Spring and Gas Piston air rifles need very little in the way of maintenance. The most important thing is to keep the exterior metal surfaces clean and oiled. This will help prevent rust and staining from the oils and acids in your skin. Don’t over-apply this oil as too much oil can damage wood stocks and it can find its way into places where it is not welcome.
To clean the barrel, an appropriate size cleaning rod and nylon brush setup is recommended. Many air rifles have integral noise suppression permanently installed on the barrel. In this case, extreme care must be used in the cleaning process as you don’t want to touch any of the baffles. Also, traditional patch or felt pellet-based cleaning is not recommended for this type of barrel. The patch or felt pellet can fall off in the muzzle device and get stuck there. Mop the barrel with the appropriate jig and let the barrel dry thoroughly.
Spring-powered rifle actions will need to be occasionally removed from the stock so that the action can be serviced. You can inspect the spring with the action upside down. RWS Spring Cylinder Oil can be applied directly on the spring BEHIND the piston.
The piston cylinder can be serviced through the receiver transfer port with RWS Chamber Lube (100% silicone oil). Only 2 drops are needed per 1,000 shots. In this case, it is better to not apply oil in this area at all than to use the wrong product. The RWS Cleaning Kits are available in .177 and .22 caliber and contain everything you need to maintain your air rifle.