A friend of mine was recently gifted an Anschutz rifle. He’s a gun owner but not much of a regular shooter. He said the Anschutz looks like it’s in need of a good cleaning. He’s more than willing to buy a cleaning kit and any necessary accessories but I told him I’d lend him a 22LR cleaning kit to get started with.

However, I’m only familiar with cleaning MUCH less expensive 22’s and I don’t want to lend him something that isn’t “up to snuff” for a rifle like that. Is a regular old rod and some patches ok for this? A 22 bore snake? CLP or Rem Oil to clean the barrel and wipe down the rest of the thing down?

Additionally, he’s looking for what would be best to clean the aggressive texturing on the grips of these rifles. Anyone have any input on what’s best to clean that area of the rifle?

Thanks in advance!

Don't use a cheap,jointed rod...use a coated or other one-piece rod....soft cotton patches,most any powder solvent,CLP is good.
Use an old toothbrush to clean the grip area.
What model is this rifle??  (Just curious)

If the desire is to keep the chamber pristine with no possibility of creating sharp edge, gouges etc, one option is a good bore guide.

Appreciate the good input so far!

Friend tells me that it’s an M1903 Competition Rifle. Does that sound right?

Barrel? That’s the bit that needs to be babied, and which you have to hope has been. The impact of “dirty” is different on a rifle shooting only lead bullets than what many are used to seeing. No copper fouling, for one.

Bore guide, plastic coated one-piece cleaning rod (undamaged), push through brass jag (though some will advocate pull through style) and bronze bore brush if there’s buildup. Some will say nylon brushes are fine. I’ve seen some advocate hard scrubbing of the barrel back and forth with the brush, others say that could lead to scratches. A lot of barrel cleaning advice amounts to habit and near witchcraft. People get really superstitious about these things.

The rest is usually quite easy to clean, and far more tolerant of different methods. The bolt should easily come apart. The barrel is free floating, and the stock under it should be cleaned.

I have never cleaned mine, and have something like 10k rounds down the bore. If you do, as mentioned, bore guide, one piece rod, minimum passes. Cleaning wears them out faster than shooting the correct ammo. Target ammo (low velocity) only if you want it to last.

What ammo(s) do you suggest? I want to pass along some recommendations from him. The fanciest I’ve got with 22LR ammo is Federal Gold Medal Match.

That’s pretty fancy, and was Federal’s attempt to edge out the Brits (Eley) who dominated smallbore competition ammo.

Start with Green Tag and work up from there.
Wolf Match Extra
RWS
Eley
Dynamit Nobel

(not in that order)

So Gold Medal would be good for a rifle like this? Might also snag some Eley for him if I see it for sale online somewhere.

Eley tenex, only clean the barrel if precision degrades

My rifle liked gold medal the most, but at the time I was burning through a brick every few weeks or faster trying to make my way to the Olympics.

If he's just farting  around with it, whatever the lowest cost sub sonic non-plated target ammo is. Buy a few different brands and levels of quality and it'll really show what it likes the most, which isn't always the fanciest most expensive stuff.

The model number you mentioned earlier 1903 is the type of stock/ action it's set up with which is the sort of an entry level rifle, of the "getting pretty serious" phase" of smallbore shooting using the match 64 receiver, and the 1903 target stock. The next step past that is like what I have, a 2013 with a pretty fancy stock and the match 54 receiver.

They're super nice guns, the bad part is once you own one, unless you are HARD in the paint about mastering fundamentals and are out-shooting the mechanical accuracy of the gun to the point you need to step up to a match 54 action, there's nothing to blame if you don't nail bullseyes all the time LOL.

So I should stick to 10/22’s and sh*t?

LOL whatever it takes!

I actually have a beat ass old STAR model B pistol I use for that... just basically brainless blasting, cause it's so sloppy it's tough to get any accuracy out of it so there's no reason to try.

