how often do you guys clean your .22s?

[MAURICE]

I'm with desidog. I have a Marlin model 60 and an old Savage semi auto that rarely get cleaned. They just don't seem to need it. I have shot the Marlin up until the point that the action noticeably slows down and have just shot a bit of CLP in the action and kept shooting it. Same for the Savage. Of course they get cleaned soon after that. My Marlin 882ss gets cleaned sporadically, as well. They just don't seem to need it. Modern .22 ammo is not corrosive and the guns are so reliable that they don't need it after 200 rounds. And as you can see by my profile, the Marlins are two of my favorite guns.

The semi .22LRs get fed a steady diet of whatever bulk junk I can find. The .22 mag gets CCI for the most part. All of them are about as accurate as it gets even when filthy, especially the Marlins.

 

[gunsandreligion]

I clean mine all the time but thats becouse its fun to spend 1 hour trying to get the 597's bolt back on

 

[Maverick223]

I will typically toss a bore snake down the tube every range trip (unless it is an unusually short trip), which constitutes about 250-550rnds. All my .22lr rifles are plinkers, the .17m2 gets a little better treatment, like solvent (but it shoots jacketed bullets).

 

[Walkalong]

Once every blue moon, sometimes more often.

 

[Shear_stress]

Another "when they start to jam", whenever that happens. Excessive cleaning probably does more harm than good.

 

[KSCCHTrainer]

I clean mine all the time but thats becouse its fun to spend 1 hour trying to get the 597's bolt back on

I've only had my 597 apart once when I put the Volquartsen hammer on, but I didn't have any prob getting the bolt back on -

It gets a shot of brake cleaner (poor man's gunscrubber) and a bore snake pull every other outing (3-500 rounds). I shoot mainly Federal bulk boxed ammo in it. Lack of serious cleaning doesn't seem to affect the accuracy which is under an inch at 50 yards now that the new hammer has lightened up the trigger pull to something under 10 pounds -

 

[wleoff]

I clean the one that I shoot the most every 25 rounds, but then it's a custom for Benchrest shooting.

 

[ThomasT]

I do clean my 22s and that does include the barrel. It does no harm to clean the barrel of a 22 any more than it damages a barrel on any other gun. If you do it wrong or too much then you can do damage just like you can damage any other bore.

I shot my 22/77 400+ times and the accuracy fell off quite a bit. When I ran a brush through it I got a tight spot just ahead of the chamber. A little hoppes on a patch, let it soak and brush it out. Another patch of hoppes and then a couple of dry patches and I was done.

About a year ago I bought a Marlin model 60 that wouldn't extract a loaded round. Same thing, baked on gunk in the chamber. It was cleaned the same way except it took a few more patches and a little more brushing. I got that rifle for $80 OTD. It is one of the rifles with the full lenth mag tube and the last shot hold open that was only made for two years IIRC.

 

[Maverick223]

It is one of the rifles with the full lenth mag tube and the last shot hold open that was only made for two years IIRC.

I believe it was four (1985-1988) years, still fairly rare and a much better rifle IMO.

 

[ThomasT]

Thanks Maverick. This gun was almost like new. A couple of scratches on the reciever from a scope and a couple of scratches on the stock and other than that it looked like new.

The chamber had baked on fouling that would grip the bullet so tight you had to drive it out with a cleaning rod.

I don't understand the advice to not clean a barrel when most of the fouling goes down the bore. Then its cooked on from the burning powder. All I have ever read is how much dirtier 22s are than other rounds so why not clean the bore?

On the other hand not cleaning the rifle got me a good deal on a gun that would have sold for $50+ dollars more.

Someone who would advise against cleaning the bore would probably tell you it isn't necessary to change the oil in your car either. The wonder of internet wisdom.

 

[Maverick223]

On the other hand not cleaning the rifle got me a good deal on a gun that would have sold for $50+ dollars more.

