When was the last time you cleaned your 22lr?

I've read most folks do not clean their 22's.

Do you;d

I've put about 2,500 rounds through my 22/45 and have only cleaned out the action. However, I have left the barrel as is. Smart move? Dumb move? I am afraid to scuff up the barrel b/c I can only clean the barrel from the muzzle to the breech, not the other way around, unless I get a rifle rod.

I've only put 50 rds through my CZ 452 ZKM Varmint so that barrel is also as is. I've read people shooting 10,000 rounds in their 22lr rifles and not cleaning the barrel at all for fear of ruining the accuracy.

What's the real deal;d

I heard the coating on modern 22lr makes cleaning unnecessary. Truth or bull puckey;d

[9mmepiphany]

i never clean the bore of my .22lr's...i was also taught that the coating on modern .22 "seasoned" the barrel (sorta like fouling shots)..and have never had a problem. i give the bore one good cleaning when i first get it home and might run a dry patch through if the ammo left alot of unburned flakes.

if you really want to clean from the breach/chamber of your semi-auto i would recommend a bore-snake...wipe, scrub and lube all in one

[MrMurphy]

Considering I've only put 70 rounds or so through my Marlin 25N I'm not worried about cleaning it yet.

[Sentry]

After every session, just like all of my firearms. Only takes a half hour or so and I have the assurance of knowing no rust will form or any gunk to cause potention problems will still be in it.

[9mmMike]

I clean mine after every trip to the range. My semi demands it. The bolt action is so easy to clean, why wouldn't I clean it?
I will never understand these wive's tales regarding leaving a gun dirty. Where is the data to support such claims?
It's like never washing your car because the process might wear away your paint or something. I don't doubt that it may shoot OK when dirty but I'd bet it would shoot better clean. If cleaning your rifle is damaging, then you're not doing it right.
Mike

[Gino]

I only do a wipe down of the outside with CLP and some q-tips around the action. Every once and a while I might do a real cleaning, but VERY rarely. No need to clean it like a defensive gun...

[9mmepiphany]

9mmmike - i'm not disagreeing with you per se, i find that cleaning one's guns is a personal matter and will seldom interject unless obvious damage in being done...you would cringe if you knew how i cleaned my glocks ;g

however, not cleaning the bore of a .22lr is, IMO, not so much like not washing your car as it is akin to... scrubbing out your coffeepot or cast iron skillet ;G isn't the coating on rimfire bullets a protective coating for the bore?

i learned about shooting the .22lr from a competitive shooter, way back in ROTC, and i just took his word for it becauseit took awhile for my skills to develope enough to be able to tell a difference. i always assumed it was based on the same reason benchrest shooters fire fouling shots before shooting for group and hunters advise not to clean after checking zero.

[USMCsilver]

I've had probably 20,000 rounds through my 10/22. It isn't too odd to burn 1,000 to 1,500 in one sit down. I have many hi-caps and a TAC-trigger and I can rip through 50 rounds in about 8 seconds, so needless to say, my weapon gets dirty fast.

I usually try to clean after every 1,000 rounds. During rapid fire, the gun will start to jam when the powder resin gets built up. As soon as that happens, I break it down as far as I know how and let some parts soak in nitro. A good drying off, a light bit of oiling, and back together it goes.

[9mmMike]

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany
[B]9mmmike - i'm not disagreeing with you per se, i find that cleaning one's guns is a personal matter and will seldom interject unless obvious damage in being done...you would cringe if you knew how i cleaned my glocks ;g .......

/B]

I clean mine after each session because I enjoy cleaning them. I did not mean to imply that everyone must do this. It is all part of the fun for me, liken it to Yoga if you will. :) I really like to take 'em apart and get the grunge out. I like to wash my car too!
My complaint is the "old wive's tales" concerning better accuracy and such. If you don't want to clean it, don't. Just don't make up or pass on silly reasons/excuses. I am sure that many "old timers" needed to explain their wizened ways and well, if you take it as gospel, great. I still remember when people smoked indoors and when ash fell to the floor from their fags, they would say with a shrug, "It's good for the carpet." and rub it in with the toe of their boot. Did they mean it? I doubt it. Were they too lazy to reach for the ashtray? You tell me.
Really, I could care less when folks clean their own weapons. I would not cringe if I knew how seldom you cleaned your guns. I might not even shake my head in dismay or make a disapproving face but then again, I might. ;)
Later,
Mike

