.22 rifle bargains? Sometimes

One thing that happens to these little rifles a lot- especially semiautos- is they don't get cleaned. Not just the bore, the whole action gets absolutely filthy. .22 ammo is bad about leaving granules of unburned powder in the action, and over time it builds up. Combined with too much or the wrong type of oil, it can make a horrible mess that causes all kinds of problems.

I once worked on a Marlin rifle that had the worst case of this I've ever seen. The bore looked ok; dirty, but no rust or pitting that I could tell. But the action was bloody awful. There was gray sludge all over the inside, and the bolt felt gritty when you worked it. I suspect the seller was getting rid of it cheap because it wouldn't work well, and either didn't think to or didn't want to take it apart.

Once home I detail-stripped it('field stripping' is the minimum takedown needed to clean a piece; 'detail-stripping' means taking it down to parts as much as possible). It was, without question, the nastiest modern firearm I've ever worked on. A lot of old military rifles/handguns are greasy, but they don't generally have all the other crud mixed in. I used denatured alcohol(use gloves and ventilation) to flush the crud out of the bolt, receiver, and works. A few patches & solvent down the barrel showed it to be spotless. Once clean I oiled everything properly and put it back together, and hauled it to the range. It worked flawlessly, and accuracy was very good. It had just needed a thorough cleaning to put it right. And it's still giving good service to the owner.

Notes: if you're going to detail-strip something, find some instructions first. Some can be tricky, especially on reassembly. J.B. Wood's books on firearms assembly-disassembly are very good.
I should note that this piece shot very well with ammo it liked, getting back to the 'try different types/brands' situation. There were some that gave fair accuracy in it, but would not cycle the action reliably.
There are specialized gun-cleaning solvents that work quite well. However, for some things there are less expensive things to use. Denatured alcohol can work, but now I use low-odor mineral spirits. For something with a lot of old crud in it, you can go to some auto parts stores and buy a can of spray carburetor or brake cleaner for about a dollar, and it does a good job of cutting the junk loose. But do use rubber gloves and a well-ventilated area. And make sure you take out any plastic/synthetic parts before you use these; I know of one case where a guy hit a dirty Marlin with carb cleaner, and it melted the plastic recoil buffer in the receiver.