I recently cleaned/repaired one (later model with no LRBHO) for a friend that had some similar issues (hadn't fired reliably since buying, bought used) I broke her down looking for wear, and damage only to find that it was apparently "lubricated" with sand impregnated axle grease. Cleaned out all of the junk polished the feed ramp a bit and cleaned the bore and chamber, re-lubricated, and she is running like new.

 

[Legionnaire]

Run a bore snake through them once before they go back in the safe; wipe down the action with a silicone cloth or rag sprayed with CLP; maybe a drop of oil on the bolt. NEVER scrub the bore or use any cleaning solvent in it; the bullet lube on .22 ammo helps cure the bore and I don't want to clean it off.

 

[CoRoMo]

I don't have one that's worth cleaning. It's barely worth shooting. So it never gets cleaned.

 

[chevyforlife21]

i was thinking the same thing how its the equivalent of not changing the oil in your car

 

[happygeek]

I've got a Rock River LAR-15 in 22LR that has to be cleaned pretty much every time it's fired. It's pretty rare I've not fired at least 60 to 70 rounds in a range session with it and it gets pretty dirty at that round count. I can get a good 250 to 300 rounds through it before it gets so dirty it will barely function though. A lot of that probably has to do with the cheap 22LR I got in a 5,000 round box at Surplus Arms and Ammo right after me and the wife got that rifle.

It's a very, very fun rifle though. Handles just like a real M4, well, minus the auto, minus any recoil, and you have to pull the charging handle and let it go since the bolt release doesn't match up with the 22LR bolt. It's plenty accurate out to at least 100 yards and I can afford to blow through 300 rounds in a week with it. I plan on getting a dinky airsoft type red dot sight for it in the not too distant future.

 

[wally]

You left off my option for 22s and most other guns, Only when they start having problems.

--wally.

 

[tasco 74]

rcmodel and i are on the same page in this.... i wipe the powder fowling off the bolt and other places and drag a couple of tight oiled patches through to bore on rimfires..................... i've heard more than once that cleaning can ruin a good shooting rimfire firearm..............

LIFE IS SHORT.....

 

[wgaynor]

I have a ruger 10/22 that I received 20 years ago... I cleaned it once last year because I was bored. It shot fine both before and afterwards... I clean the Mrk III 22/45 only as needed...it is a PITA to break down.

 

[happygeek]

I'm new to owning guns and was wondering, how does cleaning ruin a gun? Running a bore snake through the barrel too many times and harming the rifling?

 

[ARdefense]

I clean it every other time I shoot.

 

[Legionnaire]

I'm new to owning guns and was wondering, how does cleaning ruin a gun?

It won't ruin the gun ... unless you do it wrong. It's possible to booger up the crown if you clean from the muzzle end of the bore; possible to damage the rifling if you use a cleaning rod that is too flexible, or one that collects grit.

But .22 rimfires are different from most rifles in that the bullets themselves are lubricated, most with a hard wax. The lube transfers to the barrel and coats it, in effect "curing" the bore. Cleaning rigorously removes that coating, which can negatively affect accuracy. Many rimfire shooters only clean the bore if/when the gun develops problems. So my practice is to knock off any loose fouling and keep the action oiled, but I don't clean the bore to any significant extent.

 

[stork]

22 pistol bore's get a cleaning every 5000-10000 rounds, so about once a year to year & 1/2. Actions and chambers are another rule. They get cleaned every 500 rounds or so.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Clean a .22 - now that's funny. In all seriousness, barrel, no. Action - as needed basis.

 

[Eaglecreekbrewer]

Hmmm, I've never seen smallbore folks clean their guns that much, interesting. Most of the smallbore shooters I know, including myself clean them just before the accuracy starts to decline (a number acquired through trial and error), usually about 2k, depends on the rifle, sometimes it'll be around 1500. I will blow out the actions with canned co2 about every 500 rounds, i.e every week.

My 10/22 gets cleaned about every 500 rounds, except the bore, that's about every other cleaning.

Use a bore guide and watch that crown, 22's can be damaged rather easily by careless cleaning.