Since I only shoot lead rounds like Federal, Remington Thunderbolts, Winchester Wildcats etc. I'm really not that elaborate with the cleaning. I usually just give it a quick spray of the Castrol/Hoppes field cleaner-lube, with a cotton patch and leave it at that. (in both revolvers and rifles)

Another thing I want to know is what exactly causes "barrel pitting"? I have to say I've always felt ok in the world of .22's with just an abbreviated cleaning. Am I wrong?

I have a Marlin model 25MN (22 Magnum) whose owner's manual says that cleaning is not necessary. I went so far as to call Marlin when I first bought the gun (15-20 years ago?) and ask them about it. They said at that time that they got tons of calls about it, but that cleaning just wasn't necessary. I've heard it said that they've changed that section of the owner's manuals a time or two from clean it to don't and perhaps back again?

This is a sharp contrast with my Smith&Wesson 22 pistol's owner's manual that says failure to clean the gun often enough or properly constitutes neglect and they won't fix it if it breaks and you've haven't cleaned it.

So clearly, there is a divergence of opinion even on the part of the manufacturers. My 22 pistols (Ruger and Smith) I clean pretty much after each shooting session. The Ruger would jam if I didn't keep it clean when it was new. It's better now, but still it lets me know when it's dirtier than it prefers to be. OTOH, I didn't clean my first 22 rifle (a Brazilian Remington Nylon) for the first 10 years at least (probably 15+) that I owned it. I finally decided to clean the bore because, by that time, I had learned more about guns and learned that you need to clean them. Accuracy took a noticeable hit when I did. So, I don't clean the rifles much any more. No more than you do anyway.

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"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." --Gerald Ford

+1 about the cleaning MZ5.
I spend little time worrying about the rifles, a bore snake before shooting and that's it. The pistols are another matter. But, even there, the Ruger and the High Standard will go hundreds of rounds between cleanings. If I keep the breech end of the Ruger free of the crud ring that develops there, it is very happy.
Keep the moving parts oiled lightly.
Pete

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"Only hunting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games."

I use a Bore Snake. It's quick and easy and 2 pass's your done

I always clean my 22 LR actions, cylinders, etc, but, I do not clean the barrels every time I shoot. I clean the barrels after every hunting season and before summer storage. At the beginning of a new season I fire around 10 "fouling rounds" through the barrel...let it cool and then fire a group and check sighting. In the case of my 22 small game rifle, the point of aim, and the accuracy stays perfect throughout the hunting season. I have changed nothing on that gun in 25 years....each time I follow this routine everything remains the same, and regardless of how many rounds I fire during the hunting season, nothing changes. On occasion or after a wet or dirty hunt, I will take a dry patch and run it down the bore, but, as long as I dont use solvent, or a brush, again, everything remains the same. All 22's are different, and, what works for me may not work for others...This is just an observation of my particular rifle. On all my other hunting rifles I always thoroughly clean the bore, and group and sight them to a clean, cold barrel........

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

I rarely clean .22 rimfires, to be honest. Wipe down the outside of the rifles / revolvers, and clean the actions on the semi-autos when they don't cycle anymore! But hardly *ever* clean the barrels.....

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MikeG

Bought a used Marlin Glinfield Model 60 in the 70's. It rode around in a camper shell wrapped in a old blanket. It would began to jam every 2500 rounds or so and I would then "clean" it.
By the time it was involved in a trade it and I let it go it had shot no telling the rounds. 99.9% was as cheap as you could buy plinking ammo.

Over the years I have owned dozens of different 22's,
For the most part 22's don't need much attention besides a wipe down, untill function begins to suffer.
At least this has been my experience, but then I'm no expert, just a guy that has owned and shot 22's about 50 years now.

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NRA Life Member.

My Sig Mosquito needs feverent cleaning, every time I shoot it. The Rugers mainly get wiped done and a field stripping every 4-6 months, my 10/22s get cleaned once a year, but I do wipe them down and clean the action out periodically.

