How often do you clean your 22?

[harmonic]

By "clean," I mean scrubbing/swabbing the barrel, etc. By "clean," it's obviously more than simply rubbing down the exterior with a silicone cloth.

 

[TX1911fan]

I clean every gun after every shooting session, but I am less anal about my 22s. I just use a bore snake and swipe at the receiver.

 

[RP88]

I'm about 400 rounds into my first .22 and have not cleaned it yet.

 

[Schofield3]

I’ve heard a lot of people swear by not cleaning a 22 ever and how this will improve accuracy and so forth. Not exactly what I practice but the 10/22 gets probably the least amount of cleaning of anything I have;

 

[Prepster]

I treat my one .22 just like any other gun, I field strip it and clean it every time I use it. I don't know if it really needs it, but it makes me feel better and it always runs fine.

 

[CoRoMo]

Never. I just wipe it down.

The two sentences in this choice conflict with each other.

 

[CajunBass]

Every February 29th, rather they need it not.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Most of the .22s that I've picked up have been rarely fired pieces that are 20-plus years old. The factory grease is practically crystallized. It takes several session of shooting and cleaning to get that crud loose.

After that, cleanings get pretty rare.

 

[Sav .250]

If you shoot it reguardless of the situation, clean it. Thing that are "taken
care of " seem to last. Less likely to have any performance issues.
But another way, some gun owners are meticulous about how they treat
their weapons. While others shoot-um and put them back in the gun case till next time. Thinking, they`ll only get dirty again next time out. So what`s
the point ?
Those that don`t have a point but I clean mine each and every time out.
The military way.

 

[DHJenkins]

I actually enjoy cleaning my guns, so I do it even when the bore looks clean.

 

[bigfatdave]

Cleaning the action - After every range trip that isn't immediately followed by a range trip. (meaning that if I'm shooting today and plan to shoot tomorrow, I'm not cleaning tonight unless I had an issue) Cleaning the action implies that I will at least run an oily patch or two through the barrel to remove chunkies from the bore and chamber.
Cleaning the barrel - Done every 3-4 range trips, probably a bit over 1000 rounds. By "cleaning the barrel" I mean solvent applied liberally, allowed to soak in, plastic brush applied, then patches on a jag until they come out clean, then oiled patch / dry patch a few times.
Scrubbing the barrel - Only when "cleaning the barrel" won't yield clean patches in a reasonable amount of time will I run a metallic brush through. Metallic brushes include bore snakes with built-in metallic brushes, by the way.

 

[FlyinBryan]

i voted everytime i take it because its the closest to the truth.

i might not actually clean it every trip, but at least every other trip.

this would equate to about 10-12 times a year.

 

[jerkface11]

NEVER scrub the barrel on a .22. There is no reason to do it and you will only do harm.

 

[usmc1371]

I clean my 10-22 when it starts to cycle slow. I would say every 5k or so.

 

[dirt_j00]

NEVER scrub the barrel on a .22. There is no reason to do it and you will only do harm.

For real?? I've never heard of this. What's the basis for this?

 

[Bailey Boat]

I have numerous cheap AND expensive .22's and they get wiped down after every use but the bore/action only get cleaned when function or accuracy begin to go downhill.
Cleaning the bore of a .22 removes any accuracy until several rounds have been fired and the bore is "fouled" again.

 

[22-rimfire]

I wipe mine down after use with oil. Clean about once a year. I rarely dissemble one to clean, but after a while it is generally necessary with semi-auto 22 rifles. They often start jamming more often and you get more fail to fires. Yes, even with Remington ammo.

 

[Ed Ames]

For semi-autos I clean the action after every use. That may mean flushing with solvent (wd40 or the like) then oiling, or disassembly and detail cleaning. .22 ammo leaves a lot of crud and it can accumulate on the trigger mechanism and everywhere else.

For the ruger MkII I liked the volquartzen shield they sell/sold to keep powder residue off the trigger. That made cleaning easier.

I don't clean the bores, though I will oil before long term storage and swab before use.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I clean mine when it looks dirty on the inside. Usally after a range session.

 

[mm1ut1]

Depends on the 22

I have a target 22 that needs the chamber cleaned every 100 rounds or so or the rounds won't chamber. I clean my S&W 41 every 250 rounds, and my Ruger Mk2, uhhhhhhh, well some day.

 

[Iansstud]

I have only had one bad thing happen by not cleaning it... The channel that the firing pin rides in clogged and would not let the pin strike with full force... resulting in about 8 FTF befor I cought on...

thats the main think I clean, everything just gets a good wipe down, and a patch with lube down the tube... Thats IT!

 

[BHP FAN]

All my guns get bore snaked,flushed with sovent,wiped with a cloth before they are put away,then checked again before a trip to the range.

 

[LastStandArmory]

my 22 gets used and abused, but always cleaned. After every trip, it gets barrel snaked and blasted out with gun scrubber, then rimoil. I dont strip it though.

 

[Drail]

First thing you learn when smithing is when someone walks in with a .22 with a problem, it's never been cleaned. Just cleaning it usually fixes it.

 

[Boomerang]

I wipe down and oil the slide rails every 50 rounds or so.
I brush the chamber every session.
I spray out the action maybe once a year.
I never brush the bore. I pull a dry patch through it every few months.