I have 2 that I bought used, have shot a lot, and never done a tear down. Just spray down with gun scrubber, pull a patch or 2 thru the bore , scrub the chamber with a bent bronze brush, and spray the action with Hornady One Shot cleaner and Dri Lube. Wax the wood and metal. Seems to do the trick.

 

I only use a boresnake regularely. I have taken apart the whole system when I bought it used. Personaly I have no problem whatsoever using simple engine oil 10W-40 mixed with graphite dust as long time lubrication.
g, 7

 

My Henry H001t stays far cleaner than my Marlin model 60. With the lever action, all of the combustion happens with the bolt closed, and keeps the vast majority of dirt etc in the chamber and down the bore. The Marlin, by contrast needs tearing down after about 500 rounds or so.

I think you'll be fine with a bore snake, or a few patches down the barrel.

 

My mid 80’s bl22 has never been apart for cleaning. I will flip it upside down and spray cleaner into the action. Clean or wipe as much as possible. I’ve never had much luck with barrel snakes and 22’s. Too hard to get them started. I use a barrel brush and cleaning patch/swab. Wipe tube magazine and outside of the gun with oil and thats it. I’ve never had a problem.

 

I've had both of mine apart, and didn't find them overly difficult. That said, if you're not mechanically minded, I wouldn't recommend it. As mentioned above, it's not a semi-auto, so should run pretty clean...The advice given above is good.
Just a note on boresnakes (Hoppes brand)...with the .22-.225 snake (green/orange), I had to trim a bit of the brass weight off to get it to fit through that tiny little ejection port. I didn't have to do this with the .22 only (blue/orange) snake. This one is a little shorter than the green/orange one, and is meant (IIRC) for .22 pistols.

Edit: Sorry, I got on the boresnake thing, and forgot where I was going. One of my BLs is a 1979 build. I picked it up cheap a couple of years ago...it was well used, and a little rough on the outside, but functioned perfectly. Inside was great. A little dirty, yes, but I would expect that after 40 years of use.
Have no fear...pull a snake through it once in a while, get a small/narrow nylon brush for the bolt/chamber faces if you like, and as Toomany mentioned, a brass brush for the chamber (I use a .243 bore brush, bent to fit). Keep the outside metal clean, oiled, and fingerprint free, and you'll be good for decades.

 

I bought a well used one in 1979. It’s my most shot rifle. I have not had it apart, only normal factory suggested cleaning (& not as often as I should). I have had zero issues.

 

Use a “PatchWorm “ for your pull through. It slips easily through the port. If you’re cheap a “PatchWorm” is just a length of weedwacker line with a knot in it

 

Thanks for all the replies! I appreciate all the great info.

 

I have two BL-22's, one made in 1980 and one made in 2021. Love them both, I shoot the heck out of the 1980 one and only took it apart when I first bought it used to clean well. Run a snake down the barrel and use ear swabs to clean the bolt after each use and good to go. You will love it. Best of all the BL-22 is direct feed and can be cycled from any position unlike other rifles, and the loading magazine actually has a clip instead of the slot like all other lever 22's. It is by far the easiest and best loading of them all. I love the 33 degree lever throw also, you never have to take your hand off the stock while cycling the lever. All my other lever 22's sit most of the time, my BL goes to the range shooting every time almost. Just some more information if you did not know that already.

 

I forgot to add, one of my greatest regrets with my ML-22 (Miroku Version) is that it is not available in 22 magnum. I would buy one immediately.

 

Cleaning is simple, take down over rated and generally not needed. I’ve had mine apart a couple of times to ‘look’ at things. And lube and polish.

 

I bought a very early one around 1970. I was most attracted to the trigger that wouldn't bite my finger like my 94-22. It was easily the most shot .22 I ever had and requires very little maintenance. Certainly no tear downs if not so inclined. Sorry I ever sold it and now looking for new one. This time around the high zoot model with 24" barrel.

BTW, some complain of the heavy trigger pull. I was always a DAO revolver guy and can't say it was noticeable. Of course YMMV so be sure to check out the pull first to see if it's acceptable.

Just last week I was at the range shooting a older Rossi #62 pump. Without noticing it the inner magazine tube launched itself out the front between rounds. How embarrassing. Another point in favor of the BL 22. That magazine clip is the sort of attention to detail overlooked by everybody else.

 

Hello folks,

I am in the market for a nice quality lever .22lr. I have my eye on the Browning BL-22, but I am concerned about the fact that disassembly/reassembly is rumored to be very difficult on these, and that the factory advises to not take them apart for routine cleaning.

Now I am the type of guy that could mess up an anvil with a rubber mallet, so I have no interest in attempting to take one of these apart. If I were to follow Browning's advice and simply clean the bore with a rod or boresnake, and brush the breech face and bolt face with some CLP and a nylon brush, would this realistically be sufficient over the lifetime of the gun (decades) and many thousands of rounds?

Or do these type of guns generally need a complete takedown every so often, to clean out the entire action? I know .22s can be quite dirty, but i've primarily owned bolt-actions in the past which of course are very low maintenance and super easy to keep clean.

Thank you!

They come apart and back together extremely well, there are several videos that should alleviate your fears. It's not a Swiss watch. I taught my grandson how to disassemble and reassemble one and he's only ten years old.