Just wanted to know what regimen you all use to clean your .22 rimfires. How often are you cleaning them----every time out or less?

I have a couple .22's in hand gun, bolt, pump and semiauto. The hand gun and bolt is no problem but the pump and especially the semi (10/22) is a challenge. I like to clean from the breach and have not figured out how to do that on the 10/22. Any help would be appreciated.

I don't seem to get as much fouling out of these like I do in my centerfire models so I was wondering, maybe I don't have to clean these each time out.

thanks again JOHN

Almost never, at least the bore. Wipe down the outside to prevent rust, etc. .22 rimfires are lubed and you pretty much get a deposit of lube in the bore which helps a great deal. Worse, when you clean, you remove this, and it may not shoot quite the same from a perfectly clean barrel. Just something to be aware of. Of course if it got wet then you need to clean ASAP.

On the 10/22, you do need to clean out the action once in a while. Mostly you can do this with the bolt back and the magazine removed; if that doesn't do the job, you can take it out of the stock.

A bore guide is a good idea if you have to clean from the muzzle. 10/22s are popular enough that you should be able to find bore guides either for the standard or heavy barreled versions.

Can't clean from the breech on that gun, unless you take the barrel off, or drill a hole in the back of the receiver for a cleaning rod (can't see it when the gun is in the stock).

I own a ruger 10/22.

Some people say they never clean there .22 LR, others say they clean theres every time they come home from shooting.

Then theres well, what do you actually clean.
Some say they clean the whole thing, Others say just the barrel.


Well I dont know the "right" way to clean one, if there is 1 single right way. Im not into shooting tight groups, or compition shooting. I just set some skeets up all over the place and shoot em.


I clean the barrel out every other time I go shooting, or If I know im not going shooting for a while, I clean the whole thing out.

If you want to clean a Ruger 10/22 from the breach, Use a bore snake. What I have done is gotten some weed wacker line. One end I melted a little whith a lighter, and flattend the tip, the other side I cut with sizzors at an angle. This is so you can easily get a patch on the line, and it wont slide off the other side.

Then I run the line through the barrel, run a few patches through soaked with hopps#9. Ive never used a brush through my 10/22

If you go to RimFireCentral.com They have lots of information on 22.LR espically the Ruger 10/22


Hope this helps

I agree with the Bore Snake idea, its the best thing since sliced bread. I use them on all my rifles.
As for the 10-22, cleaning the action is a must in my opinion.
I have also heard before that 22s shoot better dirty and its not nesessary to clean the bore. I just have a hard time leaving one dirty, especially when ive cleaned everything else. Just my 2 cents.

Guns are like cars, do you wash them once a week or only when it rains out? Cleaning firearms (any kind) is a hot subject. Some guys are like me and completely clean and oil them each time out, others rarely clean them. Some ammo is dirty and you really need to do it often. I would at least wipe the outside down to prevent rust from your fingers and keep the guns lubed, but not so oily that oil is spraying on your shooting glasses. Its your money and firearms, as long as there accurate and you have no problems feeding, enjoy the sport.

I like to take apart my 10/22's action, bye doing so you can really clean the action well using breakfree to clean,then a small amount of remoil on my forfinger, then wipe the actions wear marks down with the remoil or whatever you prefer, I use to use sewing machine oil on semi's, nice and light like remoil, right where the ejector grabs the bullet, it seems to get gritty there as well, a metal brush and some hoppies will do the job to get it clean, don't really touch the barrel after I flitz it(handlap) Also it will depend on the type of ammo your using, well I will tell you those winchesterX are very dirty and will grit up that action quick, I just use Remington Yellow jackets JHP Hypers, they burn very clean and are very accurate, also use CCI high velocity golddots;) these are new and work quite well. So in tern if you start either jamming or accuracy starts to diminish time to clean the rifle, Myself I'm also ways cleaning after usage, just the action on the 10/22 semi's. I like to keep it smooth, to keep peening of the action I use bolt buffers, instead of the bolt hitting a metal bar when it slams back to eject the spent case from the chamber. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

I like to take apart my 10/22's action, bye doing so you can really clean the action well using breakfree to clean,then a small amount of remoil on my forfinger, then wipe the actions wear marks down with the remoil or whatever you prefer, I use to use sewing machine oil on semi's, nice and light like remoil, right where the ejector grabs the bullet, it seems to get gritty there as well, a metal brush and some hoppies will do the job to get it clean, don't really touch the barrel after I flitz it(handlap) Also it will depend on the type of ammo your using, well I will tell you those winchesterX are very dirty and will grit up that action quick, I just use Remington Yellow jackets JHP Hypers, they burn very clean and are very accurate, also use CCI high velocity golddots;) these are new and work quite well. So in tern if you start either jamming or accuracy starts to diminish time to clean the rifle, Myself I'm also ways cleaning after usage, just the action on the 10/22 semi's. I like to keep it smooth, to keep peening of the action I use bolt buffers, instead of the bolt hitting a metal bar when it slams back to eject the bullet from the chamber. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

In my experience with semiauto's, 95% of the feed problems are caused by dirty actions; none of the accuracy problems are caused by dirty actions. To keep the accuracy to acceptable levels, I run a boresnake through the barrel after every shooting session. Two passes with the snake and I'm done. When I run into feed problems, I take the action out of the furniture, douche it well with Birchwood/Casey BoreCleaner, relube it, reassemble it, and put it away. Way to many good firearms have been ruined by too much cleaning! Let the firearm tell you when it needs help.

gunwriter

A good bit of dissagreement here. Will usually clean the bore when the rifle tells me it needs it...and will tell me by shooting poor groups when it use to shoot good ones. Normal bore maintaince is just a patch to sweep out the fouling, but not a total bore cleaning.

