Barrel cleaning from the muzzle

[Sawney Bean]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I didn't find much when I searched. In general, I've always tried to clean airgun barrels from the breach end, but there have been certain ones, like the Gamo Swarms, that are just very difficult to clean that way and in those rare instances I've cleaned them the bore using a cleaning rod and I have never noticed any degradation of accuracy afterwards. Having said that, I've been careful when I've done so in the past and I've never done it with a high end rifle.

I'm just wondering what other people's actual experience with this has been. Have you damaged a barrel or encountered any damaged barrels that cleaning from the muzzle and if you have come across one was there other abuse as well?

 

[JDR]

Never have seen it but preached on the dangers from other forums. If I have to clean from the barrel. I use a patch worm, bore brush or plastic encased cable to pull brushes and patches thru. I imagine with a barrel guide like I have on my Hoppes carbon rod, it would be OK. All stuff on your cleaning rod should be carbon and brass tips. Hoppes make a very high quality one piece cleaning rod but only could find a 270 cal size one. Could not find a smaller Hoppes cleaning rod. On air rifles, I generally do not use rods anyway (just on firearms) as concerned the steel is softer than a firearm. On muzzleloaders, have to clean from the barrel and have seen no problems with damage or accuracy for the last 10 years but I am very slow and careful inserting the cleaning rod. Airguns just don't need much cleaning effort so the pull thru method is pretty fast. On cleaning a firearm, the rod is definitely a lot faster.

 

[491458]

I have a Steyr pro x which is a very hard barrel to clean. While these are designed to be pulled through from the breach the heavy weed eater type cord is plenty heavy enough to be pushed through from the muzzle. A little bit of dawn and air dry and they are ready to go again.

 

[Jaxjax]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I didn't find much when I searched. In general, I've always tried to clean airgun barrels from the breach end, but there have been certain ones, like the Gamo Swarms, that are just very difficult to clean that way and in those rare instances I've cleaned them the bore using a cleaning rod and I have never noticed any degradation of accuracy afterwards. Having said that, I've been careful when I've done so in the past and I've never done it with a high end rifle.

I'm just wondering what other people's actual experience with this has been. Have you damaged a barrel or encountered any damaged barrels that cleaning from the muzzle and if you have come across one was there other abuse as well?

I don't see issue with it as long as all brass 1 piece rods or CC. I clean my Uragan gen 1 from muzzle with a shooters choice 1 peice brass rod. My RAW from breech & muzzle. I do use "SwabITs" These are .30 & .22. . I also use Lucas extreme duty CLP on my barrels which I dougt most would use.
Joe

 

[491458]

 

[elh0102]

The only rifles I have owned that were difficult to clean from the breech, had barrels that were easy to remove, such as the HW100. If you're careful, you should be fine. I would position the rifle to keep stuff from falling through the transfer port.

 

[Buk]

If you have to clean from the muzzle, seems to me it would be best to pull your patch/brush through. This would minimize bore damage as pushing it through would flex the rod and cause it to rub the bore more. Just my 2 cents............

 

[boscoebrea]

I have a one-piece rod that has a plastic rip that goes into the muzzle and helps guide the rod, thus helping prevent rod wobble.
Be careful and do not over-think barrel cleaning, actually, I rarely clean my pellet gun barrels.