Clean 22LR rifle?

[dennadam]

What's the pro and cons of cleaning your 22LR . who does or who doesn't. I had as many say they do as say they don't

 

[marvin02]

As far as barrel cleaning - I am not a precision shooter, some of the precision shooters operate on superstition as much as engineering*. I shoot my 22s in steel matches and they have to work. Mine get cleaned after every match or every time to the range, unless it is very few rounds.

If they were intended to operate with gunpowder residue in the working parts and lead filling the grooves in the barrel they would make them that way, wouldn't they?

*and most they all will out shoot me for accuracy on my best day.

If you go over to the rimfirecentral forum you can see pages and pages of discussion about this.

 

[dennadam]

As far as barrel cleaning - I am not a precision shooter, some of the precision shooters operate on superstition as much as engineering*. I shoot my 22s in steel matches and they have to work. Mine get cleaned after every match or every time to the range, unless it is very few rounds.

If they were intended to operate with gunpowder residue in the working parts and lead filling the grooves in the barrel they would make them that way, wouldn't they?

*and most they all will out shoot me for accuracy on my best day.

If you go over to the rimfirecentral forum you can see pages and pages of discussion about this.

 

[dennadam]

thanks. I forget about the rimfirecentral forum. will do

 

[johntheplinker]

Since my rimfires are mostly fun guns, I shoot them until accuracy starts to fall off or I start to get malfunctions. Usually in the neighborhood of 500+ rounds for either to start happening, although I've got a Tikka T1x with close to 1000 rounds and accuracy is still very good. I also don't use the cheapest of cheap ammo either.

 

[Mgderf]

Guns are like butt holes.
They should be cleaned after each use.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I just lay mine in the bed of the truck and hit up the carwash a couple times a year.

Make sure to spring for the wax option

 

[DadSmith]

I run a bore snake through with no solvent at the range once every 100-300rds. It keeps the chamber, and bore somewhat clean.

 

[dennadam]

I run a bore snake through with no solvent at the range once every 100-300rds. It keeps the chamber, and bore somewhat clean.

How many people use bore snake ?

 

[Jim5528]

Bore snake for me!

 

[AndreusMaximus]

I use a bore snake for my 22LR. Main use is for squirrel/rabbit hunting or varmint control, so I don't really keep track of how many rounds I shoot between each cleaning. I usually try to not let it go for more than a few dozen rounds, though, since one time I let it go way too long between cleanings and started to notice a massive drop in accuracy (couldn't have been more than a couple hundred rounds I'd shot through it, though. Probably the cheap ammo I use...) I was missing squirrel heads at less than 20 yards, and realized something was off; when I cleaned it that time, I could actually see small pieces of lead coming out the end of the barrel with the bore snake.

 

[DadSmith]

How many people use bore snake ?

Just remember to give it a good cleaning at home every few thousand rounds, or when you notice problems like cycling, or as @AndreusMaximus said inaccuracy. The bore snake will help keep it going, but it isn't a substitute for a good cleaning.

 

[1nderbeard]

I use a snake, just after I spray some solvent down the barrel and action. I do this with varying regularity. Usually after each range trip, but not always.

Usually once a year I'll take apart the whole rifle and clean the parts and the barrel. If I shot more I'd do it more regularly.

Malfunctions generally drive me need to clean. I've not found the accuracy to be a big deal. I don't shoot competitions, but I do squirrel hunt. I can get that done with a dirty barrel. I estimate payment 50 or so rounds over the year in my hunting rifle.

 

[bcannon]

For my guns that I want squeeze as much accuracy out of as possible I clean after every session. For my play guns I'm not as anal about it.
I usually use a bore snake a couple times after the gun has heated up just to feed my ocd.

 

[22LRFan]

Bore snake is a must for me

 

[gregkl]

I also use a bore snake. For all my guns actually. Mostly dry, but at times I'll put some solvent down the bore, let it sit, run a few patches through and finish with the snake. This helps to keep my snakes from getting nasty.

For 22's I also clean around the bolt paying attention to the ejector and extractor. Those are the areas that when dirty enough start inducing malfunctions.

 

[miguel]

I just lay mine in the bed of the truck and hit up the carwash a couple times a year.

Make sure to spring for the wax option

I find I get better groups using the wheel brite option, but YMMV.

 

[rosejm]

I'd say the largest split in this ".22 cleaning" camp is correlated to semi-auto vs. bolt-action firearms.

There's far more fouling in the actions of semi-autos and that tends to induce malfunctions (as mentioned above, generally 400-600 rounds depending on design & tolerances). Bolt-actions deposit most of the fouling in their barrels and it doesn't build up nearly as quickly.

Both types can suffer from leading (where lead is deposited & builds up), depending on the ammo & barrel. At the very least, inspection and monitoring for that issue is important. This often shows up as decreased accuracy and in advanced cases, key-holed targets. Extreme leading can lead to a squib/barrel obstruction.

Personally, I clean mine (all semi-autos) before any extended storage (longer than a couple weeks). Galvanic corrosion is a real thing and I tend to shoot copper plated or jacketed bullets most of the time. This also helps me prevent fouled actions and malfunctions at the range, as I'm generally starting from a zero round count and rarely shoot a full brick at a single session.

 

[diver dan]

Wether I shoot 50 rounds or a thousand rounds a session , I always clean my guns , nothing hurts having a clean gun.

 

[OneBadV8]

I shoot most of my rimfires suppressed and that makes them really dirty very quickly. I don’t do it every session but once I notice things getting extra dirty, or running slower, etc etc