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Gun
Care Tips
GETTING YOUR GUN READY TO GO AFIELD:
Just prior to hunting season or a day at the range it's only common
sense to check a few things before going afield. It can mean the
difference between disappointment -- or disaster -- and a pleasurable
experience.
The
experts at Shooter's Choice suggest the following checklist:
- If
the bore is clean and has been stored for awhile, run a clean
patch through to wipe out any oil.
- Work
the action repeatedly and, if possible, cycle a few dummy rounds
through the gun. The shop is the place to discover any problems,
not in the field.
- Look
the gun over thoroughly. Any shiny surfaces on moving parts
can note wear. A touch of grease on the shiny parts keeps things
running smooth. Rule of thumb: If you can see the grease after
it's been applied, you've used too much.
- Most
greases gum up in extreme cold and can cause malfunctions. In
addition to keeping grease to a minimum, use one that keeps
its integrity in extreme weather. Shooter's Choice All-Weather
grease will function in temperatures from -60 to +350 degrees.
- To
prepare yourself, dryfire your rifle or shotgun to reacquaint
yourself with just where the trigger breaks. In old guns use
snap caps to protect the firing pin.
- Check
and tighten, if necessary, screws in guards, scope mounts and
other sights. Use a screwdriver ground to fit the screws. Few
things mar the appearance of a good gun more than screws chewed
up by poorly fitting screwdrivers.
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"CONDITION" THAT BARREL:
Over the years Shooter's Choice MC-7 bore solvent has established
itself as a favorite among expert and professional rifle, pistol
and shotgun shooters all over the world. MC-7's special formulation
cuts powder, copper, carbon, lead and wad fouling faster and more
efficiently than any other bore solvent on the market.
But
there is another application that can make your future gun cleaning
easier and faster -- use Shooter's Choice MC-7 before you shoot
as well as after. Simply saturate a patch with MC-7 and run it
through an already clean bore, then follow with a dry patch. The
idea is to leave a thin film of Shooter's Choice MC-7 in the barrel.
It's called "conditioning" the barrel.
This
practice minimizes fouling build-up and will assure first shot
accuracy, eliminating the need to fire a fouling shot. In a conditioned
bore the MC-7 also gets between the barrel walls and subsequent
fouling, making it easier to remove after your day of shooting.
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LET'S STORE THAT GUN CORRECTLY:
For many people a shotgun or rifle is a seasonal tool. When the
hunting season ends, the firearm goes into storage for months
-- until thoughts of the next season bring it back out.
But
a firearm needs protection even when it isn't being used, and
a case or cabinet is not sufficient protection, according to Joe
Ventimiglia, president of Shooter's Choice.
"There
is definitely a right way to store a firearm," said Ventimiglia,
a noted benchrest competitor and hunter. "Corrosion can work
unchecked for months if the gun isn't stored properly."
Ventimiglia
notes that a firearm's bore should be cleaned prior to storage,
"then scrub the action with a good lubricant-cleaner like
Shooter's Choice MC#7 and an old toothbrush."
When
the action is clean, Ventimiglia suggests degreasing it with a
quality degreaser such as Shooter's Choice Quick Scrub. Follow
that with a light coating of high quality gun grease in wear areas.
Next
spray the action with a dust coating of a quality water-displacent
like Shooter's Choice Rust Prevent. Run a wet patch of Rust Prevent
down the bore and liberally spray the outside of the entire gun
with Rust Prevent. After a half-hour spray it again and wipe it
off the wood before storing.
"This
system will give you all the protection of cosmoline without all
the mess and hassle," Ventimiglia says. "When you take
it out of storage, just run a wet patch down the bore, then a
dry patch, wipe it off and go shooting."
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HOW
MUCH LUBRICANT IS 'TOO MUCH'?
When using a top-quality firearms lubricant like Shooter's Choice
FP-10 Lubricant Elite or Shooter's Choice All-Weather High-Tech
Gun Grease it is very easy to use too much.
When
lubricating a firearm's action it is very easy to reach the point
of dimmishing returns. An over-lubricated action, particularly
in autoloading firearms, can actually cycle too fast, failing
to feed the round from the magazine to the chamber after the empty
is ejected. The action is, in effect, too slippery.
