Cleaning question

[NDJeff]

Been cleaning my 15-22 after each shoot but have a basic question.. just how many times does it take to get a clean swab to come out of this barrel? Its taking like 20 runs through the bore to finally get a clean swab. I use a brush first with S&W barrel cleaner then light S&W oil..but it seems like it takes a lot of run through's to get it to come out clean.
What am I doing wrong? or is that normal???? I know 22LR tend to be dirty anyway but 20 runs?

 

[OKFC05]

When I clean a rimfire, which is not as often as a centerfire, I let the solvent soak for a few minutes, then clean.
If it seems still dirty after a few patches, I start over, not just keep running patches throught it. If there is any green residue, I let the bore soak in copper solvent.

 

[evnash]

Been cleaning my 15-22 after each shoot but have a basic question.. just how many times does it take to get a clean swab to come out of this barrel? Its taking like 20 runs through the bore to finally get a clean swab. I use a brush first with S&W barrel cleaner then light S&W oil..but it seems like it takes a lot of run through's to get it to come out clean.
What am I doing wrong? or is that normal???? I know 22LR tend to be dirty anyway but 20 runs?

buy a bore snake

 

[NDJeff]

Bore snake?

Not familiar with a bore snake. what's the difference between cleaning with a rod and this "snake"????

 

[Fondis Firearms]

Jeff, a bore snake is like a rope the same size as the bore of your rifle. It has small brush fibers in one section to aid in cleaning. You just pull it through the bore a time or two and it is clean. I just recently discovered bore snakes thanks to the guys in this fourm, and really like them. You can get them in any sporting goods store or catalog with the cleaning products. They are made for most every caliber. I recommend you give it a try. BTW they run somewhere between $14-$19 depending where you buy them.

 

[NDJeff]

Ok took a look at Utube on bore snakes... so then how do you clean all the crud off the bore snake? Or do you need two of em? one to clean and one to dry? or one to clean and oil and one to dry?

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Hi NDjeff,

Everyone has their own way of cleaning... boresnake... brush.. patches.. whatever. The key here is that the bore doesn't require a lot of attention. Keep the chamber spiffy, but don't sweat the barrel a great deal. These .22s shoot well with a dirty barrel.

ps. take care to steer clear of the ejector with a cleaning rod or boresnake...

 

[BELT_FED]

leave your barrel alone..... 22s will shoot tighter and tighter groups untill they "foul out" then just clean them and start over... it will takemany thousands of rds to dirty your barrel assuming you use copper washed ammo... you will do more damage to a rim fire barrel by cleaning than will be done by shooting it

 

[JustLost]

slightly related question...where are the lube points (if any)? manual doesn't mention any specific points. thanks guys!

 

[BELT_FED]

pretty much anything that moves needs a drop of oil ... keep that in mind and it works on all guns... if it moves it needs to be lubed.. period.. hope this helps

 

[Brett248Vista]

I clean my rifle after every outing, but I'm anal, some say Monk-ish...

But all I do to my bore is put a few drops of CLP down the barrel and pull the bore snake through one time.. The bore snake makes it easy, you don't have to worry about a solid rod hitting the ejector, the snake eliminates the need to make multiple passes, one pass does the work of a brush and a patch. The brush is brass so it's not going to tear up the bore.

If my fire control group is super dirty I do take it apart (again the anal thing) but most times I just get a rag down in there wipe it out, maybe use a q-tip or two. I tear the bolt down and clean it good and CLP it and I put a drop in each side of the hammer and trigger pins. I actually run Lithium Grease on the sear area of the hammer/trigger.

 

[Heith]

I do everything Bret does but with WD-40.

 

[whoppo]

+1 for the boresnake... a tiny bit of CLP and a single pull through is all the barrel needs.... and not as often as you might think.

The rest of the workings generally get a little blast of CLP and then a few moments with a Rem-Oil wipe. A dab of white lith on the sear and it gets put back together and into the cabinet.

I've owned a variety mil-ish firearms over the years, but this is my first one based on an AR design... (silly me) this is so easy to maintain compared to the others.

 

[kj2082]

Just a quick question, are all of these ok to use on the polymer. They shouldn't damage that at all, right?

 

[BeginingOfTheEnd]

My first cleaning on a new (or new to me ) firearm involves over doing it with break free, meticulously cleaning almost dry with q-tips, and a drop of lube on anything that moves, slides or rubs. After that I simply bore snake the barrel, lightly apply some break free, again w/ the q-tips and lube. Good rule of thumb my dad taught me, "Q-TIPS ARE CHEAP, GUNS AREN'T". Hope this helps

 

[Dennis89]

Agree with Brett248Vista - I've only owned my 15-22 for a few weeks and have put about 700 rds with zero issues. Cleaned after taking it out of the box and after each range visit. Easy to over oil, but that's common for any weapon. Great gun!

 

[CrazyFingers]

Holy necro-post Batman!

 

[Artichoke]

buy a bore snake

I agree. The fastest and best way to get it done. I run em in all my guns. It's especially effective in my Glock barrel.

 

[Gunslinger808]

You'll never get a barrel perfectly clean, no matter how many times you clean it there will always be residue.
And boresnakes are good for a quick clean, but not nearly as good as old fasion brushes and elbow grease.