I usually just clean the action on my 22's, and only clean the bore when I know I wont be shooting it again for awhile. The 17 is another matter, as it shoots jacketed bullets, the accuracy will start going south after about 40 shots and the copper fouling must be removed to restore good shooting. I use a 17 caliber rod and cloth patches along with Sweets 7.62 to get the fouling out.