10/22 initial cleaning

[John A. Zoidberg]

In one week I can pick up my first gun, a 10/22 carbine with wood stock. I was looking into doing some sort of shoot 1-5 rounds/disassemble/clean break-in method, but the consensus I got was disassemble, clean, reassemble, and go have fun.

I am new to owning guns, never had to clean one etc. I plan on using boresnakes for the most part and a carbon fiber cleaning rod plus brushes etc for when its really dirty.

My questions are:

Is the boresnake sufficient for the initial cleaning, or should I avoid anything brushed and go with rod and patches?

Should I use/avoid a specific ammo at first too?

[bluenoise]

When I first shot my 10/22, lots of flakes of paint came out of the receiver. I took it apart, scraped out the paint where the bolt contacts the receiver, cleaned it up, and lubed it. I don't know if they're all like that, but I thought it was rather silly that I had to do that. If I get another, I'll take it apart and clean out the paint before I do any shooting with it.

[facn650]

Just run a patch through the bore to remove excess oil or debris and go shoot. Strip and clean afterwards. At least that's what I do but there are folks here with much more experience/knowledge than me.

[Merc1138]

In one week I can pick up my first gun, a 10/22 carbine with wood stock. I was looking into doing some sort of shoot 1-5 rounds/disassemble/clean break-in method, but the consensus I got was disassemble, clean, reassemble, and go have fun.

I am new to owning guns, never had to clean one etc. I plan on using boresnakes for the most part and a carbon fiber cleaning rod plus brushes etc for when its really dirty.

My questions are:

Is the boresnake sufficient for the initial cleaning, or should I avoid anything brushed and go with rod and patches?

Should I use/avoid a specific ammo at first too?

Unless you plan on removing the barrel every time, or drilling a hole in the back of the receiver, I'm not sure how you plan on using a solid cleaning rod(unless you use it from the front... or put it through without a tip and then pull it back out... I wouldn't bother with either). Just use the boresnake and remember to wash it every once in a while.

Also, good call on tossing out the silly break-in shooting cleaning nonsense.

As far as ammo, you'll need to try a bunch of different types to find what your gun likes best for accuracy. If you're just plinking cans or something then you'll probably only need to try a couple just to see what works more reliably.

[sholling]

I own a lot of 10/22s including some high-buck customs and my break-in method is as follows:

• Run a dry patch through the barrel to make sure there are no obstructions.
• Lightly lube the bolt and work it back and forth a few times.
• Shoot it a lot and have fun! 22s don't need to be broken in.

Unless you bed the receiver I'd avoid taking it out of the stock more than every several thousand rounds because it throws off point of impact. Get yourself a Tipton carbon fiber rod ($30), Dewey bore guide ($11-13), short 22cal PISTOL bore brush, and a 22cal jag and don't clean the bore more often than every 1000-2000 rounds - I'm serious. Do keep the bolt well lubed though and wipe the dirt out with a cloth.

[Quinc]

I cleaned and lubed my 10/22 for the first time in 19 years. Didn't notice to much of a difference. Now I just run a bore snake through it once in a while.

[jbush]

I don't over clean my 10/22s. They seem to shoot a little better when a little dirty. I use a patch worm most of the time, quick and ez. Never have done a barrel break in. The general consenus is that it doesn't help. Check rimfirecentral.com, there's more 10/22 info there then you could ever learn.

[G-forceJunkie]

I found metal drill shavings in the extractor spring hole in my new 10/22. I always fully detail strip and clean/inspect any new firearm.

[Patriotdoc]

I own a lot of 10/22s including some high-buck customs and my break-in method is as follows:

• Run a dry patch through the barrel to make sure there are no obstructions.
• Lightly lube the bolt and work it back and forth a few times.
• Shoot it a lot and have fun! 22s don't need to be broken in.

Unless you bed the receiver I'd avoid taking it out of the stock more than every several thousand rounds because it throws off point of impact. Get yourself a Tipton carbon fiber rod ($30), Dewey bore guide ($11-13), short 22cal PISTOL bore brush, and a 22cal jag and don't clean the bore more often than every 1000-2000 rounds - I'm serious. Do keep the bolt well lubed though and wipe the dirt out with a cloth.

I will be doing this tomorrow except I don't have my rod yet or Otis cable. My Otis cable will be coming on Friday then I will be able to run a dry patch before shooting...but for its first time it will be taking a light to it and seeing if I can see any obstruction unless the range has one to borrow so I can run the dry patch to check for obstruction. Other solution until my cable comes is that I have a plain carbon fiber rod that would fit (I use it to build tail sections for small RC helicopters) and come to think of it it might be a good idea to just stick that in the barrel and move it around as that would push out any big obstruction and as it is only a fraction of the total barrel diameter and made of carbon fiber it shouldn't damage anything? Do you do the dry patch before every time you shoot Scholling? Spray the bolt with CLP and work it back and forth a few times before first shot?

[sholling]

I will be doing this tomorrow except I don't have my rod yet or Otis cable. My Otis cable will be coming on Friday then I will be able to run a dry patch before shooting...but for its first time it will be taking a light to it and seeing if I can see any obstruction unless the range has one to borrow so I can run the dry patch to check for obstruction. Other solution until my cable comes is that I have a plain carbon fiber rod that would fit (I use it to build tail sections for small RC helicopters) and come to think of it it might be a good idea to just stick that in the barrel and move it around as that would push out any big obstruction and as it is only a fraction of the total barrel diameter and made of carbon fiber it shouldn't damage anything? Do you do the dry patch before every time you shoot Scholling? Spray the bolt with CLP and work it back and forth a few times before first shot?

Just running a rod through the barrel will be fine. You just want to make sure something didn't jet stuck in there or that there isn't a big blob of grease in the bore. It's just a one time thing.

I only run a dry patch through if I left the bore damp with CLP after the last cleaning, and I only leave the bore damp if I don't plan to shoot for a month or two. But it's never a bad idea to run a dry patch through. The bolt doesn't require a lot of oil but a drop or two CLP is fine. You just don't want to go crazy because it collects dirt and makes a mess.

[raddogz]

My initial cleaning was to take an alcohol (91%) and cleaned the rifle barrel and all the parts down. I then took clp to the inside & outside and called it a day.

[45R]

Spray some lube on a towel and wipe down the side of the receiver. Lube the bolt, spring run a patch through the barrel and your good to go. Should take you a whole 5 minutes.

[mr821907]

I would recommend drilling a hole on the receiver so you can use a rod in the proper direction.

[mr821907]

your carbon fiber rod and dry patch should be fine.

[bigcasino]

I got my first 10/22 used. Checked the barrel was clear went out a shot a brick of ammo then cleaned it. As someone said before the paint on the inside of the receive was flaking off so I cleaned it out good removed all paint lubed it up and it was good to go for a few thousand rounds. I dont clean it alot (every 1K or 2K) but when I do I strip it down and do a full detail cleaning other than that just ever range trip I look down the barrel and make sure the bolt is not dry and blast away.