I know this is a rimfire question but....I have heard many guys say they don't clean the bores of their 22 rimfire. Is this good or bad?

I don't clean them unless there's copper fouling - there's more chance of cleaning rod damage than of rust damage.

I posted on www.rimfirecentral.com a year ago or so about an experiment I conducted. I cleaned my father's first 22 from the 1920's. This rifle had been religiously cleaned, as a person does with his first "real" rifle, for 10 years or so, from, say 1925 to 1935.

Then I got it in 1960. I cleaned it a few times, but saw no reason to do so - I believed the "outer lubrication" of the 22 Long Rifle bullets I shot would protect it. For argument's sake, say the last time I cleaned it was 1965.

I cleaned it again in 2005. I posted a pic of the bire patches - no rust on the patches or in the bore after 40 years.

It was a bit early, since I'd planned a 100-year experiment, but there it is - the end of an 80-year cleaning/non-cleaning experiment. The "Cleaners" can have their say, but unless they have 90+ years of empirical data, I'll just contine on the way I'm doing it - not cleaning. (Don't believe anyone who claims this was really a result of my laziness and not an experiment at all - some people just don't have the soul for science.)



Jaywalker

I like those boresnakes for 22's. Exspecially my 10/22 since I never got around to drilling a hole in the rear for cleaning.
-Don

According to Anschütz instructions, I clean only after 5000 rounds. In the meantime and after shooting, just a dry patch through the bore, using a rod guide.

If I remember to do it every 10 years or so. Unless they get wet or something. Then I run a patch with oil down them. I know I have shot many a thousands of rounds out of some 22 barrels and never touched them.
I do cleaned the chambers and barrel on some high use 22 pistols when they start having trouble most of the time all it takes is a good past with a brass brush and they are back up to shooting.

I just clean the action. On rare occasion I will run a boresnake through it, but usually only if it got wet. Have never noticed an effect on accuracy. I like the Anschutz rule. Lou

I watched a nut case the other day with a HB .22 LR at the range that cleaned the bore 8 times in one trip to the range. I was watching his groups and my light Sako that hasn't been cleaned for ten years will outshoot it. I felt like telling him he needed to cut an inch off the barrel and recrown it instead of cleaning it. I held my tongue instead.

My 39a likes to be cleaned. Shoots Stingers much better through a clean barrel than a dirty one.

My jury has been out on this question for a long time...I hadn't noticed any problems either way... but being a typical gun guy, clean is better right????

We recently purchased a Ruger 10.22 that I replaced the factory barrel with one from Midway, and also replace the factory stock with an after market laminate that would accept the heavy Midway barrel....

It was a tack driver, and after 1000 rounds, I cleaned the barrel... started throwing rounds all over the place.... well another thousand rounds and the accuracy returned...

So as one can gather... THIS barrel is going to live a pretty 'down and dirty' life....

Whatever works..

cheers
seafire

I find that if I don't clean my Marlin 66 every so often, the action gets too gritty to function properly. So, generally when I clean it, I just disassemble it and clean everything with brake cleaner, oil it, and put it back together. I might run a patch or two down the bore, but nothing major.