Cleaning single six between ammo types.

[Bazoo]

I have a ruger NM single six that I’m in love with. I’ve tested some various ammo through it for accuracy, but not much, and always sorta informally.

Now I am wanting to get serious about my testing and I want some ideas as to the best way to prepare the barrel and cylinder between ammo.

I’ve seen various suggestions on the rimfire forum. Some people suggest a thorough cleaning and then shoot as many as a box before I test for groups.

Some suggest just testing for groups with no cleaning and just a couple fouling shots between types of ammo. Two extremes.

I’ve got several partial boxes of ammo that I acquired from a friend. I’d like to test these too, to get an idea, and if they show promise maybe I’ll get more. But I don’t have enough to shoot half a box then test on some of it. Or if I do, it’ll only be 1 group.

Anyways, I’d like to strike a happy medium between amount of cleaning between brands and that’s what I’m asking here. What do y’all do?

 

[Tacoma]

I think the complete "cleaning between brands and run a full box before measuring groups " school of thought may have some (minor) merit when dialing in a $1000+ Precision rifle with match barrel. For the Ruger Single six, we are talking 6 different non-match chambers and one (potentially oversized) barrel . No doubt it will shoot better with one ammo or another but the differences won't be down to the 100th of an inch level that rifle guys look for. I'd just run a bore snake through the gun between brands and then take a few fouling shots before shooting multiple groups from a rest. That's how I do it for my 22 revolvers/bottom feeders anyway. The winner ( or group of winners) will become evident. That said, I am a believer in ammo lots being a factor. When you find the ammo you like, stock up on that same lot for the best consistancy..

 

[ericuda]

Not sure how to ping someone here but hopefully livelife will chime in. He tested numerous 22 in a 10/22 I believe.

 

[J-Bar]

My single sixes (yes, plural) have tight chambers. Swabbing out the chambers helps any brand of .22LR load more easily. Hoppe’s #9 and a brush are your friends. I ignore the bore, usually.

 

[wcwhitey]

My single sixes (yes, plural) have tight chambers. Swabbing out the chambers helps any brand of .22LR load more easily. Hoppe’s #9 and a brush are your friends. I ignore the bore, usually.

Agreed ^^^ I always have a brush handy for the cylinders as they are tight on my Rossi. Nothing wrong with a quick brush or bore swab between ammo types. For pure accuracy purposes it cannot hurt but if you shoot like me it will be hard to notice. When I used to shoot Bullseye with my High Standard Citation it only got cleaned when necessary. However, it was only used with one type of ammo Remington Target.

 

[Bazoo]

You tag someone by using the @ symbol before their name. Example @ericuda .

I’m wondering how much swabbing or cleaning to what extent is really needed between ammo to get a realistic idea of its potential.

I also generally plink whatever and that’s not good for accuracy as it mixes all the different lube/plating. So once I test the dozen kinds of common ammo I have, I’ll try to stick with what works best for the gun for more important uses and use the not good stuff for plinking.

Using a dirty gun I tested goldenbullets the other day. I got about 6” at 25y. That’s horrible of course.

I have used aguila plated though with pretty good field results, hitting my 6” plate at 75y. So I expect that to do well, though I haven’t shot it on paper that I recall.

 

[.38 Special]

When testing ammo in an Olympic free pistol I cleaned thoroughly between each brand, and also found I had to put multiple shots of each brand downbore before the gun would do its best work.

The same has held true in lesser guns, but mostly to a lesser degree. (I have occasionally seen even things like Bearcats and Mk. IIs go absolutely nuts when a new brand is introduced, only settling down after a few dozen rounds. That's an exception, though.)

Generally speaking, if I am testing a run-of-the-mill "fun gun" I will make a few passes with a bore snake between brands, then send a gunfull downrange before really looking at results.

 

[gobsauce]

Not sure how to ping someone here but hopefully livelife will chime in. He tested numerous 22 in a 10/22 I believe.

I got you.

Hailing @LiveLife !

