The Eley cleaning method

[Tim K]

Just found this set of instructions for cleaning your .22 barrel from Eley. Everything looked good to me until I got to the bottom where they said to use a bronze brush, three passes, every 200-300 rounds. In the current issue of USA Shooting News, Eley claims to have test barrels with 300,000+ rounds on them that are performing as well or better than new. They imply that they have been cleaned using this method. The conventional wisdom is that bronze brushes are the devil.

By the way, the felt pellets shown in the article are pretty cool. I use them exclusively now. Brownells or Sinclair sells them.

http://www.eley.co.uk/the-bulletin/c...ifle-eley-way/

The link has pics.


This entry was posted on 24th October 2014 by ELEY Ammunition.

Over the last four weeks we have been posting how some of our sponsored shooters maintain their firearms.

In today’s post Martyn Buttery, ELEY’s UK Customer Range Officer, demonstrates how we recommend you clean your rifle to keep it in tip-top condition.

Cleaning

1. Clean the extension tube with a 12 gauge brush and felt or tissue moistened with solvent.

2. Smoothly insert a cleaning rod guide into the receiver.

3. Apply a dry felt to the cleaning rod adapter and push it through the barrel to the muzzle in one slow steady movement. As the felt is dry it may feel stiff.

4. Remove the soiled felt and pull back the cleaning rod.

5. Apply a new felt to the cleaning rod adapter and moisten it with Rimfire Blend / cleaning oil.

6. Insert the moistened felt into the barrel and push it to the muzzle with short forward movements.

7. Remove the soiled felt and pull back the cleaning rod through the barrel.

8. Clean the rod with tissue to avoid getting solvent on your hands.

9. Repeat steps 6, 7 and 8, until the felts are no longer dirty or soiled.

10. Apply a new felt to the cleaning rod and moisten it with gun oil.

11. Insert the oil-moistened felt into the barrel and push it to the muzzle with short forward movements.

12. Remove the felt and pull back the cleaning rod through the barrel.

13. Remove the cleaning rod guide and clean the action of the receiver with a dry cotton bud or tissue.

14. Clean the bolt with a cloth and some gun oil. Apply a light film of gun oil to the bolt, the lock nuts and to the cam – do not apply too much.

15. Insert the bolt into the receiver and close it. It is important to be able to close the bolt without feeling any resistance. If you do feel resistance, remove the bolt from the receiver and check whether the action contains any impurities, debris or foreign particles and clean as necessary.


After cleaning care

1. Before the next use of your rifle use a cleaning rod to push a clean dry felt through the barrel to the muzzle in one steady movement.

2. Remove the soiled felt and pull back the cleaning rod through the barrel.

3. Repeat this until there are no signs of oil on the felt.



Your rifle should now be clean and ready to use again.

We recommend that your rifle is cleaned after every time you use it.

Please note: Intensive cleaning of your rifle will be needed after every 200–300 rounds. The barrel should be cleaned with a bronze brush. In order to do this you will need to push the brush in the direction of the muzzle and repeat three times. A bronze brush is used as it is the only tool that can be used to completely remove lead remnants.

Happy cleaning from ELEY.

[offgrid]

Tim,

I use a bronze brush on my re-barreld 40X.

22lr gunsmith who rechambered my 40X and the owner of Killough Sports both suggested using a bronze brush about every 300rds to get the carbon out of the throat. Both these guys have been shooting 22lr Benchrest many years, chasing itty bitty groups. I can definetly see a difference on target after a thorough cleaning. HAve about 10K rds on my barrel, shoots great.

Bronze brushes are the Devil, internet blather!!!

[Hoser]

I clean my rim fires often. But I use VFG pellets.

My new 40X is almost ready. Just waiting for Tubb to send me a trigger. Too bad it is a single shot and not a repeater.

[Tim K]

What barrel, Hose?

I'm gonna clean all the .22's today with a brush and see what happens.

[Zach O]

You can clean Marys too!!

[Tim K]

Dang, if I'd thought of it I would have. It would have been just as convenient to clean 4 as it was 3.

[Starbuck]

Tim,

Here is Steve Boelter's take on rimfire cleaning in general, and he addresses the bronze vs nylon brush issue as well.

http://www.rrdvegas.com/rimfire-cleaning.html

Steve has been a gun writer mostly dealing with rimfire, and is now President of Anschutz North America, where they have some interesting things going on, including stepping up as a big importer of RWS .22LR ammo, with a very organized lot testing program.

http://www.anschutznorthamerica.com

Sam

[Tim K]

That was quite an interesting article. Thanks for posting.