Thread: .22 Cleaning

Interesting topic ... lots of opinions, which makes for interesting reading. I’ve spent a couple of hours trolling some overseas forums and attempted to answer this posting based on a summary of their views not mine as I have no idea.
One thing we all know is we should always clean our weapons if we want them to retain their value and be safe and operate without risk or failure.
The question is how often do I clean the bore? Before I answer this, there appears to be 4 rough groups of .22LR shooter who therefore usually own different quality rifles and do completely different shooting.
1. The expert target shooter who can be a tad fussy and knows it
2. The frequent weekend warrior who nails a lot of vermin and hangs out on forums like this
3. The very part-time plinker who needs to get out more or simply shoots other rifles as a preference
4. The guys who don’t really give a toss about cleaning their (t)rusty old .22
Group 1 - these guys clean their bores every 100-200 rounds and sometimes less if they notice a drop off in accuracy. They use all sorts of cool and expensive foamy products & processes to do the job perfectly. Interesting that they all shoot between 12-50 ‘foulers’ before they enter another comp, which settles the bore back into a ‘normal’ accurate state.
Group 2 – these guys clean their rifles every 500-2000 and use the normal products and processes like most of us probably do. There is a common thread that they use a dry patch before/after every shoot just to clean out powder residue without loosing the accuracy, therefore no ‘foulers’ required.
Group 3 – these guys clean their rifles inside and out and basically prep them for storage. They run a couple of dry patches through before use. They shoot so little that they probably miss a couple early in the shoot and put it down to a lack of practice, however some ‘foulers’ might have helped.
Group 4 – these guys probably shoot well as their rifles are in a 'normal' accurate state but they just need to think about their own & others safety and at least give their .22’s a clean every year. Keep safe lads.
A coupe of comments - if you change your ammo brand or model then give the bore a good clean & do plenty of ‘foulers’. When storing our rifles, always relieve the firing pin spring pressure in the bolt so as to rest it properly. Get your gun shop to show you how or check out YouTube if unsure how. Don't get obsessive about your brass brushing. Always use a dry patch before you go out as it’s a good compromise but more importantly confirms the bore is clear of obstructions. Always clean & oil the outside, mag & action, even if it’s just a quickie. Read your manual, as that is probably a good reference. Take particular care of your crown at all times!
Anyway … that’s the guts of about 30 different posts. Cheers Gunzrrr