All you have to do is put @(username).
I already pinged him though, so you don't have to.

 

[willb]

Bazoo, how are you defining accuracy? And what game do you plan to play with the Single Six? You can really go down the rabbit hole when you start chasing accuracy. Been There, Still There!

 

[LiveLife]

hopefully livelife will chime in. He tested numerous 22 in a 10/22 I believe.

Hailing @LiveLife !

Well, it worked!

I don’t have enough to shoot half a box then test on some of it. Or if I do, it’ll only be 1 group.

Hopefully I could save you some ammunition which is still hard to come by at decent price - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...t-shipped-pricing.902560/page-4#post-12283427

My 40,000+ round testing of 20+ brands/weights/lots was mostly done on 10/22s, Take Down, ARs with CMMG 22LR bolts and 10,000 round testing while capturing 5/10 round groups at 25/50/100 yards with new 10/22 and T/CR22 but GSG 1911 and Glock 22/AA 22LR slide kit were also used.

Keep in mind that 10/22 is very ammunition selective so what shoots accurate in 10/22 may not shoot accurately in other firearms. FYI, Armscor produces 2" groups out of GSG 1911 at 25 yards.

Here's my listing of most accurate to least accurate ammunition based on 10/22 and T/CR22 testing - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ades-of-22lr-ammunition.903043/#post-12238960

1. CCI Standard 40 gr LRN - Boxed - Consistent group size
2. CCI Blazer 40 gr LRN - Boxed - Consistent group size
3. Aguila 40 gr LRN - Boxed - Consistent group size
4. Aguila 40 gr CPRN - Boxed - Consistent group size
5. Aguila 40 gr LRN Pistol Match - Boxed, Consistent group size
6. Federal Auto Match 40 gr LRN - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
7. Federal Game Shok 40 gr CPRN - Boxed - Fairly consistent group size
8. Federal Field Pack 38 gr CPHP - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
9. Remington Golden Bullet 36 gr CPHP - Loose Bulk - Fairly consistent group size
10. Remington Thunderbolt 40 gr LRN - Loose Bulk - Small to large groups with flyers
11. Armscor 36 gr CPHP - Boxed - Varying group size with flyers
12. Federal Champion 40 gr LRN - Boxed - Group size varied
13. Federal Value 36 gr CPHP 525 Blue Box (Old/New) - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
14. Federal Value 36 gr CPHP 550 Walmart Red Box (Old/New) - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
15. Winchester XPert 36 gr LRN 500 - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
16. Winchester 36 gr CPHP 555 - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
17. Winchester M22 40 gr CPRN 500 - Loose Bulk - Group size varied with flyers

 

[Bazoo]

Thanks @LiveLife It’ll take me a while to read through it. Some of your testing I’ve seen before but I’ve forgotten what I’ve read.

@willb well I define accuracy as reasonable small group size and consistency out to 75 or even 100 yards. I mentioned I had shot at my 75y 6” plate, and that’s pretty common for me when plinking. I can normally hit it 4-5, out of 6 but I have hit it 6 for 6, using the aguila stuff. I can’t remember now without looking if it’s HP or just RN. But I have about 6 bricks of it best I recall.

But I don’t know really how to define what I’m looking for, other than I’m just looking to test all I have available with the single six so I know what it likes and what it doesn’t. The Remington goldenbullets I tried, it doesn’t like. At least it didn’t like them without cleaning first.

For close range, I want the gun to do better than an inch @25 yards rested. I can’t shoot that good all the time but, I can if having a good day and in good light, rested of course. But I can hit an empty shotshell at that distance some of the time offhand and that’s sorta what I practice for. I have been able to do it consistently when I shot every day, but with a different single six. For several years I shot every single day, then I laid off cause of life and now I’m working towards getting as good as I was.

I had a single six, some years back that I shot every single day for a few years and federal bulk at the time gave me good accuracy. Long story short that gun is gone and I have another six, that I’ve plunked with off and on for some years but never really tested it. So I’m getting geared up for the fun of testing.

