By B.B. Pelletier
You don’t always HAVE to clean your barrel
Airgun barrels do get dirty. They collect dirt in the bore from the oil in the barrel. Oil gets there for many reasons. In spring guns, the mechanism puts it there (through the transfer port). In pneumatics and gas guns, we sometimes oil the pellets. Some pellets even come pre-oiled or waxed. So barrels do get dirty, but the deposits don’t remain inside.
Every pellet down the barrel scrapes out the deposits from the pellets that went before. This is why many airgunners never clean their barrels.
Faster velocities and hard pellets can deposit lead in the bore
As velocities climb above 900 f.p.s., some pellets will leave streaks of lead on the surface of the bore. Hard pellets are the worst. Pure lead pellets are soft and don’t leave lead deposits as easily, but pellets that have antimony in their alloy are harder and more prone to scrape off. Try to scratch the head of a pellet with your fingernail. If it’s soft, you’ll be able to leave a scratch mark – but you won’t leave a mark it if it’s hard.
4 rules for the proper cleaning of airguns
Unless you know your barrel has lead in it, all you need to do is:
1. Run several clean patches through the bore to remove the dirt and grease. Remember, you DO NOT have to do this unless you want to! Many Olympic champions do not clean their airguns – ever! But there is no harm in cleaning, unless you make some fundamental mistakes.
2. Clean from the breech if at all possible. You want to protect the rifling at the muzzle because damage there will spoil the gun’s accuracy.
3. Do not use solvents to clean an airgun. A good grade of gun oil on a patch will remove the dirt, but keep that to a minimum.
4. Dry the bore after cleaning unless the gun is going into long-term storage, in which case a light film of good gun oil is best.
Some tips when more cleaning is necessary
Has a formerly accurate airgun started spreading its shots around? You may need to remove some excess lead buildup. A brass or bronze brush is the best way to remove lead. You will have to scrub back and forth. Since this can damage the bore, don’t do it more often than necessary.
For pellet rifles that present a challenge, there are flexible cleaning cables that pull the patch through from the muzzle. When using a cable of any kind, pull straight out of the muzzle and don’t let the cable ride against the side of the bore.
Airgun barrels aren’t hard
Steel airgun barrels are made from what the industry calls “dead-soft” steel, just like .22-rimfire barrels. This material takes the rifling button better, giving a smoother surface; and the low pressure of the cartridge (or airgun mechanism in our case) cannot damage the steel.
Many airguns have brass barrels. These are even softer than steel and can be easily damaged by improper cleaning methods. Cleaning an airgun barrel is not hard, as long as you remember to preserve the delicate muzzle and not use solvents. The best advice is to only clean when you see a need.
The easy way to clean CO2 guns!
The Crosman Maintenance Kit is perfect for CO2 guns. The two powerlets have Pellgunoil in them to lubricate the entire firing mechanism, and the felt pellets clean the bore! Simply follow the directions on the package.
Do you suggest the cleaning pelletts.
this page talks about how airgun barrels are made of soft steel, does this mean that if i have fired lead shot, steel bbs or other unorthodox ammunition i might have damaged the rifling on my gun?
zebedee,
Steel barrel may be soft, but they are considerably harder and tougher than lead and plastic. However, the use of a steel BB in a barrel not made for it will ruin the barrel.
Guns made to shoot both lead pellets and steel BBs have special-shaped rifling that withstands the erosive effect of steel BBs.
B.B.
Hello, i myself have and air gun which is only a 4.5mm cal. But i still use lead bullets (soft), and i was wondeing if i would even need to clean it. I have only had it for a few days, so it probably wont need cleaning yet. I use it every day, so when would i have to clen it, if i wanted to??
Cleaner,
I think you shoot 4.5mm PELLETS in your airgun – not bullets. A bullet is solid while a pellet is hollow.
I never clean my spring guns unless the accuracy falls off, and I don’t think you need to, either.
B.B.
Hey I just bought a Ruger Airhawk and was wondering if it should be cleaned initially or if cleaning it at all is completely optional?
If an initial clean is necessary would this kit do the job?
http://www.airgunsbbguns.com/Hoppes_9_Maintentance_kit_p/hopac1.htm
Thanks!
