Cleaning my .22 Revolver

[BrewCityProp]

newbie question which may make me sound like an idiot, but better that than ruining a nice revolver I bought!

How do I get my patches throught the bore and cylinder? I clean with the rod and brush, but it is a narrow opening and any of the patch holders I have bought (one said for .22-.45) are too big for the opening.

should I cut the patches in half and try to push them through?

Is there a patch holder small enough for a .22?

Cheers

 

[DrLaw]

a little help

First off. You should find a cleaning rod that is made only for .22 pistols (or rifles). Most come in little kits that have a wire or nylon brush, a jag and a slotted patch holder.

The slotted patch holder is used to wet the barrel and cylinder down with cleaning solution. The brush breaks up the crud, and the jag pushes the patch against the barrel and cylinder to push the crud out.

One of the things that patch manufacturers are doing is to make a ONE SIZE FITS ALL Patch, which it really does not. For .22, your patch does not have to be more than an inch square. 3/4 inch will work just fine, too.

Depending on what you have there, you might just have to cut the patch down to size.

For cleaning for a newbie, Hoppes #9 cleaning solution is pretty much all you need, and then a good oil to cover the gun, unless it is stainless steel. When you are done with the cleaning, run an oiled patch down all the holes in the cylinder and down the barrel and wipe the outside of the gun with another clean oiled patch.

Since you are shooting a .22, you won't need to worry about cleaning it as soon as you are done shooting as the .22 is not too particularly dirty a round. This will give you time to check www.cabelas.com or www.midwayusa.com or www.natchezss.com, which are good places to find and order gun cleaning products. Any of these places will give you good service, fast delivery, and help if you call them as you can call customer service, too and order by phone once you know what you need.

The Doc hopes his prescription works for you now.

 

[Deanimator]

I have a multi-year supply of GI style cloth patches which I bought from a regular at local gunshows. They came in two sizes, .22 (for M16s) and .45 for M1911s.

If the patches won't fit in a particular bore or cylinder, I cut them in half diagonally, then double them over. I find that a razor knife works well for this, and will cut several at a time.

 

[BrewCityProp]

thanks Doc & Dean

I can now finish the job (need to get the right gear)

Cheers

 

[ArchAngelCD]

BrewCityProp,
I replaced all the plastic "tools" that came with the cleaning kits with Brass tools. All my needles and jags are now Brass and I change the brushes often. (the cleaner seems to eat away at the brushes) The jag I use for my .22 is marked specifically for a .22 pistol/rifle. All-in-one jags just don't work. They are usually too large for some jobs and too small for others.

 

[ewayte]

BoreSnake

I've started using Hoppe's BoreSnakes for cleaning my revolvers. My wife shoots a S&W 351PD (.22 Magnum) and the .22 BoreSnake is perfect for cleaning a 7 shot cylinder!

 

[DrLaw]

DUH! Forgot that one

The Bore Snake. Thanks Ewayte.

BrewCityProp, if you do not know about this one, it is a long tube of fabric with a wire brush inside that just pokes out of the fabric. You drop a brass pin attached to a long pull rope that is attached to the fabric and then pull it right through the gun. Simple, quick and clean.

IIRC, you can also wash the bore snake. I only have one of them, so I mostly use the patch system. However, you should use what you feel comfortable using.

The Doc is out now.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

The .30 cloth patches I get (about 1.5x1.5inch)
have to cut into quarters (about .75x.75 inch) to
clean my .22s.

 

[Majic]

Most ruined .22lr barrels are caused by improper cleaning. Just running a clean brush down the bore to knock out the fouling is all that's really needed.

 

[RancidSumo]

I have a .22 long rifle cleaning kit that when I ran it through my old .22 single action revolver fit fine. I'll go find the brand and all that good stuff and be right back

 

[RancidSumo]

Ok, it is an Outers Top Gun Cleaning Kit for .22, .222, and .223 calibers. Comes with the rods, patch holders, brush, patches, gun slick, and rust preventer. Everything you need.

 

[BrewCityProp]

Thanks everyone.

Picked up the bore snake

seems to work very well

Cheers

 

[mainmech48]

The only tip that I'd add is to use a 6mm bore brush on the cylinder's charge holes when firing residue starts building up. It's just enough larger than a .22 that it does a better job of scrubbing.

Ditto on replacing those plastic jags, slotted or not. When they break, and they eventually will, it'll nearly always be right where they screw into the rod, making removal a PITA at best and impossible at worst.

 

[SteelyNirvana]

Ditto on replacing those plastic jags, slotted or not. When they break, and they eventually will, it'll nearly always be right where they screw into the rod, making removal a PITA at best and impossible at worst.

What has worked best for me is to take the tip of a brand new razor knife of razor blade, dig the tip of the blade on the outside edge of the broken tip and carefully turn it so it will come out. Has worked the past two times I've had to do it.

 

[mainmech48]

Yeah Brian, I know that it can be done. The point is that having to do it at all is a PITA, and unnecessary if one exercises a little preventive cogitation.

I've worn out a few brass jags, mostly from the cumulative effects of repeated exposure to aggressive copper solvents, but I've yet to render a rod temporarily or permanently useless by breaking one off in it.

Don't get me wrong, I have no blanket prejudice against 'non-traditional' materials. I routinely buy bore brushes with heavy nylon bristles instead of bronze or brass. They do the job just as well, resist even very aggressive solvents better, retain their effectiveness longer and don't generally announce that they're reaching the end of their usefullness by filling your fingers or face with sharp little slivers. They're also less easily deformed under vigorous use, which contributes a good deal to their relative longevity, IMO.