I normally clean my guns every time they're shot. On this gun with the take down screw I'm a bit concerned about wearing out the threads. I shoot on avg. 4 days out of 7 every week sometimes every day. How often do you folks clean your S22 Victory. I'm thinking 200 rounds ?
Cleaning S22 Victory
- Thread starter dumbear
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I have since traded mine away, but would use a bore snake and wipe down reachable parts with Hoppes. A light re-oil with Rem-oil would finish my after shooting clean-up.
Of course, I did not shoot it as often as you seem to do. I traded it away before I felt it needed a full take-down.
Of course, I did not shoot it as often as you seem to do. I traded it away before I felt it needed a full take-down.
Back when I used to shoot competition, I gave up on trying to clean the gun on a daily basis, and instead set a goal of a minor cleaning every 5,000 rounds, and a detail strip and clean at 20,000 rounds. This was with my USPSA .45 ACP match gun, and the intervals worked out well; allowing me to concentrate on practice, not gun cleaning. Your results may be different, depending on how amenable your .22 is to extended periods between cleaning. The only way to know if it'll work is to try it.
Best of luck to you.
Best of luck to you.
Targets Guy
US Veteran
I clean mine after every range trip.
My wife has one and it DEMANDS to be cleaned at the maximum every two times she goes to the range. Gun is quite accurate but it gets dirty and it turns into a jam-a-mattic.
She shoots bullseye and target practice at our home range weakly. She tried using a snake like tool to go from the mag well to the muzzle but a couple people she shoots with talked her out of that. So now she does a barrel pull every clean up!
As far as the barrel screw goes she has used the right lock tight to keep that barrel in for a while. That works but its a bit difficult to get undone. She tried the washer that did not work well. She now is on her 4th screw sent from S&W with the stuff in the thread. She gets about 10 take downs and the screw starts loosening again.
I tried working with her as I have been a pistol shooter since early 1970s.
Just like trying to teach her to drive standard she refuses to listen to me for the most part.
I was a NRA pistol instructor and helped her when she first got interested in shooting a couple years ago but way too many good intentioned people at the range tell her to do it their way. She shoots with 4 woman only groups and I get the distinct feeling they do not want help from a male!
My best thing at this point is to let her sink or swim and gun clean on her own volition. (FWIW now married 48 years)
She shoots bullseye and target practice at our home range weakly. She tried using a snake like tool to go from the mag well to the muzzle but a couple people she shoots with talked her out of that. So now she does a barrel pull every clean up!
As far as the barrel screw goes she has used the right lock tight to keep that barrel in for a while. That works but its a bit difficult to get undone. She tried the washer that did not work well. She now is on her 4th screw sent from S&W with the stuff in the thread. She gets about 10 take downs and the screw starts loosening again.
I tried working with her as I have been a pistol shooter since early 1970s.
Just like trying to teach her to drive standard she refuses to listen to me for the most part. I was a NRA pistol instructor and helped her when she first got interested in shooting a couple years ago but way too many good intentioned people at the range tell her to do it their way. She shoots with 4 woman only groups and I get the distinct feeling they do not want help from a male!
My best thing at this point is to let her sink or swim and gun clean on her own volition. (FWIW now married 48 years)
I agree. I have done that for all my guns for years. I'm not like the guy who never changes oil on his car, just adds when needed!!!
Some real amusing comments. 
chiefbob81
US Veteran
I used to tell my brother-in-law my idea of cleaning a gun was to sell it. Boy did that spin him up, may he rest in peace!
I use a bore-snake on mine along with a gun brush to clean debris out of the chamber area and a good aerosol spray gun oil, G96, for lubrication.
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RGVshooter
Member
I disagree. I wouldn't suggest using spray oil on the Victory and I'll tell ya why. For one it's a 22 pistol and we all know how dirty shooting 22's can be. I have seen many pistols with way too much oil on them and that is where a lot of shooters start having reliability issues with the gunk sticking to the oil and slowing down the action. The instruction manual specifically shows exactly where to put the oil, and how much. which is one drop along side the rails on the bolt. That is all you need.
To the OP.
My suggestion is to clean the pistol after every range trip if you want to have a relatively fun day at the range. Don't stress over the take down screw, you're fine as long as you hand tighten it. There is no need to gorilla tighten the screw down or use a torque wrench as some might suggest. Doing so, may lead to problems with the screw later down the road. Do not use loctite on the threads & don't waste your time using a small O-ring because if it was necessary, S&W would have supplied it that way from the factory.
Electraclyde
Member
I clean mine about every 200 to 300 rounds. Most shooting is done with a suppressor so it gets dirty faster. I do not worry about the take down screw. If it "wears out" I will just replace it.
Well said!!!
One, you get no sympathy from me, pard.
Two, the ladies' shootin' groups, in my experience, need a man like a fish needs a bicycle.
BigDog48
US Veteran
I'd say it depends on your ammo, and how soon you are going to shoot again. If it is in a day or 2, and you're not shooting really dirty ammo, I'd use the bore snake and a brush to clean in the open chamber.
Like the others, I wouldn't worry about the screw. You have a lifetime warranty and S&W will ship you one if needed. There's no such thing as "wearing out threads" assuming you don't cross-thread them. You can strip the head by using the wrong size allen key or tightening them "gorilla-tight".
Like the others, I wouldn't worry about the screw. You have a lifetime warranty and S&W will ship you one if needed. There's no such thing as "wearing out threads" assuming you don't cross-thread them. You can strip the head by using the wrong size allen key or tightening them "gorilla-tight".
There is a huge difference between a very light spray of oil and dousing the whole action. A little common sense applies here, and I do understand your point about over lubrication. I was just sharing what I have been doing for some time.
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One, you get no sympathy from me, pard.
Two, the ladies' shootin' groups, in my experience, need a man like a fish needs a bicycle.
The wife is doing good, she has improved dramatically in the 18 or so months she has been actively shooting. I help her out at the house range.I was a NRA firearms instructor specializing in mostly hand guns way back when (70s-80s), so I did teach her right. Of course each instructor has their pet way of doing things. She is now shooting well enough that they do not tell her try it this way, so her life is much better.
Haveing all sort of different people having her do different things was difficult. Slowly but shortly she is admitting what I was showing her was OK.
Sort of like my kids when they hit about 25, now thinking dad was a bit smarter that was given credit for!
For my .22 bullseye gun, I clean it at the beginning of the winter season, (indoor league) and wipe it down each week but don't clean it until the league is finished, (10 weeks). Then give it a good cleaning. I shoot it only occasionally during the summer and only wipe down after those sessions, probably only 300-500 rounds all summer and clean before winter league starts up again.
fiasconva
US Veteran
I'd be willing to bet that if you wear that screw out S&W customer service will gladly send you a new one free of charge.
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