But with rifles like this, once you experience just how stupid accurate they are, at least with most people I've been around, oh boy, the heat is on every round to push to be better every single shot.

Bore snake

If he wants to erode the accuracy way faster, then yea.

THIS.

I won't even let a boresnake in the same room with my 1413 Supermatch

Good to know just dropped $700 on a 1413 super match I’ve yet to shoot. At least I think it is 1413 it says model 54 and came with all these extra things.
Not my most expensive rifle at all but it beats my next nicest 22 by about $300 in what I paid for it.

Are you good enough to know if it did or didn't? Is it accurate enough for it to matter? Thousands of rounds is not very much for a competition target rifle.

My Anschutz factory test target is a 50 meter group that is 10 rounds at .08". It has to keep that level of accuracy to be competitive.
The rifle the OP's buddy got won't be quite that accurate with the 64 action but it will be close.

Why risk premature wear with a barrel that will hardly ever need a bore cleaning on a rifle that's so accurate it's BAD to clean the bore because then you have to re-foul the bore to completely re-zero so the zero doesn't shift as the bore fouls from being clean?

These are not regular rifles. Bore snakes work by creating a TON of surface area to drag out the bore, replicating the same amount of surface area of dozens and dozens of patches at once. As they get used they pick up crud and become more abrasive over time if not cleaned and replaced, which doesn't matter for regulate guns. I love bore snakes, and use them on all my other guns, because they're not accurate (in comparison) and any degredation of accuracy from cleaning would take decades to notice, if ever.

IMHO just not worth it, when a bore guide and coated rod can do the job correctly every couple years.

I use a coated Dewey 22 caliber rod.

I use a rod guide inserted into the chamber end (not muzzle end).

Tilt muzzle downward to prevent solvents from running into the action and stock.

I do a pull-thru technique.  Insert rod thru rod guide and thru the barrel until end is exposed at muzzle.  Attach the cleaning device to the rod end (a patch holder, nylon brush or bronze brush).  Put a bunch of solvent onto patch/brush and a little squirt down the bore.  Slowly withdraw rod from the bore, pulling the cleaning device and solvent with it.

Check for fouling while pulling the rod out.  If it's there, you'll feel it.  Most likely, all you'll get is waxy lube, powder fouling and some loose lead.


AMMO -

Look for "22 Long Rifle" ammo.  22 Shorts, Longs and others are not what you want - 22 LR only.
Look for the words "standard velocity" which is just barely subsonic (~1,000 feet per second).  Do not buy "hypervelocity" or anything else.
Look for 40 grain, solid lead bullets (grey in color).
Look for a waxy coating on the bullets.

I use Wolf Match Extra in mine ($0.13/round).  Wolf Match Target is less expensive ($0.12/round).

Eley makes TENEX but many, many less expensive labels (and less accurate).  Few can shoot well enough to justify NEEDING Tenex, which is very expensive ($0.30 - $0.35 per round).  Certainly, there's nothing wrong with Tenex or any of the less expensive Eley standard velocity products ($0.10-$0.14 per round).

RWS R-50 is also very good ($0.35/rd), so is LAPUA Center-X ($0.25/rd).

Many others also make 40 gr lead, standard velocity match ammo - CCI Green Tag, CCI Standard Velocity,... ($0.05-$0.15/rd)

I hope this helps in some way.

Is the grip stippled wood?  Is it birch or walnut or,...?

Any idea what made it so dirty?  Is it "stick-em" spray adhesive or sweat or,...?

Can you post a picture of the grip?

P.S. - CLP and Rem Oil both work.  Rem Oil is a bit too thin IMO (it is a low viscosity, silicone oil) but it works,... for a while.

I still remember when “expensive” Tenex was 7 bucks for a box of 50. You could usually get well under that buying by the brick.

Last time I priced it, I cringed.

