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

I’m really amazed at how many folks recheck the torque on all of the screws.

Mine are torqued with Loctite applied to clean threads……it would be quite a feat for them to loosen! If they did, it would be very apparent at the 300 yard zero check!

I did fail to mention the “bore obstruction” check. Though, mine always has electrical tape re applied post hunting season, or post interim shooting……so, there should be no obstructions! memtb

I arrived in camp one day about forty years ago, and found the 165 gr ballistic tips were seated a few 1/1000s long for the bolt to close on my 30-06. Out of 100 rounds I managed to seat the bullet a little deeper on about 20, and killed a deer with one shot the next day.

But aftet that every round got cycled through the rifle before leaving home.

I always fired a couple fouling shots at home or along the road before arriving at camp.

That old 670 really tossed the first shot from a clean bore. By the third she settled into head shooting grouse to 80 yards mode.

I take my stock off after every hunting season. I don't neglect them, but I'm hard on the rifles. Snow, rain, twigs, pine needles all get under the stock especially where the barrel is free floated. No other option but to take the stock off and clean it and then retorque it.

Rifle prep?
My rifle is just a prop to fool the wife, it doesn’t even leave the case at camp.
We just drink, play cards, smoke cigars, and tell lies at deer camp.
There’s no deer in Nevada.

Yes Sir I am aware of that. I was not clear on the patch process. I store my guns with a well lubed barrel. So when I say I just run a patch down it, it is a dry patch to remove any excess oil.

I’ve never understood this obsession with “sighting in” the old deer rifle the day before season opens every year. If my rifle shot where I pointed it this year, how does it sitting in the safe change where it will hit next time I get it out? I cannot remember ever needing to adjust a scope after it was initially set, unless I changed scopes, mounts, loads, etc. Same goes for sights.

I used to be anal about shooting everything right before season. Didn't want to miss the big one because of something I messed up.

But year after year of nothing ever changing, and with the addition of allot more rifles.... I don't anymore.

It'd take me a week to check what I might pull out of the safe maybe possibly but probably not.

I'm blessed to be able to shoot off the back porch. So year round I'm shooting something. That's when they get checked.

Other than that I grab what I feel like and go kill deer.

I like “full length” bedding to minimize the risk of debris or freezing water(expansion) getting in the barrel channel and causing a pressure point.

I don’t hunt as aggressively as I used too, so it stays relatively clean. If it gets submerged…..then a disassembly would certainly be in order! memtb