A
simple rule of thumb when lubricating a firearm is that if you
can see the lubricant, you've probably used too much. As the hair
grooming jingle used to say, "a little dab will do ya."
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PREPARE
YOUR GUN FOR THE COLD:
There are few colder places frequented by humans than a wind-swept
late-season waterfowl blind or a bone-chilling mountaintop deer
stand.
Intense
cold is not only tough on hunters, but also on their firearms.
Lubricants that provide such necessary function under normal conditions
can freeze solid or turn to a heavy gel in extreme cold -- a fact
often unnoticed until that first flock sets its wings or that
big buck bolts from cover.
"Today's
hunters can't pick what days he goes afield -- he has to take
whatever conditions occur on the days he has free," says
shooting expert Joe Ventimiglia, president of Shooter's Choice
Gun Care products.
"His
guns have to be ready under any conditions. He can't afford to
use just any lubricant."
If
there is a cold weather hunt in your future, Ventimiglia suggests
taking your gun to a gunsmith to have it degreased -- or do it
yourself with a quality degreaser such as Shooter's Choice Quick
Scrub.
Then
use a lubricant, whether it be grease or oil, that will retain
its qualities in extreme temperatures. Shooter's Choice gun grease
will function in temperatures from -60 to +360F degrees and Shooter's
Choice FP-10 Lubricant Elite has a range of -76 to +500F degrees.
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COPPER
SOLVENT NEEDN'T BE CAUSTIC:
It's not news that many copper solvents, while essential for removing
guilded metal from barrels left by high-velocity loads, lose their
effectiveness when exposed to heat, cold or get agitated. The
ammonia content in many copper solvents can also etch stainless
barrels if left too long.
The
good news is that Shooter's Choice Copper Solvent remains stable
and effective under virtually all temperatures and conditions.
It is also less potentially harmful to stainless steel, thanks
to the additional corrosion-inhibiting packages the Shooter's
Choice chemists have added to the blend.
The
best way is to use Shooter's Choice Copper Solvent is to first
clean the bore with Shooter's Choice MC-7 bore solvent. That removes
the powder and carbon fouling and exposes the copper left in the
rifling lands and grooves. Then perform three 10-minute applications
of Shooter's Choice Copper Solvent, which is much safer and more
efficient than one 30-minute application.
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TIPS
FOR CLEANING A FIREARM:
Neglecting
the bore can not only hurt accuracy but also eventually ruin any
firearm. Here is a five-step process for cleaning a rifle or pistol
(shotguns are slightly different), as suggested by the Shooter's
Choice staff of experts:
- Wet
two patches with bore solvent and push them through the bore
to remove loose residue.
- Wet
a proper-fitting bronze brush and run it through the barrel
8 to 10 times - more if the condition of the bore or number
of rounds dictate.
- Wet
three patches and individually push them back and forth to remove
loose fouling.
- Run
a dry patch through the bore. If it comes out clean, the procedure
is complete. If not, repeat the process until it does.
- Wet
a patch with a good rust preventative and swab the bore to protect
it during storage.
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TIPS
ON CLEANING YOUR SHOTGUN:
Cleaning a shotgun after a day of shooting is like washing
dishes or taking garbage out after eating a great meal. It's not
the part you look forward to.
But
immediate gun cleaning is just as necessary as kitchen chores.
As a shotgun tube cools condensation occurs. Plastic wad and powder
fouling attracts moisture and hardens, trapping that moisture
against the walls of the tube. Rust and even pitting can occur.
The
experts at Ventco Inc., makers of Shooter's Choice gun care products,
offer these shotgun-cleaning tips:
- Use
only phosphorus bronze brushes that are wound on a core -- they
are much more durable and flexible.
- An
excellent patch rod can be made from a 5/8ths-inch wooden dowel
with a bicycle handlebar grip fastened to one end.
- An
absorbent paper towel (we've found Bounty brand works best)
folded and rolled to bore-filling diameter is an excellent cleaning
patch. Soak the towel with a quality bore cleaner like Shooter's
Choice MC#7 bore cleaner and conditioner and push it the length
of the bore from chamber to muzzle. Wet brush and wet patch
until clean.