Yep.  I admit my 40x and 52c sit in the safe because I am cheap.   I was buying wolf and the first Remington eley Target ammo.   When wolf doubled in price my range trips with them dwindled.   I did buy a few cases of S&K since.

Yep!

I have a case of Wolf Match Extra and a case of S&K out in the garage.  I also have a case of inexpensive Remington ammo which I got thru the CMP.  They all shoot reasonably well in both of my rifles.

The instruction on my 64MS say to patch the barrel from the breech end with solvent soaked patches.  Wait and then dry patch.  The instructions specifically say to never use a bore brush.

I have done exactly that for 40 years....and the bore is still amazing.   Impressive work by Anschutz.

What solvent are you using.
I’ve used Butches for a while but open to other ideas/products

Shooters Choice with Butches' twill patches.  Butches' patches are the best going, IMO.  I am sure Butches' solvent is probably just as good as Shooters Choice.

Thanks

I started shooting an Anschutz competitively, about 17 years ago, with an 'X' gun (M54 action).

I graduated to the 1813 prone gun which to me to NRA Expert, before moving on to my current FWB 2700, which to me to NRA Master.

If you are going to take care of the gun, you should do a few things:

Never, ever, ever dry fire it. Ever. Ever. Unless you have a dry fire adapter installed. When you take it out and shoot it, keep a few empty cases, and put them in your cleaning kit. When you need to make a trigger adjustment, carefully insert the empty case into the chamber, and fire it. You can do this two, maybe three times per case, before it severs the rim. Dry firing an Anschutz can peen or even break the firing pin. Firing pins are replaceable if Anschutz still manufactures the model, if not, then you're hunting eBay and everywhere else for a replacement. Ask 'X' gun owners how much fun that is...

Use a one piece cleaning rod, either stainless or coated. As mentioned earlier, you don't wan't a sectioned rod to flex it's joint into the barrels walls - steel will gouge/scratch.

Use a bore guide. They are abundantly available. If you need one, PM me and I'll send it to you as I have several I don't need any longer.

Use a bronze phospor brush. After firing, every time. You're not going to scratch the bore, if you use a bore guide.

Use an appropriately sized patch. If you're using a jag, then a .22 patch is fine, if you're using a Parker Hale jag then use a 6-7mm patch.

Once the lead and pwder fouling are removed, leave a thin film of oil in the bore if you're going to shoot it again in a few weeks, or leave it dry if you're going to store it. You don't want to shoot a dry bore if you don't have to. Conversely, leaving oil in the bore long term can attract moisture, which leads to rust.

Do not use nylon brushes. They are twice as abrasive as bronze phospor, but not stiff enough to not ride up over the lands. They can 'cut' valleys through the lands after just a few cleanings. Frank Bartlein, of Bartlein Barrels has posted pictures of this on other forums, and it's amazing just how damaging a nylon brush can be.

As mentioned before, protect the chamber. Any nicks, chips or gouges will necessitate a barrel replacement.

The bolt is easily disassembled for cleaning. The only lubrication needed is on the camming ramp of the bolt body.

Clean the muzzle, after every firing. If you're using a bloop tube, clean the bloop tube frequently - it can and will affect your score. You can use a 12 ga. shotgun brush attached to the short Dewey pistol rod for this.

Use a bore or endoscope. I prefer the Teslong version available on Amazon. You don't know what you're getting clean, until you look down the bore.

Anschutz recommends that you lubricate their triggers with naptha lighter fluid (Zippo, Ronsinol, etc.). The petroleum product helps to spread the waxy naptha on the internal parts, and then evaporates, leaving behind the correct amount of lubricating film.

You can drop the trigger off the action easily by removing the two attaching screws, and submerse the trigger group in a sonic cleaner filled with mineral spirits or acetone, and run it for several minutes. You will be surprised at what is dislodged. I do this every 500 rounds, or once a week during match season.

