How do you clean the outside of the barrel where it is covered by the quad rail? Do you need to remove the rail? I spent some time cleaning my 15-22 since I just got it, but getting the gunk off the barrel under the rail is a PITA!

You have to remove the endcap and slide it down to the flash hider. Then wrap a cleaning rag around an improvised tool, like a coat hanger, wooden dowel, or a cleaning rod and run the rag inside the handguard to clean/oil the exterior of the barrel.

The endcap is held in place with four 'tabs' that hook into the end of the handguard.

That makes it sound a little easier. I didnt wanna have to buy a barrel wrench just to do that. thanks!

Prior to when I made my barrel wrench I used to use a wrapping paper tube. Pull the end cap, wrap a small piece of cleaning rag on the end, and secure it to the tube with some tape. Works pretty good. The trick is to not get too big a piece of rag so that the whole thing gets jammed up.

i think it is best just to buy the tool and take the barrel off... thats my opinion. if you want to get a good cleaning on the cambering side of the barrel and the ejector there is no better way. i tried the pvc trick and couldn't break the barrel nut so i just went ahead and got the tool. small investment to keep your 15-22 in good working order.

I would not recommend taking the barrel off every time you clean the rifle (not even occasionally). The barrel nut is not designed to be repeatedly removed and reinstalled and over time (depending on how often you remove the nut and how careful you are) you might find that the nut won't stay tight(..and thread locker is not recommended). Additionally, you risk cross-threading the nut since the threads are very fine and possibly scratching the barrel.

A little Gun Scrubber Link and a toothbrush make quick work of the chamber end of the barrel.

The barrel of an M16/M4 is NEVER removed as part of cleaning and the chamber end one that weapon is much harder to clean than a 15-22.

"just because you can doesn't mean you should"....but, that's just my opinion.

I agree I do not wanna take the barrel off unless I have too. I took the cap off the rail and used a shop towel (the blue ones) and folded it and got it to fit perfectly and now the whole outside of the barrel is shiny and clean. Thanks for the idea!

I am not going to remove my barrel either for any reason unless it gets bent ,LOL !

hmm he never said he took it off every time he cleaned his gun did he? I would assume just when it is exposed to weather.

yep- pretty ****** trying to get it all clean, dry and oiled down after your shooting and it starts to snow. My trigger finger gets lonely in December if I don't shoot once in a while.

No he didn't, that's why I said "(not even occasionally)"

so shooboy should have never made his barrel removal tool? and people shouldnt be taking their barrels or shipping them to get threaded? what exactly is the problem with removing the barrel if you do it correctly, im serious about this please shed some light please.

Taking the barrel off for service (like having it threaded) or to install a different handguard is not 'repeated' removal or installation and I never said that was a problem. To do so, you might remove and install the barrel a couple of times only and you are correct in saying there is probably no harm if you do it correctly, ...a couple of times.

Taking it off to clean is a different story and not necessary. If it was, you wouldn't need to buy an after market barrel removal tool just to take the barrel off, or a different attachment method would be used allowing the end user to easily remove it. If S&W recommended removing the barrel to clean the rifle, the manual would say so and they would provide a method to do so. Feel free to call S&W to ask them yourself. I already have and they pretty much said what I'm saying. They didn't say it would void the warranty but were pretty clear about not doing it yourself.

Making an analogy here...I bet if a person removed their scope from its rings every time they cleaned their rifle, (or every third, fifth, etc.) it wouldn't take long before the screws on their rings started to come loose on their own.

You can read various threads here on the forum about the nut coming loose on its own. Why aggravate and existing situation or create a new one by taking it off on a somewhat routine frequency?

Having major issues

Here's an example where an owner is having a problem after taking the barrel out and putting it back in. Is this a common outcome? Probably not, but he's having a problem...ok before, problem after...

There's currently no torque spec on the barrel nut and you will hear various recommendations. S&W won't give you one. Without the proper spec, you risk over-tightening (see thread above), or under tightening and will probably have issues with the nut working loose. A lot of folks may have one of the wrenches, but I bet fewer have a torque wrench. Some try to use loctite to keep a loose nut on and end up with problems when they want to take it off.

Other problems include cracking the upper receiver if the proper tools are not used (i.e. vise jaws for the barrel). Then you get the unfortunate few that try to use vise grips and then post how to repair the scratches they put on their barrel or others who think they should secure the upper in a vice when removing the barrel.

In the end, everyone is free to do what they want with their own rifle and free to decide what's acceptable and what isn't.

Assuming you have the proper tools and do everything correctly, the only issue I see is potential damage to the ejector. If you've ever removed the barrel, you'll have seen how totally exposed and unprotected the ejector is hanging off the end. With the entire mass of the barrel behind it, it would not take much contact with a stationary object to bend or break it.

I'm a little confused here. The question was:

What does the posters question have to do with removing the barrel or barrel wrenches ?

Things like barrels should never be removed unless its necessary, cleaning is not an item that requires removal of the barrel. I saw another post where the person seems to have damaged the rifle in some way by removing the barrel and putting it back on, it seems from the postings by using the wrong or an improper torque spec or applying such improperly possibly. Just what is the torque spec for this barrel anyway? I mean, if you want to take the barrel off and put it back on, do you have the proper torque spec from S&W or you just using something because someone said it works? Why would you even want to remove the barrel anyway unless it was necessary? I'm with CPTBeaker for unncessary barrel removal.

What "gunk" is on the barrel under the rail?

Lots of folks have removed the barrel on early 15-22s to get them threaded. No problems.

Ordinarily I would agree with the prior postings on most any other rifle, but the notion that you don't want to fool with the barrel nut from S&W factory specs is the biggest joke I have heard in a while. Talk to someone like Belt_Fed who works on these rifles and ask him how many rifles come to him with the barrel nut loose.

To the OP - I cannot imagine the barrel nut torque being an issue. These rifles shoot with the barrel nut spinning free and torqued.

The gunk on the barrel was the oil or whatever SW puts on it at the factory. There was some dust mixed in there that was very visible. I was easliy able to remove it (the gunk) in less than 10 minutes without removing the barrel. I'm with you guys on not removing the barrel unless needed. Def not for cleaning.

You probably should remove the barrel for cleaning the 15-22 as often as you would a 10/22,,, almost never. If you want to give the outside of the barrel a really good cleaning, then just remove the nut and handguard.

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