.22 RF Cleaning Frequency

[smkummer]

You can find out how many rounds in any semi auto it will fire before cleaning and that is to shoot it until you get misfires. I think most 22 rifles will go around 500 rounds depending on brand of ammo and it appears my colt 22 pistols don’t make it that long before misfires, but they are easier to clean just by locking back the slide and cleaning the breech, feed ramp and bolt face with a toothbrush and solvent. 22 semi rifles need the trigger group cleaned as well. 22 revolvers are not immune as the chambers get crud rings that don’t allow the cartridge to fully seat which softens the hammer blow and eventual misfires. Lever, pump and bolt rifles seem to shoot forever with little issues.

[earlmck]

I didn't realize people cleaned 22 rimfires. Interesting.

[dverna]

When I shot a lot of .22's, it was through a Hi-Standard for Bullseye. Ammunition must have been better then, as I cleaned it after about 3-5000 rounds. Never had to...just felt the need to.

Might clean the current crop of pistols every couple of thousand rounds and rifles every 500 or so but only because I do not shoot them much anymore. Likely three years since I cleaned one.

[kevin c]

I clean actions (occasionally) and carefully removed carbon buildup on the muzzle crowns (rarely). I don't think I have ever put a wet patch, let alone a brush, through the bores, and this after fifty thousand rounds through each barrel, mainly cheap bulk ammo, which I think might be a bit dirtier than premium brands.

[jonp]

Depends. I always wipe the outside down but as for the bore, couple of times a year unless I'm bored.

[ShooterAZ]

For my match 22 autopistols, I also pull a boresnake through the bore about every 500 rounds or so. I clean the breachface and chamber area every time I shoot them. Just a couple of q-tips is usually all it takes for that. I do a strip down/detail cleaning once a year.

[Jedman]

I hav owned many 22's and usually start out with a clean bore and unless accuracy goes south I don't clean them much. I did buy a Savage bolt action rifle for one of my grandsons a few years ago and it had a 3 X 9 scope on it. That rifle with a clean bore would shoot 1/2" @ 50 yards for about 20 shots and then quickly go down hill until brushed and patched clean. I looked several times down the bore in bright sunlight to see if it looked rough but the bore looked smooth and shiny. If it was my rifle I would play with it and if I couldn't make it better it would be sold but the boy doesn't really like guns so well and it sits in a closet now I guess ?

Jedman

[Outpost75]

When I was actively competing in NRA pistol and smallbore rifle, rifles would get a patch wet with Kroil, Hoppes or Mil-C-372B pushed through the bore and left wet at the end of the days firing. Before firing again, another wet patch to push out the soft crud, then two dry patches and shoot.

Semi-auto target pistols got the same treatment, but in addition the barrel face and slide face would be scrubbed with a toothbrush to clear debris from the boltface, extractor and extractor cuts at the end of each day's firing. Prior to firing again repeat the one wet patch, two dry patches, then brush the barrel face and slide face with a horse hair brush to clear away any soft and loosened fouling. One drop of USP mineral oil onto slide rails and cycle slide a few times to distribute, then wipe exterior of gun and open breech surfaces with baby diaper to remove excess oil and dirt, then good to go for the day's match.

PPC revolvers got thorough duty cleaning.

[nicholst55]

Much depends on what your intended use for your .22 is. If all you want to do is make noise and a hole somewhere in a target, never clean it. If you're shooting for tight groups, then routine maintenance and cleaning is necessary, just like a centerfire firearm. I don't buy into the 'never clean a .22' mantra. If anyone is interested in details, I can refer you to a 45-page article on the need to clean rimfire bores for top accuracy. PM me.

