Cleaning a 22

A .22 rod and .22 jag should work just fine. Perhaps your patch is too big.

Yeah, I don't think the diameter of the rod is your problem. As CPE suggests, look to the size of your patch. I have a thin rod that's necessary for cleaning my .17 HMR rifle. Got to be very careful not to break it and jam the patch in the barrel. Your regular "normal" rod should be fine. If you are determined to use a thinner rod, look for one specific to the .17 calibers. I believe several firms make .17 handguns so rods should be available.

A thinner rod will flex more.

Most commercial patches are 1" squares. Cut them into four equal pieces. They do make rods for .17 caliber, but as stated above. Too much flex.

They only flex when they are pushed through a bore. Pulling them the bore through solves that problem and prevents the rod from scraping the bore. Try pulling instead of pushing.

In addition to the size of your patches, thickness can be a problem too.

I still have the item my dad used and made 50 years ago. It's just a strong piece of string (nylon maybe) with a loop tied to the end and a hair pin on the other. Just cut a thin slice of old teeshirt , put it in the loop, and pull through. Doesn't hurt the rifling or the crown, and you can soak it on bore cleaner if you have a lead problem or oil it down and run it through. cost nothing and works great.

I use the same brass cleaning rod for all my pistols. The rod is thin enough to fit down a .22LR barrel easily. As far as patches, I take those round patches that are ~1.5" in diameter and cut them into 4 equal pieces.

Make a knot at end of para cord/shoe lace with a patch and pull through barrel.

Tada!

Drail said:

They only flex when they are pushed through a bore. Pulling them the bore through solves that problem and prevents the rod from scraping the bore. Try pulling instead of pushing.

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Correct. I have a long rod (one piece) fiberglass that I use on 22 rifles and I try to place the patch (usually one I have cut smaller) and pull through the bore rather than pushing them.. You should be a bit careful about rubbing on the rifling and in particular where the cartridge is inserted into the barrel.

With handguns, and short aluminum rods, I would just pay attention when I am inserting or pulling the rod with the patch on it in terms of rubbing the rifling. But aluminum is softer than the steel rifling (by design) which minimizes rifling or bore wear.

Get yourself a "22 cleaning kit" or at least look at one and compare to what you have.

Try a .22 Boresnake. Not a deep cleaning tool but great for a quick cleanup.

I have a steel cleaning rod for my AR type rifles (less flexible than aluminum or brass). All of the center-fire rifles I own are some form of .22 so I use it for everything I own; just substituting larger patches when it comes to cleaning my 9mm and .45 ACP pistols.

Here's no need to clean the bore on 22LR handguns under normal conditions. If you must then use a bore snake---but really, just say no to cleaning rods in 22 bores.

vito said:

"Here's no need to clean the bore on 22LR handguns under normal conditions." Never? Surely there is a buildup of lead and burnt powder over time as in any gun.

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Not in the bore. The action needs cleaned all the time, but I've never cleaned the bore of any of my 22 pistols. The last time I cleaned a 22 bore was in the late 70's. I have a 10/22 bought in 1988 with probably 8000 rounds down the bore and accuracy is better than new. It has never seen a cleaning rod.

The action has probably been cleaned a hundred times.

I like a Patchworm for .22 rimfires

Unless I see lead build up, I rarely do anything to the bore of a .22 other than a swab of Hoppe's followed by a few pulls of a Bore Snake. I had some Remington Thunderbolt ammo when they initially switched to the traditional "waxy" lube to a "new improved" polymer coating that leaded horribly. After soaking the bore with Kroil overnight, when I finally managed to pull through a brass brush, ribbons of basically lead foil came out!

I seldom ever clean a 22LR bore except in one rifle that I shoot benchrest, competing only with myself. For some reason groups start opening up around 200 rounds. When I do clean the bore on one I use weed eater line. Quick, easy, effective, and you can always clean from the chamber.

I don't clean my 22's either unless I start getting misfires or jams on a regular basis. I do clean around the chamber however and remove any buildup of powder or lead there. If an otherwise dependable semi starts to get jams, clean the action.

I was shooting today and cleaned in the middle of the session just because I swapped ammo.

Have you tried a small patch?

You could try this PATCH WORM:

http://www.patchworm.com/patchworm.html

A METRIC TON OF BROSEPHS swear by these for cleaning "point two-two" caliber firearms. Can be found on the ebays.

I usually only clean a .22 barrel every thousand rounds. Clean the chamber and actions more often though.

More .22 rim fire guns have been ruined by improper cleaning than ever wore out. Back before WWII, corrosive ammo (priming) made regular cleaning necessary. Having coached various small rifle & pistol teams for more than 50 years, I advise cleaning the bolt face and chamber area regularly to remove bullet lube build up but almost never poke anything down the barrels. Clean patch from the chamber end at the end of the season, maybe with a bit of rust preventative if the guns are going to be stored for several months. Rarely do .22 rim fire barrels develop serious leading that needs to be scrubbed away. I have a pair of BSA Martini .22s that are 100 years old and shoot good as new after untold 100,000's of rounds and no cleaning rod/bore brush down their barrels for 40 years on my watch.

Sounds to me like the OP's patches are too large.
The patch should fit the .22 cleaning tip screwed into the end of the rod.
If the patch is big enough to drape over the rod itself, it's gonna jam.
When I cut patches for .22, they are about 1" by 1" square.
And I use them sparingly.
I might once a year pull a patch on a slotted rod tip from chamber to muzzle on any of my .22s if I suspect the chamber is fouled.

I have been advised that once a .22 barrel has received a uniform coating of bullet lube and smokeless powder and non corrosive primer residue, you can do more damage by rigorous cleaning than by treating the barrel with benign neglect.

I do have one .22 whose bore internally looks like it was left wet in the bottom of a sunken boat, which barrel is rough enough to cause leading and needed special attention after so many rounds.