[Tupperware]

Isn't the 22/45 similar to the MK II? If so, why can't you clean it from the breach after you remove the bolt? Given a choice of cleaning from the muzzle and not cleaning at all, I'll skip it.
I rarely clean the bore of ANY of my firearms other than to pull a wet patch through once in a while. I use a piece of nylon from my string trimmer that has had one end melted a bit and the other sharpened so it will push through a patch easily.
And, yes, I do clean the action and chamber regularly. There was an interesting explanation as to why this is beneficial written by Wil Scheumann (sp?). If I can find the link, I'll post it.

[RepublicofTexas]

About 10 minutes ago I cleaned my 39a.

[Tupperware]

http://www.schuemann.com/
Click on barrel cleaning.

Here is some of what he had to say on the subject.

"My Personal Practice has become to never clean the bore of my barrels. I do use a brass rod to scrape the deposits out of the chamber. But, I've learned to leave the bore alone and it very slowly becomes shinier and cleaner all by itself. Years ago I occasionally scrubbed the bore with a brass bore brush. But, doing so always seemed to cause the bore to revert to a dirtier look with more shooting, so I eventually stopped ever putting anything down the bore except bullets...

Good luck,


Wil"

[Old School]

The debate on cleaning a .22 goes well beyond GT. For some reason(s), older cleaning equipment, techniques, and lack of user knowledge damaged quite a few .22 bores. That plus the nature of .22 ammo has probably (IMO) lead to the "don't clean" philosophies.

If you have good equipement and use good cleaning practices, you will not damage your bore. That doesn't address if you "need" to - I guess it comes down to a personal preference.

I clean everything after shooting. Just like my Dad taught me - and just like I'm going to teach my children.

[rybo3]

i also clean my .22's after i shoot them. however, i use a bore snake instead of using a rod and brush. with the bore snake, you can clean from the bore to the muzzle, thus, not pushing any more dirt/ grit into the action than you have to.

i have a remington and a marlin .22 semi auto, and if i didn't clean them regularly, they would cease to fire.

just my opinion.

[duncan]

True.

been months.

But my G19 AACK and Marlin Papoose do just fine.

[B27]

I will not put a uncleaned gun in one of my safes. This goes for rimfire too.

[flamehog]

Has anybody heard of powder fouling and copper/lead fouling???
There must be some kind of bad build up after a few shots. And isn't powder residue corrosive?
Doesn't accuracy taper off??

[9mmepiphany]

flamehog - i think we were limiting this post to the .22lr...

the bullets have an exterior lube, also full calibre demesioned, that is designed to coat the bore as the bullet travels down the barrel. the only copper i have seen is a copper wash which was also coated with a lube.

most of the powder in a .22lr rifle burns before the bullet leaves the barrel, a quick patch (dry) will remove anything loose left behind.

i believe corrosion, in modren loadings, is caused by primer compounds rather than powder.

back in the day, when i used to shoot in ROTC postal competition, we were always instructed/commanded not to clean our barrels to avoid having the sights "go off"...granted this was many years ago and the MSgt was only a korean "police action" vet :rolleyes:

[Westicle]

a Gun doesn't go into my safe unless it is ceaned and properly lubed (with the exception if I don't have the right clenain supplies for a newly purchased firearm)

Guns are meant to be clean.... I will say that I use a flexable wire type thingie similar to a boresnake on my .22's and nylon brushes. especially my Volq. 16.25 Carbon Fibre.

[flamehog]

9mmepiphany
I must be shooting the wrong kind of ammo.
When I run patches through , it gets dirty and the action is black!

[9mmepiphany]

flamehog - a dry .22 patch should take out the loose fouling and if the black on the action bothers you, you can take a wet swab to it too. i'm certainly not saying you shouldn't clean you .22lr guns, i'm just saying you don't have to do it to keep them functioning...within reason of course, when it won't close ;g i will break out the hoppes ;f

[flamehog]

I Got It!!
Thanks for the info.
Mahalo-

[Bad Al]

My Volquartsen match barrel came with the warning, (Do not use any wire brushes or cleaning rods as it will damage the bore finish. And for thorough cleaning use a patch tied to a string or fishing line always going from the breech end to the muzzel end. Failure to follow these instructions will void warranty).

