Cleaning updates?
A little over a year ago when I got my first Condor, the general consensus on cleaning a new barrel was to use a brush and JB Bore cleaner to clean and at the same to smooth the interior of the barrel.
I used patches instead, with a guide of course, everything turned out well and I had no other reason to clean it during the time I owned that barrel.
I sold that barrel, hard descision, and I now have a new 25 caliber LW barrel coming on Monday. On the yellow I read posts about cleaning and read that a brush and rod should be avoided and a crown saver used with patches and something like goof off or goo gone. I purchased some goof off, I have not found a Crown saver locally.
Has the current wisdon changed on cleaning?
While waiting for the barrel I decided to do some maintainence and mods on the Condor. I polished the valve stem inside and out, using first 600 grit and then compound from my Dremel kit, and then I pollshed the inside of the frame from breech to powerwheel, using 600 grit and then again progressed to the polishing wheel and pads along with the flex shafted Dremel I have owned for years.
I did the trigger mod, drilling and tapping the two screws and polished by breakng all the edges on all parts with 600 grit and then going to the Dremel and cotten wheel and green compound. But I also polished the sides of the trigger parts and the inside of the raceway for the trigger parts in the frame, then I polished the bearing surfaces of the trigger pins.
Not having a barrel to set up the trigger adjustments, I put a 3/4 inch dowel in the muzzel end of the frame to position the power wheel and spring and Subssonnic 115 grain hammer and stock breech. Then I was able to make the trigger adjustments with the adjusting set screws I added under spring pressure.
It looks sort of like a WW1 training rilfe with the dowel in it 😆
But again I digress, has the cleaning of a new barrel proceedure changed in the last year regarding JB and a brush?
Roachcreek
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I don’t remember where I read it but some experts used the Flitz polish because it is either less abrasive or non abrasive. I read that brass brushes were too abrasive for air rifles so I won’t use them in mine.
Also, it was said that 2 piece cleaning rods are bad in air rifle barrels. The plastic coated rods were also likely to pick up abrasives and cause wear. So, for my 24″ .22 I bought the 26″ Tipton one piece rod and did a reasonably light polishing and let it be for several thousand rounds. I’ve been waiting for a few good days without wind to determine if my groups are any good. figuring that after shooting under good conditions then I would clean my barrel and see if groups improved. A year later and all this talk made me curious so I just cleaned the barrel and found it had a lot more black in it than I expected as it looked shinny and clean yet.
There is lube on most pellets so rust or other corrosion don’t appear to be a problem in the bore. I lube any dry pellets with FP-10.
I will no doubt clean mine more frequently, maybe after a thousand rounds instead of several thousand. But, I won’t use abrasives any stronger than Flitz. This time around I used 6 dry patches pushed through one time each followed by 3 FP-10 oiled patches run back and forth 2 times. That should do until I have issues that would require a second Flitz’n.
Yeah I have read a bunch of post on here about people using the JB paste with out issue. I cleaned mine with CPL then polished with Turtle Wax Chrome Polish.
I’ve always done JB bore paste on all my AIRGUN barrels with NOT ONE PROBLEM. But accuracy did improve.
Bore paste POLISHES and does not REMOVE METAL. SANDPAPER REMOVES METAL. Again, it is a polishing agent and i keep hearing of how FRAGILE airgun barrels are. I too believe they are fragile compared to powder burner barrels but i don’t think they are FRAGILE.
I do it to smooth out any imperfections from the machining process.
i have used buffing compound for buffing scratches out of cars finish befor i just took the cotton pellets for cleaning and stuck them behind a washed and lubed(with the compound) pellet shoot 15 of those through it and then take a few dry patches it will shine nice and seemed to clean the bore well as well as help my groups
Roachcreek, I coated 15 27 gr Eun Jin pellets with JB Paste and shot them through. It smoothed up my barrel quite a bit, but I wouldn’t have taken such drastic measures if my bore wasn’t leading so quickly in the breech area. Thanksfully, my little firelapping project didnt ruin accuracy. In fact, it tightened up a wee bit.
Whe I push a pellet through the bore with a dowel, it’s a much smoother ride than before the JB treament. But still, the “step” in the breech, where the bore goes from looser wo tighter, is gathering lead….just not as much.
I wouldn’t be afraid to use JB on a brush in these barrels as long as you go in from the breech. Just my opinion.
Shaggy,
Thinking back on the 22 barrel I just sold that shot so good, I experimented with lubing my pellets with Breakfree and shot a tin or two that way, maybe that was shy it shot like it did.
Has anybody here did the JB thing on a new barrel like Gaylord suggested and had it go bad?
Kevin Brain just did the equivelent of firelapping with JB.
Gaylords theory was that the inside surface of the barrels were microscoically rough, and the JB polished that out, and in fact it would if not overdone and no contact with the rod occured.
Roachcreek
Lubricate about 20 pellets with break free and shoot them through the barrel. When you look through it , it will be shinning like glass. The first few shots will be off after that but will tighten up, after about 10 shots and you’re back in business, even the o’rings will get lubricated that way.
I do it after a tin of pellets and even my talon ss shoots 1/2″ groups on 45 yards, thats above factory specks.
I learned that trick from a website maybe here not sure, but it works good, all you’ll have to do after the shoot clean process is wipe the gun down and you’re ready for a new tin of Pellets. I use Diablo exacts in my Talon ss 22 caliber, Yum Yum,,, 😀
I used the bore paste on the 25 and it tightened up the groups good. I used a nylon brush wrapped in cleaning patch and it did good for me. Then I used wax in the barrel to make it shine.
I would not use the jb unless you have a grouping problem, clean er out and shoot er 1st. If you do use the JB just remember 20 strokes only, I always use flitz polish found at Ace, just cause it is less abrasive, and I do 20 strokes every 8 to 10 inches of barrel.
Wouldn’t have thought so.
I have fire lapped several barrells with JB paste, but that was with firearms. I have never used the JB paste in an airgun bbl. It makes sense that the rifling is so fragile that it doesn’t take much to damage it. I do wonder what the hardness is of the LW bbl’s? Are they as hard as powdeer burner bbl’s?
I’ve found with new barrels that 20 or so pull throughs with clean patches, followed by 50+ pellets (setting new rig up) seems to do the job for me. Until coming on this site I’d never heard of, or needed to, use bore paste or such on an airgun barrel.
Steve,
I just got a reply from Brucce Dobson that says definately do not use it 😕
I have used the Breakfree on PB’s a lot.
Perhaps I should do the pull thru to remove the machining goop and reserve the JB for later.
Roachcreek
There are those who swear by JB bore paste. Go for it!
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You can get a “Crown Saver” from Mac1 Airgun Store.
I have never done anything to my barrels except run a dry patch through to remove manufacturing dirt and lubricant. After 50 or so shots I do the same until it comes out clean.