Properly Cleaning a Rimfire?

[mmattockx]

I am now starting to accumulate a noticeable pile of rimfires (currently 4 rifles and 2 pistols) and am moving up the ladder of accuracy and quality. I am not a cleaning fanatic and only clean them when accuracy or function begins to degrade (usually 1000+ rounds or more). With all I have read about cleaning doing more damage to .22 rimfires than shooting, is there a site or book that I can read through to learn how to PROPERLY clean a rimfire to avoid damaging or prematurely wearing out my guns? Tips on equipment and accessories to use in cleaning are welcome, too.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[sl66ICEcuba]

I highly recommend properly cleaning your rimfire, I had extreme lead fouling, now I clean my rifles very well after 500 rounds. Thats just my opinion, others may vary, the only recommendation I have if you are going to clean it well after every use, buy one of those 1 piece rods that are covered in rubber, its worth the money and it wont scratch the rifling.

 

[cyclone]

Boresnake.............

 

[Hankus]

I generally boresnake and G96 my barrel after every trip to the range and do a full take down every 1000 rounds or so.

That being said, on a recent gopher hunting trip in Saskatchewan my cousin-in-law decided he should probably clean his cooey bolt .22. He ran the boresnake through after letting the G96 soak for about 20 minutes.

"About time I did that," he said.

"When did you clean it last?"

He paused, "It was probably in the last 5 years, but I'm not sure."

While I wouldn't recommend his approach, it seemed to work for him. That cooey shot under an inch at 50 yards!

 

[chopper 1]

How to PROPERLY do it -

I am now starting to accumulate a noticeable pile of rimfires (currently 4 rifles and 2 pistols) and am moving up the ladder of accuracy and quality. I am not a cleaning fanatic and only clean them when accuracy or function begins to degrade (usually 1000+ rounds or more). With all I have read about cleaning doing more damage to .22 rimfires than shooting, is there a site or book that I can read through to learn how to PROPERLY clean a rimfire to avoid damaging or prematurely wearing out my guns? Tips on equipment and accessories to use in cleaning are welcome, too.

Thanks,
Mark

Put nothing in the bore ever -
Scrape out the lead ring at the end of the chamber just before the lands and grooves with a lead away patch on a diamond jag or use the brass Ohio bench rest scraper if you were one of the lucky ones to aquire it.
Oil the outside of the gun - with Kroil.

 

[dryfire]

Benchrest shooters are fanatical about preserving or even improving the accuracy their FA give them - even their rimfires. You may want to have a look on BenchrestCentral to see what the crowd over there does for cleaning procedures for rimfires. Already on this thread a different method for each poster!

 

[SandRoad]

You guys saying I am supposed to clean a 22 LR ?

Gee, we have one that hasn't been cleaned in at least 50 years. Just an occasional squirt of oil or whatever every decade or two.


OK, that one particular gun aside, for others we still only do minimal cleaning, mainly to get powder residue out of them and clean the chambers. Usually with MPro7 and a patch, then dry them out with a couple patches and protect them with a squirt of Eezox.

The MPro sitting for a few minutes lifts off the easily removable "gunk" yet doesn't affect the lead/wax coating that is firmly embedded in pores. (It will get rid of that lead/wax if you let it sit for a long time.)