So how do you clean a 10/22?

[Steerme]

I bought an Otis micro kit from Midwayusa for like $10 and have been extremely pleased with using it through my 10/22 barrel.

I came close to buying an OTIS kit a year ago, but decided to stay with a rod system. I already own a one-peice stainless steel, one aluminum segmented and one brass segmented rod. The OTIS might a lot of sense vs. cleaning from the muzzle as one can keep dirty cleaning fluid from the receiver and bolt.

Your supposed to clean a 10/22? Just kidding. But, if you are not shooting some crappy junk dirt ammo then you don't need to clean them very often. I always remove the action from the stock and remove the bolt to clean. Not much of hte bolt runs on any interior surface so they can get pretty dirty and still shoot. For the barrel I will use a rod with the bolt locked open or a bore snake pulling out the muzzle for cleaning the chamber. I do this way more often then removing the action.

So what exactly is crappy junk dirt ammo?

Slightly off topic but still relevant, I found a video about removing paint overspray and polishing the inner receiver (and bolt surfaces) where the bolt rubs. Is this something that is commonly done?

[Steerme]

Everybody pretty much has their own twist to cleaning guns.

Absolutely! The 10/22 is just a little different from every other gun that I've owned and cleaned.

Looks like I take a shot at the receiver. Thanks!

[mdimeo]

It seems counterintuative that the rifle will shoot better when it's dirty, but I trust your recommendations.

Yep, it's true.

22lr ammo generally has a waxy coating, which is transferred to the barrel. The rifle won't shoot consistently until the wax is fully built up, after which each bullet will land in the same spot.

This is also why switching ammo brands makes your accuracy suck for the first ten rounds or so. Different brands leave differently-shaped goo in the barrel.

To answer the original question - I essentially never clean my 10/22, except the magazines when I start getting feed problems.

Magazine cleaning procedure: spray full of Gun Scrubber, cover hole with finger, shake vigorously, pour out a remarkable amount of crud, let dry.

[Steerme]

Yep, it's true.

Magazine cleaning procedure: spray full of Gun Scrubber, cover hole with finger, shake vigorously, pour out a remarkable amount of crud, let dry.

Nice! I assume that you don't use a dry lubricant or protectant inside the magazine? I noticed my new mag was dripping oil.

Thanks for the lesson that waxy buildup is good! Just say no to Pledge...

[mdimeo]

\Nice! I assume that you don't use a dry lubricant or protectant inside the magazine? I noticed my new mag was dripping oil.

I don't.

I suppose if I stored my rifles someplace damp, or they got wet often, I might need to do something else.

[trob]

Get the hole drilled if you want but it is not a big deal to clean it from the muzzle.
It is a 10/22 not a $2000 bench rest gun.
NoKarma

Depends on the owner I know guys that have more than that into a 10/22

Me? I just use a patch worm or bore snake for the barrel every 4-500 rounds and break down the internals whenever it starts to jam or if it's gritty (could be a couple thousand rounds).

they're pretty good at shooting dirty.

[Army]

Boresnake.

Don't oil 10/22's. They run fine dry, and keeps the gunk out of the receiver.

[HilaryForPresident]

Clan the barrel every 2-3 range trips. Take bolt out and clean it as well as the receiver every 3-4k rounds.