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Proper Rifle cleaning

JohnnyO

.22LR
Can someone please share a definitive procedure for properly cleaning a Mossberg .22 bolt action. If I google it the results come back with lots of different ways each author does it and of course lots of comments and arguments about how they do it!
I decided to turn to the Forum for the definitive answer.

Thank You
 
My guess (and how I would do it) would be to remove the bolt, clean the barrel from the chamber side if you can with Hoppe's #9 and a nylon brush. Follow with some patches until clean or repeat the brushing. I only use metal brushes for really bad fouling if the nylon don't work.

If not too difficult, I would remove the action/barrel from the stock before cleaning/lubing. Be sure to use a tight fitting screwdriver so you don't mar the heads of the screws. A wipe with a damp cloth is all the stock should need and perhaps a coating of Pledge or similar.

Wipe any excess Hoppe's from the inside of the action as needed, perhaps use an old toothbrush to scrub the machined area if grimy. Wipe dry. Clean the outside of the bolt similarly and disassemble and clean if not too difficult. I don't know if the firing pin "floats" but it should be free and not gummed up in there. Same with the extractor. If convenient I would use a spray solvent for the bolt passages and quickly blow off with compressed air. I would use any spray solvent sparingly as they can damage gun finishes.

Once clean, I'll take a patch with gun oil (I use RemOil) and run it through the bore, wipe the outside metal parts with it, then add a couple/few drops to the inside of the action, trigger bar and bolt inside/outside. I'll put a few paper towels around the action to absorb excess oil when I put it back in the hard case.

I don't always clean a gun after a range outing unless it is really dirty or fouled. A couple drops of oil here and there and maybe an oily patch through the bore is better than nothing.

PS: after cleaning and reassembly it is always a good idea to check function. A set of dummy .22s is a great idea for safety and to avoid damage to the gun. It is not desirable to dry-fire .22 guns because that can damage the firing pin and/or chamber face.
 
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Beyond the traditional way Bobster described many carry a Bore Snake for use both in the field and after a shooting session.

My experience with .22 fouling depends largely on the ammo your using. Some non coated offerings will increase the lead fouling.

A Bore Snake is good to use both during and after a session and certainly extends the time between major cleanings. Couple of drops of oil on the bore snake will coat the barrel.

Regards
 
What is this "cleaning" you speak of..??

:lol:

Generally, if its a new gun then pull through or rod it to get the crud out, and then shoot.. and shoot... and shoot..

.22 barrels don't need cleaning until the accuracy starts tailing off, but its worth wiping over the bolt face every so often, especially on a semi auto.

My competition 10/22 used to get cleaned once a year, whether it needed it or not..!!
 
If this gun is already dirty you can skip this post, but please don’t.

First!

Clean it before you ever shoot it.

I bought at least 4 new guns with metal chips and metal dust in the action.

Savage .22, Mossberg .30-30, Marlin .454

The .357 Henry had rust in the tube.

Every tube-fed gun that I purchased had (Or very quickly developed) some rust in the magazine tube.

My old posts here describe all that and more.

They seem to be skipping intermediate steps on the quality control process. Yeah, everyone of those guns came with a certificate of proof that it had been fired.

Not one of them came with a certificate that said somebody cleaned it before they put it in the box.
 
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