When testing new .22 ammo, have found that some brands refuse to shoot well through another brands fouling...for expample, RWS ammo never seems to shoot well through anything but RWS fouling. The only truely uniform start we can create is "clean", so when testing, will start with a totally clean bore, fire 5-10 rounds to foul it, and then go for groups.

The action, esp. on semi-autos, need to be cleaned now and again. Are people who seem proud of how many rounds they can fire between cleanings...personally, I find that like braging about how long you can wear the same socks befor your toes fall off.

The way I look at it a dirty action will start to cause jams on a semi, should be cleaned and re-lubed lightly, A badly fouled barrel will cause accuracy problems, then clean the barrel, easy steps to take to have a well tuned rifle, as mentioned, cleaning the barrel, your sighting may change, I always shoot a foul shot before hunting to insure I'm on the mark, sometimes after cleaning I have to re-sight in the rifle, good till I clean again. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

I don't have a 10/22 but I clean my marlin 60 every time, taking the action apart. But it still jams on anything but CCI stingers, and even then it jams occasionally. :( Maybe I should let it get dirty and then maybe it will shoot well.

There is a few reasons the 10/22 will jam, not sure about your rifle's setup, but the extractor claw/spring was the first thing I changed to a high quality extractor, I can shoot anything with no hangups at all,bye looking at the factory claw compared to volquartsen extractor it was like night and day, the custom extractor had a deeper extractor and a better angle to accommodate more types of ammo, sometimes the rotary clip spring gets weak, all you need to do is tighten it up,your back in action. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

I don't have a 10/22 but I clean my marlin 60 every time, taking the action apart. But it still jams on anything but CCI stingers, and even then it jams occasionally. :( Maybe I should let it get dirty and then maybe it will shoot well.

I doubt if it will shoot better dirty. Stingers are pretty hot; most likely the problem is that the action is binding up somehow as it cycles. That alone is a pretty good clue that something is wrong.

Strip it down, cycle it slowly by hand, see if you can figure out where the problem is. Might need a tiny bit of polishing somewhere.

Semi-autos need to be clean, but not oily. Try one of the dry lubes as well (Rem-Dry, etc.) to avoid powder 'crud' build-up in the receiver. That's the problem with a blow-back action; they're going to get filthy.

My 10/22 has a stainless barrel, so I don't worry about that, but the action definitely needs an occasional cleaning. Same for my Mark II Ruger pistol, stainless is great for .22s that's for sure!

I've pretty well settled on CCI Mini-Mags for ammo in my .22s, so don't have to deal with the issues that Ribbonstone brought up with different brands of ammo not shooting well when fouled with another brand's powder, lube, etc.

Ribbonstone brought up a good point about cleaning when the accuracy falls off; I guess I've been spoiled by the Mini-Mags as I don't really see that problem. Then again the problem may be that I don't shoot them enough!!!! :)

Hmmm, I think I need to get out to the range and shoot them some more.... nice break from the hard-kicking stuff!!!

I've stripped it all down, but haven't been able to see anything that stands out. I have replaced the ejector spring and am going to take it to the range this weekend to see if it is better. I have posted a thread on the problem before and Ken W. suggested a feed throat conversion kit but my gun is newer (1993) and does not need the conversion kit because there is nothing to convert. So I took his idea of replacing that spring in question. I will let you know how it fairs.
-9r

Niner another trick is take out your bolt, then place a cart under the extractor see if it has to much play, if it is loose this may be your problem as well, thats how I discovered my extractor had very loose tolerances(factory stuff) quick stamp parts, low quality. The after Market extractor fit the bill and worked like a charm, maybe ask around if there is a inherited problem with the model, there may be a fix or a replacement part. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

Causes of the slow or incomplete cycling of the 10/22's bolt:
0 Gummed-up action: the Ruger applied ‘preservative’ was not removed before firing, or oil was used as a lube...! !
0 Rifle was stored vertically after cleaning, allowing oil to run into the action & gum-it-up...! !
0 Unlubed or rough "Bolt Handle Guide Rod" [B-7]...! !
0 Action not lubed with a dry Teflon type spray lube or "CLP"...! !
0 Action not 'broken-in' yet..! ! Normally it takes 1 - 2 bricks [500 rds ea.] of High Velocity ammo to ‘break-in’ a 10/22's action...! !
0 Use of Standard Velocity or Sub Sonic ammo...! !
0 Aftermarket action parts misinstalled...! !
0 Scope base mounting screws rubbing on the top of the bolt.
0 "Hammer Strut Assembly" reassembled with the 'slot' of the "Retaining Washer" facing down; it must face UP...! !
0 Use of a non Ruger magazine...! ! Use a Ruger BX-1...! !
0 Magazine not seating with a 'click'...! !
0 Dirty or untuned magazine(s); see the "Sticky" Post at the top of this Forum for "Magazine Service"...! !
0 Magazine touching the stock in magazine well; can you pass a business card up both sides of the magazine all-the-way to the receiver...? ?


