New Airgun Cleaning or Not!!

[keith1517]

Hello all.  This is my first post other than the intro so here goes.  I am brand new to serious airguns and am the new owner of a Ruger Impact.  From my research lurking here I understand that it is a RWS 34 clone with the T05 trigger clone.  All that is not terribly important to my post, but just thought I'd try to impress you guys with my knowledge!!! Just kidding.  I could be wrong.  Anyway, when I was buying the rifle I was instructed to not clean your air rifle.  I took this to heart and pulled it out of the box, set the scope up (not much of a scope, but I don't have much experience with scopes anyway)  and took it out the next day and shot it.  I didn't clean the barrel first as recommended by the sticky at the beginning of this gate.  I have since put upwards of 400 rounds through it.  What should I do?  Is the damage done if any?  The rifle seems to be settling down.  Of course some of that could be me learning how to shoot it.  It takes a bit of mental undoing to shoot a springer, especially if you have shot rifles your entire life.  If you hold a 300 WinMag like a springer you will have a bad day!!!  Anyway, your answers and advice is greatly appreciated.

Keith

[bgmcgee]

No harm . What you don't want to do is use solvents and wire brushes in your new gun. Use something like goo-gone or similar to get the nasty stuff out if the barrel.  I've used a weed wacker line to make a pull through. Now I use a crown saver. Then just oil the outside like any other gun.

[Nitrocrushr]

If you hold a 300 WinMag like a springer you will have a bad day!!!

Now that was funny...and so true...lol

I'd say absolutely no harm done by not cleaning right away.  Depending on the amount of oil/grease in the barrel from the factory, your accuracy might not have been quite as good in the beginning.  I cleaned my new barrel out with goo gone and a crown saver as already mentioned.  I then ran a couple dry patches, followed by a patch dampened with ballistol, then a few more dry patches.  I only followed up with the ballistol due to some comments I have read regarding the citris in the goo one possibly causing corrosion if residue remains in the barrel.

[Kailua]

Some of the preservatives in a new barrel can be nasty.  If your barrel seems to be hard to clean with pull through patches I would use a brass, bronze or nylon brush with a soft metal cleaning rod non steel.  Forgot what kind of cleaning agent that a pro tuner recommended (someone might chime in) but I would use WD40 till the gunk gets out.  Run some dry patches after may 6 strokes of the brush till they look clean.  Run patches till they come out dry and maybe run some Krytech bicycle chain wax (if not chain wax try some Pledge) through the barrel also pull dry patches till its dry.  I would just use the brush cleaning once on a stubborn new barrel and the pull through method from there on as mentioned.  After a good clean a new barrel may need anywhere up to maybe 400 lead pellets to get up to its accuracy.  Anyways that's my opinion.  You might find there may be 100 airgun owners and 100 different opinions.