[kmrcstintn]

follow the breakdown/reassembly instructions in your manual; if no manual; call Ruger or go to their website and get the phone # to call for a manual; there are books about the ruger .22 lr autos (standard, mkI, mkII, 22/45...pick one up at a gunshow or bookstore

I clean mine every other time at the range (complete breakdown) and clean the action and carefully run a rod/patch through the barrel in between...I will invest in a bore snake. I also touch up the lube on the extractor; recoil spring rod (this gets some oil down into the furing pin mechanism...lightly though); lightly lube the bolt assembly; work the gun a few times and q-tip out the excess oil in the chamber and on the recoil spring rod

everyone is different...if you want to go conservative, wait until the fouling screws up the functioning

[podwich]

Well, I was out shooting today and it was quite windy. Too windy, in fact. Windy enough to blow sand on and into all the firearms I had with me, including both of my 22LR firearms. I'm going to have to clean them now (wasn't going to otherwise). :(

[RonC]

I have had problems with semi-auto 22s if I don't clean the bolt after firing. The cartridge is so small, any kind of buildup on the bolt around the extractor gives FTE/FTF problems, at least that is what I blame it on.

I think a bore snake is probably the answer. It cleans better than a couple of dry patches but not as well as a soak but probably adequately for these little buggers.

[Mark 19]

I cleaned my Dad's Remington semiauto 22 after he gave it to me back in the early 1980s. He hadn't cleaned it since he left the farm in 1953; thought I think he cleaned it after he got it used in the 1940s. Missing a cleaning or two didn't seem to hurt it any. I did have to reblue the barrel and refinish the stock, which made it look a lot better. It works fine. I thought the springs might be shot, but that's not the case. I tried to get a manual for it from Remington, but they insisted on receiving the serial number and it is too old to have one of those. I guess if I get serious about working on it I'll have to buy a manual or generalist book at a gun show. But, I prefer to shoot my Browing #1 anyway, and keep Dad's for sentimental reasons.

[elgoatropo]

If you let the carbon get too thick, it can attract moisture and form acid which will pit even a stainless ruger around the chamber hole in a matter of months. I speak from experience. The black stuff gets thick where the bolt hammers against the chamber. From now on I am swabbing the thick stuff off whether or not I take the time to disassemble the pistol. The barrel seems to stay clean enough on its own.

[swampmaster]

Well call me stupid but I have a Old Old Ranger 22 single shot that has been through the mill in the last 25 years i have had it and never been cleaned yet.Better yet it stays out in the barn it is covered in rust no blueing left on it.That all being said It is still the only rifle i know that anyone and i mean just about anyone can pick up point and shoot and hit what they are aiming for,and it is even missing the adj.ramp for the sights. In my opinion it is the best 15.00 spent,(garage sale)I am afraid if i cleaned it it might not be as good as it is right now. But on the other hand I dont want my Remington 597 or my Springfield 22's out in the bad weather

[Mark 19]

If you let the carbon get too thick, it can attract moisture and form acid which will pit even a stainless ruger Well, Dad's Remington was pitted all to heck all over the place. I don't really recommend skipping cleaning for decades, but it happened that way. I clean my Browning #1 every time I shoot it, unless of course I'm busy and forget it. Shame on me; the Browning was expensive. I've seen old Remington’s like Dad's in the gun store for $75, and the next time I see one I'll buy it for spare parts. I don't know what they tell NICs, since that old series didn't have serial numbers, but I'll find out. I’d have to pull it out of the safe to get the model number, sorry.

[dundee]

22 action cleaning; a must if you want to keep shooting trouble free. Mostly for 22 auto's, the bolts & levers don't run through ammo fast enough to need cleaning often.

22 barrels; I found a good idea on http://www.rimfirecentral.com/ A piece of heavy weed whacker line is cut about 1 foot longer than the barrel. One end of the line is melted into a glob/ball. The other end of the line is cut at an angle to spear a 22 patch. The patch is slid down the line to the knot, the patch is dipped in your powder solvent of choice, and the line is then run through the barrel. Repeat as necessary with a dry patch.