22 rimfire and leading

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Iron Sight

Iron Sight

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Why do I/we not hear about problems related to 22 rimfire and excess barrel lead deposits.
 
They do and can lead. Not all lubes between brands are compatible. You should clean your 22lr barrel before switching ammo. Plus bad ammo leaded my S&W M17.
 
Well making a blanket statement that it doesn't happen is definitely wrong. I have a S&W 22A that had extremally bad leading problems till I had a few thousand rounds thru it. It finally stopped, I surmised it was from polishing the barrel, but have no scientific knowledge for it stopping. It just doesn't anymore.
No it wasn't the type of ammo I was using as many, many different brands and types were used to get to the 1,000 plus rounds.

Also, thanks very much for your service, a vet. here.
 
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jcwit,

I did see some .22 LR rounds that POLISH the barrel for guns that lead excessively. I think they are used for other things too.

I believe you buy a set of 5 or 6 rounds with different grit impregnated into each round. I guess you fire them from the heavier grit to the lighter grit.
 
Ya I know all about those, some call them fire lapping I believe. As I said I no longer have the problem, but did while the pistol was still fairly new.

Point being tho is that .22 rimfire barrels can and do lead in some cases.
 
Remmy Thunderbolts were ATROCIOUS at leading in my Walther P22. So bad that after two mags I had lead slag hanging out of the bore!

That was 3 years ago and nobody yet wants the other 470+ rounds I refuse to shoot.

Justin
 
I have not had significant leading problems shooting 22LR. I go for years without cleaning the rifle. Never a problem. The bullet lube generally takes care of leading issues.

That is not to say it does not happen; just I have not had the problem.
 
I have a Rohm G23 pistol that had the worst leading I have ever seen when I bought it. Strangely enough though, I have put over 200 rounds through it so far without one bit of leading... I blame crappy ammo.
 
jcwit,

Yep, you've got it, they are fire lapping. I never really had a problem with leading in a standard bolt .22 or even a semi-auto, just full auto rifles. But then running a .22 on full auto pushes lead into the sound suppressor and that is hard to clean too.
 
full auto would get hot also, i think if it got near 400-500 the lead wouldnt melt, but get a lot softer and lead badly, i dont know if you can even get a 22 that hot though
 
22 rimfire and leading
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In over 45 years of shooting .22's I have only saw one leaded up and it was a Ruger MK II I purchased used at a gunshow. I got enough lead from the bore I would guess to make at least 1 .22 LR bullet. After I got it cleaned up I never had any lead build up in it again. I have often wondered what .22 ammo was shot in that pistol to cause that condition. I have seen Remington Thunderbolts blamed for this on Rimfirecentral. I have never shot any of this .22 ammo so I do not know if its a valid claim.
 
My S&W 22A still has machening marks you can see in the barrel, but no longer leads and is accurate enough to hit golf balls at 70 yds using a pistol rest. At this point I'm not going to mess with anything with this kind of accuracy and no leading.
 
In over 45 years of shooting .22's I have only saw one leaded up and it was a Ruger MK II I purchased used at a gunshow. I got enough lead from the bore I would guess to make at least 1 .22 LR bullet. After I got it cleaned up I never had any lead build up in it again. I have often wondered what .22 ammo was shot in that pistol to cause that condition. I have seen Remington Thunderbolts blamed for this on Rimfirecentral. I have never shot any of this .22 ammo so I do not know if its a valid claim.
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I have a Ruger 22/45 on my bench right now that has a bore so leaded up my cleaning rod won't fit through it. I have to use a 17cal cleaning rod to push a patch down it. I believe this gun did just fire off a brick or two of Remington Thunderbolts (it's a family member's gun). The weird thing is it is only badly leaded near the muzzle.

Anybody have any good remedy's for this? I'm soaking it with Shooter's Choice lead remover and crossing my fingers.
 
Anybody have any good remedy's for this? I'm soaking it with Shooter's Choice lead remover and crossing my fingers.
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I got mine out of that MKII with Hoppe's & real tight jags with patches. Finished up with Hoppe's and a brass brush and more jag's & patches. It actually came out in strips and I am sure if they were all put back together it would have equaled a .22 bullet. I wondered if I had bought a Ruger with a bad bore but after I got it cleaned up it shot great and never happened again. I would say I put at least 4000 rounds down the tube before it got traded on another MKII.
 
Anybody have any good remedy's for this? I'm soaking it with Shooter's Choice lead remover and crossing my fingers.
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You can buy a wooden dowel just under bore size at the hardware store or Walmart for about $1.
Then cut it into shorter sections to use as stiff ramrods. Use a mallet or hammer to tap it through the bore. Hold the rod with a loose fist, holding it just enough to guide it, but don't bear down and try to push it in with your hand or bear down on it or you'll risk getting a puncture wound if it breaks.
The wooden dowel won't damage the bore, and just rap it hard enough to move it through a little at a time to not break it off. Just keep hitting it straight.
Don't even use a patch at first, just clean it out gradually using the dowel like a jackhammer.
 
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leading at the muzzle is a sign of not enough lube.
maybe buy a bottle of rooster jacket and dip each bullet tip in it and let dry overnight, or mix in good ammo with the thunderbolts to help keep it cleaner... dunno if that really works though
 
klineia,

Barrel leading is when lead transferrs from the bullet to stick to the inside of the barrel. When enough lead has built up, accuracy can suffer. Leading commonly results from using the wrong lead alloy for the velocity achieved, rough bore finish, too small a bullet for the bore (gas cutting), poor or incorrect lube, etc, etc, etc.

J
 
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