Cleaning a .22 or not...

Rimfire bolt action rifles, lever action, pump action and self loading rifles. Air rifles.

Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by artimu » 16 Dec 2013, 5:43 pm

Hi all,

I'd just peoples feedback on cleaning their rimfire 22's, how often they do it... Or not...

Plenty of mixed opinions it seems on cleaning them, or leaving them dirty for consistent barrels.

What do you guys think?

Rifles need cleaning, right? Not sure what the argument for never cleaning them is?
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Baldrick314 » 17 Dec 2013, 4:02 pm

I clean mine whenever I use it and it shoots consistently. I know a lot of people recommend not cleaning them but I've seen no ill effects from cleaning mine. I'd especially recommend cleaning if you're using copper jacketed rounds
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Harts » 18 Dec 2013, 7:39 am

For storing and maintain them I'd say clean as usual, but it's not unexpected that a clean .22 performs differently to a barrel that has a few shots worth of fouling in it.

Consistency is the more the issue with going back and forth from clean to dirty. There is no inherent lack of accuracy in a clean barrel.

Once your barrel has a few shots worth of fouling in it, it will reach it's "norm" for the following shots. Cleaning out this fouling will create a different result. This could be a change in POI or accuracy or whatever, but again once there are a few shots worth of fouling in the barrel again it should return to "norm"

As I said, it's not unexpected that cleaning a .22 (or any rifle) will have a temporary effect on accuracy, but that's a stupid reason to never clean it IMO.

Other may disagree but that's my 2c.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by BBJ » 18 Dec 2013, 11:15 am

Harts wrote:Once your barrel has a few shots worth of fouling in it, it will reach it's "norm" for the following shots. Cleaning out this fouling will create a different result. This could be a change in POI or accuracy or whatever, but again once there are a few shots worth of fouling in the barrel again it should return to "norm"

As I said, it's not unexpected that cleaning a .22 (or any rifle) will have a temporary effect on accuracy, but that's a stupid reason to never clean it IMO.


I'd second all that.

I don't mind putting a hundred rounds or more through without cleaning it, but cleaning before it goes away for a while is a must IMO. Just fundamental firearm maintenance really...

Artimu, I know the kinds of comments you're talking about. A few people seem to get in a huff over a change in accuracy immediately after cleaning an immediately leap to "cleaning rimfires is bad" :roll:

I don't see what the big deal is about shooting half a dozen rounds to normalise things when you take it out for the first time after a clean...
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Lorgar » 18 Dec 2013, 12:16 pm

Do a bit of Googling on cleaning .22 barrels and wax coated projectiles.

It's this wax coating which is what all the hoo-ha is about and cleaning it out of a worn in barrel.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by disko » 19 Dec 2013, 9:22 am

The 'dirty barrel' stuff was discussed here also, Artimu - viewtopic.php?f=17&t=168

Probably worth your reading.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Warrigul » 19 Dec 2013, 9:31 am

Gotta love the "do I clean .22's" topic,

I never have but always put a couple of rounds down each barrel every four weeks.

My mate does and his rifle seems to be accurate.

Dad never does but my Uncle always cleans and they both have Brnos that are older than I am that are still deadly.

You will never win on this subject but I will say that any rifle that isn't used regularly is subject to corrosion and if I was laying a .22 down for ten years I would clean it out and oil it well.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by RealNick » 19 Dec 2013, 9:41 am

Literally nothing though, Warrigul?

Not even a quick pass with a solvent patch and some oil to preserve things?
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Warrigul » 19 Dec 2013, 1:40 pm

RealNick wrote:Literally nothing though, Warrigul?

Not even a quick pass with a solvent patch and some oil to preserve things?


Never, nothing Zip, nada. None of the .22 rimfires I have, including the pistols have never had the bore cleaned.
I always wipe down external surfaces and oil and clean the rubbish off the bolt though.

However if someone wishes to clean a rifle properly then there is nothing stopping them and I can't say which way is more virtuous.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Tinked » 19 Dec 2013, 2:11 pm

Just out of curiosity, any idea how many rounds you've put down your 22 total, Warrigul?
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by on_one_wheel » 19 Dec 2013, 4:09 pm

I've cleaned my .22 barrel about 4 times in the 18 years I've owned it.

Normally after it gets dirty on windy / dusty days when sand and dirt has found its way into the action. After cleaning it generally takes 20 shots to settle in again.

.22's don't suffer from lead / copper fowling like high powered rifles and the wax dose a great job of preventing rust. I carry a pullthrough just in case I stub the muzzle into the dirt or something while hiking.

All that said my bolt has been stripped, cleaned and re greased about 8 times, and the outside gets a wipe down with an oily rag before storage.

Oh yeah... and I recon I've put at least 3000 rounds through it, all Power Points and the odd pack of subsonics and it still shoots as good as day one.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Norton » 19 Dec 2013, 7:55 pm

Warrigul wrote:Gotta love the "do I clean .22's" topic


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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Warrigul » 19 Dec 2013, 8:01 pm

Tinked wrote:Just out of curiosity, any idea how many rounds you've put down your 22 total, Warrigul?


