How To Clean A 17 Hmr Barrel

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Guvnor Member

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Feb 7, 2009

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414
Maybe its just me, but cleaning my .17 hmr is a major pain. For some reason I really need to FORCE the cleaning patches down the bore. Its an extremely tight fit. I have tried 2 different brands of patch jags with the same results.
In addition, Trying to send a bore brush down the bore is simply impossible without risking snapping the cleaning rod.

Anyone else have this problem? I noticed the jags and bore brush are labeled simply ".17 caliber" and not .17 hmr. Are centerfire .17's or a .177 airgun a different bore diatmeter than .17 hmr? Does anyone make a dedicated .17 hmr patch jag?

Also, how often should one be cleaning the bore of a .17 HMR?
Daizee Member

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Aug 19, 2008

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475
Yes, this is a royal PITA.
I found a decent technique:
Buy (order from Pyramidair if you have to) a box of .177 airgun cleaning pellets. They are little felt cylinders just a bit too big for your .17hmr bore, which means they will be a nice tight fit.

Wet them with a copper/powder solvent (not Hoppes #9 - you have to get the copper out) and then PUSH them through the bore with a bare jag. Works great.

Skip the patches and brushes, IMO.

Airgun cleaning tools may be too fat. I think the .17hmr is spec'd at .172 and airgun bores (or pellets, anyway) run .177. I have a solid .17 cleaning rod that I use to push the cleaning pellets.

-Daizee
Thanks for the great idea Daizee
Nice tip Daizee! I will order some today.
- Contributing Member
CraigC Sixgun Nut
Hope you're not doing this too often, the .17HMR is notorious for shooting better with a dirty bore.
Listen to Craig- It can take several boxes of ammo for the barrel to get back to "shot in"
I don't have a HMR, but the Mach II is a PITA to clean. I am strongly considering getting a HMR bolt gun as a replacement, but being hard to clean is the only thing stopping me.
It might help if you try stabbing the patch a little off center at first for a really dirty bore. As it gets cleaner, then stab it in the center of the patch to finish up the job.
i cant get a brass brush in but nylon brushes worked fine
first off; I like a foamin cleaner. I feel they are superior in every way, including for centerfires. for more regular cleaning, You have to do one of 2 things; use a pointed jag, with a ROUND PATCH, to push cleaning stuff through. Second thing is to use an otis, or boresnake(s), to pull through, cleaner then another one to pull through oil, and a 3rd one, for drying up the excess lube.
It is done (if the buyer holds up his end of the bargain), I'm just waiting to ship it out. Locally ammo is more like 2/3 the cost, so I decided to revert back to .22LR on my 10/22...the real cheap stuff. The only thing preventing me from going with a bolt action .17HM2 is the uncertain future for the cartridge and lack of ammunition manufacturers save for CCI (which I will no longer be patronizing).
Daizee Member

Joined:

Aug 19, 2008

Messages:

475
I find the .17 boresnake to be a major pain, which is why I developed the cleaning pellet approach. The brass pilot on the boresnake just barely fits down the bore (fouled bore, mind you), until it is peened to attach it to the leader. Oops - out of round, and doesn't fit.
Bleh.
-Daizee
Guvnor,
I've got 2 .17 HMR long guns. A Ruger 77-17 and a .17 HMR barrel for my Thompson Encore. I also have a .177 RWS airgun. I use the small caliber cleaning cable made by Otis Gun for all of them. In fact, I use the Otis system for every long gun I own. It works great!! They make a 17 caliber brush that's shorter than your typical bore brush and it pulls through quite easily. They also make small caliber patches that work very well on the 17 HMR.

Since their flexible "cleaning rods" are made from coated aircraft cable you can push them through the bore until enough of the cable protrudes from the muzzle to pull it through the rest of the way so you don't end up with the same issues you may encounter that Daizee is describing with the BoreSnake.
I just broke of the prongs of a plastic fork I had around me at the time to push tiny square patches in then used the cleaning rod to push it out. It is a real PITA. One reason why I am selling mine besides that ammo is too pricey and not reloadable and have no real use for it. My .22lr works fine for squirrels and rabbits.
Amen to that!
The 17HMR is well designed, accurate, ballistically superior to the 22LR, but since being debuted, has almost doubled in cost for the ammo. I can reload my 222 and 223 for close to the cost of the HMR ammo
Care has to be taken when cleaning, and I cut my own patches to fit.

NCsmitty
The best thing I have found so far (after snapping off a brass cleaning rod... D`oh!) is the Hoppe's BoreSnake. It's basically a shoe string with a brush embedded in the nose of it. Drop the leader down the bore, I add a couple drops of cleaner at the front of the snake, a couple drops of oil about half way down, and pull it through. Comes out clean as a whistle with just the right amount of oil. Far superior to patches, IMO.
I heard that! I really never shoot mine since I became a handloader.
Guvnor Member

Joined:

Feb 7, 2009

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414
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I agree the ammo is getting pricey but its such a fun cartridge to shoot.
- Contributing Member
CraigC Sixgun Nut
If I can continue to pop crows at 250yds and coyotes out to 150yds and only pay $13/50rds, I'm a happy camper. Unless you ignore the obvious, it's hard to make a case against a $300 rifle that shoots half-MOA and kills critters graveyard dead at 250yds. You 'may' be able to load a .223 for similar costs if you don't factor in time and money spent at the bench and in load development but how much did your rifle cost and how heavy is it?
Well said! Except you forgot a couple details. For instance, the state I live in, there are certain "zones" you can shoot center fire in on public or private land. I do not live in that zone. It is rim fire or shotgun hunting only. IMO, the 17 hmr is as close to a small caliber center fire performance as you can get from a rim fire rifle, and deadly accurate to boot. And with varmint rounds, there is a low risk of ricochet or stray bullets.
Yep, it's a pain to clean - I cut down my .22 patches a little and they go through ok. You just need to be patient. I guide the rod by placing one hand over the cheekpiece of the the stock, with fingers over the rod to keep it from bending. You can only do that if the rifle is held in a stand though.
I debated the .22LR vs. .17HMR too. I decided that since I have 4 or 5 .22 rifles that I rarely shoot, I'd try a .17HMR and see if it's as much fun as I hear it is. It is. Fun, that is.

I'm enjoying it, anyway.