22's... To clean or not to clean, that is the question.

[SF VET]

I have a mint Winchester 52c, and am very careful with the bore. I have checked my SS rifle rod, and honed the threaded connections, so they are perfect without any nicks or the like. I only occasionally clean from the breech, slowly and carefully, and remove the tip before I pull the rod back thru the bore. Just enough Hoppes on patches to get most of the residue out. No bronze or other brushes.

I do the same for all my rifles, and for my semi-auto rifles, I just use Bore Snakes and the like, rarely rods from the muzzle, and if I think time for a rod on them, always with a muzzle rod-protector.

If I plan on shooting any rifle soon, I don't clean them, other than a wipe them down to remove any fingerprint oils.

If any of my firearms is going to be un-shot for awhile, I will run a last patch with Kroil on it. And when I get it out for a shoot, I run a dry patch down the bore as above.

But for my .22's, I rarely clean the bores, and then very carefully.

NV

 

[AzShooter]

I run a brush through my barrel every 500 - 1000 rounds. I do take the top off and clean the area around the breach real well with MPro-7, a toothbrush and some q-tips to make sure it's clean otherwise I get jams.

 

[Gene L]

I never clean the bore of my .22s. Well, almost never. The wax off the bullets form a protective layer to protect it from rust. In bench .22s, the rules may be different and since repetition is what they're looking for, to achieve this repetition, shoot 10 rounds, or whatever, clean, repeat for record. I believe for us ordinary shooters, however, no cleaning the bore has positive results. As someone pointed out, more .22s are ruined by over-cleaning than by under-cleaning.

I've got a REmington 582 that hasn't been cleaned for years and it shoots just fine.

 

[tominboise]

I usually never put over 300-400 rounds thru the rimfires before they get the full treatment, all the lead is removed. I bought one of the cheap borescopes which has been one of the best accessories I have every purchased. yes, you have to reseason the bore after a deep clean, but mine come back in 10-25 rounds. I have read way to much about the carbon ring build up ( it is easy to remove) and belive that lead in the barrel is not condusive to the best accuracy.

This all the way. Since I got a borescope, I am now able to verify how much cleaning a bore may need to get the lead and carbon out. I currently have one rifle that "the accuracy went south on" prior to getting the scope and I have trying to get the lead out of it ever since. The rifling was virtually missing. This rifle had previously been "cleaned" by the use of a bore snake.

I now use brass bore brushes and a variety of solvents, ranging from Boretech carbon remover, Butches Bore Shine, Ballistol and Kroil. I am not shy about brushing a bore if it needs it.

I have 20 .22 rimfires - 9 handguns and 11 rifles. Ranging from Anschutz bolt guns to a Rossi pump. Good ammo and good cleaning gets the most from all of them.

 

[VaTom]

I usually never put over 300-400 rounds thru the rimfires before they get the full treatment, all the lead is removed. I bought one of the cheap borescopes which has been one of the best accessories I have every purchased. yes, you have to reseason the bore after a deep clean, but mine come back in 10-25 rounds. I have read way to much about the carbon ring build up ( it is easy to remove) and belive that lead in the barrel is not condusive to the best accuracy.

Not sure what carbon ring build up is but likely what I found on a used (1974) Remington 572 Fieldmaster pump I bought at a local auction a couple of years ago. The rifle was in excellent condition and action worked smoothly but when I got it home and loaded rounds it was very stiff chambering rounds. Lots of carbon / lead buildup up. Brushes and Hoppes took care of it. Lightly clean and oil barrel of .22s after each use. Usually 100+ rounds.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Not sure I ever heard of the recommendation to not clean a .22 rim fire bore until the rise of the internet. Oh, I heard the neglectful brag about never cleaning their .22s, but then they never cleaned the center fires either. I clean 'em after each use. I'm careful, but they are cleaned normally with brush and patches. The rifles are rewarding to shoot, some of the used ones shooting better now than they did formerly.

 

[Gene L]

Jack O'connor wrote in one of his books something about a .22 with which I agree. He said he and his sons were on a hunt, somewhere, and left their rifles outside the tent. It rained that night and he said every rifle had a rusty bore except for the .22 RF. The wax protects the bore.