I can actually answer that pretty accurately,for rabbits, roo and possum at night I only use Power point subs(apart from a brick of remingtons which we won't talk about) in my pre accutrigger Savage, all the receipts from when I booked them up are in the bottom of the ammo cabinet and there are ten bricks so that is only 5000 odd rounds.

My club rifle I have no idea but conservately 100 rounds per month x 12 x six years makes 7200 rounds plus whatever my brother and kids have done.

Dads bruno has been used by him, me, my kids and my brother for many years both on the farm, spotlighting and also range work so I don't really know but he reckons tens of thousands.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Lorgar » 20 Dec 2013, 10:40 am

Gah,

This is going to piss me off now.

I pick up my first .22LR in the next day or two, I won't know what to do :lol:
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Warrigul » 20 Dec 2013, 1:01 pm

Lorgar wrote:Gah,

This is going to piss me off now.

I pick up my first .22LR in the next day or two, I won't know what to do :lol:


It is very important that you clean the rifle before you shoot it, they usually have a bit of preservative or machining gunk in them.

After that do as you please, I don't think cleaning them actually does any damage as most benchrest shooters clean barrels religiously. However if you can't be bothered going through the whole regeime just clean the bolt, give the outside a wipe and put it away.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Aster » 20 Dec 2013, 1:33 pm

Lorgar wrote:This is going to piss me off now.

I pick up my first .22LR in the next day or two, I won't know what to do :lol:


I'll take the problem off your hands ;)
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Lorgar » 20 Dec 2013, 1:37 pm

Warrigul wrote:It is very important that you clean the rifle before you shoot it, they usually have a bit of preservative or machining gunk in them.


Yeah mate, I will. When I ran the first patch through one of my Hawkeye's it was literally dripping with grease. Looks like they blurted it in with a caulking gun.

Warrigul wrote:After that do as you please, I don't think cleaning them actually does any damage as most benchrest shooters clean barrels religiously. However if you can't be bothered going through the whole regeime just clean the bolt, give the outside a wipe and put it away.


I don't subscribe to the various 'religious' level cleaning routines.

My centrefires get a clean after every outing which usually means anywhere from 50-100 rounds. Or I might skip it if I'm going out shooting again within a week or two.

I'm sure I'll figure the .22 out ;)
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Warrigul » 21 Dec 2013, 10:23 am

Lorgar wrote:I don't subscribe to the various 'religious' level cleaning routines.

My centrefires get a clean after every outing which usually means anywhere from 50-100 rounds. Or I might skip it if I'm going out shooting again within a week or two.


When it comes to centerfires I am one of those religious nuts when it comes to cleaning, it is invoked by learning how to shoot long distance in the company of fullbore shooters...

And I also accept that, especially with stainless barrels, it often does no harm to not clean for at least 100 shots.

I am trialling my .223 Stainless Howa at the moment I am up to 78 shots without a clean and it is still accurate, it is very hard to resist throwing a cleaning rod with powder solvent through it every time. Sometimes it is hard to step away from what we are initially taught and look at an issue pragmatically.

I am no expert either.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Lorgar » 21 Dec 2013, 11:37 am

Warrigul wrote:And I also accept that, especially with stainless barrels, it often does no harm to not clean for at least 100 shots.


Like my signature says, I have 2 Ruger Hawkeyes - my .308 is blued and my .243 is stainless.

They both get the exact same treatment and I can't see a difference in either of them due to it.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Warrigul » 21 Dec 2013, 9:06 pm

Lorgar wrote:
Warrigul wrote:And I also accept that, especially with stainless barrels, it often does no harm to not clean for at least 100 shots.


Like my signature says, I have 2 Ruger Hawkeyes - my .308 is blued and my .243 is stainless.

They both get the exact same treatment and I can't see a difference in either of them due to it.


When it comes to centerfires I often worry about carbon barrels and rust, I must do a trial one day and see what happens if say 20 shots are fired and it is put away without cleaning for a few months.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by chickapow » 22 Dec 2013, 8:06 am

You could always buy a cheap plinker off used guns for a hundred bucks and sacrifice it in the name of science :D
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Lorgar » 24 Dec 2013, 8:56 am

FYI artimu,

Just picked up my Anschutz 22LR and their manual says for new rifles clean after 1,000 rounds.

From then one clean once every 5,000 rounds.

Straight from the horses mouth.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by Warrigul » 24 Dec 2013, 1:08 pm

Lorgar wrote:FYI artimu,

Just picked up my Anschutz 22LR and their manual says for new rifles clean after 1,000 rounds.

From then one clean once every 5,000 rounds.

Straight from the horses mouth.


You can't get better than that.
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Re: Cleaning a .22 or not...

Post by sneaker » 24 Dec 2013, 1:59 pm

I like that 1,000 rounds still constitutes a 'new' rifle for rimfire :)
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