Barrel cleaning

Generally a pull through kit, (some use strimmer wire) which is a length of wire (plastic or thin rope) with a hoop at one end and a “T” handle at the other.

Fed through from muzzle to breech, once through a couple of “patches” are placed through the hoop and it’s pulled through in the direction of pellet travel.

Various oils or fine abrasives can be used to deep clean and polish the barrel if needed.

Couple here https://ebay.us/m/bEBr8Z

And here (though the brass parts aren’t covered with any heat shrink but still shouldn’t damage the barrel) https://ebay.us/m/Mhcxll
 
Wayne that's brilliant thank you, I take it the patches are the correct size for the barrel
 
generally you add more to go with the calibre, .177 is 2-3, .22 use 3-4. Just keep rearranging them. Amazing how much crap can be in a barrel.

I’ve an old bsa barrel here I really need to polish. It’s brilliantly accurate when clean but shoots like a shotgun about 50 pellets in. A quick clean and all is well again. Hopefully an hour pulling autosol through will help prevent it fouling up so quickly
 
Something like this….

IMG_7198.jpg


You could probably get one similar else where but cheaper or use this as a pattern to make one.
 
From my extensive research on the topic in the past, Generally, a .177 airgun with a sub 760 ft/ps muzzle velocity will require less barrel cleaning than larger calibers as a start. How frequent is difficult to say, try after 300 pellets for instance. Obviously, if you return from a wet day shooting, you will need to remove moist that could have crept inside the barrel. Surprisingly, a barrel straight from the box also requires cleaning. Now, lead fouling will progressively impact accuracy and you will note the difference. Wire brush kits (even with a soft METAL like brass) are designed for powder guns and are NOT suitable for airguns. Pull-through kits are fine only if the rod is made of strong plastic or brass as other metals would damage the barrel. Beware of lots of junk on Youtube with people attempting to sell this or that. Similarly, chemicals used to dissolve the combustion residue in powder guns have no object here. So keep it simple. A good tutorial can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch v=A6HtNnfNOUg&pp=ygUbYWlyZ3VuIGJhcnJlbCBjbGVhbmluZyBlYXN5. Many people use WD 40. No need to purchase patches, use cotton of different thickness. The current Air Arms Owners manuals (irrespective of the rifle model) also provide a no-nonsense guide to cleaning and are available to download.There is a debate as to whether a lubricant should be used inside once it is clean because it may cause unwanted ´Dieseling’. In general you need not lubricate also Air Arms again recommend the Napier lubricant. Enjoy!!
 
I use a length of thick fishing line with a loopat one end to put the cleaning patches in.
For cleaning patches i use nail varnish wipes which are lint free and can be bought on ebay and other sites very cheaply. You can usyou can usee other scrap cloth but make sure it's not going to leave fibres up the barrel.
On the patches you can use some WD40 or similar to loosen and remove any fouling inside the barrel.
The first couple of patches use impregnated with the WD40 until they come out clean then use some clean dry patches to remove any traces of the WD40 or whatever you use as a cleaning product.
 
Rickyd said:
Vfg pellets. Just literally shoot them. Usually 3/4 shots is fine, and no hassle at all
Click to expand...
Okay if used regularly once the barrel has had a proper clean with a pull through and if used in a springer then they need to be used with a pellet in the barrel otherwise it's like dry firing a springer something that isn't recommended. With PCPs of course that isn't the case.
 
If you use a pull through on a HW100 just be careful not to pull the breech seal out . I’m now an expert at replacing breech seals in record time .
I’m finding the VFG felts do a great job.
I use one soaked in a bit of Ballistol then leave for 5 mins or so then fire 2-3 more to dry the barrel . Quick and easy and keeps my old .20 HW100 shooting straight.
I also have a nappier pull through kit which is more thorough but can pull a breech seal and gives no better results than the felts for me.
 
Can you use the VFG's with a magazine/shot loader? My thumbs are too big for the breech.
 
Wayno-81 said:
generally you add more to go with the calibre, .177 is 2-3, .22 use 3-4. Just keep rearranging them. Amazing how much crap can be in a barrel.

I’ve an old bsa barrel here I really need to polish. It’s brilliantly accurate when clean but shoots like a shotgun about 50 pellets in. A quick clean and all is well again. Hopefully an hour pulling autosol through will help prevent it fouling up so quickly
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice, need to check out where to buy etc
 
Guys lots of fantastic advice thank you, will look through all the options and YouTube videos.
I'm sure my old SLR was so much easier
 
Once the barrier has had a good clean and you have found the most accurate pellet, the gun will let you know when to clean as accuracy will go off
No “Rats tail on air guns 😜
 
As others have mentioned, a good pull-through kit is recommended. I would avoid the Napier kit as it is very overpriced, and the pull-through cable isn't particularly robust and can snap, leaving the loop and patch in your barrel!

The following Ebay seller (not me and no affiliation with the seller) makes a decently robust kit (without the cleaning fluid, which you can purchase elsewhere)

 
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