break in procedure for a new 15-22?

[Anon]

I'd like to know why you feel you should not ever clean a rifle barrel.

I realize this is an old post....

I don't believe that cleaning the barrel of a 22LR like the 15-22 will increase the (useful) accuracy, reliability, or longevity of the gun.

22LR ammo is non-corrosive. Incorrect cleaning can have a negative effect on those things, though. Therefore, why bother?

People tend to clean the bore of a 22 because they can, not because it needs it.

If you're shooting ammo that costs less than $10-per-50, you don't need the extra accuracy potential that might come from bore-cleaning.

 

[Nachtjager]

wow glad I read this thread, I have been cleaning all my guns, 22LR included, every time I get back from the range and have done so for over 30 years now.

I got back from the range on Tuesday, after the first firing of my newly acquired M&P 22LR, then came home and cleaned it. cleaned it as soon as I bought it too!

So I will have to see if it has affected accuracy any the next time I shoot it

thanks for the advice I would have been cleaning it everytime I shot it

You learn something new everyday
and sometimes it is actually usefull like this info

 

[HermanH]

I'm trying this out on my Springfield Armory as we speak.
I've had 3 outings with my 45ACP and have yet to clean the barrel. I look inside, and as long as I do not detect any 'leading' (using Mastercast hard-cast bullets), I'm going to see how long it takes before I need to clean/lube it. Right now, I"m sitting at about 500 rounds of which 200 I think were some Remington Eagle 230 gr. RND, the other 300 or so all handloads.

However, I was going to do the same with the M&P but my future son-in-law, who was on leave from Camp Pendelton, wanted to impress me so he showed me how 'they' clean their AR-15's. So it got cleaned after 1,000 rounds but I will admit, the first day I got the rife, I field stripped it to familarize myself with it, and decided to clean and lube it FIRST.

Quite frankly, the only breakin' being done is in the trigger. That and "maybe" heat-cycling the barrel is a form of break-in but I really don't know since I"m new to rifles.

 

[DownRange&Upwind]

I realize this is an old post....

I don't believe that cleaning the barrel of a 22LR like the 15-22 will increase the (useful) accuracy, reliability, or longevity of the gun.

22LR ammo is non-corrosive. Incorrect cleaning can have a negative effect on those things, though. Therefore, why bother?

People tend to clean the bore of a 22 because they can, not because it needs it.

If you're shooting ammo that costs less than $10-per-50, you don't need the extra accuracy potential that might come from bore-cleaning.

I just spoke now, for the last time to S&W over this very post. I called 6 times through out the past 2 days,( to get multiple S&W rep replies on this matter before posting a reply) and got a different person each time I called. I myself am of the "old school" of shoot it.. clean it.. every time. But his post made me curious at the very least. I am in NO way knocking a fellow member, or even trying to be rude. I was just curious, and wanted a "offical S&W answer". Turns out this post is the exact OPPOSITE that S&W recommends! I was told by ALL the reps that NOT cleaning it WILL affect the accuracy over time and allow lead, etc build up to engrain itself in the rifling/twist of the barrel. And if left uncleaned for "too long" of a time period, WILL affect overall performance.

They also told me that the comment about the not cleaning the bore wouldnt affect longevity and reliability of the rifle,was wrong.( I asked it like it was my question to them) As if the rifle ISNT bore cleaned it WILL cause the barrel to perfrom under its maximum potential, thus reducing accuracy and allowing for a "harder" buildup inthe barel taht will be more diffuclt to remove if left unattended. They told me( each rep) that even though its a .22 caliber that the barrel still NEEDS to be cleaned/ boresnaked thouroughly.

Lastly the comment of not "needing the extra accuracy potential". Sorry but to me.. and I am willing to bet other rifle owner as well.. that we will take ALL the accuracy we can get.

 

[Rustpot]

The jacketed Remington and Federal bulk packs are cheap enough you don't ever need to run LRN .22 through the barrel. That takes care of the lead build up over time issue. The best accuracy you'll get is a clean bore with under 50 shots through it. If you're going for MAXIMUM accuracy you'd bring a 3-point rest to the range, a cleaning kit, a temperature gauge, and ammo that costs more than bulk .223, so why bother with a 15-22? It's a plinker and trainer, not a match gun.

I clean my guns periodically. My 15-22 has maybe 200 rounds through it without being cleaned, my SKS gets the barrel at minimum cleaned since it's not a chrome-lined barrel and I'm shooting surplus ammo, and my Sig pistols get cleaned when they start to feel gritty and the grease I use is black instead of red.

 

[DownRange&Upwind]

so why bother with a 15-22? It's a plinker and trainer, not a match gun.

Sorry man, but the 1522 IS a match gun. Thus the "match grade barrel" Even S&W lists it as such on their site in the rifles info. Also at my local range there are a few fun shoots, as well as a few actual matches per month and the 15 22 Is allowed in on the action. .22 caliber Shooters are graded on accuracy, distance and time. Same as every other class. Granted it is a differernt scoring system than a 9mm .45 ACP or 5.56 but still it is allowed into matches regularly.

 

[grimreaper21]

alright so we have people saying yes clean it or accurracy is negatively affected, and people saying no don't clean it or accuracy is negatively effected. I'd really like to know the deal here before i pick up my new rifle. This makes me not even want to clean it with the boresnake until i know for sure. keep in mind s&w customer service is not exactly always all-knowledgable either; they used to say just switch the safety to on with the bolt forward, and to "force it to work it in because it is new", this all before correcting their mistake and re-issuing a new manual stating it has to be pulled back first or it will cause damage.

