[Kalos]

Hey all--got another gun n00b question for yinz. Now that my Mk II is not jamming (as much), I can move on to other, more important things, like figuring out how to hit what I'm aiming at (instead of below it); that, in turn, leads to a need for the occasional bit of maintenance.... my question is, just exactly how often -should- I clean it? It looks utterly filthy to me after putting 300 rounds through it, but then I'm not the best person to judge. At least one person has said that it's not an especially picky gun that way--but then, lots of people have said it shouldn't be jamming as often as it is, too.

Oh, and I'm also curious what the standard is for firearms in general, since something tells me this might not wind up being my only one... :evil:

Kalos
"Everybody generalizes from one example. At least, I do."
--Steven Brust

[firestar]

I clean mine every 500-1000 rounds. It is not that it starts jamming at that time, it just seems that it gets dirty enough to bother by the time that I have fired that amount of ammo through it.

I had the same problems you had but to a lesser extant with my SS MKII 5.5" bull bbl and my blued 5.5" bull bbl 22/45. My standard 6 7/8" taper bbl fixed site MKII never had any problems with jamming.

You might want to clean it after every time you go shooting until you really notice that it is getting broken in. That what I did and once that happend, I slacked off on cleaning it for a while.

[Sactown]

I can get 1000+ before I clean it and that's not even a detail strip. I lock the bolt back, used some nylon picks and clean out the chamber area. Then I oil it up and it's good to go. I havne't had any problems yet.

[PlayTheAces]

Same story here - I'll usually run a patch through the barrel and wipe it down just on general principals, but I'll go a brick or two before I even think about a serious cleaning.

A couple of trips to the range back, I started getting some misfeeds. Noticed the ramp was a bit grungy, so I went home and grudgingly broke it down for a major cleaning. Next trip, more jams. What the ???

Turned out I'd accidently mixed an off brand mag in with the factory mags. Took the off brand out of the rotation - no more jams. Dang, all that cleaning for nothing.

[Jim K]

The Ruger Mk II will go quite a while without cleaning, but I do a field strip and clean at least every 1000 rounds. They get cruddy, but there is a lot of space to crud up before things stop.

That gun is a good one for the use of something like Gun Scrubber that will dissolve and blow out crud without need to disassemble the gun. Then spray with a solvent/oil like G96 Gun Treatment, oil the few places that need it, and keep shooting.

I will advise good quality ammo. Some of the cheap stuff leaves the gun looking like it was lying in a coal pile.

Jim

[mgjohn]

Due to the fact that mine gets shot 5-7 days a week, it only gets cleaned when it starts to jam or missfire.

[Standing Wolf]

I've never brought home a gun from a range without cleaning it. Necessary? Probably not. Can you hurt a gun by cleaning it carelessly? Yep.

[larryw]

You will void the warranty if you clean it. :neener:

Seriously, I clean mine every 2-3000 rounds. Between shooting sessions, I knock the crud out of the chamber with a Q-Tip and put some oil on the bolt and recoil rod.

[Sactown]

An excellent part to protect your MKII trigger group is a trigger shield. You can see all the buildup that would've gone into your trigger group. You can make your own, but I'm not that skilled and I didn't have a template.

http://www.ontargetguns.com/otts.html

[Kalos]

Thanks for the advice--I'll probably settle for a quick run down the barrel with my bore snake between regular shootings, and give it a proper cleaning every K or so.

BTW--the trigger shield is a definite future purchase. I think I'm waiting to pick up a few other things along with it at the same time.

[PzGren]

Gun scrubber is not exactly cheap. I used to shoot .22 bowling pin leagues on indoor ranges in winter time and most of those guys used carburettor cleaners to the same effect. Some years ago there was a thread on the AR15.com board that also recommended brake cleaner.

I myself clean .22s about every 500 to 1000 rounds, but do it the conservative way.

[yzguy]

Many actually get more accurate (including mine) with a bit of crud in there to tighten things up a bit...

I used to clean it every time it went out, but now (after seeing the accuracy difference) I just wipe the breach, add a drop or two of oil, run an oiled followed by a dry patch down the barrel (for keeping rust away) and put it away.

[cordex]

I clean it when it stops shooting whatever I'm putting through it, or when it becomes messy to handle, whichever comes first. Don't have a set cleaning schedule for it.

[10-Ring]

I'll normally go through a Wally world box of 550 rounds of Federals w/ my Mk II so I clean after every time out w/ it. Besides, if a simple cleaning will insure reliable performance, why not?

[PzGren]

10-Ring,

this is pretty much what I do now. It works fine with utility grade .22s.

Serious target guns need more care but fun-shooters do well without so much care. This is also due to the fact that I shoot now Wally-Worlds cheap hi speed ammo. RWS Target or Eley are much less forgiving and harder on the budget.

[jem375]

clean it when you shoot it like every other handgun you own......the 22 ammo nowadays is very clean and you really don't have to, but, why not just clean it like the others.???......

[Kalos]

Say, there's another aspect to this question--I'd meant to include it originally, but forgot. I've actually got a bit of lead (or what the gunstore guy said was lead) building up around the muzzle. What, if anything, should I do with it? It pretty much ignored breakfree and a nylon brush, I'm afraid.

And also, what exactly should be oiled? The friend that showed me how to clean it basically dusted the bolt and mainspring housing with a shaving brush that had breakfree on it, but that doesn't quite seem right. ;P

<grin> Sorry for all of the silly questions--I need to join the local club so I can bug those folks instead. :D