had hard lead pellets used at some point I'll scrub the barrel with a bronze brush to get it to bare steel. That gets out crud no chemical soaked patch will ever get ot. The downside to that it can take dozens to hundreds of shots before it leads and prints well.

I use the same method with powder burners except they'll eventually need follow up cleanings due to propellents and much higher velocities that strip material from the bullet. I still only clean them when accuracy drops below normal for a few outings. One or two bad outings could definitely just be me or the ammo.