Newbie Gun Cleaning Question

Neonbee

Neonbee

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I just bought my first gun off a CGN'r (.22 Savage Semi Auto plinker) and was curious what I need to buy now to keep it clean and in good working order.

I have a Walmart and Canadian Tire near me. It would be convenient if I could pick the stuff up there.

Also what's a good name in .22 LR cartridges??

Much appreciated!!
 
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saskmale73 said:
you can pick up gun cleaning supplies at can. tire. there are universial kits, and you can get a bore snake.
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Thanks Saskmale73......

Kinda pulled a misspell there, but you were smart enough to catch on.

I just didn't know if there was a "good" cleaner versus a "crappy" one that they sold.

This is all new to me. :confused: I guess we all started here at one point.

I appreciated the help!
 
as far as 22 cartriges, sticking to the big names is PROBABLY best- there's not an awful lot to go wrong on a 22- and you can get all your 22 stuff at either wally or tire- use quality ammo and you shouldn't have to clean for quite a few rounds - basically until the accuracy drops off , or it's so dirty it won't function
 
cleaning .22

I'm sure you'll get lots of answers, but my ole pappy tole me not to clean a .22 more often than once in 5000 rounds. I confess to not listening to him.
 
Thanks guy's......

I've just been trying to SEARCH & READ a lot of threads here and you find a lot of mixed answers.
Some threads say stay away from this ammo X for a .22, it's not good and jams all the time. Some say the gun will jam because it's not cleaned enough. Some say if you don't clean a gun, it will jam and throw the accuracy off ??
Like I said......I'm all new to this ( 46 yrs old and just got my PAL so I could take my son out and teach him to target shoot.).

I guess it's mostly you learn from your own experiences. ;)
 
"I'm all new to this ( 46 yrs old and just got my PAL so I could take my son out and teach him to target shoot.)."

Please don't take this the wrong way but if you haven't been doing this for a little while should you be taking on the role of an instructor?

You are doing exactly what a father should do but there are a million things to keep track of, not the least of which is the all-important safety rules which make sense to you after a short time shooting...but don't necessarily show themselves to a new shooter.

One small consequense is being barked at in front of your son if you fail to control muzzle direction adequately...I would rather not have that happen.

Again, I am not challenging your intentions, but is there a better way? One option would be a juniors program at a local club?

Or???
 
I hear what you saying ipscgraz.
My son is 14 yrs old and had bows, BB, pellet, airsoft & painbtall guns.
He's a good kid. Not a screaming loon. Very respectful of people and nature and is an outdoor kid.
I think it's time to take the next step with him, that's why I took the hunting course and got my PAL so I could purchase a gun and teach him what I leaned as far as safety, handling etc. (plus I have hunting buds that were bugging me to get it)
We have a LARGE parcel of crown land behind our cottage in Northern Ontario.
This is where we will be target shooting, not a range.
I bought some large paper targets and will bring along some pop cans and plastic jugs. These will be our targets.
Were both looking forward to it.
 
i'd second that- at least as far as the fundementals go- the other thing about pass it down teaching is that you also pass down all your bad habits-
i've even learned a few things from this board, and i've been shooting 30+ years- one thing i still don't get that they teach is the look down the barrel thing- every bone in my body tells me that's just plain wrong, and i won't do it
 
t-star said:
i'd second that- at least as far as the fundementals go- the other thing about pass it down teaching is that you also pass down all your bad habits-
i've even learned a few things from this board, and i've been shooting 30+ years- one thing i still don't get that they teach is the look down the barrel thing- every bone in my body tells me that's just plain wrong, and i won't do it
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hehehehehehehe :D

Ya that one just doesn't seem right.

I'm going to pay for his PAL/hunting course when he turns 16.

Hopefully he hasn't learned to many of my bad habits by then.
 
Neonbee said:
Thanks guy's......

I've just been trying to SEARCH & READ a lot of threads here and you find a lot of mixed answers.
Some threads say stay away from this ammo X for a .22, it's not good and jams all the time. Some say the gun will jam because it's not cleaned enough. Some say if you don't clean a gun, it will jam and throw the accuracy off ??
Like I said......I'm all new to this ( 46 yrs old and just got my PAL so I could take my son out and teach him to target shoot.).

