[Complicated]

Just wondering, how many people use a stong bore solvent like sweets or tetra copper solvent (yup, but it get's lead, powder and wax too), or do most people think a cleaning spray, and light oil is sufficient to clean the barrel of a .22.

Cheers.

[Glock19Fan]

I bought an Outers cleaning kit from Wal Mart shortly after buying two rimfires, and it does a really good job of cleaning the guns. IIRC it was $6, and I would recommend it to any rimfire shooter. It comes with a copper brush, around 30 inches of detachable steel rod, (which gets lead and tough residue out), cloth patches, bore cleaner, and gun oil for the finish.

[Len_in_Phoenix]

Cleaning a .22? Why? :D

I run a BoreSnake through them once or twice a year and keep them well lubed. That's pretty much it. All of mine shoot tighter groups when they're dirty.


Len in PHoenix

[lyricsdad]

I use the outers solvent, and remington w/ teflon oil, but I heard that oiling the barrel causes problems... But my daddy always told me to run oil after the solvent to coat the inside of the barrel.. rust prevention.

I run a brush through mine, then cleaning pads.

[Gifted]

I've heard what Len_in_Phoenix said, that .22s will frequently shoot better slightly dirty than clean.

I've also heard on here and TFL that you shouldn't have to brush a .22 unless it's extremely dirty.

I use Hoppes on patches on mine, and it works just fine.

[Cortland]

I've always heard that .22 barrels shoot better w/o cleaning. I clean the actions of my .22s regularly, and often find that the chambers need cleaning to remove fouling and sometimes leading, but I rarely if ever clean the barrels.

[c_yeager]

I tell you I decided awhile ago that cleaning the barrel of my .22 pistols was a waste of time at best. They don't lead, nor do they seem to foul all that much. I do still clean the rifles though. I use an old cheapskate trick rather than an actual cleaning kit. If you take a length of that plastic cord they use for wheed-whackers you can melt one end into a nub just slighty less than 1/4" in diameter. You then sharpen the other end and stab it through a patch which is then dragged through the chamber and out the muzzle, instant boresnake.

[Majic]

Unless I'm changing brands of ammo (which is very seldom once I find what it likes) all I do is run a brush thru it every now and then.

[halvey]

Cleaning a .22? Why? I agree. No reason to.

I got my dad's bolt action .22 and it's NEVER been cleaned since he bought it in the '60's. Still shoots nice groups too.

[GlocksRock]

I do exactly what c yeager reccomends. Cheap effective boresnake.

[Shane333]

Like some others here do, I just run a boresnake through once or twice a year.

Then again, I'm pretty picky about cleaning my guns. When I go shooting with my neighbor, I'm always cleaning my AK before he gets around to cleaning his Bushmaster.

[dleong]

I clean the barrel of my Beretta Neos by first passing a patch soaked with Hoppes #9 though the bore, letting it sit a few minutes, scrubbing with a bore brush, flushing out the gunk with non-chlorinated brake cleaner, then passing a patch damp with Mobil 1 through the bore to lubricate it.

DL

[HSMITH]

My 22's shoot better dirty, so I keep them that way. I clean out the action and the chamber occasionally but other than that I leave them alone.

[Waitone]

Boresnake is your friend. Works even better when the barrel is warm.

[Standing Wolf]

I've been keeping all my .22 long rifle barrels squeaky-clean with good old Hoppe's No. 9, bronze-bristled brushes, and lots of patches for three decades. They're all still shooting just fine.

[45R]

I have not cleaned my 10/22 Green Mountain .22 Target barrel in over a year. It still shoots one hole groups at 50 yards. Like everyone says, .22 barrels shoot better when they are slightly dirty.

If you need to clean a .22 barrel just run a patch through it.

[9mmepiphany]

chambers/actions - yes, barrels - no

i was taught, by my high school ROTC instructor, not to clean the barrels of my .22lr...the lube acts as a rust inhibitor...if there were poeder particles in the bore, we'd just run a patch through it. i think the boresnale is a great idea too

[Complicated]

Could using "Tetra Gun Copper Solvent" on a 0.22 barrel after each shooting session (i.e. very reguarly) do any damage to the bore?

[secluded]

FWIW - I was once told that you cannot shoot out a .22 barrel but you can "scrub it out". Most damage to .22 barrels are caused by aggressive cleaning and metal cleaning rods scraping the interior of the chamber or the crown of the muzzle.

I clean my target .22 only when the groups start growing which is probably about once a year. I use a Patchworm which is a commercial made "weed-wacker" pull through type cord. I use some Hoppes #9 on a patch and pull it through the barrel from the chamber to the muzzle. I follow up with a dry patch and repeat a few times. One of the worst things to use on a .22 (or any other rifle IMO) is an uncoated metal rod. Many .22's are hard to clean from the chamber end so folks cheat and push the rod down the muzzle in effect cleaning the opposite way the bullet travels through the barrel. Crown damage is a high probability by doing this. Also if you must use a rod don't push the patch out the end of the barrel and then pull it back through. Push the patch out and remove it before pulling the rod back.

