When do i need to clean my gun?

Question

Hey. So im pretty green when it comes to gun ownership. i bought a .22 caliber ruger rifle last week. after how many rounds fired should i clean it? so far i have shot about 150 rounds with it. Also, when i clean it, do i have to dissassemble it? thanks for the help.

Answer 1

A Ruger 10/22 is built like a tank. Great .22 rifle. You can clean it as much or as little as you like. As long as you use factory magazines...it will never have a problem I bet.

There is tons of info out there already...

Have fun. That's a great little rifle.

P.S. Mine has has thousands and thousands of rounds through it. I wipe it down when I put it away. I clean it once a year or so. If it gets wet (rain/drizzle)...I dry and clean it as soon as I get inside.

Answer 2

well it is sort of a personal idea to an extent when it comes to .22's

All i can do is share my suggestion and when you should most definitely clean it by.

I myself clean my .22 pistols and rifles after 2 trips to the shooting range which for me is around 600-800 rds.

I would suggest the longest to let one go without cleaning is 1,000 rds.

Answer 3

Every time you've finished a shooting for the day. I do so even if the amount of lead was only about 100 rounds. Not because I'm paranoid about dirtiness, corrosion, etc. Remember cleaning your tool is a good alternative to shooting when getting to know you gun well. Sorry, but I guess this isn't really a good answer since you don't NEED to clean you gun this regularly, but you should.

P.S. Boresnakes make all the difference. But use a rod for heavy cleaning. Patches can be replaced, but snakes have to be thrown in the wash if dirty.

Answer 4

I clean up my 10/22 barrel about every 500 rounds and I "deep clean" every 1000 or so rounds. By deep clean I mean I completely Dissasemble my rifle and really clean all the parts.

Answer 5

I clean my gun after I shoot it no matter how much ammunition I burn. You do have to take it apart to get it descently clean.

Answer 6

I field strip and clean after every time I shoot no matter how many rounds I fire.

Also if the gun is sitting in the safe or case I re-oil the surfaces about once a month.

Hope that helps

Kurdis

Answer 7

A good rule of thumb is to clean your firearm after each time you shoot.  Go to the store and get a rifle cleaning kit.  These are reasonable and you don't have to go to a gun store to get one.  Most of the major retail chain stores, such as Wal-Mart, carry them.  

Read the owner's manual on how to clean and maintain your firearm.  It will explain how to take down your firearm for cleaning.  Follow the instructions to the letter.  Do not disassemble the firearm any further.  If you do that, you should not have any problem.  

By the way, I am guessing that you did not clean your firearm before your first time shooting.  Some people don't do this, but I like to take down, clean and lube a new firearm before I shoot it.  A new firearm has a lot of packing grease to prevent rust.  It's good to get all of that off before you fire it.

As a general rule that I follow, I treat every new gun like it has just been fired.  That way, it will get cleaned and lubed before I go out the first time.  

Answer 8

You should clean it after every shooting season.  After 600 to 1,000 rounds you should deep-clean it, or have a gunsmith deep clean it for you.

Good luck.

H

Answer 9

Get a .22 caliber BoreSnake and a can of Breakfree CLP. I also use homemade cloths made from old cotton t-shirts cut up.

After every use, spray some BFCLP in the action and into the tube. Run the Boresnake through two times. Wipe out the action with a cloth and then clean up any drips. This is a simple field cleaning and oiling.

Every couple of thousand rounds, or when it's failing to feed, etc. take it all apart for a thoriugh clean and oil. Get the instructions and be careful, there's little parts in there. Use an old toothbrush and scrub everything then put her back together.  

Answer 10

If it rains, then I clean mine inside and out. Otherwise it could be years before I take it off the stock or swab the barrel.

All you have to do is wipe down the barrel and reciever with an oily rag when you get home. Just use the same rag and and wipe down the action. A little oil is all it needs and too much could jam the rifle just as if it was too dirty.

A semi-automatic will tell you when it needs something --- because it will start jamming (with your normal reliable ammo). And it's usually taken care of by a Qtip - one side get all the c**p off the action and the other side run a light oil.

And you're ready to go for another thousand rounds.

Answer 11

i shoot competion and i clean it after 50 because thats the amount of round i shoot in match and use a 22caliber bore snake it does an excellent job run it through about 3 times and your done mybe disassemble it at the end of the year because if you now you'lle have to resight it in.

Answer 12

If you've never field stripped a gun you might run into trouble. First thing I suggest is that you clean the bore with a brush and powder solvent, the a patch with just a tiny bit of oil. Here is a fast way to do the rest. Remove the stock from the rest of the action and go outside and spray the inside of the action with starter fluid this will flush all the unburnt powder out. While your flushing make sure to move the bolt back and forth a little bit. Make sure you spray the extractor hole where the spring is to because things tend to build up there some to. After everything is flushed out and cleaned let the rifle's action set for about 10 to 15 minutes to make sure the starting fluid evaporates and get out a can of WD 40 and spray a light coat of oil on everything inside. Next spray a light coat of WD 40 or you could use going oil and put a light coat of oil on the barrel, and all the outside metal of your gun and reassemble it to the stock and your done. I usually shoot 300+ .22 shells through my gun and it really doesn't seem to harm it.  The only time it was really important that you cleaned the weapon after each time you used it was back in the old days when military ammo had mercury in the primer and letting the mercury sit in the barrel or on the metal parts inside the gun could corrode the bore and metal parts. But if ever do come across any military ammo and your not sure how old it is? Just to be safe clean your rifle. But since your shooting a .22 I wouldn't worry!

Answer 13

ok u need clean the firearm after every disscharge/shot and u need to take the slide of and lubricate it go on to you tube

Answer 14

I make it a rule to field strip and clean a firearm after every shooting session. Especially so with .22 rifles as they use notoriously dirty ammo.  In addition, I will wipe down every firearm I own with CLP and run swap lightly coated with it down the barrel every 2 months when stored in the safe. If handled, I give them a quick wipe down to prevent rust forming from the oils on your hands. A little extra care now, will pay for itself down the road when your fire arm still looks and funvtions like new.

Shoot safe

Answer 15

I clean the barrel of any of my guns after any shoot and wipe down any metal surfaces with a lightly oiled cloth because when your out in the field the gun will often get some moisture on it. After a shooting season ends its a good idea to strip your gun down completley and clean and lubricate everything. Doing this will keep your gun in good condition for many many years to come.

Answer 16

I'm one that believes the model .22 barrel needs cleaning few and far between.  When your group size opens up it needs cleaned.  But the action needs cleaned every time it's fired.  To clean the burnt powder and residue.  The surface needs cleaned/oiled when ever it is handled unless you keep our hands off of the metal parts.

Answer 17

If you are using a gun for self-defense, the more you clean it the better.  In those cases, I would clean after every time you use it, or certainly with every 2-3 uses.

If you are using it just for recreation, you can probably go a little longer.  But I would say after 500-1,000 rounds you should clean it regardless.