 

[DownRange&Upwind]

alright so we have people saying yes clean it or accurracy is negatively affected, and people saying no don't clean it or accuracy is negatively effected. I'd really like to know the deal here before i pick up my new rifle. This makes me not even want to clean it with the boresnake until i know for sure. keep in mind s&w customer service is not exactly always all-knowledgable either; they used to say just switch the safety to on with the bolt forward, and to "force it to work it in because it is new", this all before correcting their mistake and re-issuing a new manual stating it has to be pulled back first or it will cause damage.

Now first and foremost im not claiming to a expert on this matter. Im just saying what the onwers manual says to do. And it says to FULLY clean it before even firing it. It further states to " Remove all firing residue from the bore AND chamber using a properly fited brush". It also states If the firearm has been exposed to sand,dust,extreme humidity, water or other adverse conditons(firing) it MUST be cleaned and fully lubricated. Also it says "cleaning your firearm is essential to the proper functioning of the weapon. Your firearm is a precission instrument. To ensure reliable function, it IS necessary to follow a routine maintenace procedure. After firing your firearm, be sure to unload it following the procedure outlined in this manual and perfrom a cleaning and maintenace procedure."

Either way think about it. Shouldnt a clean bore provide better service than a dirty one? If the same people that will foot the bill for repairing the rifle, Instructs you in the owners manual TO clean the bore and rifle after firing, wouldnt you think they would know their own business? Im pretty sure they, nor any company are not in the business of giving away services for free if they dont have to. Again Im not saying this is the "gospel truth" just what the manual says. And really. The post up above says we dont "need the extra accuracy potetnial" of bore cleaning a. 22. Personaly I take that statement to mean just that... bore cleaning means better accuracy potential. Of course this is based on the shooter's skills as well.

 

[grimreaper21]

logically, that does make the most sense, but i've learned logic is not always the case.

 

[m******g]

I'm what you might call a born again gun enthusiast and purchased a M&P 15-22 two weeks ago. I haven't fired it yet, but will be trying it out this weekend. I'm a little confused about the whole clean the barrel/don't clean the barrel thing. Personally I think I'm going to clean the barrel like the manual says but just not be so anal about it. I'm cleaning the factory oil/lube from the bolt and trigger as I write this and have run my bore snake through the barrel once. After a VERY light coat of oil I'm going to call it "ready to fire". I paid a lot of money to get several different kinds of hard to find ammunition and plan on spending most of the day at the range to zero in my iron sights, magpul backup flip up sights and carry handle rear sights. I can't wait. Any suggestions as to what else I might consider doing are welcome. Be safe and have fun!

 

[Rook82]

My 2 cents:

The important parts to keep clean are 1, the chamber (including feed area) and 2, the bolt face. These areas affect chambering and proper firing. Built up gunk in either of these areas will cause a multitude of issues from miss feeds to failures to extract or failures to fire. Now that does not mean you have to clean it every 50 rounds. I have spent shooting sessions with the 15-22 and many other firearms that count close to 1,000 rounds without cleaning. That is rare and usually I only go through 200 rounds at most at a session. After that mark I tend to lose concentration and am just pulling the trigger and blowing through ammo without any benefit. But that is just me. but even in those high volume sessions, I never had issues with any firearm. From numerous manufacturers center fire and rim fire pistols, revolvers, semi and bolt action rifles. If anything I have found most semi autos whether pistols or rifles come into it after getting some rounds out. 50+ rounds and things start to really work well. The only time I have seen accuracy decreases is after approximately 500 rounds in Bolt action precision shooting. That is in rimfire as I have never shot center fire that much due to cost, etc.

I have almost always cleaned my weapons after a shooting session though. One reason being that I just simply like to make sure a weapon is good to go when put away. During the cleaning process you also get to check for problems. Something may be out of place or a spring broken, etc. That is critical to making sure when you shoot the firearm next, that you chances of it working and sending rounds successfully are at their maximum. The difference between a fouled 22LR barrel and a maximum state is not like you will be missing by more then inches at 100 yards. You may see accuracy fall from a 1.5 moa to 2 or 3 inches (in my experience). That is not imho a noticeable difference in the 15-22's real of operation. While there are a few who may use it for precision, for most it is a fun plinker or training tool. Be honest in that if you want to shoot precision, there are just tons of more suited designs out there for many reasons. The same in center fire. What do you see snipers using? AR-15's like the assault force or something in bolt action or precision designed semi. The point is that the AR platform is not designed for ultimate precision. It is designed for fast target acquisition, large round capacity, portability, and to a point, durability. So worrying about if the barrel has a few hundred down it is not really of the utmost concern. But keeping function up by keeping a the moving parts and chamber clean is important. There is just a higher chance a clean or relatively clean action will function properly.

Like I said, that is just my opinions from some years and many many thousands of rounds fired. I prefer a clean firearm when put away, but do not get crazy with it when playing (unless something is wrong). I just wipe down the bolt face and feed area on the 15-22 every few hundred during a long session. But I do clean it when home and boresnake the barrel after every session. That,s just me. Everyone can come to their own conclusions for what they want to do. This style has never let me down or caused any harm to any firearm I have owned. But it has saved me a few times in noticing something amiss during the after shoot cleaning. like I said...my 2 cents.