Scotty,
No, you don’t need to clean your barrel on your new Ruger Airhawk. Shoot 1,000 pellets through your new gun to break it in. The only time you really need to clean your barrel is when accuracy falls off. IF you ever need to clean your barrel I would not recommend the cleaning kit you linked for several reasons:
1-You do not want to use a steel cleaning rod since it could potentially damage your barrel. Airgun barrels are usually either soft steel or brass. Your Ruger Airhawk has a soft steel barrel. IF you ever need to clean your barrel buy a DEWEY NYLON COATED cleaning rod in the same caliber as your airgun.
2-There are better cleaning products and lubrication products for airguns than are packaged in the maintenance kit you linked.
Here’s an updated article that B.B. did on cleaning barrels. Within this article is a link to another article and several additional links to lubricants, rust preventatives, etc. that will help you maintain your fine gun. You will need to copy and paste this link since the blog doesn’t allow live links:
/blog/2006/2/should-you-clean-a-new-airgun-barrel/
Scotty, there is a current/live discussion taking place under the current article that B.B. wrote on Friday. He writes a new article every day, Monday-Friday. Under that new article you can click on “comments” and you will find other airgunners, like yourself, asking and answering each others questions. Wealth of experienced and inexperienced airgunners sharing information. This link will always take you to the current article and at the bottom of the article, by clicking comments, will take you to the current/live discussion:
/blog//
Look forward to seeing you there!
kevin
i recently bought a ruger air hawk which came from china with a thin coat of cosmoline all over it. i couldnt hit a the thing until i cleaned the inside of the barrel and let me tell you it was extremely dirty. after i cleaned it my accuracy went up one hundred percent. i used a mixture of copper solvent with a small amount of rain-ex which .22 shooters (real bullets not pellets) use to prevent led build up. any china made gun with grease in the barrel has to be cleaned properly or you might as well throw rocks–they will be more accurate. always clean from the breach, just as stated earlier and i never use any kind of a metal brush.
Anonymous with the new Ruger Air Hawk,
I’ve heard some good things about the Ruger Air Hawk rifles. Glad to hear you got a good one.
Not sure what “copper solvent” you used in your barrel but you may want to be careful using solvents in any springer. Strong solvents have been known to eat/deteriorate the seals and necessary lubricants in guns like the Ruger Air Hawk. Don’t want to damage your fine gun.
kevin
What do you reccomend to clean the OUTSIDE of the barrel. Thanks.
Outside,
If the barrel is not dirty from the elements, gun oil of any type will work. But a specially made product such as Birchwood Casey's Barricade works best.
If the outside is dirt, wash the dirt off with a damp rag, then dry thoroughly and apply the oil.
B.B..
You've discussed cleaning the barrel and the outside of the gun. I have a Daisy 008 pistel with the circular clips. Any suggestions on cleaning the mechanism in that chamber area that rotates the clip. I'm starting to get some brown crud around there.
Yes, I do. This is a dangerous area to fool around with on your gun, but a clean, dry toothbrush could be used to pull out that crud you see. Gun cleaning supply stores sell special "toothbrushes" that are made for this kind of cleaning.
Use no cleaning agents, as they will only make matters worse.
B.B.
Dry "Air Duster" spray, like they sell for cleaning keyboards and computers, might also help.
If it's gooey and it looks like you need some sort of liquid cleaning agent, silicone oil (like the stuff they sell for airsoft guns) might do the trick without hurting any plastic.
I imagine that Pellgun oil could also be used, since the 008 is a CO2 gun. Am I right about that, BB?
Vince,
The danger I see is that if this crud is from his pocket from carrying the pistol, then oil will only attract more.
B.B.
I figgered that area would likely be a bit wet anyway, if he's oiling the cartridges as he should…
i have a Beeman Dual Cal air rifle, and i was wondering when i would need to clean it. when i got it, smoke would come out of the barrel after i shot, so it was actually Deisling itself from its own oil. i have shot about 500-600 pellets through the thing and the smoke went away, but i dont know if i need to clean out any lead or burnt residue.
Kyle
Kyle,
The main way to tell whether your airgun barrel needs to be cleaned is a loss of accuracy. If you notice that your groups are significantly larger, then it's time to clean.
That said, it wouldn't hurt to run a couple dry patches down the bore of your rifle to clean out the pellet anti-oxidant compound that's been deposited.
B.B.
What do you think about using a correctly-sized (.17cal in my case) "Boresnake" to clean my break-barrel pellet rifle? It has bronze brush bristles and no other metal to harm the barrel. It's become my go-to cleaning method for all my "powder burning" firearms… I don't see why it wouldn't work equally as well in my air rifle. Thanks!
