Season your 22LR barrel for best results

[jsimmons]

The rule of thumb is that when you change ammo or are starting with a clean barrel, you should fire one round for every inch of barrel length in order to season the barrel. I fire 25 rounds for seasoning. (just enough on my CZ452, and more than enough for my Henry and 15-22).

I'm glad you don't have to do this with centerfire ammo.

 

[MyGreenGuns]

People always wonder why I let everyone shoot my 10/22 before I shoot it.

 

[superhornet]

Yes, I also knew about that. My old father told me about it in 1949, while shooting a JC Higgons single shot bolt that cost 21 dollars. He did not call it seasoning, he called it "settle in". Amounts to same thing. When I went squirrel hunting he would give me ten rounds. Rounds fired had to equal squirrels brought home.

 

[Owen]

Put me in the "I thought this was common knowledge" camp.

 

[ArthurDent]

There is definitely something to this, but I'm not at all clear what is best.

Here's some more anecdotal evidence.

A couple of months ago, I took out my most accurate 22 (A cheap Marlin 795 with a scope), Freshly cleaned.

3 to 5 MOA, 5-shot groups were the best I could do.

I put the gun up dirty. A few weeks later, I went shooting with my boss.

I was consistently well under 2 MOA for 5-shot groups.

After that I cleaned the gun.

Two months later, I took it out and got groups all over the place, but mostly 3 to 6 MOA.


Dad, who knew all about guns, died when I was a kid, so I'm having to teach myself in my old age.

I have always heard that a good owner kept his guns immaculately clean.

I'm still learning, but It seems like something is telling me not to keep my 22's quite so clean.

 

[Orkan]

I have always heard that a good owner kept his guns immaculately clean.

All of my rifles that see regular use live in a "fouled" state 24/7 regardless of pedigree. (centerfire/rimfire) Squeaky clean bores do not behave for long strings of fire like dirty bores do. To keep this thread on track, as it relates to 22LR... I clean 22LR least of all. The action of 22LR's need cleaned more than anything due to wax buildup.

I have a 22LR with roughly 25,000+ rounds down the tube and it has not seen a cleaning rod during that time. Yet I can set it down and stack them up at 50yds with it on command. Provided the wind is manageable.

 

[DCR]

Correlation does not equal causation

The maxim serves man well. In my book, all the examples cited, including the practices of champion shooters, are anecdotal unless and until a scientific explanation has been established, replicated in a laboratory, and peer-reviewed. Hasn't happened yet.

Don't take this as a negative or pooh-pooing what you do - whatever seems to work for you is jim-dandy by me, and I wish you the best in all your shooting endeavors. I'll just smile and nod, with this in the back of my mind.

 

[JohnBT]

In my experience there's a lot of variation depending on the individual gun, the temperature and whether the .22 rimfire bullets are lubed with a paraffin-based mixture or something like Eley's tallow-beeswax formula.

Benchrest shooters seem to have different needs than squirrel hunters and plinkers. Whatever works for what you're doing.

I still don't know if Eley uses fat from beef or sheep to make the tallow. The recipe must be 150 years old by now.

John

 

[pockets]

I still don't know if Eley uses fat from beef or sheep to make the tallow. The recipe must be 150 years old by now.

What sort of seasoning do they put in the tallow?

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