[Alferd Packer]

Any one concerned about wear on the rifling or wear at the muzzle from a cleaning rod can use a pull thru made from a istring and a patch .
A string, about three feet long with a suitable small weight, a small paper clip or piece of bent wire with a few small lead fishing line weights crimped on the wire.
At the other end you can tie on an eye that you can pull cut up patches thru.
You can pull a dry patch thru to brush out loose stuff and then put on a clean patch and from the breech drop in the pull thru and get the patch to start in the chamber.
Put some solvent in the chamber to soak the patch keeping muzzle down and pull the wet patch thru.
Maybe another wet patch again and follow with dry patches till they come out clean.
Then an oily patch or two followed by a couple dry ones and look thru the bore to see it clean and shiny.
You can also tie a bore brush on in between the patches . I use waxed string, waxed by me so I can wipe off the string if it gets dirty.
A piece of clothes line rope will work well as a pull thru too with the attachments tied on with string. I like to braid the string and rub a piece of wax up and down it and the string won't rot on you.

[pertnear]

I didn't realize people cleaned 22 rimfires. Interesting.

I thought a good .22 was like a good coffee pot - you never clean it. Wouldn't want to ruin it.

[wilecoyote]

...after any shooting session, as all my other guns.

[BLAHUT]

RUN A ROD THROUGH AFTER EVERY MATCH OR PRACTICE SESSION JUST TO KNOCK OUT ALL THE CLUNKERS. THEN BORT TEC ELIMIMATOR TWO TIME A YEAR. I WILL NOT SHOOT PLATED .22s THROUGH AND OF MY TARGET GUNS. CLEAN ACTION EVERY SHOOTING SESSION. ALL BOLT ACTIONS. ALL THE AUTOMATIC .22 MATCH PISTOLS GET A COMPLEET CLEANING AFTER EVERY SESSION. THEY ARE MORE FUSSEY. THE .22 FREE PISTOLS GETS A COMPLEET CLEANING A FEW TIMES A YEAR, DEPENDS ON HOW THEY ARE ACTING?

[johniv]

Rim fire, center fire, rifle, handgun or shotgun. It goes back into the safe clean and oiled.

[Hannibal]

Since the lower velocity target ammo is coated with lube I've noticed it takes around 10 shots to recoat the bore and the point of impact to return to the point of aim after a good cleaning. I've not noticed any such problem with plated ammo.

I don't get to shoot on a regular basis and weeks or months may pass before I shoot a .22 again. So I clean throughly, lube heavily and pull a boresnake through once before shooting again to remove most of the lube.

If you don't clean and oil regularly don't ever buy a borescope or you'll discover things you were blissfully unaware of before including pitted bores. Ask how I know.

[tazman]

If you don't clean and oil regularly don't ever buy a borescope or you'll discover things you were blissfully unaware of before including pitted bores. Ask how I know.

That is SOOOOOO true, as I found out when I bought my bore scope.

[BadgerShooter]

The Army Marksmanship Unit Armorers I talked to said they clean once or twice a year or if accuracy drops off. Shooters are running about 1000 rnds a week in practice and competition.

[Texas by God]

Every few years for my bolt action .22s, every few decades for my Nylon 66!

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Minerat]

Like the center fire stuff- I do it all when I get back from shooting since it might be several months before I take it out again.

Right after I get back from shooting unless I plan to shoot within a week.

[pertnear]

I was on the ROTC rifle team for all of my high school years. We practiced every morning before class & the final period of each day. We were issued Rem 513T's & 40XB's. We shot Rem standard velocity lead bullets for practice & switched to Win pistol match ammo for competitions. We went through many thousands of rounds. We very rarely cleaned the bores of those rifles. I don't ever remember a shooter or our coach thinking a rifle was not accurate enough to shoot a perfect score. Seeing that 1 click on the receiver sight was noticeable & verifiable was a testament to the rifles' accuracy. We did wipe the rifles down with oil once they were put back in the armory racks but very lightly & not on the front or rear sights.

Ever since then I've taken good care of my .22 rifles & pistols but not worried too much about bore cleaning. I don't have enough money or time to ever put as many .22 LR down one of my gun barrels as we did with those match rifles!