 

[243winxb]

Bullet lubes or coatings in the barrel can make a difference at times.

Shoot groups of 5 each, 2 times. Same with next lot, brand type. If the first 5 of a lot dont match the 2nd group, disregard 1st group, fire a 3th group.

When lubes dont work well together, there is a change in bullets point of impact on target. The new lube needs to recondition the barrel, so 5 extra fouling shots are needed.

I tested with rifle @ 50 yards, 12 power scope. Handgun testing can be a lot harder to tell the difference in ammo, without a machine rest.

CCI standard velocity is good 22lr ammo.

Cleaning the barrel between lots may be better, but i am lazy.

 

[ontarget]

I don't think WHAT you do between brands is nearly as important as doing IT exactly the same every time.

 

[willb]

Do you notice any pattern in the shot placement on your targets? Say, like vertical stringing? The less expensive .22 ammo can have very inconsistent velocity shot to shot. It doesn't show up as clearly on close targets but when you move out to 100 or 200 yds you can really start to see a story being told. The benchrest shooters I know all shoot ELEY or RWS because of their consistency in delivering velocities with low standard deviation. This stuff is pricey, but once you test the CCI, Remington, Winchester, etc. you might want to treat yourself and try a box, particularly at distance. You may find that you‘re a better shot than you thought you were!

 

[Tacoma]

Well, it worked!


Hopefully I could save you some ammunition which is still hard to come by at decent price - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...t-shipped-pricing.902560/page-4#post-12283427

My 40,000+ round testing of 20+ brands/weights/lots was mostly done on 10/22s, Take Down, ARs with CMMG 22LR bolts and 10,000 round testing while capturing 5/10 round groups at 25/50/100 yards with new 10/22 and T/CR22 but GSG 1911 and Glock 22/AA 22LR slide kit were also used.

Keep in mind that 10/22 is very ammunition selective so what shoots accurate in 10/22 may not shoot accurately in other firearms. FYI, Armscor produces 2" groups out of GSG 1911 at 25 yards.

Here's my listing of most accurate to least accurate ammunition based on 10/22 and T/CR22 testing - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ades-of-22lr-ammunition.903043/#post-12238960

1. CCI Standard 40 gr LRN - Boxed - Consistent group size
2. CCI Blazer 40 gr LRN - Boxed - Consistent group size
3. Aguila 40 gr LRN - Boxed - Consistent group size
4. Aguila 40 gr CPRN - Boxed - Consistent group size
5. Aguila 40 gr LRN Pistol Match - Boxed, Consistent group size
6. Federal Auto Match 40 gr LRN - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
7. Federal Game Shok 40 gr CPRN - Boxed - Fairly consistent group size
8. Federal Field Pack 38 gr CPHP - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
9. Remington Golden Bullet 36 gr CPHP - Loose Bulk - Fairly consistent group size
10. Remington Thunderbolt 40 gr LRN - Loose Bulk - Small to large groups with flyers
11. Armscor 36 gr CPHP - Boxed - Varying group size with flyers
12. Federal Champion 40 gr LRN - Boxed - Group size varied
13. Federal Value 36 gr CPHP 525 Blue Box (Old/New) - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
14. Federal Value 36 gr CPHP 550 Walmart Red Box (Old/New) - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
15. Winchester XPert 36 gr LRN 500 - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
16. Winchester 36 gr CPHP 555 - Loose Bulk - Group size varied
17. Winchester M22 40 gr CPRN 500 - Loose Bulk - Group size varied with flyers

Just a broad stroke observation but it doesn't surprise me that Remington and Winchester are on the bottom of that list . I've never had any .22 lr from either company perform consistently in any of my dozens of rimfires. It's also not surprising that near all bulk ammo is on the back half of the list too. ( Fed Auto match being an exception that I've used to satisfaction as well. It's one of the few "bargains" in the .22 world IMHO). The message here is that generally, you get what you pay for.