The Boresnake may work, but remember that an airgun barrel is not a .17, but an .18. The Boresnake is probably big enough to compensate for the larger bore.
Also remember that airgun barrels seldom have to be cleaned, and when it is necessary, you need to run the brush loaded with JB Paste througt the barrel in both directions about 20 times. If the snake can do that, you're okay.
B.B.
I have several break barrels and underlevers and what I notice is that the first few rounds you fire cleans out whatever lub was used during the assembly of the cylinder and piston. Some guns even diesel initially.
What I do is run about a hundred rounds through the gun (break in. zero. and figure out what pellet the gun likes) then clean the bore by running a few patches until they come out clean.
After cleaning an air rifle, how many shots until it is firing optimally?
Thanks,
Amanda Mayo
Amanda,
It varies with each rifle, but the worst I’ve seen was an air gun that needed about 20 shots to come back. Usually 3 or 4 are all it takes.
B.B.
I use Q tips cut in half to clean the bore on my .177 Crosman Fury II.
I get 2 “patches” from each Q tip.
I just start them by hand from the breech and push them through with a .17 rod.
The Q tip shaft fits into the female threaded jag hole on the rod.
I use the Q tips dry.
You can buy a bunch of Q tips for next to nothing at W-marts.
They are a whole lot cheaper than the felt pellets.
Bill Faulkner
Q tips as described above are also excellent for .22 cal. air guns and.17 and .22 cal. firearms.
Bill Faulkner
My error. Does not work with .22 cal. Only .177 and .17.
unspin and fluff them up a bit and they’ll work fine. I use a whole one for my 392.
My HW 80 has lost it’s accuracy. 3100 shots, a year old. I use Kodiak match 10.65 grain pellets. Average fps when new was 806.
I watched the videos on how and when to clean the bore, I think episodes 31 and 32.
So I ordered the JB paste and the Barristol oil. Ready to use my Hoppe’s kit with the steel rod and .17 brush.
Am I on the right track for my HW80?
Bills,
Welcome to the blog.
Yes, you are on the right track. Clean that bore and let us know what happened.
B.B.
Thanks very much. Once i get the products i’ll clean and let you kmow.
Bill
Update;
I was a bit quick in my first post, maybe. At the same time I lost accuracy, my scope started to act up. I needed to adjust the magnification after every shot to get a clear focus. This was outside at 60 feet. I think my artillary hold is proper.
Toady I moved indoors and shot at 10 meters. I got a .60 inch group of 5 after a dozen warmup shots. Good for me. Now the scope: Hawke Vantage 4 x 12 x 50. Great so far. Again after each shot I needed to adjust the magnification to get a clear focus. In addition, it will only focus at a magnification of near 7. I don’t think this is the way the magnification is supposed to work?
So I am holding off on my cleaning for now. But do you think the scope needs to go in for a checkup?
New here.. Shot a lot in .22 lead rounds and .308/.223 copper rounds. Any opinion on Shooters Choice Lead Remover? I know that with a .22 rimfire, the case pressure and heat cause several more problems. But since I’m new here, I gotta ask before I turf a perfectly good barrel. Thanks all!
Samoneshotout,
Welcome to the blog.
The prevailing wisdom is don’t clean the barrel o0f an airgun unless accuracy falls off. I have rifles with tens of thousands of shots without cleaning that still shoot well.
B.B.
Thanks a lot… I went from a world of meticulously breaking in a new barrel and cleaning it after every 100 rounds or so.. Since I’m transitioning, I want to do it correctly and lean on expert opinions!
Here’s another “dumb” question.. Is there a proper way to “break-in” a medium quality air rifle? I purchased the Benjamin XL 1500 (while not the most I could spend, it seemed like a higher level start-off point). I just want to make sure to slowly break it in properly.
Thanks..
Samoneshotout,
Yes, for spring rifles like you are talking about there is a break-in. Shoot them! Just shoot the heck out of them. Don’t clean them, just shoot them.
Many better airguns like Weihrauchs need 1000 shots to start functioning at their best. The cheaper brands like Gamo can take up to 4000 rounds.
Chinese-made guns take the longest, as they are not coming from the factory well-finished.
We have a saying. Airguns wear in, not out.
A barrel will shoot a million shots and still be like new, unless it is cleaned.
B.B.
Sir,
Great web sight! As a “newbee” to air rifles, I find it a wealth of info! Having a hard time trying to start a new post in the blog forum.. Specifically, I’m looking to find out if anyone makes proper tools for the correct disassembly of the Benjamin Trail NP XL 1500.. Looking for a proper end cap removal tool, and a spring compressor. I was an armorer for years in LE, with an incredible amount of proper tools for “firearms”. Just want to make sure that maybe there’s a place to purchase proper tools for air rifles out there.
