Why We Clean...

I don't always clean a gun right after I use it, but I do clean regularly.  Probably more often than most of my guns need it.  Last week my brother Chester and I took Dad's Remington 550-1 out to the range and gave it a good workout.  I think the last time it was cleaned was over twenty-five years ago when I mounted a scope on it for Dad.  He has probably not shot more than 100 rounds through it since then, and if I know Dad, he gave it a few drops of oil for its trouble every time he fired a shot or two.  We oiled the action before we shot it, and took it apart afterward.  Good thing we did that; the accumulation of powder residue was getting almost embarrasing. 

I read up on the Remingon 550-1 tonight, and I never appreciated what a neat machine it is.  It was the first .22 auto that could shoot Shorts, Longs, and Long Rifles.  The way Remington made this rifle work was with a floating chamber, which they called a piston.  It is just a bit longer than a .22 Short, so the pressure from a short cartridge acts on the front of the piston, greatly adding to the pushback on the front of the bolt.  Save the photo of the action so you can blow it up, and you can easily see the back end of the 'piston'-'floating chamber.'  Pretty neat, and I never noticed it before.  I will have to make sure it is oiled properly, and exercise it with some  .22 shorts the next time I visit Mom.  The 550 is easy to tear down and clean.  Use a screwdriver to break loose the fitting at the back end of the receiver, and pull out the spring and the bolt.  Hose out, blow out, oil, and reassemble.  Remember to oil the floating chamber.

Here I am, cleaning Mom's 10/22 Compact, which we have customized a bit with an adjustable lightweight stock, Volquartsen parts for the trigger assembly, plus a scope and sling.