Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What is your pre-season rifle prep??

I do a quick visual
Check torque on screws
Shoot off a bench to confirm zero
Hunt

Check for mud daubers.

I toss mine a couple times then shoot a couple shots, learned it from big stick.

If it’s a burns rifle I just shoot, heck one shot has to get through, even if in the guts or other area, just keep shooting.😂

I run a a dry patch through the bore and shoot it at 600 to 700 yards cold bore. You know if you have any problems with one shot.

Not much. Make sure I've got enough ammunition loaded and ready to go. Check zero and off we go.

All year
Always testing loads of various calibers and makes of rifles
Keep records of components, groups , and POI
As time draws near I decide which components spark interest
Look back at records to see if POI will need adjusting for selected load
Sometimes loads I have never tested in game , but test good on paper and curious to see how it will preform

Have found any center fire will work as long as bullet placement and reality of what caliber is capable of is in tact
Lucky enough to have a 100yd range in back yard
So playing isn’t a real pain in the ass
Got some farms I can go to for checking myself and loads at greater distances
Remington 700 in 222 and 243 keep me in check On groundhogs
Paper for larger calibers
Love shooting almost as much as hunting
Kenneth

This, except I usually shoot 200 yards.

Wipe the dust buildup off the scope lens.

I give it a good cleaning after season. Check action and scope screws. I do a basic wipe down and check the screws before I take it to shoot it to check the zero before the season. I guess thats a routine.

The only thing I would add here is to camo wrap the barrel and scope especially if they are glossy or shiny,

After the season do quick zero/group check.....clean barrel and put away.........pre-season check zero/grouping....wait till season.....go hunt.

Take it to the range and check zero (couple of shots at 100 and maybe 300 yards) take it home, wipe it off and good to go.

Depending upon the rifle and when I shot it last all this plus maybe a 3-round group n paper to make sure nothing evaded a visual inspection.

never really gave it much thought.

As others mention, several of mine get shot all through the spring and summer, so they are already good to go. A couple only get 15-20 rounds a year (usually magnum sporter rifles) and I'll check zero on those a few weeks before season, generally on a cool and still morning in October. My range is about a mile from the house. They'll generally get shot at 200/300 and sometimes 400yds, depending on the rifle. Sometime just before season I will clean all the lenses on the scopes. I'll make sure I have at least 15-20 rounds or so loaded for the low-volume rifles and more like 30+rounds for the ones I enjoy shooting more frequently. I might carry 10-12 different rifles hunting in any given deer season.

Well I shoot them more than once a season. So, if anything is messed up, it will show itself when I'm shooting.

This has worked for me to 40 years now.

Make sure the hole still goes all the way down the barrel.

Go hunting!

Wonder how many of us could benefit from taking our own advice to others on this one.

After hunting seasons the guns get fully stripped, stock off, and throughly cleaned and checked. Months prior to the season they are shot and checked for zero. Despite using a torque wrench on the stock bolts, the zero almost always changes, usually minimally. Barrel is fouled and zero is checked. Hunting shots are usually cold, dirty bore. Once checked, the barrel does not get wiped down. Oil in the bore will change POI, maybe minimally, but it will change it. Two inches at 100 yards might not matter, but six inches at 300 yards surely does.