- Use
a toothbrush to scrub bearing surfaces with MC#7 to clean and
lubricate. Then wipe it off and coat the metal surfaces (including
the inside of the tube) with a quality moisture displacer like
Shooter's Choice Rust Prevent.
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DIFFERENT
CLEANING TECHNIQUE FOR BACKBORED BARRELS:
Got a problem getting your new shotgun barrel clean? You're
not alone. The inability to get new barrels absolutely clean is
one of the most common dilemmas we face.
So
what causes this phenomenon and how can be it solved?
"The
problem in many cases can be solved by simply using common sense,"
says shooting expert Joe Ventimiglia, president of Shooter's Choice
gun care products. "Many new barrels -- and usually those
that have the problems -- are backbored.
Some
call it overbored. Browning, Mossberg and Remington all have models
with backbored barrels. Backboring or overboring means that the
interior diameter of the barrel is increased to lessen recoil
and clean up patterns. That means the interior of your 12 gauge
barrel may actually approach 10 gauge dimensions.
"That's
why your 12 gauge brush and patches won't do the job. Get a good
quality phosphorus bronze wound 10 gauge brush and oversize patches
-- and, of course a good solvent -- and clean that barrel again.
I think you'll solve the problem."
For
exceptional quality cleaning rods, brushes, jags, etc., we recommend
J. Dewey Mfg. Company, Southberry, CT 06488, phone: (203) 264-3064.
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WHAT
IS BARREL FOULING?
Heavy fouling has undoubtedly retired more guns than worn barrels.
Nothing destroys a gun's accuracy or pattern faster or ruins a
barrel sooner than fouling.
Powder
residue in the barrel is a curse in any type of firearm. Rifles
add copper or lead fouling. In shotguns powder mixes with plastic
wad residue.
Powder
residue gets burnt and ironed into the walls of the bore everytime
a bullet passes over it. Copper and lead are left in the barrel
in the form of a thin, smeared wash. Plastic wad residue is melted
into the powder residue in much the same way.
Fouling
starts with the first shot and increases every time you squeeze
the trigger. The result in rifles is a sandwich effect of powder
and gilded metals and in shotguns it's powder and melted plastic.
The fouling attracts moisture and traps it against the barrel
walls.
If
your cleaning solvent does not attack, lift, and dissolve fouling,
you are wasting money and possibly ruining your gun. Shooter's
Choice MC#7 bore cleaner and Shooter's Choice Copper Remover are
both specially formulated to dissolve and lift away any barrel
fouling. Test them against any other brand on the market and see
for yourself.
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STAINLESS
STEEL IS THE GUN METAL OF THE 21ST CENTURY:
Put a synthetic stock on a stainless steel action and barrel and
you can hunt all day in the rain or wet and not worry about stock
warpage or corrosion. And you only have to clean the gun when
the mood strikes. Isn't life in the '90s grand?
Well,
hunting in the elements is an individual choice, but regular cleaning
is essential to accuracy in all guns, regardless of the material
of manufacture.
Stainless
steel is not absolutely resistant to all forms of corrosion and
should be wiped off after each use and coated with a good moisture
displacent like Shooter's Choice Rust Prevent.
"Many
lubricants that work well on conventional blued actions will gall
a stainless steel action, so don't treat that new stainless gun
like others in your gun case," says veteran benchrest competitor
Joe Ventimiglia, president of Ventco Inc., makers of Shooter's
Choice gun care products.
For
decades stainless steel is the rule rather than the exception
in benchrest competition, and Shooter's Choice Hi-Tech gun grease
was specially formulated to complement stainless steel actions
and barrels.
"One
thing to avoid when cleaning any barrel -- stainless or blued
-- is a stiff stainless steel brush," Ventimiglia said. "Stainless
brushes are too hard and will score virtually any barrel. Stick
with bronze brushes."
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NOT
ALL CLEANING RODS ARE CREATED EQUAL:
There are a few items that are needed to efficiently clean
a rifle or pistol bore.
First
is a rest to hold the firearm steady while the cleaning rod is
worked. The experts at Shooter's Choice suggest you use one with
padding to protect the finish and one that is built so that the
muzzle is lower than the receiver so that solvents drain away
from the chamber. MTM Molded Products of Dayton, Ohio, makes a
dandy portable cleaning rest and equipment carrier called a Portable
Maintenance Center.
