Do you clean your .22 rimfire rifles?

How often? Under what circumstances?

I've heard of some .22 rimfire target rifles that are never cleaned, along with the opinion that they don't need cleaning and that cleaning only makes them shoot worse.

Do you agree or disagree with that? Why or why not?

Never had yet and one of my 581's I owned for 25 years or so.
I would scrub the chamber if shells started to stick but that has never happened. I do not disagree with cleaning if it is needed but never seen accuracy fall off enough to warrant it. No bore snakes either.

I have a Kimber Classic 22LR and I will never run a rod down it's tube.

I've always cleaned mine each and every time they come in from being fired. Even re-clean them occasionally over the winter even though they have not been fired.

However, I can understand how the concept of "not cleaning" them got started and has carried on.

I have a Ruger Mark II Slab side. The bore gets cleaned about every 1000 rounds or so. I use a piece of weedeater line with a button melted on the end, patch threaded on and pull it through. When the trigger starts to feel gritty, I take it down and hose it out with brake cleaner, blow it out with compressed air, spray lube with CLP, blow out the excess and good to go.

Unless a rimfire is exposed to moisture or some other contaminate, I find no need for cleaning the bore. In my experience, it takes quite a few shots for a recently cleaned .22 bore to settle down and get back to shooting the way it did before cleaning. Don't forget, .22 LR bullets, whether plated or not are lubed, unlike jacketed centerfire bullets. The lube necessarily builds to certain point in the bore which allows it to function as designed.

I clean all of mine every time that I shoot them, and I use a boresnake and solvent, with a little oil on the outside.

quote:

Originally posted by LE270:
Do you clean your .22 rimfire rifles?

How often? Under what circumstances?

I've heard of some .22 rimfire target rifles that are never cleaned, along with the opinion that they don't need cleaning and that cleaning only makes them shoot worse.

Do you agree or disagree with that? Why or why not?

I clean every thing BUT the barrel after each hunt or shoot. Will dry clean the chamber with a large pipe cleaner type brush. Will never clean the bore unless it tells me it need cleaning!

I clean mine a lot.Not every time I shoot but close.

quote:

I clean every thing BUT the barrel after each hunt or shoot. Will dry clean the chamber with a large pipe cleaner type brush. Will never clean the bore unless it tells me it need cleaning!

+1

I first heard this back in the 1950's but did not believe it, as the fouling may become hydroscopic and thereby attract moisture to the inside of the barrel.

Since I shoot any gun/caliber on a random fashion every gun used gets a thorough cleaning at the end of any shooting day, no exceptions. I have never had a problem doing this but have seen some guns destroyed because of moisture.

This is just my practice others feel otherwise.

quote:

Originally posted by Bernie P.:
I clean mine a lot.Not every time I shoot but close.

+1

Wow, clean-don't clean-clean-don't clean. What's a body to do?

I have a 10/22 with a Shilen .920" dia barrel. It has shot well at times, but I normally only clean it by running one solvent patch down the barrel followed by one dry patch. Guess I could try lettting it "re-season" (?) and not clean it until have problemo.

quote:

Originally posted by sputster:
Wow, clean-don't clean-clean-don't clean. What's a body to do?

I have a 10/22 with a Shilen .920" dia barrel. It has shot well at times, but I normally only clean it by running one solvent patch down the barrel followed by one dry patch. Guess I could try lettting it "re-season" (?) and not clean it until have problemo.

Try each method and see which results in the best retained accuracy. Then do whatever the heck you want to do with them.

some of the better 22lr barrel makers warn you that you will void the warranty on the barrel if you use a brush on their products.

quote:

Originally posted by 33806whelen:
some of the better 22lr barrel makers warn you that you will void the warranty on the barrel if you use a brush on their products.

Who would say this?

I use to shoot .22 match with a Win. M52 heavy barrel target rifle------I cleaned the bore just once. It took me 50 rounds to get it shooting half way decent again.
After that all I would ever due is wipe down the outside metal and on a regular basis clean the crud out from under the extractors.

Hip

I thoroughly clean the outside of my .22s but never the bore (any more). When I did, it adversely affected accuracy every time.

I never clean them with the exception of a Ruger Mk II that leaded up when my nephew put a couple of bricks of ammo through as fast as he could pull the trigger. Thought I would never get the lead out of it.

Clean the chamber and the outside and bolt pretty religiously. Usually clean the bore annually or if it needs it.

I doubt the fouling is hydroscopic as I got an old winchester 52 from my grandfather's estate that my dad and his brothers all shot the crap out of, and was supposedly shot out. I did use a brush here, but after 2-3 days of working on it, it came out spotless and after shooting a few rounds with it is still accurate (more than my dad ever thought it was back in the day)...

Yes I do clean all barrels where powder will burn. The metal even if is SS will and do get bad if not cleaned and oiled.

Chamber only and only if the ammo is starting to fail to extract. This in my Cooper 57M Custom Classic.




Alan

Whoa! That Cooper is a drop-dead gorgeous piece of work!

Keep it clean outside and the inside will take care of itself.