How to Clean a .22 Rifle

The 22 caliber rifle is one of the best hunting and target shooting rifles you can purchase, regardless of the varmints you plan to hunt with it. In order to maintain the rifle's aim, your 22 caliber rifle has to be cleaned after you've fired it. This not only removes spent lead from the barrel of the firearm, but it also removes fingerprints and oils that can cause surface rust on the gun. If you don't, you'll find that before long, your rifle will become gummed up with lead and covered with fingerprints, and you'll rarely hit the target you aim at, regardless of how good of a shot you are. In order for the rifle to shoot straight and true, it absolutely must be cleaned regularly.

Cleaning kits are always sold at the places where you can purchase a 22 rifle. If the firearm was a family heirloom, however, you can pick up a cleaning kit at any local sporting goods store. The kit should include a number of gauze pads, cleaning solution, protective oil, and a metal pole that can be run into the barrel of the 22 to clean it.

Begin by opening the bolt of the rifle and double checking to make certain there is no ammunition in the chamber. On single shot rifles, you can remove the bolt altogether so that it can be brushed clean and the barrel and chamber can be more easily cleaned. When cleaning, it is recommended that you clean the rifle from the breech side whenever possible. If you have to clean the rifle from the muzzle side, you may be risking the possibility of damaging the bore. If you have to, though, work slowly to avoid this damage, which can permanently alter the ability of the rifle to fire straight and true.

Thread a cleaning pad from your rifle cleaning kit into the loop at the end of the cleaning rod, and then wet it with the cleaning solution included with your rifle cleaning kit. The loop that you will need to use for this procedure will be the smallest one included with the kit. When the cleaning pad is whetted with the cleaning solution, run the ram into the breech of the 22 rifle and work the rod back and forth. You may notice a small amount of cleaning solution dribble out of the muzzle or the breech. Clean this up quickly with a paper towel to prevent it from staining the stock or the work surface on which you are cleaning the firearm.

After three to four passes, pull the cleaning pad out of the breech or barrel. It will have a much darker coloration than when you passed it into the firearm. This indicates that you have successfully removed most of the contaminants in the rifle. Remove the soiled cleaning pad and wet another, and then perform the process one more time. This will remove any of the last remaining debris from inside the firearm. Pull out the cleaning rod, and then thread a dry pad into the loop. Run this clean pad through the breech or barrel until the barrel is dry. Looking through the breech toward a light at the end of the barrel, you will be able to see that the rifling grooves are cleaned.

Dispose of the dry cloth, and then thread the final cleaning cloth into the loop. On this pad, you will apply the mineral oil that will protect the cleaned rifle barrel from corrosion while it is being stored. Run the rod through the breech or barrel several times to ensure complete coverage of the inside of the barrel.

The final step of cleaning your 22 rifle is to oil the firing mechanism, and then clean any dirt or fingerprints from the metal surfaces of the firearm. When oiling the firing mechanism, apply only a very small amount of oil. Too much oil could damage the firing mechanism's internal components. To clean the fingerprints, apply a small amount of mineral oil to another dry pad, and then wipe the metal surfaces until all the visible fingerprints or debris are removed. When completed, your 22 caliber hunting rifle will be ready to go for your next excursion into the field or to the range.

Sources:
"Rifle Barrel Cleaning"; Jim Borden; www.bordenrifles.com
ArmaLite, Inc.com: Technical Note 29, Rifle Cleaning: www.armalite.com