New rifle care query

[ajaxx]

Hey,

I just purchased my first rifle from a dealer ex demo only 200 rounds broke in, CZ 452, 22 rimfire and have a few queries.

1. Do I need to oil or lube it before I start using it or can I just start shooting? If so what oil/lube should I use?

2. How often should I clean it? After every use or once a year?

Thanks in advance,
Tim

[5Tom]

I'm sure there will be a few that might chime in and say that you should "wear in" the barrel or "clean it regularly", but for a .22 calibre rifle, there won't be any need to clean the barrel or lubricate it.

.22 ammo have a wax coating (afaik) and that wax is used to lubricate the barrel as the bullet is passing through it. You will also find that it may take between 5 to 50 rounds of ammo until the rifle is shooting more consistant due to the wax (fouling) in the barrel.

Thing is, you'll also need to buy many different brands of ammo to test for group accuracy and for each brand of ammo you test, you will need to send between 20-50 rounds through it before the rifle settles down for consistant accuracy due to the new build up of wax/fouling.

Unlike most other rifles, particularly centerfire rifles, it's preferred to clean after each shooting session. A .22 you can just shoot and store away. If your keen to keep maintenance on it, spray and wipe some G96 on the barrel, action, trigger and chamber to get any carbon or oily finger prints of it, but leave the rifling.

[Brute]

Oil is for protecting the barrel from rust, not for lubricating it for shooting. No need to do that here.

As 5Tom mentioned, rimfire ammo has a wax coating which continually lubes the barrel and protects it. Have a feel of the bullets in your .22 ammo and you will feel the coating.

No need to oil it, but definitely give it 1 clean before using just to make sure the barrel is good to go and has no obstructions in it. If a rifle is to be stored for a while some people will put a thick layer of oil in to protect it, but you want to get that out before shooting.

As above, most people prefer not to clean their .22 after each shoot. Others clean it once every couple of thousand rounds just to make sure things are maintained well.

[ajaxx]

Thanks guys, very helpful.

[Boatman]

Some guys like to clean their 22 after every shoot, but that's really only personal preference.

One of the other guys here recently got a new Anschutz and the instruction manual for it says to only clean every 5,000 rounds.

[Member-Deleted]

Didn't the seller mention the last time it was cleaned or if it was cleaned at all?

[Yelp]

No need for the inside of the barrel like the guys have explained.

Still need to clean and maintain the action, barrel exterior, stock etc. though.

I've been using the Bore Tech solvents and oils for a while now. They seem to get a good rep all around too.

[Blackened]

Welcome ajaxx,

Like the guys have said, doesn't hurt to clean it every few thousands rounds but no need to do it after every shoot.

If for some reason you expect you won't be shooting it for months, it's not a bad idea to clean and oil it to prevent corrosion while it's out of use for extended periods of time.

Other than that though, after shooting just give the action, bolt and stock a while down with some cleaning gear, and a light oil to keep things pretty.