do you clean your 22lr?

[Carl N. Brown]

I have always heard that more .22 barrels have been ruined by over zealous cleaning than by neglect
(since the intro of modern .22 ammo with smokeless powder + non-corrosive priming + waxed bullets).
A lot of cleaning indoctrination appears to be based on the era when corrosive primers were common.

I have also been told if you have to scrub a .22 barrel (suspected rust or build up of lead or copper fouling), you have to shoot about 50 to 100 rounds to recondition the barrel to get the best accuracy.

.22 rimfire actions especially semi-autos need to be cleaned as needed. Barrels, not so much.

 

[Sniper66]

Clean it as often as you need to__the rifle will let you know. Some rifles shoot better after a few fouling shots. My Remington 700 .223 shots 2-3 inches off the first 4-5 shots, then settles down to excellent groups thereafter. I leave it fouled for about the next 200 or so shots then clean thoroughly again, My .22s are similar...the first few shots after a thorough cleaning are a little unpredictable. I always clean my rifles periodically.

 

[Damon555]

When I say I don't clean my .22 or .17 rimfires every time I shoot, I'm talking about the BORE only.

This is right one the money..............

 

[chicharrones]

Y'all that don't clean the bores often, that's definitely not the first time I've heard that.

I should take heed and give that a try for the foreseeable future.

 

[cougar1717]

I think the easiest line to draw between "clean often" and "clean rarely" with a 22LR is the target. Those who plink objects or hunt with it have little reason to clean it. Shooting paper is a different story. It only takes 30 or so to season the bore again. That is the use of "target" ammo vs "match" ammo. Cleaning can make a big difference shooting groups on paper.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Some guns need cleaning to be reliable. Some do not. I had a nylon 66 for decades that I shot the snot out of it & finally cleaned it. It was the dirtiest gun I have ever seen, but other than a few dud rounds (Remington), it never missed a beat!

 

[jdc1244]

…then I switched to aguilla yellow box and man I could stack 5rds in a quarter at 50yards.
Mind you, this gun is non accu trigger and has like a 6lbs trigger…

Just for fun I put a scope on my CZ 513 ‘farmer’ with the ‘terrible trigger’ and it shot just as well.

And I clean all my rimfire rifles after each range session.

 

[Axis II]

Just for fun I put a scope on my CZ 513 ‘farmer’ with the ‘terrible trigger’ and it shot just as well.

And I clean all my rimfire rifles after each range session.

all my other rifles have good triggers. either accu trigger or nice, crisp, 3lbs triggers. this thing on the 22 is horrendous.

 

[someguy2800]

My father in law and brother in law used to shoot NRA smallbore, and was president of the local league and was ranked 50th in the nation in smallbore. He told me they would clean the guns at the beginning of the season before the first practice and they would not shoot right again until they had about 50-100 shots down the bore. They would not clean them again until the next year, and most other competitors did the same.

When gunk builds up in the action enough to become unsightly, after say 1000 rounds, I clean out the action. I never clean the bores unless I have a reason. I did have one 22 that severely leaded up the bore, that would be the exception.

 

[CyanWestley]

At first I was thinking of at least swabbing the barrel to see if it would help the accuracy problem, but soon I realized if it's not properly cleaned at some point it would start throwing random shots. So contrary to some believe .22lr firearms need more maintenance than occasional lubrication, as residue on the bolt - even if there is lubrication preset - tends to degrade the ability of the mainspring to close the action, the reason being the cartridge being restricted as it is seated in the chamber. Buildup on the face of the bolt and barrel where they meet contributes to this problem even more. Accuracy can also be affected by these conditions because the position of the cartridge in the chamber is not consistent.

 

[jdc1244]

I clean all my firearms due to a concern for rust.

 

[SwampWolf]

How often do I clean my .22lr? As seldom as possible-when they stop working from gunk I get to working with an array of solvents, brushes, patches and lubricants, but not until. Outside finishes are always addressed with various protective alchemy solutions. As others have said, .22 rimfire firearms are way different than centerfire firearms in terms of cleaning protocol, at least when it comes to the cleaning and care of the bore.