Cleaning pellets
- Thread starter IAfaug
- Start date
Don't. I had used them in my springers (FWB124's) for over 30 years but things have changed and there are much faster and better ways to go today. In a break barrel they are easy to load in, just put the appropriate number of them so that your piston seal doesn't get slammed, shoot, repeat... BUT, that process still takes more time than pulling through a patchworm. On a fixed barreled it's somewhat trickier to load them in, and on a magazine fed breech it is even worse. Get a patchworm kit, or make your own with weedwacker line. Check out the AEAC video on cleaning, Steve does a good job on it.
Upvote 0
I never really saw a point in them. Airgun barrels don't really get overly fouled up like a firearm barrel so cleaning isn't a huge necessity. If I need to clean the barrel I just use a brass rod, a mop, patches, and any combination of Kroil and JB Bore Paste. I'll do that for the initial clean and then won't touch it until accuracy drops out which could be 10s of thousands of shots later.
That being said, that really only applies if you are using pellets. I dont really have any experience with slugs but from what I've read, they do require a good cleaning more often. Still, cleaning pellets wouldn't be on my list for ways of doing it.
That being said, that really only applies if you are using pellets. I dont really have any experience with slugs but from what I've read, they do require a good cleaning more often. Still, cleaning pellets wouldn't be on my list for ways of doing it.
Upvote 0
I should have also mentioned, that if you have a fixed suppressor pcp, forget them entirely as they will damage the baffles shooting them out. They are really a bad idea, all around, these days as they don't list all the caveats for their proper use and once you understand their limitations you realize that they are not worth bothering with, in my opinion.
Upvote 0
I've used them in my Steyr Sport LP50 as recommended.
The first one with a couple of drops of bore cleaner, then one dry, then a couple of pellets.
I don't see a problem with them, as long as, as has been said, remove the suppressor before using them. I don't know how good a job they will do on some bores. You'll need to look closely at the bore before using, then after. Shoot them into something that you can look at them so you can see how dirty and or clean they are, so you know when you are done with the cleaning task.
Mike
The first one with a couple of drops of bore cleaner, then one dry, then a couple of pellets.
I don't see a problem with them, as long as, as has been said, remove the suppressor before using them. I don't know how good a job they will do on some bores. You'll need to look closely at the bore before using, then after. Shoot them into something that you can look at them so you can see how dirty and or clean they are, so you know when you are done with the cleaning task.
Mike
Upvote 0
There is no problem with the cleaning pellets per-se, the problem is most beginners don't understand how to use them. I have seen the blank stares on people's faces on what to do with them. Some people don't even realize that they are meant to be shot. Seems obvious to some who have been at this forever but not new airgunners. Here goes a mini-lesson. First off, you need the right size for the caliber you are cleaning, I know it sounds obvious but believe me it needs to be said. Second, you are going to need some kind of pellet seater to get them into your bore. Yes, you do use more than one. More on that later. Third, you are going to want a cardboard box to shoot them at. More on that later too. Cleaning pellets use to be very popular when springers were all the rage and they were meant to be used in multiple. Depending on the power of your gun you would use three to five cleaning pellets stacked in the bore so that your piston wouldn't slam and ruin your piston seal. You would determine how many to use by starting high (5) and if the pellets don't make it out, push them out with a rod and try (4), etc. You want them to shoot out reliably but not easily, to protect from slamming the piston. It was my understanding at the time that the pressure pushing on the pellets gave a really good even pressure on the bore and of course did no damage. A common practice was to put some cleaner, that Beeman use to sell, on the middle pellets, as you were stuffing them in. You would then shoot the pellets at a cardboard box a couple of feet away. The pellets would easily go through the side of the box but be trapped inside where you can open the top and check out the pellets to see how clean your bore was getting. Pcp's today don't need cleaning very often, or at all in some cases, but springer bores get seasoned quite a bit more because of chamber oil used for the seal and the flash of high heat of compression. Whatever, they do get dirtier. Since a PCP has no moving parts you could shoot one pellet (again, with sound suppression removed) but it wouldn't have the same outward pressure from shooting multiple pellets and wouldn't work as well. Once you're happy with how the pellets are looking put some ballistol or silicone on a set of pellets and follow with a dry set, done. Beeman use to sell a thing called a pellet seat that was very handy at stuffing the pellets in, I still have mine but don't know if they are even made anymore. Again, cleaning pellets are truly not worth the trouble, get a patchwork kit. JMHO
Upvote 0
Okay, I will add one thing that cleaning pellets are good for but you have to really plan ahead and really know your airgun. I have used them quite successfully to take out beginning wasp nests on the eaves of a house, without any damage to the house at all. Know how they shoot out of your gun and practice elsewhere first. Put your running shoes on. Of course, you can always use a garden hose but what's the fun in that?
Upvote 0
I have used them for 30 years on my R1, Tempest, Blue Streak.
Since last August on my .22 MRod
Since April on the .177 MRod
I like them.
Dr Beeman says to push them through the barrel with a rod. Damage?
On the R1, I load up 4 of them and shot them out.
Two on the Tempest.One for everything else.
Several times.
Since last August on my .22 MRod
Since April on the .177 MRod
I like them.
Dr Beeman says to push them through the barrel with a rod. Damage?
On the R1, I load up 4 of them and shot them out.
Two on the Tempest.One for everything else.
Several times.
Upvote 0