The entire rifle can/should be wiped down with Ballistol - action, barrel, and stock. And then wiped off. The stuff in the can is slightly messy. The stuff on the pre loaded wipes steals my breath away, but it works really well to keep them looking new. YMMV.

My preference is to use Pro-shot products, because my shooting buddy is a dealer

The Anschutz 1903 is an entry level model, just below their 54 actions. It is intended to teach kids/teens to shoot 3P competition. They can be very accurate, specially when the correct velocity ammunition is discovered. My preference for practice ammunition is SK Standard Plus, which at one time was owned by Lapua, and is now rumored to have been bought by Eley. In competition, I use Eley either 'Match' (Black) or 'Tenex' (Red).

Most of the things mentioned above I have learned from fellow competitive shooters, who learned the hard way. Some of them are things I learned the hard way.

The top competitors, Olympians, and national champions will all tell you the same thing: clean the gun, after every firing.

If you decide you'd like more information about it, check out the Target Talk forum, which is dedicated to Olympic Air, Rimfire, and 300M competition sports. Accurate Shooter is another forum dedicated to precision rifle shooting, and a wealth of information.

Good luck,

-tc

@dcfireman

Thanks for the awesome reply! I will pass all of this information along to my friend.

Luckily, I’m a poor peasant with only a 10/22, so I don’t have to worry about all of this fancy stuff.

People treat cleaning their rifles like some sort of voodoo ritual.  I shot competitively for two years in college at UAF.  My teammates included Melissa Mulloy who shot at Sydney in the Olympics, Karl Olsen a swede who is currently the 300m world champion, Joe Hein of Elite Shooting Sports of Montana and Matt Emmons multiple olympic  medalist and my coach was Dave Johnson son of Neal Johnson.  All of them cleaned their rifles before matches or certain round count, all with a coated 1 piece rod each used a brush and followed with patches. None of them were afraid of trying new things either like foaming bore cleaner, first time I saw a bore snake was there.  Of course we also shot ALOT.

Do you know the name Jair Miranda?

No I don't recognize it, but my shooting ended close to 20 years ago and didn't really keep up on what went on in the shooting world outside of teammates.

Came here to discuss appropriate ammo for true match grade, competition .22lr rifles.

CCI Green Tag is the lowest quality I would go, and even that is questionable to feed these type rifles.

Most competitive shooters shoot Eley or Lapua.

My favorites are Eley Match (black box) and Lapua Center X.  Both are 40 grain 1080 fps, solid lead bullet design with a heavy wax type lubricant.

Yep. All good people.

Matt Emmons has an interesting story about his 3P Gold Medal bid, and someone taking a screwdriver to his rifles chamber the night before he was scheduled to shoot.

The Gunslick foaming bore cleaner is one of the most awesome things I ever used to clean my 300M rifle - Gunslick has ceased operations now, and I'm not sure if the Hoppes foaming cleaner is the same stuff (it could be, I just haven't found any to try out yet).

If you're not using a bore-scope of some kind, you really don't know what you're leaving behind. The Teslong bore scope (available on Amazon) is incredibly effective for the $49.00 price tag.

My preference for match ammo, is Eley Tenex (Red), then Eley Match (Black), then RWS R50. I've used Lapua/SK/Wolf in practice, I've just never tried their match lines beyond SK Rifle Match, or Wolf Match Extra.

You can experiment with varying speeds of ammunition; Eley has a lot test record on their website. If you buy a batch of Eley ammo, take the lot number and input into the database on their website, and they will show you the factory test group size.

Good luck! With a little time, you'll be competing soon enough!

I’ll ask my wife what her regiment was.  I am betting she has more rounds through an Anschutz than the rest of the people in this thread combined

After a day of training, run a few wet patches through the barrel (hoppes cleaning solution) followed by dry patches.  Once a week a full cleaning of the bolt, run a cleaning brush through the barrel, followed by wet patches and then dry patches.  It wasn’t rocket science, just make sure you clean the crown of the barrel well.