Re: 1 question, 87 answers! , when to clean a rimfire?
For the most part, from what I've read on this exact subject, is that rimfire shooters ONLY clean their rifles once accuracy starts to drop off. I have read reports from people who claim that their accuracy is better when the bore is cleaner, I find this very hard to believe because all rimfire bullets need to season the bore before they start to shoot the best they can. This seasoning process usually takes anywhere from 10-50 rounds depending on the ammo. I have noticed my groups get smaller up to the 3rd group and then it remains about the same size. I'm not a good enough shot to say that this is always how it will be but for the most part this is what I have experienced.
So, unless I have to change ammo, I will shoot until the accuracy drops off. So far I have gone to 300 rounds without cleaning the bore before and haven't noticed the slightest amount of a loss in accuracy. But let me tell you if you haven't already experienced this yet, the bore will be FILTHY and if you are a clean freak it might drive you mad until you clean it.
But this is just the bore of the rifle, the remainder of the weapon needs the same care as any other firearm deserves. Especially the action. Take good care of the rifle and it will take care of you. Neglect your cleaning duties to the action, and you may have some problems as I'm sure you're well aware of.
If you plan to switch ammo types/brands, you need to thoroughly clean the bore and re-season it with the new ammo. The reason for this is to lube the barrel. This may sound funny and stupid at the same time, but match rimfire ammo comes boxed with a company specific type of lube and it makes the ammo shoot better and more consistently, or so I have read. And every brand uses a different lube on their bullets. So no two lubes being the same, you should clean the bore in between switching ammo to get the best results, and to keep testing constant from ammo to ammo.
I personally don't recommend using any solvents in the bore at all unless it's an older firearm or was neglected by its past owner, in which case you certainly need to clean it up to its former glory. From what little I’ve read on solvents, it is apparently bad for accuracy in a rimfire. I don't honestly have any clue why that would be, but I do trust the good people over at rimfirecentral for the most part. I always just run a dry patch through the bore until it comes out clean. This could take many attempts, and after a while I got sick of pushing the rod so I invested into another bore-snake specifically for my 22lr.
In all reality, I don't believe that the rimfire shooters out there really pay too much attention to cleaning routines. These guns keep shooting well for many thousands of rounds and I don't believe that any reasonable method of cleaning is a bad method of cleaning. Some people do, and all the more power to them, but I hate being anal about my rifles cleanliness so I flat out don't worry about it. But moving parts get the utmost attention possible.
I guess the best way to go about figuring it out would be to conduct your own tests to see what works best for you. Shoot her while frequently cleaning, and again without cleaning the bore at all and see what the groups tell you. From there you can pretty much decide for yourself what works best as your chances of shooting out a rimfire bore are slim to none.
Hope this helps Tres,
-Dylan