How often do you clean your 15-22? I find that mine works best after 300 or so rounds, which for me is a single outing. I haven't gone beyond 750 or so. I use it twice a week and really don't like to have to clean it that often.

Once a year if it needs it or not

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SaveLivesKeepCiviliansArmed

I normally shoot 500 rounds or so every outing, so I run a BoreSnake through the bore, clean the bolt face with a toothbrush, and blow out the lower with 90 psi compressed air. Anything further waits for 2 or 3 thousand rounds.

Note, the above takes about five minutes.

FWIW, it is NOT necessary to disassemble the FCG during cleaning.

I clean any firearm after I use it at the range unless I'm going to go back out with it again within a weeks time or less.

I'm one of those who actually likes the cleaning process so I don't shy away from it. For me, it's relaxing and also shows me what's going on with my guns mechanically.

Pretty much same as the Major, however I go ahead & break down the bolt a little further so that I can fully clean the bolt rails. They are never dirty but I like to make sure there is always a very light coat of CLP on them. The bolt face is always dirty.

I clean after every shooting. Not because it needs it but because I enjoy doing so and I like to reinforce the muscle memory of breaking down the gun.

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FIDELITAS ET FORTITUDO

I clean mine after every outing, which is ~300 rounds.
Now, by "clean", I mean that I wipe down the bolt face with CLP and run a boresnake through it 3 times. There's no need to get the rod, bronze brush and the power drill out every time you fire the rifle.

I don't get to the range with any predictability. So I clean the gun (throughly) after each use. I break down the BCG and detail it when I start to see any light strikes.

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Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit

After every time I shoot


Reading my posts means you consent to my incorrect spelling and poor typing skills.

I shoot mine too much and too often to clean it as often as most. Rimfires shoot more accurately when slightly dirty (ask any top level .22 benchrest shooter). So every 2k-3k rounds I clean it what I call thoroughly. I never break the BCG down as doing that is over rated. If you don't use too much lube you can blow it out with canned air. I only put lube on the rails. Not the receiver grooves since that does nothing unlike a real AR, but the ones on the bolt that work the recoil spring. 1 boresnake pass and clean the breech, bolt face and feed ramp.

I never knew that leaving a 22 un cleaned will help with accuracy, thanks for the tip.


Reading my posts means you consent to my incorrect spelling and poor typing skills.

Just a clarification on what Photoracer said ...

It's not that an uncleaned .22 is more accurate, it's that a slightly fouled barrel is more accurate. A perfectly clean barrel takes a a dozen or so rounds through it with any particular ammo for best accuracy. This is a long-known bench rest shooting fact.

Scrubbing a barrel after every shoot is not necessary; a BoreSnake through it every couple of thousand rounds is good advice.

Thanks guys. Now I can blame my inaccuracy on too clean a gun. Just the excuse I was looking for.

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FIDELITAS ET FORTITUDO

Darn ... I washed my gun and now I can't do a thing with it!

I have only had the opportunity to get the 15-22 to the range twice so far, but I cleaned it after each trip. (Around 500 rounds each time.). I went yesterday and was gonna leave it, but at 11pm last night after the the wife went to bed I was down at the workbench cleaning my guns. I'm just too anal to leave them dirty (even if only slightly).

I just use a bore snake and remove the bolt to wipe everything down and lube the rails. I've been using a thin coat of Tetra grease.

If you can see the lube on the rails, you have used too much.

I just put a little on my finger and run it along each rail. Just enough to make it shiny. I figured that would stay put better and be less messy then oil.

can't remember when i stripped mine down all the way. i usually just spray my cleaner on the bore snake and run it down 3 times, then wipe the bolt face off and that's about it.
my hunting guns get cleaned once a year or after they are shot a few times since they get put back up.
CCW pistols get cleaned pretty well after a range session.
shotguns really just get a snake through the barrel, that's it.

i really don't like to clean!

Yup. A boresnake thru the barrel, pull out the BCG wipe it down, blow out the dust, re-oil and drop them into a gun-sock until next time.

The gun sock is a bad idea. They will trap moisture and hasten finish problems. Gun socks are for cheap transportation, not storage.

the silicone treated socks are made to not collect moisture. i would not keep them in for a long time but short term is ok. problem is they don't stretch over a scope too well!

when out on the ATV hunting, the AR's/shotgun are on the front of the ATV in angled snubbers. the guns are open, but the optics are covered in a modified gun sock with velcro straps to keep the sand out.

still only get blown off with the compressor when i get home and i live in the desert. most times the rifles don't get used much, it's the SG's that are the real predator takers.

i keep the barrel ends covered also, normal rifles get the rubber finger things that help you turn pages, fit perfect, SG gets a thumb off a surgical glove, and Suppressors get a cut down and end sealed packing tube. Just keeps **** out of the barrel.

I clean my M&P15-22 after every range outing whether I put 50 0r 350 rounds through it. I find any firearm easier to clean after each session before the carbon and foling can really build up making cleaning much more of a chore. And since I never know when I'll shoot it or any other firearm again I prefer putting them away cleaned, lubed and ready.

Problem is grease accumulates crud faster than oil so it becomes thicker and thicker faster. I only put some trigger grease on the S3G trigger now and then. The only gun I have that gets grease on it is my STI racegun and only in one particular spot recommended by the builder.
In my estimation grease only works when it is in an area that does not get much particulate matter thrown around. So that pretty much eliminates all areas around the chamber.

