.17 HMR rifle barrel cleaning

[condor bravo]

Not reloading related but perhaps can remain in the reloading section:

I have two .17 HMR rifles, one a Rem Mdl 5 bolt, scoped, and the other a Henry lever action with standard semi buckhorn sights. Neither has been fired extensively, nor hardly ever cleaned, if at all. Both were out yesterday and from standing, the Mdl 5 shot well as anticipated. The first 15 shots from the Henry clustered well in the direction they were aimed, with no complaints. Then after a 15 minute break and firing 10 more rounds, these latter 10 were all over the target, the typical shotgun pattern.

Will be out again with them tomorrow and am curious about fouling requiring constant cleaning with these HMRs, are they typically like the .17 Remingtons that almost need cleaning after every 10 shots or so to pull the groups back down?

What has been your experiences with these .17 HMRs and barrel cleaning requirements?

Neither rifle has the nice light trigger pull that would be expected from the caliber. The Henry in particular needs to take a lesson from its cousin, the .22 LR Henry when it comes to trigger pull.

 

[brasscollector]

I always take my bore snake with me when I'm shooting my 17hmr. I have seen groups deteriorate in as little as 20-25 shots depending on ammo. I'm shooting a savage 93r17 heavy barrel. Normally a tack driver so you can tell when the groups start migrating towards "full choke".

 

[JWT]

I clean mine after each outing, about 100 rounds between cleanings. No problems with consistent accuracy.

 

[SARuger]

I carry a bore snake with me when I have my Ruger American .17HMR, I remove the bolt and pull it through after a dozen rounds or so. It will group better like that.

My only complaint about the .17HMR is how fast it looses accuracy from fouling.

 

[condor bravo]

Follow up to post #1:

Thanks for the input--variable results as what might be expected from the .17 HMR.

From today's outing with the Henry, 25 consecutive rounds offhand produced a very respectable grouping without a single shot in orbit--a complete reversal from the final 10 rounds of the previous day's shoot, making those results puzzling. The Rem Mdl 5 continued to shoot good as well. But it's probably time to go to the cleaning bench anyway, whether I like to do it or not. Ammuniton used was the Hornady brand. If only these two rifles had better trigger pulls.

 

[SARuger]

From today's outing with the Henry, 25 consecutive rounds offhand produced a very respectable grouping without a single shot in orbit--a complete reversal from the final 10 rounds of the previous day's shoot, making those results puzzling.

Hot barrel the day before, ambient air temp, slight wind? I fight flaky accuracy all the time until I remember to let the barrel cool, or that its just a hot day, or there is a breeze. The .17HMR is useless in even a slight wind. I step up to the .223 or .243 if its windy and I'm shooting distance.