[lyricsdad]

What if you like to keep a clean gun, how about them carbon fiber cleaning rods??

[GlocksRock]

If you like to keep it clean, I suggest using the homemade version of a boresnake, just melt the end of some weedwacker cord and use that.

[9 m&m]

I dont really clean the barrel of my .22's. I just use an air compressor. It works excellent and you have a clean barrel in 3 seconds! :cool:

[recondoc]

Here;s my 0.02 worth.
Buy some good quality .22 bore patches and a some good quality solvent. (Solvent for cleanings after long, dirty ammo times). With that done, do the following.
Get yourself about a 30" piece (for rifles, shorter for pistols.)of .80 to .90 weed eater line.
Cut one end at an angle so that it is sharp. This is what you will stick through the center of the patch. Heat the other end with a lighter until is is molten and then stick it down on a flat surface to form a button. This will be what keeps the patch from coming off of the end. Make sure that this end is small enough to fit through the bore.
Now stick a patch on, slide the harmless nylon line down your bore without worrying about doing any damage, and pull the patch through.
Worry and damage free cleaning made easy and cheap.
Doc

[Al Thompson]

Several years back, Precision Shooting ran an article on Eley. The Eley factory folks mentioned that they never cleaned the barrels of their test rifles and felt that the rifles would usually lose some accuracy after about 125,000 rounds or so. :)

I use the weed wacker line method to get some oil in the bore every now and then. It's a bit humid here. :D

[sm]

You mean to tell me there are lands and grooves in a .22 bbl? Really? ;)

Actions, chambers get attention. I use the .177 Otis pull thru cable like Al does a weed whacker line if rain, or snow falls into the bore.

Actually I still use a length of rawhide lace sometimes as I have done forever for bores.

Using the Otis negates explaining rawhide laces , like Al has had to explain "weed whacker line".

I should have known , the fellow asking had Hook & Loop to fasten his tennis shoes. He wasn't from around these parts - as we say. :p

[lyricsdad]

Per everyone's advice, I am going to NOT clean my barrels, just the mechanisms. I purchased a .22 boresnake for those times when I want to clean it, and I'll try it out. Would you advise this w/ .22 WMR??
Thanks

[Kevlarman]

Would the same "not cleaning" apply to a .223 bbl? If not, why?
I hate cleaning the barrel on my SU-16. only because it's impossible to use a rod from the breech end. :cuss:

Too bad I can't just drill a hole in the back of the receiver like some 10/22 owners do.

[LoadedDrum]

You absolutely must clean the .223, it is not the diameter of the bullet but the type of bullet that lets you get away with not cleaning the .22lr (don't ask me why though). As for not being able to clean it from the breach? I thought that gun folded in half?

[sm]

IIRC Volquartson ( sp?) recommends a Patch ONLY for their .22 short and lr , and brush for .22 mag "if need" .

Through them the Otis .177 cable pull thru kits are available and instructions reflect using the brush ONLY for the .22 mag bbls.

[Kevlarman]

LoadedDrum, yes the SU-16 does fold in half, but the rear of the upper receiver blocks any access to the breech. :(

[saltydog452]

I dunno, but I suspect that more 22rimfire barrels are damaged by 'cleaning' rather than 'firing'.

That said, I did clean my 22 pistols before, and during a match. Mostly though, it was a toothbrush dipped in an open bottle of Hoppes and brushed up against the bolt face where the recessed portion of the bolt fit the rimmed portion of the 22rf round.

Some ammunition, in some sidearms, take a lot of beating in the magazine and bouncing off the feed ramp on its way into the chamber. Not much that you can do about that.

Some ammo is a bit 'greaser' than other types due to to the outside lubrication of the 22rf round.

The short 'Cliff Notes' version of this post is that if you wanna clean your 22, do so. I'd just pay more attention to the areas from the chamber back.

salty.

[LoadedDrum]

LoadedDrum, yes the SU-16 does fold in half, but the rear of the upper receiver blocks any access to the breech.

Try an otis cleaning system and see if you can snake that past the upper reciever. I was being paticularly lazy one day and cleaned out the barrel of one of my AK's with out even disassembling the gun. I just used the cable lock wraped around the bolt handle and pistol grip to hold the bolt open.

[Kevlarman]

I have an Otis cleaning kit, and while I don't doubt its effectiveness, I still like the feeling of a good 'ol rod.

The locking lugs are sorta hard to clean with the Otis kis, and it's very hard to use an AR-15 chamber brush in such a small area without a rod! :(

[Zach S]

Most of the time its just a boresnake after a few range sessions.

[nico]

I run usually run a boresnake with a few drops of Break Free CLP through mine a few times when I think about it. Usually after a few hundred rounds.