How I Clean My Henry .22 LR After a Day of Shooting - East Ridge Outdoors

How I Clean My Henry .22 LR After a Day of Shooting

My Henry .22 LR is far from my most expensive rifle, but it’s probably my favourite.

Maybe it’s the lever action. Maybe it’s because it was the first rifle I ever bought. Either way, it’s a lot of fun to shoot — and it almost always comes with me when I head to the Sandilands.

It’s not new anymore. A few dings on the stock and receiver make that clear. But with some simple, regular maintenance, I can keep it running just like when I bought it.

Henry 22 LR Lever Action Rifle

When I Clean It

Because I enjoy shooting it so much — and .22 LR is affordable — the Henry sees a lot of rounds. It’s not unusual to put a few hundred through it in an afternoon.

After a while, it can start to feed a bit rough, especially with bulk ammo. I’ve found it works best to give it a quick clean somewhere around the 300–500 round mark.

What I Use

I keep it simple:

  • cleaning rod
  • 22 LR bore mop
  • patches
  • flat screw driver
  • G96 gun treatment

That’s it. A basic gun cleaning kit has everything I need

The Process

I do take it apart for cleaning.

I start by removing the rod from the tube magazine. Then I take out four screws — two on either side of the receiver cover, and one longer screw connecting the stock.

With those out, I remove the stock, pull back the hammer, slide the receiver cover off, and take out the bolt.

From there, I spray some G96 down the barrel and run the bore mop through. Then I follow up with a few patches until they come out clean.

For the rest, I use patches with a bit of G96 to wipe down the bolt, the inside of the receiver cover, and around the chamber — that’s usually where most of the buildup is.

Henry 22 LR Rifle taken apart and cleaned

For the small crevices, I’ll use a toothpick or a small screwdriver with the patches to get in there.

Once all the parts are cleaned, I reassemble it and work the lever a few times to make sure everything is running as it should.

Henry 22 LR with the action open

Ready for Another Shooting Session

It’s a fairly thorough clean.

Once you’ve done it a couple times, it becomes pretty straightforward.

A quick clean like this:

  • keeps the rifle cycling and shooting reliably
  • avoids buildup over time

Now it can be put away and ready for another trip to the Sandilands

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