MarauderAirRifle.com

[mlcruse]

I am new here and just received my new Marauder. I have what I feel like is a very stupid question. Before I shot my new rifle I decided to run a couple of dry patches through the bore. I was using a .17 cal. Patchworm (the weedeater like string/cord). I started feeding the line from the breech, but once it got to about where the barrel band is, it felt like there was an obstruction. I am thinking how can that be?...never been loaded. Now I have cleaned many, many types of firearms in my 52 years. Using cleaning rods, bore guides, bore snakes, patch worms, etc., but never encountered anything like this. Worrying about an obstruction, I very carefully inserted a .17 cal. cleaning rod into the muzzle. As I kept easing it in I felt like the rod hit something, but with a bit of "wiggling" it continued toward the breech. It did this again and finally the rod appeared at the breech. Now I know I do not have and obstruction. My question is what are these series of "steps" I am encountering? Surely this is not the rifleing. Just wondering if anyone else has encountered anything like this, or what am I missing here. Maybe I should just buy some cleaning pellets. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Mike

[lamerabbit]

Hi Mike:

The simple answer is you may or may not have a problem. Most likely you don't ; the barrel has baffles, or a built in muffler, as it were. So if you don't put a straw into the front of the barrel until it stops, your patch is going to hang up on the barrels shroud/muffler/silencer baffles as you pull your patch through. By putting a plastic straw into the muzzle of the barrel and sliding it down until it stops, several inches, you can avoid this problem. However some large straws may not fit, use the thinner ones, and good luck, and good shoot-en...

Jim

[mlcruse]

Jim

Thanks so much for the reply. What you told me makes perfect sense and I will give the straw a try. However, it seems that the cleaning pellets may be the easiest solution to this issue. Again, thanks.

Regards,

Mike

[Roger]

I have some cleaning pellets that I have had for years so I thought about using them on my Marauder just to get rid of them. I use string trimmer line cut to size pointed cut on one end and heat the other end and form a small flat place by using heat. The cleaning pellets do not have a hole in them so I put one in them by using a long straight very heavy needle. I guess an ice pick would do the same. Thread one cleaning pellet on to the string trimmer line and using the straw trick pull the line through the barrel with the cleaning pellet on it works great. The cleaning pellets fit very snugly (is that a word). It does a good job and I can control everything. I think I will buy some more.

shoot straight
Roger