You will have to see which cause(s) best fit(s) your particular situation...! !

Thanks Rmouleart

but I have a marlin 60 which, I found out after I got it, has plenty of problems and are sometimes picky on brand/type of ammo used. I will probably get a 10/22 if this one doesn't start performing and if I have problems with it I will try what you suggested.

Cleaned the action on my Clark Custom 10/22 after the first 100 rounds. Against all my instincts, haven' cleaned it since (about 1200 rounds) waiting, experimenting, to see when it starts mal-functioning. Still working well. The bore gets the patches with the weedwhacker line after every session. Accurate for every shot, first, last, in-between. Getting antsy to do a good cleaning job!

Where is that sticky note on tuning the 10/22 magazine? It was reffered to previously but I do not see a "sticky"??? thanks JOHN

www.rimfirecentral.com you will find fixes and tips/upgrades to tune your rifle and 10/22 clips. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

Well I shot my Marlin 60 this weekend and the ejector spring worked GREAT only 2 bullets jammed (remington golden bullet) out of about 250 rounds (0.8%). That is good enough for me. Now about the cleaning...

Thanks Rmouleart

but I have a marlin 60 which, I found out after I got it, has plenty of problems and are sometimes picky on brand/type of ammo used. I will probably get a 10/22 if this one doesn't start performing and if I have problems with it I will try what you suggested.
The answer to that is 'Almost Never'
Awhile back,our pistol team shot our weekly matches at the West Point Military Indoor Range.The Cadet Pistol Team Coach was an Olympic Gold Medalist,and acted as the Chief Range Officer at these shoots.
He also was a Representative for Colt Pistols,and they told him to no longer clean his pistol barrel.You can do it no good,and may do it some harm.This assumes that you only use good grade ammo.
This was a problem for someone who was raised to keep the gunbarrel clean,so he would run a patch through the barrel at least once a year,just to 'feel good'.
What's good enough for him,has always been good enough for me.I clean my rimfire barrels once a year.
This does not mean that I don't clean the boltface and extractor after every shooting match.
Frank

I've heard over and over again that more rifle barrels have been ruined from cleaning than from shooting, and I believe it. I believe that whether or not you clean your .22 is your decision. I personally don't clean mine much. I do clean my centerfires regularly though. I believe that cleaning the action can't hurt much, and it will also ensure you better reliability.

Cleaning the barrel, however, is a different story. A lot of today's .22 autoloaders and stuff are very impractical to clean from the breech. The reason cleaning from the breech is sound advice is to protect the muzzle crown from being rubbed so much with a rod, which could damage it. The crown is the last thing the bullet touches on the way out the barrel, and a slight imperfection can cause groups to open up tremendously.

If you do decide to clean your .22 barrel each time you shoot it, and you must clean from the muzzle, be extremely careful of the crown. I believe that there is nothing wrong with cleaning the bore, so long as you don't damage the crown. This means that jointed cleaning rods are a big no-no. It's very hard to keep a jointed rod absolutely centered in a .22 barrel so that the joints don't touch at all, and the joints in the rod can rub the crown and damage it. I've heard differing opinions from match shooters about polished stainless one piece rods and coated one piece rods, but I believe either one should suit you well as long as you keep it relatively clean. A bore guide will also never hurt. I'd be more apt to use a coated rod on .22 barrels, but I'm sure some shooters would disagree.

Granted, one piece rods are expensive, but it takes quite a bit to wear one out, you might have to buy one every other year or so if you do a LOT of cleaning, but they are way cheaper than a barrel.

A great alternative to these are things such as the bore snake, soft cloth that will not damage your crown.

When I take my modified 10/22 to the range I will generally shoot 300 or more rounds through it. It is still functioning fine at this point but I can clearly see a lot of fouling in the action. At this point I probably DO NOT have to clean it but...

....when I get home I take it apart and use Hoppes #9 to dissolve the fouling on the bolt face and breech face. There is a lot of it after 300 rounds. I then use Breakfree CLP for lubrication.

...SOMETIMES I will run a brush in the chamber to clean out any fouling.

...RARELY I will run a few patches with clp through the bore...

...ONCE I went more than 600 rounds between cleaning my 10/22. The gun was functioning fine but oh, the action was very dirty and it was pretty difficult getting all the fouling out of it.


...SO I generally clean the action only, the chamber sometimes, and the barrel rarely.