Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Cleaning 22LR bolt & semi auto

Okay, I need some help. Getting into the 22lr game and need to know what and where to order cleaning items such as rods, bore guides , brushes and jags. Main question is what size? Will same rods , brushes and jags made for a .223 centerfire rifle work or do I need something different? Thanks Daniel

For rods, I like Dewey. A good brass brush and a brass jag for for any 22 caliber and once in a while an old 24 brush for the chamber. Bore guide, if it's just a cheap rifle I use what ever I have that will fit. For the Cooper I bought one made for it as I would any expensive rifle.

Just like centerfires, I usually don't clean the bore until accuracy starts to suffer. Very rarely do I go to bare metal. Usually just a few strokes with a brush then a few patches with solvent then a few more to dry the bore.

Semi auto bores get cleaned very sparingly if it has to get a rod from the chamber end. Go slow and be careful. I've thought about trying the Otis cable system on them but never have broke down and bought one or even asked opinions of them.


Works for me.
YMMV.

Like Dave, I don't believe in cleaning a .22 until accuracy suffers. If you choose your ammo carefully and avoid the loss leader bulk stuff, you can shoot a surprising amount before you have to clean. With semi-autos, I clean the receiver when they start to choke. Use lube sparingly and they last a very long time between cleanings.

I use a Dewey 17 caliber rod with an adapter to 22. I also use 22 pistol brushes as they are shorter and work well with 17 cal rod.
I also use Rimfire blend solvent. Hasbeen

Unless you are using pure c**p ammo, a 22 bore does not need frequent cleaning. The chamber might have some wax buildup if using non plated bullets. I normally pull a bore snake through the barrel, one pass, and use a solvent dampened mop in the chamber. The bolt and receiver of a semi-auto can get very dirty with some ammo especially if you keep everything oiled. Excess oil causes crud to accumulate faster. Oil only enough to keep the rifle functioning.

The only time I use a rod in my barrel is after a session with Wipe-Out foaming bore cleaner. No scrubbing, ever. Push a few dry patches through with the jag, not a slot, done.

I shoot more than some, so I try to clean once a year or so.




P

From what I have seen and been told, the bench rest 22lr shooters clean their rifles each time the go to the range. So now I am in a quandary, do I clean or not? Pharma, why no brush?? Thanks Daniel

I won a state championship in four position smallbore with a rifle that hadn't been cleaned for thousands of rounds. Ain't neccesary to clean very often in my book.

20 or 17 cal rods work best with my CZ and Anschutz the others are fine with 22cal rods I have. Pro shot and Brownells have 22rf brushes which are A little smaller then CF 22cal brush if you have A tighter bore rifle. The patch out bore cleaners will not get lead out of your barrels.

Lots of good info above. For 22 semi-autos I like to use a piece of the heavy plastic “string” used for weed wackers. I heat and flatten one end to retain the patch. Sharpen other end to easily pierce the patch. Wet patch with solvent and start pointed end into breech and pull wet patch out from back to front.

Bench rest rimfire shooters are a completely different breed, and need to be if they expect to win championships. One guy can get by with never cleaning, the next might clean after every shot- whatever feels right to them. When championships are determined by a couple thousandths in group size of number or X's at a hundred yards, you do what you think will work or you've been taught and pray.
For most of us, this level of accuracy just isn't necessary and that level of cleaning would probably damage your barrel short of it's life expectancy normally, IMO. Personally, I hardly ever clean my rimfires and they shoot just fine for me. When I occasionally do clean them, I use a bore guide and my Stainless .22 Dewey rod and plastic or brass jags with chemicals on patches. Never use a brush anymore on any of my rifles and haven't for a very long time.

Bob

I am on the other side of the fence here as I clean My .22lr's (sparingly) after each shooting session, I run 3 or so patches soaked with Hoppes on a cleaning jag then a dry patch followed by a lightly oiled patch...I just cant put a rifle with a dirty barrel back in my safe, I do know shooters that swear they never clean their rimfire barrels but most I know do clean, even the serious competition shooters I know will clean their rimfire barrels after a match....I think its just What your comfortable with.....Good luck......Hb

This. On the CZ website they actually recommend a .20 rod (to clear the ejector) I use a .17/.20 rod and a .20 jag to clean all my .22s. When a brush is needed, either a dedicated .22 rimfire brush or a .22 pistol brush. For some unknown reason it seems that all manufacturers of cleaning gear make jags and patches too big, especially in the smaller calibers. I also like Rimfire Blend.

A decent cheap cleaning rod if your barrel isn't too long is the Outers coated steel .17 rod which Walmart sells for as little as around $5. I make or modify a lot of my own cleaning gear, including .17/.22 adapters so I can use a conventional 8-32 threaded brush with a .17 rod. I'm pretty sure Brownell's sell the adapters too. I can make two pistol rods by cutting one of the Outers rods into two pieces.

Paul

I'm a big fan of Tipton rods and accessories. Semi-autos need to be disassembled and degunked because of their blow-back operation, but as others have said the barrels don't need a whole lot of maintenance. Bolt guns can be shot until they start closing hard.