Cleaning 22's - bolt and trigger group disassembly or not?

[First Shirt]

The 10/22 bolt and trigger group are pretty easy to disassemble (and reassemble, after cleaning), but the actual bolt-gun bolts are not something that I'd tackle with a glad heart. Which is a little odd, considering that the Savage and Ruger (centerfire) bolts are actually pretty easy, with the right tools. Rimfire bolts are a kettle of fish of another color, however.

I'd soak them in Dexron ATF overnight, sluice them in acetone afterwards, spray with the lubricant of choice, and call it good.

Just my $0.02. (Remember, free advice is usually worth about what you paid for it.)

[Lokidude]

Blasting with air would need a very disposable back stop, I'd think. N'est-ce pas?

Cardboard boxes are free and disposable.

[Rich Jordan]

I have two .22 bolt actions; a Winchester 52D and an H&R M12; both came from the CMP well protected with cosmolene, and the bolts would not clean up with a simple soak; the firing pins remained sticky and gritty in movement.

Those two monstrosities were the hardest firearm parts to dis-and-reassemble I've ever seen. I ended up buying the special tools made for the purpose, and then had to order new internal springs and redo them again.

Don't know about the trigger groups; both of them cleaned up and relubed nicely without disassembly. I _never_ want to work on the bolts again.

[Precision]

sorta like some divorces.

Ultra sonic cleaners, expensive because they are worth it. My vote is disassemble to the point of it fitting in the ultra sonic cleaner and let that do its magic. Lube up and reassemble.

[McClarkus]

The 10/22 bolt and trigger group are pretty easy to disassemble (and reassemble, after cleaning), but the actual bolt-gun bolts are not something that I'd tackle with a glad heart. Which is a little odd, considering that the Savage and Ruger (centerfire) bolts are actually pretty easy, with the right tools. Rimfire bolts are a kettle of fish of another color, however.

I'd soak them in Dexron ATF overnight, sluice them in acetone afterwards, spray with the lubricant of choice, and call it good.

Just my $0.02. (Remember, free advice is usually worth about what you paid for it.)

Ditto. I use a lacquer thinner soak first and then the air compressor. Follow with lube and more air to blow out excess. Works for me too.

[First Shirt]

If the previous owner was a WD-40 fan, the lacquer thinner is a good idea. That stuff should be banned by constitutional amendment!

[Netpackrat]

Given that I don't usually clean a .22 until it starts to jam, by that time a detail clean is called for.

[Windy Wilson]

[t]he actual bolt-gun bolts are not something that I'd tackle with a glad heart. Which is a little odd, considering that the Savage and Ruger (centerfire) bolts are actually pretty easy, with the right tools. Rimfire bolts are a kettle of fish of another color, however.

As I understand it, the Savage Mk 1 and 2 were originally made by a company called Lakeland based in Canada. Had Savage designed and manufactured the rifles themselves they might have been easier to detail disassemble and reassemble.