I guess it's mostly you learn from your own experiences. ;)
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Different rifles can have a preference on ammo.What shoots great in mine could be horrid in yours.This is a matter of trying different brands and seeing which your rifle likes.Semi-autos are more likely to have problems with garbage ammunition,than if it was a bolt action.This is trial and error.Cleaning guns is a matter of personal preference.Some people would clean after every shooting session,some would clean after x amount of rounds,others,when it starts to jam or shoot lousy.If you put 400 rounds through,and it's still shooting good,fine.If at 700,the inside of the receiver/barrel is looking gross,or the accuracy has dropped off,time for a clean.Then you could clean the rifle every 500-600,and there's your system.Glad to see you got your licence and want to start your son in shooting.I'd say safety with firearms is one of the things you really need to show and impress on him.You did'nt mention how old your son is.Does he have any air rifles???If not,consider it.Good luck.
 
Neonbee said:
I hear what you saying ipscgraz.
My son is 14 yrs old and had bows, BB, pellet, airsoft & painbtall guns.
He's a good kid. Not a screaming loon. Very respectful of people and nature and is an outdoor kid.
I think it's time to take the next step with him, that's why I took the hunting course and got my PAL so I could purchase a gun and teach him what I leaned as far as safety, handling etc. (plus I have hunting buds that were bugging me to get it)
We have a LARGE parcel of crown land behind our cottage in Northern Ontario.
This is where we will be target shooting, not a range.
I bought some large paper targets and will bring along some pop cans and plastic jugs. These will be our targets.
Were both looking forward to it.
Click to expand...


Thanks Saskgunowner101,

Re: My sons age: You must have missed my post on the first page. ;)

I do appreciate the honest and straight forward answer. I now know what to watch for and when to clean the gun.

I just got in from Crappy Tire.....I bought a box of .22 "Winchester" hollow points. I hope they work......it's a box of 500!
 
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Sorry I missed that post,I think I was still typing in my response.Good thing I shoot better than I type!I don't know if you came across any posts on point of impact change with different ammo,just thought I'd answer the question you didnt ask.When you shoot different ammo,it can/will hit a different spot on your target.The group will move.Say I'm shooting Federal value pak ammo,and I'm right on the money.When I switch to CCI Stingers,the gun is now shooting 3 inches higher and to the left.Oh, the reason I was asking about your sons age had to do with safety issue's(comprehending).Sounds like you're on the right track.Have fun.
 
that would be your basic brick- not box- a box is typically 50- i've found it expedient to look for plastic boxes that some brands of 22 come in, say 2 or 4 or so and transfer a certain amount( typically 100) from the brick( not a plug for the furniture store) to the box- this does a couple of things- 1 makes you concious of exactly how many rounds you've got, and 2 teaches ammo dicipline- these typically have only 5 or 10 rounds in each row, and when you're done a row, stop and see how you've done- this is also done when you"graduate" to the larger bores- also, tape your holes- masking tape will do
also take note of the number of duds you get , put them aside for a further strike-
there's about 5 different kinds of winchester 22 ammo alone, and your rifle/pistol / whatever will tell you which one it likes by feeding reliably and grouping well
dynapoint, wildcat, xpert, match, and hi velocity are winchester-
everybody and his dog makes at least a couple of brands
and when you find what works SHOP AROUND- walmart can be somewhat cheaper than tire, and the co-op out in the country sells them for gopher control
 
Thanks again Saskgunowner101,
Very interesting!
I appreciate you telling me that kind of stuff.
I might of switched ammo, started shooting goofy and thought the gun needed cleaning!! :)

Thanks for sharing your tips with me!! I can use as many as I can get......
 
Good for you! Wish my Dad had taken the time to do the same. Now at 64 I'm back into guns again after a 30 year rest. You will find with most 22 ammo that you will have mis-fires. Check the rim and if it has been hit by the firing pin don't use it again. Pull the bullet from the case later on and empty and discard (don't want it to end up in the firepit)
I find Federal .22 works good for me. I clean my .22 semi autos after each use. Use a bore cleaner (Hoppes) on a cleaning pad to run through the barrel with a cleaning rod, then follow with the wire brush attachment that comes in the kit. Run 2-3 more cleaning pads through until they come out looking clean. If you are not going to use the gun for a while, you may want to put a light film of oil on the last pad, but you should also clean the oil out before you shoot the next time.
Make sure of your backdrop when you are out shooting on your acreage.

Happy shooting
 
Awesome T-star,
Thanks! I went to my local Wallymart and they don't sell live ammo?
Oh well.....Crappy tire was just down the street.
What do you mean by "tape your holes"??
 
Thanks Burmisdog (I love them dogs!!)
Man...you guys are a good bunch here!!
Were going to pick a spot with a burm or a valley wall for our backdrop for sure!
What do you do with dud ammo?? Bury it??
 
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