Thanks…
samoneshotout
samoneshotout,
I don’t know what you did, but you missed our gate that stops new posters.
Welcome to the blog.
You will enjoy Thursday’s blog because it’s just for you. A device to disassemble spring guns safely.
B.B.
On a new Benjamin Phoenix np2 should I clean the barrel first? Is JB bore cleaning compound a good idea, or should I just use some dry patches ?
Been looking for information on the barrels insert or as I’ve heard it referred to the ‘straw’. It’s my understanding the barrel itself is not rifled. It’s the straw that is rifled. Questions I have is why do they do it that way? Is that in all makes? and calibers? Even up to the big bore? Then the question is, for the ones that have been damaged or just plain worn out, can they be replaced? Is there anybody replacing them? I know this is an old post. But I hope I can get the answers. This seemed to be the closest article on the barrels.
conan,
Welcome to the blog.
You are confused. What you have heard being referred to as a “soda straw” barrel IS the barrel. It is the rifled tube through which the pellet passes. They are very thin metal tubes that resemble a drinking straw. Makers use them because they are much cheaper than thicker barrels — and no, not all airgun barrels are made this way — only the very cheap ones.
Soda straw barrrls are no easier to replace than thicker barrels and in fact they are often impossible to replace because of how they are secured in the airgun.
B.B.
If the straw is the barrel, what would the outer shell be called? Would it not just be a two part barrel? The straw and the shell combined to make up the barrel? Is there any way to tell which have a straw and which does not? Not like they tell you on the box that it has a straw or that it doesn’t. I would had never know about this if it wasn’t for a friend telling me.
Conan,
For one, the cost of the gun. A stamped/formed outer shell put around a thin straw barrel is just cheaper. Cheaper guns will have this. If you look at the outer shell of one of these, you will see a seam in the metal shell. The thin, straw barrel inside just needs supported at the front and rear.
Then,… you move to something like the Marauder. That is also a barrel in a shell. BUT,…. it is a solid barrel and the barrel also comes just short of the end of the “shell”, but in this case it is called a shroud.
Why does it come just short of the end of the shroud? In general, the barrel will have a porting device that allows the air blast to be redirected back into the shroud. This helps to quiet the gun. There can also be baffles, inside the shroud, at the end of the barrel,… that also can help quiet the gun.
That is the basics between a solid barrels and straw barrels,… and shells and shrouds. That said,… terms used will still vary.
Chris
Thanks for the replies. I’ve looked at a few of mine. Like the Daisy 856. Definitely a seam. Looks like just thin metal rolled around. My Crosman 66 I see no seam but from were the missing rear sight was it also looks to be thin metal. The Crosman 73 looks solid as does the Crosman 6300. Also the Chinese B-2 looks solid. I was referring to more the solid barrels than the 856 types. With the solid barrels the straws are some how pressed in, right?
I would think the Marauder would be considered at least Mid Range. So how high up would have to go to get an actual rifled barrel as you would find to a powder burner instead of a straw barrel?
Conan,
Without looking up every rifle you mentioned,.. what I have explained is generally true. I am NOT aware of solid barrels that have pressed in tubes/straws,… but there may be some. Cheap pipe/higher quality thin tube? Maybe?
To be clear, the Marauder is a solid barrel. Shrouds can also add stiffness to a solid barrel,… even if no noise reduction methods are utilized.
I am no FX expert, but I do believe they are using light barrels inside a shroud that can be quickly swapped out to a different caliber and/or twist rate. Think of them as a bit of an hybrid.
How cheap? How expensive? There have been plenty of break barrel guns made over the years and have had solid barrels,… so that is really not a good indicator. The questions becomes just how good is that rifling, leade and crown in that cheap gun VS a higher dollar one.
For whatever reason,… on the cheap, cheap air guns,… the shell/straw barrel method is a go-to manufacturing method. Why? I am not an engineer,… but if I were to guess,.. it has something to with cost savings.
That is about all I can offer you. BB can jump in at anytime. He will see this,.. so be patient.
Chris
Need tips.. how remove rust form old air rifle in easy way ?
Johnmash2,
Welcome to the blog.
Rust inside the gun or outside? It makes a serious difference in what you do.
BB
Both Sides, Main problem is inside