Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 22 caliber cleaning patches

I bought a bag of the Tipton cotton flannel patches for 22-270 calibers from Midway a couple years back. Problem is they won't push down a the bore on my 22-250. Hoppes microfiber or whatever you call them push fine. Maybe a bit too easy. Suggestions?

It's been a while since I messed with the '250 as I sold my other gun. I'm thinking that if memory serves I was piercing the patch near the corner to get them to go. I'd feel safer with a centrally pierced patch.

Worn out cotton t-shirts make good patches. You can cut them up to whatever size you want. Not quite as "quality" as flannel patches but one shirt will get you several hundred patches, and the bore doesn't seem to mind. If you use a pointed jag you do have to watch out not to make them too tight or they will tear, but start smaller than you need and it quickly becomes evident how big to cut them.

Heck, I even recycled my old whitey tighties this way.

With the Tipton patches (which I like) you can't put the point of the jag in the center. Put it over toward one of the corners. About halfway between the center and one of the corners should work well. I assume you use a bore guide. And so, I like to give my patches a good running start before they get into the barrel.

Pretty sure I have tried the Tipton's before and found them to be thicker than most which caused problems. Use the ones from Sinclair now- don't remember the name.

I use the patches from Sinclair also. The patches that work best for .22 cal rifles are the 1 1/8th square and the 1 3/8ths square. If you use the 1 3/8ths, stab it off center. The 1 1/8th patches fit a little loose in my rifle, but may be just fine in many others.

You can trim some patches to these dimensions and see if they work for you.

Me 2

+1

try cutting the patch in half.

Piercing them off center has taken care of this for me. The Hoppes synthetics are the others that I have and they work easily with a center pierce.

Bore guide on order. Cleaning with caution for now.

Eastern Maine Shooting Supplies - Cotton Cleaning Patch 22 cal. 7/8" is a perfect fit.

www.emshootingsupplies.com

I believe the last 1000 I purchased from Midsouth Shooters.

www.midsouthshooterssupply.com

I use a slotted tip, and it eliminates a lot of problems.

I fold the patch in half diagonally, slip it through the slot, give it a dose of solvent, and run it.

I never worry about them falling off right before I hit the bore guide (or inside the bore guide before getting to the actual barrel), can reverse it in the bore for a little "scrubbing" if needed, etc.

I've just always been more comfortable with a slotted tip as opposed to a pointed jag.

I've found that using cut up old SOCKS (the white athletic type) work perfect as patches. The foot section is woven, reinforced, super cotton! I keep old socks and cut them up to the size that I need. I typically only use 3 patches to clean a barrel down to steel. How you ask? I use an electronic cleaner first, then 1 patch to push out all the sludge, a 2nd patch to dry the bore, and then a 3rd patch to lightly oil it. Yes, it really is that simple.

I use a slotted tip whilst I'm slopping the copper cleaner to the barrel and I also jack the patch back and forth.
When I'm running the cleaning patches thru the barrel, I use a jag on the theory that I don't want to drag crud back into the barrel.

I haven't messed with store-bought patches for a couple of decades now. I go to the fabric store and buy white flannel by the yard. Two minutes with a pair of scissors and you have enough custom sized patches to clean a gun 20 times, and it's way cheaper than store-bought patches. I would do it that way even if it weren't better, just to see the (usually) disgusted look on the clerk's face when I tell her what the stuff is to be used for!

You might try a different jag if you have one. Just a tiny bit of difference in diameters may change things.

I use the heavy twill Butch's patches and step down to a .20 caliber brush or jag.

Turn a jag down a little. I have the same problem with some patches.

Just chuck in a drill and file a few thou off.

HM

Agreed.

Sorry if I gave the impression that I pull the dirty patch back through the bore.

It's not a big inconvenience to just pull the patch out of the slotted tip while the cleaning rod is poking out the front of the bore, before pulling the rod back through.

I've been doig fine with teh off center piece, but may try teh file on the jag move as well. The synthetic patches push a bit too easy in my opinion.

I can't see cutting my own. I mean the darn things are just over a penny a piece. I do like to recycle, but my time is worth more than that.

That's what I do too.

It isn't about expense. Its about having any size patch at your disposal, and for handgun cylinders, varying sizes of rifle chambers its convenient as well.

did you get skid marks in your bore?