 

[LiveLife]

doesn't surprise me that Remington and Winchester are on the bottom of that list

Since CCI/Federal/Speer (Vista Outdoor parent company) bought Remington ammunition (Firearms was sold to another company and became Remarms), I anticipate improvement of Remington 22LR.

It's also not surprising that near all bulk ammo is on the back half of the list too ... Fed Auto match being an exception

Agree as that's been my experience as well. I think boxed packaging does a better job of protecting the rounds as loose bulk packing allows greater movement/banging around of rounds to knock priming compound away from rim to cause misfires/duds/inconsistent performance/velocities.

Remarkably, Federal Auto Match loose bulk packs performed quite consistently for me with occasional flyers producing much smaller groups compared to other loose bulk pack ammunition.

 

[Bazoo]

So if I do a mild cleaning, like remoil on a bronze brush for a few swipes, then a couple patches. Do the chambers and bore. That will be sufficient.

I have a brick of automatch to test too. Maybe the best compromise. Sadly I have 5k remingtons approx. But I have fair amount of CCI blazers and mini mags.

 

[243winxb]

Rem oil has teflon, i think? Better would be Hoppe's number 9 gun solvent.

 

[Bazoo]

I was thinking of the way I normally clean. Which is I don’t really clean, I wipe the crud out with remoil and then dry patch and call it good. I rarely use hoppes. I may do just that though so I have a better base for my testing.

 

[ontarget]

I was thinking of the way I normally clean. Which is I don’t really clean, I wipe the crud out with remoil and then dry patch and call it good. I rarely use hoppes. I may do just that though so I have a better base for my testing.

If you are going to do serious testing, I think you should start with an absolutely clean bore. Then fire 50 fouling shots of your cheapest ammo.
Then run a bore snake through a couple of times.
Then shoot a group for score, repeat bore snake, shoot for score, bore snake.......
The key to any comparison test is consistency.
If you change anything half way through, your data will be skewed and void.

 

[RealGun]

Not sure how to ping someone here but hopefully livelife will chime in. He tested numerous 22 in a 10/22 I believe.

Single Six is also in 32 H&R Magnum.

 

[ericuda]

Single Six is also in 32 H&R Magnum.

Huh I am confused why quote that, is 32 a rimfire?

 

[RealGun]

Huh I am confused why quote that, is 32 a rimfire?

Good catch, but there was only one indirect reference to caliber or type in the OP.

 

[ericuda]

No worries. Ole bazoo has mentioned his 22 single six here before so I just figured.

Anyway have you tried just shooting a few groups as is with different ammo to see your results. I know I am not good enough to tell much difference but others here sure are. I have shot a few groups just goofing around in my tx22 off a forearm rest with a red dot and can definitely tell the difference in ammo. Maybe narrow down to top 5 and then get serious.

 

[Bazoo]

Well, honestly I haven’t shot it a lot. I bought it about 10 years ago and gave it to mom. I plinked with it off and on, when she passed last year I got it back. I’ve shot it informally on paper a few times with nothing great. But I never have tested anything really. And never cleaned it with the intent of testing. It’s been cleaned every few years but always just plinked with at close range afterwards.

Except for a time when I had it with me while testing 30-30 loads at 75y. I don’t remember if it was clean or what. But I had no trouble hitting the 6” plate and even did it 6 for 6. I then went several other times to plink with it, and shot at the 6” plate more at 75y and it was consistent. That was last summer. So I’m expecting aguila to do well based on that.

Since then ive been plinking with my Remington stash, and I did group from a dirty gun on paper, rested off the top of the tracker and I got 5” or so at 25y. I’m hoping the Remington will do better if cleaned.

See, there was one or another single six much of the time over the last 20 years or so. About 7-8 years ago, I swapped the last one because of problems. Swapped it to a buddy that had Ruger replace it for him. So, I’ve mostly learned to shoot handguns with a single six, but not this single six.

And for the record, yes all of them were rimfire.