[Over and Out]

I recently purchased a Ruger Competition Mark II .22. The pistol is great, both in grip and accuracy. I have two questions though:

1. Through how many rounds can I expect the barrel to last?

2. I heard that you should be very careful about cleaning the bore in that you can easily damage the groves, etc. I typically clean the gun after each shoot (200-300 rds) but I have been hesitant to run patches through the barrel. Any advice?

I suppose I could call the manufacturer, but I thought I'd get the story from actual users.

Thanks to all.

 

[lefty o]

your barrel should last pretty much indefinately. and for cleaning without a rod you should take a trip over to rimfircentral.com they've got several different methods for cleaning that dont involve a cleaning rod, you might just find one that is to your liking.

 

[Snakebite]

I had one and I figure I shot close to 100,000 rounds through it. When I finally sold it, it still shot as good as the day it was new. I dont think I cleaned the barrel more than a few times in all the years I had it.

 

[Michael M]

Take a look at a bore snake. They have a bronze brush built in, and one pull through the bore usually does the trick for me. No steel, no grit build up on aluminum rod, nothing. Easy to use, too. You can wash them in the washing machine in a delicate garments bag, but hang to dry. It is all I use on my 22's. I'm really sold on them.

 

[rich]

i had a MK1(6-7/8 tapered barrel) for years and years, i sent it to live with my brother because i got bored with it after so many years.( he's thrilled with it) it still shoots like it thinks its a rifle and i have never been afraid to scrub the bore when i thought it needed it. I'm quite sure i'll want it back someday. (or maybe a stainless MK2) also after about a mazillion rounds the ejector worked loose inside the frame, i sent it back to ruger who sent it back fixed no charge. when i next cleaned it i realized that the bolt looked different, and in fact all the springs and innards of the whole gun had been replaced. i think you'll get good service from it and unless you are extremely gifted it will have more accuracy than you can make use of. good shooting -Rich

 

[squirrelsniper]

Rimfire barrels will last a very long time if you treat them right. Excessive cleaning is usually what wears out a rimfire barrel, and some people get too trigger happy and overheat the barrels on autoloaders. Basically, a rimfire doesn't require a lot of cleaning like a centerfire. Just clean the barrel whenever the accuracy starts falling off, when the gun will be stored for a while, or if the pistol gets wet. The action will need to be cleaned more often than the barrel to avoid malfunctions.

For the barrel cleaning, I use patches and solvent and a pistol cleaning rod. Every now and then I use a bronze brush just to make sure their isn't any excessive lead building up in the barrel. Use a quality rod and be careful not to damage the throat or crown of the barrel with the rod, brush, or jag.

 

[Over and Out]

Thanks to all for your helpful responses. I thought I lucked out and got a good target pistol, and now you all confirmed it.

O & O

 

[NRAJOE]

I was reading about .22's a couple of days ago, and one guy claimed he has shot his .22 around 5,000 times now and has yet to swab the barrel. But he does clean the action and keeps the gunk out of the reciever...you DO have to keep up with that.

 

[colt45]

I'm a ruger dealer, If you can wear out a MKII comp bbl they want to talk to you.
cleaning should be done on this modle from the chamber out do not run a rod from the bore it will scratch the target crown.
I have one with over 200,000 rounds through it. they just get better.