When I bought my 15-22, I started it right away on "Frog lube". Something I had been using for a few months on my center fire semi auto pistols. It had worked great on them so I figured, "why not"? Now about the most I have shot through my 15-22 in one outing is about 350 rounds. Not a ton by any means for a 22lr. But the gun has been 100% reliable since new. Only issues I had was with some mags (pmag 32 rounders) that were not seating in the lower correctly and needed some filing to "lock in". But the point is that the lube and cleaning schedule I found for the 15-22 was irrelevant. Groups did not open up and function stayed perfect even through over 300 round sessions without cleaning.

But for years I have been shooting bolt action 22lr's. What I found on "them" was that groups were the best at between 15 to 70/75 round mark. That is an average for a few makes of rifles. After that 75 or so rounds, the groups would open up. So some cleaning was necessary. Usually a bore snake with some Hoppes did the trick. Then it would take a few rounds and then after 10-15 the groups would stabilize and be consistent through the average 75 or so.

Point being that it may depend on the particular firearm, what it's role is (plinking, target, match. testing, etc). If looking for ultimate function and performance, it will just be testing with the particular weapon. Even same models within manufacture can vary. I think for the 15-22 and what has been talked about in great deal on this forum is that cleaning is not too necessary for well over a thousand rounds and even more. That is when using the 15-22 in it's designed element as an AR trainer or plinker. If looking for ultimate groups for the particular firearm, it will just depend on personal use. I usually never shoot less then 200 rounds in a session. but I always pull the bolt and wipe it off with a rag and clean the chamber area as well as pull a bore snake after. I just like to leave my firearms in a mostly clean state. Detail cleaning is whenever I feel like it like when something isn't working right or things look really dirty. Doing a tear down and clean every 100 rounds or so is probably worse then doing nothing. Not needed for function or performance in the 15-22 realm.

Everyone can do as they please. i don't mind cleaning at all and it can even be fun. But I try and avoid over cleaning. As there is risk in damaging parts during tear down and re assembly. Can't remember ever hurting any parts during firing, but I have during cleaning, assembly. Things like small parts like springs, etc. It's all up to the end user what they want to risk.

When my range day becomes an exercise in immediate action drills... its time to clean


However my 15-22 has yet to fail me so about every 1k I clean the gunk with a blast of aerosol solvents, a pass of the bore snake, and a few drops of clp on the bcg rails just so I stay in practice for cleaning.

I just wipe it down if I haven't been to the shooting range if I have it I just lay her on the table and have it with her.

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Shoot like a pro!

The way to get around having to clean a firearm is not to shoot it, or get it dirty. Otherwise, do a basic cleaning and lube after every range session and detailed cleaning after every 3-500 rounds.

For me, 300-500 rounds IS a range session. To each his own, but a detail cleaning isn't necessary more often then every couple of thousand rounds, if then.

i shoot on average of 200-500 rounds at the range with the 15-22. all my weapons get a cleaning afterwards as such:

15-22: BCG is broken down by removing the spring, guide rod, rails and the bolt itself. (i dont remove the extractor). i use hoppes9 and a tooth brush to the face(pointed downward to not clog the firing pin with dirt). i then clean the feed ramp with the same tooth brush. i then clean the toothbrush and take out any sand/deposits from the lower trigger area. i dip the front portion of the bore-snake into hoppes9 and run the bore-snake 2-3 times through the barrel. i wipe everything down and make sure its all clean. a few tiny dots of Mobil1 engine oil from the needle-bottle along the rails. i also put a few tiny dots of oil on the slots for the take-down pins so its easier to take apart later - and put it together.

There isn't a right or wrong answer to this question. It really depends on frequency of use and personal preference.

I shoot weekly, albeit different guns, but i clean them after every use. I enjoy doing so and i get the satisfaction knowing that they will be in perfect working order the next time i pull it/them out of the safe. After hearing everyone's opinion you should make your own decision on what works for you.

just remember that guns now a days are made from state of the art materials, and tested to withstand far more than a simple range day. but also dont forget that your life, your families life, could rely upon your weapons being functionally sound one day/night. that is what keeps from allowing my weapons to go further than a week without a cleaning(if left dirty from a range day).

hot/dirty oil will cake and tar up, and that scares me. the last thing i want is to one day pull the trigger and the firing pin is so slow from being caked up - that it doesnt strike the round hard enough to fire the weapon.(far fetched, but not impossible).

I am at about 4k-5k rounds down mine now and have not cleaned it. Not 1 jam and I put about 400 down range yesterday I only shoot federal bulk ammo. Its dirtier than a mud pit but keeps on shooting. At this point its a test to see how far it can go before becoming unreliable.

That's called firearms abuse ...

i have a decent gun locker (not fancy safe with de-humidifiers) that both the 15 and 15-22 get stored in. i went several months without cleaning or lubing the weapons and the 15-22 developed surface rust on the outside part of the barrel in certain spots. the mp15 was fine but maybe because of the melonite finish, who knows.

after this surprised me i clean and lube the guns after each range outing with hoppes solvent then hoppes spray oil. i oil every metal part. the mp15 looks like it is dipped in oil since the lower reciever is metal.