Damgaing barrel with cleaning jag?

[thenuge15]

I was cleaning my 10/22 today and I my jag is a little smaller than the tip of the cleaning rod (Its a coated dewey rod). When I start a patch it is hard to push and when it releases it jumps forward catches/rams into the small lip that is formed between the rod and jag. Could this cause damgage to my gun? Should I get a jag that is flush with the adapter?

thanks-sam

[t roy]

if for nothing else but peace of mind, yes get one that is flush and made specially for the caliber of gun it will be used on.

[CalNewbie]

I'd go with a cleaning rod that matched the size of the jag. The jag is usually brass and shouldn't hurt the barrel. But I'm not so sure about the end of the rod. Better safe than sorry.

[Nomercy]

Not many people really give it due credit, and it's not usually an issue since people are concerned with cleaning their bolt guns (=chamber-->muzzle), but your crown is an EXTREMELY important contributer to your accuracy...If you're doing like most people do with semiauto .22lrs like the 10/22 or the Marlin 60, you're cleaning it backwards, muzzle to chamber that is, and if you hit your crown too many times, you can start to damage it, over time those little strikes all add up and instead of an evenly angled, smooth crown, you wind up with a rough, dimpled and pimpled crown that doesn't dissipate escaping gasses evening, dimples catch the gasses, create an air dam and a point of high pressure, so it'll push your bullet unevenly as it leaves the bbl, you won't likely notice it if the farthest you shoot is 20yrds at beer cans or squirrels, but if you punch paper at 100yrds, you'll notice a change over time. Even a coated rod winds up cutting through and providing a metal to metal hit.

If you're cleaning the right way somehow, chamber to muzzle, then damaging your chamber isn't good either, it will create little knicks and dings in the chamber heel or headspace, so you'll get increased likelihood of jams, degraded accuracy, and increased carbon fouling in and behind the chamber (i.e. in the action).

Get a new rod, they're cheap, there's no reason to take a chance on it...it's kind of like hitting railroad tracks or bad pot holes at 60mph in your truck or car, it's a little bump each time, with any luck you don't get any instantaneous failure, but damage is done, and you're replacing shocks and struts sooner than normal wear would dictate, and your steering and allignment are going to be off. Your gun is a precision machine that you paid good money for, give it due respect.

[bronko22000]

Nuge15, Read nomercy's post thuroughly he is right on the money.
Just my input form past experience with the 10/22, buy yourself a .22 cal bore snake. This will eliminate any damage to your muzzle crown and they do a good job. It about $15 well spent.

[diyj98]

You're probably brushing that rifle far more than you really need to anyway. I've got a number of 22 target rifles that go thousands of rounds without brushing. I'll clean the barrel by pulling through rags after every shooting, but I don't want to damage them with a rod so cleaning with a rod is a last resort.

[cardboardkiller]

A lot of 22 ammo is lubed and I have been told by more than one gunsmith that cleaning a 22 very often can actually wear the barrel out faster than just shooting it and doing some non abrasive cleaning.