22lr rifle cleaning

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elijah_lee

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mabye this will become a thread but.i like to shoot 22's as much as the next guy and i was wondering about cleaning.should i clean the barrel and action everytime i shoot it.i was always taught that a clean guns a happy gun but ive heard mixed results,i prefer to clean them after every good shooting,and im still getting good groups.....so what do i do clean it or leave it

my fine regards

eli
 
I'm guessing alot of people will say more damage can be done cleaning a barrel than shooting a dirty one. I've read that some people clean after every session, our 22s IMO aren't like centerfires, clean only when ftf/fte become an issue and or when groupings are effected. Say 500-1000 rounds.
I've read that some cooey owners don't clean there guns for years, however they probably put only 500 or so though it during cleanings.
I know one thing, having a semi auto = more rounds down range = more cleaning.
 
little_airwolf said:
I'm guessing alot of people will say more damage can be done cleaning a barrel than shooting a dirty one. I've read that some people clean after every session, our 22s IMO aren't like centerfires, clean only when ftf/fte become an issue and or when groupings are effected. Say 500-1000 rounds.
I've read that some cooey owners don't clean there guns for years, however they probably put only 500 or so though it during cleanings.
I know one thing, having a semi auto = more rounds down range = more cleaning.
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Sounds about right. I clean my various .22s when either accuracy or reliability decrease, or when I first buy a gun.
 
Maybe once a year....or once every two years. More like when the action looks gunked up vs. ### number of rounds. Some ammo is really dirty compared to others and that's probably what triggers a cleaning. That said...if you're cleaning properly (bore guide from chamber end, good rod, properly sized patches/jags/brush, patience, etc...) I don't think you actually damage it by cleaning. Sawing away wildly from the muzzle end with a flexible jointed rod and steel brush...that's not going to help, but done right cleaning doesn't have to gouge the lands out of your barrel!

After a full cleaning I notice mine needs 20-30 rounds before the group gets as tight as it's going to get and the POI is spot on where I last left it. Switching between brands it usually takes 3-5 rounds to settle in as well. I use mine for hunting and like to know if I get the chance to go I don't need a range day to foul the barrel first.
 
Hey, Wainfleet, I'm from Port Colborne. I only take my Mossberg 715T apart once a year, it is a pain in the a**. I just run a bore snake through it every couple hundred rnds. or so. You can probably get a bore snake at Erie Tracker here in Port Colborne.
 
Bore snakes,Otis,weed eater line clean from chamber to muzzle the way the bullet travels.Pulls the patch or brush out,most cleaning rods clean from muzzle to chamber pushing all in barrel back to the chamber.At the end what stops any loose primer residue and crud from falling into the action?Common sense says pull through can do a decent job with very little consequence.If you like rods then keep on cleaning that way. Cleaning is a personal thing,as long as the accuracy is still acceptable you should be good to go.
That's my 2¢

R
 
be careful about cleaning intervals with semi auto rifles and pistols, if the chamber gets a little dirty and doesn't allow the cartridge to fully seat the back of the case will be unsupported. if the firing mechanism will allow the sear to release the hammer/firing pin a kaboom may be the result. I clean the breech area and bolts of my semi autos around the 500 round mark or so, depending on temperature and how dirty my ammo is running.
 
On a bolt rifle, I wipe the bolt down with solvent and oil once in awhile, to keep it slick. I brush the bolt face with a toothbrush and some brake cleaner to make sure thee extractor is clean. The barel gets cleaned about every 1000 rounds. But it shoots poorly after such a cleaning.

My semis get cleaned more often. I just spray brake cleaner into the action and scrub with a tooth brush. About 2 or 3 times a year.
 
Ganderite said:
On a bolt rifle, I wipe the bolt down with solvent and oil once in awhile, to keep it slick. I brush the bolt face with a toothbrush and some brake cleaner to make sure thee extractor is clean. The barel gets cleaned about every 1000 rounds. But it shoots poorly after such a cleaning.

My semis get cleaned more often. I just spray brake cleaner into the action and scrub with a tooth brush. About 2 or 3 times a year.
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I do the same with my bolts except I simply pull a bore snake through the barrel after a couple o bricks. I haven't found a semi worth keeping....yet.
 
I cleaned the barrel of a 22lr once. Took 40 rounds to get back to shooting normal again. That was not 40 rounds of cheap bulk either. That was 40 rounds of eley ammo. I will only clean when accuracy drops off now and in over thousand rounds still hasn't even come close.
 
Ganderite said:
On a bolt rifle, I wipe the bolt down with solvent and oil once in awhile, to keep it slick. I brush the bolt face with a toothbrush and some brake cleaner to make sure thee extractor is clean. The barel gets cleaned about every 1000 rounds. But it shoots poorly after such a cleaning.

My semis get cleaned more often. I just spray brake cleaner into the action and scrub with a tooth brush. About 2 or 3 times a year.
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Thats exactly what I do as well, When my semis start to act up I clean them then.
 
With semis it's important to clean before the fouling and unburned powder that blows back into the action gums things up too much. And once you have solvent splashing around in the action it's tough to avoid it getting into the bore. So you may as well run a wet then dry patch down the bore while it's accessible.

For bolt or lever guns just shoot until accuracy falls off. A bolt gun will need a wipe of oil now and then since it's out in the open but they really don't need cleaning. Not even a bore snake. After all anything that crusts up in there is going to get pushed out by the next form fitted pill that comes screaming down the pipe. It's only if leading starts to occur that you'll find that the accuracy will fall off dramatically over the course of a very few shots.

This idea of not cleaning a rimfire bore isn't new. Match shooters from years back learned that one either has to clean pretty much after every shot to three shots to keep the bore clean or they need to just get over the idea that they should be doing SOMETHING and let the bore reach a steady state from shooting then leave it there. Most opted for the steady state and only cleaned the bore if something went bad.

A lot of this urge to clean is based on feelings of guilt. We pay a lot of money for our toys and feel like we should be doing something to help them. And cleaning always seems like it should be the right thing. But in this case it often isn't.
 
Ganderite said:
On a bolt rifle, I wipe the bolt down with solvent and oil once in awhile, to keep it slick. I brush the bolt face with a toothbrush and some brake cleaner to make sure thee extractor is clean. The barel gets cleaned about every 1000 rounds. But it shoots poorly after such a cleaning.

My semis get cleaned more often. I just spray brake cleaner into the action and scrub with a tooth brush. About 2 or 3 times a year.
Click to expand...

Good tip.. Thanks
 
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