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.22 rimfire cleaning
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 Posted: Fri Apr 4th, 2008 08:02 PM
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nicholiath
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How often do you lads clean the barrels on your rimfire rifles?



 Posted: Sat Apr 5th, 2008 01:32 PM
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sdb777
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Every time I finish shooting.  Been doing that since I was a small kid, and it's kind of stuck...do it with every rifle/handgun I own.

 

 

Scott (no crud testing here) B



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 Posted: Sat Apr 5th, 2008 01:54 PM
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NordicRX8
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I'm one of those types that likes to clean my firearms after each shooting session.  Whether it be long or handguns.  Depending on how many rounds I put downrange (and the type of projectiles used), determines how much effort and time is spent on the barrel and action.  I normally field strip and clean after each shooting seesion, but will detain strip and clean after every third or fourth session. 

Regards,
8
 



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 Posted: Sat Apr 5th, 2008 06:20 PM
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nicholiath
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Thanks for the information lads.



 Posted: Fri Oct 2nd, 2009 06:39 PM
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rc
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I know this thread had been here for some time but I'll give my 2 cents. If you shoot every day, clean when the barrel accuracy tapers off, the action gets gunked up or about 500 rounds. Whatever happens first. I think cleaning more often is not really needed but frequency also depends on action type. Just wipe the exterior with oil after handing the rifle if you use it every day. If you live in a humid environment or plan on letting your rifle sit for months between uses, I'd clean after every outing because you want to clean out the powder fouling and leave a coat of oil to protect the bore. A bolt action or other fixed breech .22 will "need" cleaning much less than a semi auto because there is not as much powder fouling that is left in the action. You might not need to clean a bolt gun until the accuracy falls off which will depend on ammunition characteristics. If the lube is good just keep shooting. If the lead bullets leave deposits like winchester "xpert", within short order you'll need to grab your rod and brush out the lead to maintain accuracy.

There are also different levels of cleaning. A .22 bolt gun will simply need a brush and a couple of patches and solvent down the bore plus some mechanism oiling for years and years without disassembly other than removing the bolt. A 10/22 or other semi may need the action wiped out periodically with a complete break down every few thousand rounds to remove gunk from the trigger group and behind the bolt in the action. At that point you'd have to decide if it's worth removing the barrel from the reciever to clean from the chamber end or to just shove your cleaning rod down the bore from the muzzle. I personally think if you are carful, cleaning from the muzzle on a factory sporter barrel is not really a big deal. Others will say clean from the chamber end only.

In conclusion, there is no hard and fast rule for cleaning. It is really up to the person who is using a firearm and how well they maintain their things. Even guns that were used and abused will last a lifetime if stored inside a house. They will just look terrible because of rust and may not function smoothly.



 Posted: Fri Oct 2nd, 2009 07:02 PM
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swampshooter
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I think about every 2,000 rounds or when you have function problems. When cleaning down to bare metal it will normally take about 30 shots for a .22 to start shooting well again. Personally I would never clean from the muzzle, but use good quality pull through, such as Otis. I don't care for the Bore Snakes as they accumulate grit. I've never had a rust problem, an uncleaned .22 has a coating of wax in the barrel.



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 Posted: Fri Oct 2nd, 2009 08:01 PM
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Don Fischer
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Back in the late 60's I shot indoor match and we never cleaned 22's. I started to once and a guy on my team stopped me. He was an olympic class shooter shooting a one of a kind Anschutz so I figured he knew what he was talking about. I did clean the action when it got guncky though.



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 Posted: Mon Oct 5th, 2009 02:23 PM
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Bigdog57
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I also clean the bore of a .22LR only when accuracy falls off or I change ammo.  It can take quite a few shots to 'reseason' the bore after cleaning and get the groups to settle down.

The action get's cleaned and lubed after shooting.



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