Congrats, that's a nice choice for a first gun. For ammo, I'm convinced that each .22lr likes a certain type. My Marlin 60 hates Remington Thunderbolt, while other guns like that crap. About every fifth round is a dead round or misfire in my Marlin 60. I went cheap on the .22lr ammo trying to save money. It turns out I'm actually paying more because of the dead rounds, misfires and the headache. CCI has been pretty good.

As for cleaning a .22lr, I have no plans to clean the bore of mine. I know two people who woke up one day and decided to clean the bore of their perfectly running .22lr rifle after not cleaning it for several years. Each said their gun was not the same afterward. It was less accurate, etc. If you do decide to clean the bore, make sure you are careful and don't treat it like a shotgun, a Glock or any other idiot-proof gun. A .22lr is not the same.