Spend some time off hunting, with the weapons, a weapons & rifle care guide

Rifles being used in various forms such as hunting, taking care of predators, target shooting, or even home defence, should always be kept in top working condition, despite it being held back in the days not needed.

While in Texas trophy hunts and exotic game hunts, most hunting style rifles require significantly less amount of cleaning, occasional care from time to time works best for them. Hunting Weapons are impeccably beautiful machines, and like all the machines we deal with, even the simplest rifle demands care and maintenance. 

Apart from checking it and reassuring about the loading, and working in a closed place, with a safe directing muzzle, there are few major measures to be taken care of.

Start with bringing your rifle on a platform, remove and place the bolt aside, disassemble it to the extent you need, and can assemble back without professional help. Most hunting rifles are friendly with minimal cleaning and can work with less disassembling.

Get Access to Cleaning Supplies:

Cleaning Rod or Snake: A single piece cleaning rod will be a necessity, as they’re polymer-coated, and are softer than the steel of rifle bore, and reduces scratches. Avoid screw-together sectional cleaning rods, they will damage the bore. Bore snakes are an excellent option, as they’re made from washable materials they can’t damage your bore.

Cleaning Patches: With cleaning rods, there comes a need for cleaning patches. These can be made out of any absorbent cloth material, avoiding paper towels. A few cotton swabs and a clean rag will also be of help for wiping grime and dust from the chamber and action of the rifle.

Solvent: A solvent is a need to cut away the fouling inside the bore.

The weapons & hunting rifle cleaning procedure:

The Rifle Bore

The very first part to deal with is the barrel, and mind every inch of it as if it suffers, the accuracy does, and we don’t desire your texas exotic game hunts suffer.

It’s completely up to you whether you use the rear way of cleaning or the front way. If you have a lever-action, pump-action, or semi-automatic rifle, they provide a liberal rear way, and for the others, you’ve to clean them from the muzzle to the chamber. The direction doesn’t change the process, whichever option you choose, soak a patch or a portion of your bore snake with cleaning solvent and run it down through the bore. If you encounter substantial resistance with your rod and patch, remove the rod and trim the patch before running it again. Allow the rifle to rest for 5 to 10 minutes to give the solvent time to dissolve the fouling.

Next, run a bore brush through the bore to loosen any grime. If you can, once the brush pops out the other end, unscrew it and pull the cleaning rod back out. Be gentle during this step. The solvent should have done most of the work for you. Don’t “scrub” away at the bore as this can damage the areas and grooves of the bore. Run the brush through and then move onto the next step.

Push another patch wet with solvent through the bore and let your rifle rest for a few more minutes. Next, grab a dry patch and run it through the barrel. This one should pick up plenty of carbon residue. Continue to run dry patches through until they come out completely clean and dry. If you continue to see dirty patches, you can repeat the above process again with more solvent.

The Chamber and Action

While less attention is required by chamber and action, they should be wiped with a clean rag or cotton swab, for dust and grime to be picked. Avoid leaving the wisps from the cotton swab, it might lead to dirt attraction and malfunctions. For better-tuned cleaning, dental picks can also be used.

The Stock and Barrel

With a very light coat of gun oil, using a clean rag, wipe down the rifle barrel, before heading to the storing process. This will help in the removal of residues we might have left accidentally during the cleaning. Waterproof finished stocks, generally need less cleaning and work well after being cleaned with a clean rag and a dirt brush-off. Before storing the rifle, the excess oil from the barrel should be wiped off, the action should be closed, and the firing pin should be dropped safely, to release the tension in-rifle before storage.

Storage

In a safe and dry place

Rust is the only rivalry we can see when it comes to the storage of rifles, and other hunting weapons. A safe should be chosen with the concern of being fit for the weapons, and should be filled with a significant amount of dehydrator to avoid rust and should be kept in check periodically. The Silica Gel Beads can also be used post-activation, they work for 2-3 weeks until you plan your next Corporate Hunting in Texas. 

Maintaining a rifle in good condition is not a massive task, and thorough cleaning keeps it all safe from moisture, carbon buildup, and rust. The one thing to be concerned about is the usage of proper tools and supplies, that doesn’t damage the weapon, and makes the process quick, simple, and fun, while proper dry and locked storage, provides long life.

Take care & meet us soon at the Texas Trophy Hunts.

Remember, a hunting weapon well cared off lives longer than the hunter and becomes a legacy.