.22 rimfire cleaning

M

mike

Inactive
How often does a .22 rifle/pistol need to have the bore cleaned to really perform well?
I know some people that never clean them. I am ashamed to admit that when in High School I shot NRA smallbore matches with a 52D winchester match rifle and never once cleaned it. Finally it dawned on me I should and it did not seem to make any difference. It always shot great. On the other hand, I notice that if I shoot CCI stingers out of my sig trailside when its freshly cleaned they shoot fine, after a hundred or so rounds of other ammo then going back to them, accuracy is terrible. So functioning aside, how often should rimfire bores be cleaned to keep best accuracy?
 
I'm half afraid to admit this, but I have a Ruger 10/22 that I bought new in 1968, that has NEVER had the barrel cleaned. Today it shoots better than it did new.
My friends give me a bad time about my lack of barrel cleaning on all of my firearms. They all shoot good. They aren't rusty or corroded. They do not have large deposits in the rifling. The centerfire ones get a wet/dry patch treatment now and then, but no brushing. This includes my 25 year old .220 Swift.
Maybe if I scrubbed them out real good I would find problems, but until they start shooting bad, I'll leave them alone.
I do not advocate anyone else doing this. It has just worked for me for over 30 years.

Neil Casper
 
There was an article in last month's Precision Shooting about the ring of lead fouling that builds up in the very front of a 22RF chamber. The guy who wrote the article has a neat little gadget made out of brass that goes into the chamber cuts this lead out with just a twist or two. He was working with a couple of really fine benchrest 22's, and found about 50 rounds of match grade ammo was what it took to deposit enough lead in the chamber to enlarge his groups. The tool is made to be used in match chambers only. For most of us, shooting production quality 22's, I'm not sure if this would make any difference. Many smallbore shooters go a whole season without cleaning their bores, because they've found out what you did - it doesn't make any difference.
 
.22 rimfire is very dirty. If you are storing the gun for an extended period of time clean it to prevent rust in the barrel.
I clean all my weapons after shooting but I know sometimes I will neglect a 22 more than any thing else. I have found that just running a patch or two through the barrel with some CLP on it does a good QUICK job if I know I'll be using the gun in a week or so.
 
the instructions that came with my MArlin basically said

clean the barrel when ever shooting accuracy declines
 
heres what the Marlin 60SS manual says:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Since modern ammunition burns very cleanly, with normal use it is not necessary to clean the bore of your rifle. However, if it gets wet, or if any foreign material gets into the action or barrel, cleaning is recommended.[/quote]
 
I clean my .22 mag every time I use it. And at most, I shoot 50 rounds through it at a time. I don't clean so often because it is filthy dirty, but because of moisture. It is really humid all year here. In the winter, the barrel gets cold, condensing the vapor in the bore. In the summer, it is humid enough to make me uncomfortable about my bore. So I clean and oil it every single time. Always clean from the breech though -- especially if you clean a lot like me. Another thing, .22 Mags are jacketed. So I also have to watch out for copper fouling -- just like the centerfire guys. So not only do I have dirty-burning rimfire problems, I also have the fouling problems of centerfire! (Aren't .22 WMRs great? :)) I know that some of the .22 LR are copper *plated.* I am not sure if or how much this can build up, but just keep an eye on it if you do use the plated bullets. So to sum up: clean when dirty; clean when wet. One more thing, since I clean after every session, I do not have to go after my severely dirty/foulded bore like Rambo. Since I don't shoot a million rounds through it before cleaning, I can just swab it a few times and I am done -- and my bore is happy. I would think that waiting a long time to clean would require more vigorous cleaning, and that can damage the bore. I do not have to run over-sized patches through to get my bore shining -- so I minimize any wear-and-tear there. Take it easy!

Yet one more thing -- my barrel is stainless even! And I STILL clean it that much! haha

Hueco
 
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The fact is more .22 rimfire barrels are ruined by excessive cleaning than anything else. A few patches soaked with Hoppes every 300 - 500 rounds probably don't hurt anything, if it's a semi-auto you might want to clean the bolt and other moving parts at least that often. On a .22 revolver it's good to clean around the ejector star with an old tooth brush every couple of hundred rounds, crud can get under it and cause the action to lock-up. Cleaning every time you shoot 50 rds ain't really need, and can cause dammage if you're not careful. One "must have" is a good, stiff, straight, stainless steel one-piece cleaning rod. Don't ever use on jointed aluminum rod on any firearm you value. -- Kernel
 
Art Cook won the gold at the 1948 Olympics with a Morgan that had never been cleaned and that rifle is still winning matches and still has never been cleaned. Having said that I will add that two things happen when you don't clean regularly. One being a build up of lead in the throat that should be brushed away and the other thing is the glass that is in the powder compound settles in the bottom of the barrel and as the lead bullets run over the powdered glass it gives the bottom of the barrel a frosty appearance. Since the limiting factor is the ammo when it comes to accuracy the lost accuracy from not cleaning is hidden by the inaccuracy of the ammo. If I were shooting for the gold it would definitely be with a clean barrel.
 
I have several 22s which I shoot quite often. I cleam mine after everytime I shoot them, but I usually shoot 500-1500 rds everytime I go playing :)If I shoot less than 100rds I will not clean it until the next time. Something my drill seargent did to me years ago made me go crazy if the gun is dirty, so :) I keep all of my guns as clean as humanly possible :)
 
Semi-autos may need cleaning for reliability.

I have an older (early '80's) Marlin model 60. It will feed reliably until I get around 150 rounds through it. Then it starts jamming on a regular basis. If I clean the bolt & receiver every 100-150 rounds, it stays nice and reliable.
 
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