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Buy American, it may be your own job you are saving.
UTU, TY&E Service, BNSF

Pitting in most rimfires is caused by rust. You don't see it very often in regular 22s (non magnums) because the wax, sometimes graphite, outside bullet lubes form a barrier that protects the bore from moisture. This is why you will often find old used 22 rifles/handguns rusted badly on the outside but with still perfect bores. 22 WMRs or 17 HMRs are another matter because neither uses outside bullet lube. Their barrels should be treated as you would a centerfire. On my regular 22s I think it is wise to keep the actions, bolt faces, and chamber areas clean, but usually do a quick pass (bore snake) or nothing for the bores. In the "For what it's worth category" I've been told that Eley, who manufactures some of the most accurate rimfire ammo in the world, rarely clean the bores of their accuracy testing rifles.

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"Speak softly and carry a big stick". Theodore Roosevelt

My single six gets quite a bit of powder residue and some lead buildup on the top strap above the cylinder gap after a couple hundred rounds. I usually soak the build up with a solvent so that I can easily clean that area up.

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Regards,
OldWolf

I just got a S&W model 34 .22lr revolver. What is the best way to clean it? I have a boresnake too. Thanks for the advice. Cheryl

Cheryl; I have an older model 18-3, and it requires that the cylinder and chambers be well cleaned every 40 rounds or so....otherwise, I cannot get the shells to chamber...very tight chambers on this old gun. I hear that most Smiths are like this. Also the area under the ejector at the rear of the cylinder needs to be kept clean as does the area of the topstrap directly over the forcing cone. The barrel can be cleaned or not, and accuracy doesnt suffer one way or the other once a few fouling rounds have cleaned the bore, and the bullets have layed thier coating on the bore. It "seems" that my model 18 is a bit more accurate from a clean cold bore, but, for what I use the gun for, that minute difference in accuracy doesnt really matter. count the number of rounds that you can shoot in your gun before it gets to the point that you cannot get cartridges to smoothly go into the chamber. That will be the time to clean!!!!

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

Many years ago,when I shot competition,the West Point pistol team coach answered tha question for me.
When he was appointed representative for Colt,he as instructed to NEVER clean the gun barrel.He only shot high quality ammo,and was careful with handleing the pistol.
He was instructed to clean the breach,action,magazine,etc.,after each shooting match.
He did admit,when no one was watching,to carefully wipe the bore,at least once a year.
Old habits are tough to kill.
Frank

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Frank

OK. Went to the range yesterday. Put about 150 rounds thru my model 34 .22LR revolver. Didn't know why until Flat Top's post, but I had trouble chambering a lot of the bullets at times. Used CCI ammo. This gun just came home from the gun store. Guess it should have been cleaned before I tried to shoot it. Now comes the dumb question from a newbie to all this. Never cleaned a revolver before. I have a boresnake and cleaning kit. What do I use to clean the chambers? Hoppes, M-Pro 7?? Put a few patches thru right? How do I use the boresnake? Someone Please help me! Cheryl

Put the weight of the boresnake through each chamber and through the barrel a few times each. Get a little of your favorite solvent on the first inch or so of the bore snake.

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Buy American, it may be your own job you are saving.
UTU, TY&E Service, BNSF

Cheryl; Just settle down, and follow Matts advice. When you go shooting, take the boresnake and the solvent with you. If the rounds dont slide right into the chambers when you reload, get the boresnake out and give the chambers and the barrel a couple of passes. Some 22LR revolvers have a habit of getting fouling in the chambers, and its the fouling from the previous rounds that normally cause the problem. With a clean gun, just start shooting and keep track of how many rounds you shoot, before the cartridges start "not wanting to go" into the chambers. If cleaning the chambers solves the problem...then every "so many rounds" you will know to run the boresnake through the chambers. I do not use a boresnake, but I do carry my cleaning and tool kit with me whenever I go shooting, and regardless of what I am shooting. My Smith Model 18 needs to have the chambers cleaned about every 40 rounds or so....and as long as I do that, I have no problems. Good Luck!

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

Thanks for the advice everyone! I survived my first cleaning session with my model 34. I will keep track of the rounds when I go to the range again. That will probably solve the problem. Happy and Safe shooting! Cheryl

I still use the toothbrush and cleaning rod method, too ingrained in the old school to learn to use a boresnake. The tooth brush is to clean off unburnt powder granules and the cleaning rod is for chambers be it rifle or handgun. Occasionally I run the rod through the bore but as others have said, the lubricant on .22 bullets protects bores pretty well. Even Anschutz, who makes top grade competition rifles, advises bore cleaning be done only intermittently. YMMV