Second
is a good cleaning rod and the appropriate jag. Many of your readers
won't know what constitutes a good rod. Vinyl-coated rods are
by far the best and some blackpowder shooters prefer nylon. Both
afford protection for the muzzle and rifling.
A
very poor second choice is one of the hardened steel jointed rods.
And stay away from jointed aluminum rods for rifle and pistol
bores. A soft metal like aluminum can pick up grit and act just
like a lap, scratching the tender lands and grooves of a rifled
barrel with every stroke!
Probably
the most important factor in efficient gun cleaning is your
solvent. Regardless of what equipment you use, don't cut corners
on the solvent - use only top-quality like Shooter's Choice
Copper Remover, or Shooter's Choice MC#7 Bore Cleaner. Shooter's
Choice products are American made.
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SOLVING
COPPER FOULING PROBLEM:
Copper
or other gilded metal fouling is a common yet serious problem
in modern firearms, particularly when using loads faster than
3,000 feet per second.
Immediate
and thorough cleaning of rifle and pistol bores after using copper-jacketed
ammo is essential, both to protect your investment and to assure
future accuracy. But how does one know when a bore is thoroughly
cleansed of copper residue?
By
using the most effective copper solvent available. The experts
at Ventco Industries, makers of Shooter's Choice gun care products,
suggest you try a simple test.
Take
two copper-plated washers. Coat one liberally with Shooter's Choice
Copper Remover and the other with a similar amount of any other
copper solvent on the market.
Note
which one turns blue (dissolves all the copper) fastest. There
are several excellent copper solvents on the market but none work
as quickly or as thoroughly as Shooter's Choice Copper Remover.
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MOLY
COATING MUST START WITH CLEAN BARREL:
The
use of molybdenum disulfide or other coated bullets to increase
velocity and ostensibly to improve accuracy in rifle barrels is
very popular today. The improvement in performance, however, is
dependent on the moly being evenly coated throughout the barrel,
and that takes some preparation.
"It
is absolutely critical to start with a perfectly clean bore before
using coated bullets," said firearms expert Joe Ventimiglia,
president of Shooter's Choice gun care products. "The moly
must be applied to a clean and smooth surface. If the coating
is deposited over any type of fouling it will not be even and
accuracy will suffer and it could even lead to increased pressures
if the build-up gets too heavy."
A
heavily used barrel should be treated with a quality copper solvent,
then with a good bore solvent, like Shooter's Choice MC-7 Bore
Cleaner until patches run through clean. Then at least two dry
patches should be run through the barrel before coated bullets
are fired through it.
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QUALITY
PRODUCTS DISSOLVE FOULING AND BRUSHES:
Copper
and guilded metal fouling left behind by high velocity jacketed
bullets can destroy accuracy if it isn't removed from a barrel
quickly. But such fouling is very difficult to remove.
A
thorough soaking in Shooter's Choice MC-7 Bore Cleaner will clear
the powder fouling and other debris but to remove copper or gilded
metal fouling quickly the next step should be an application of
Shooter's Choice Copper Solvent or Shooter's Choice Xtreme Clean
aerosol.
Use
only wound phosphorus bronze brushes when cleaning rifle barrels
since stainless and other brushes may scratch the surface. By
the same token, take care to rinse the solvent out of the brush
with Quick Scrubb III Cleaner/ Degreaser before storing it since
a quality copper solvent doesn't differentiate between fouling
and the strands of a wire brush.
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LEAD
RESIDUE CAN BE HARMFUL:
Lead poisoning can be dangerous and debilitating. Some people
who are extremely sensitive to lead should wear a dust mask and
rubber gloves when cleaning a firearm.
"Everyone
should always wash their hands thoroughly with soap and warm water
after cleaning a firearm," says firearms expert Joe Ventimiglia,
president of Shooter's Choice gun care products. "The bolt
and receiver area are typically loaded with very fine lead particles
that can get into your lungs and stomach if you eat immediately
without washing the residue from your hands.
"People
who shoot at indoor ranges should also be extremely careful. Lead
is present in vapor form after each discharge. It is also present
in most priming mixtures and in particle form as it shears off
from pressure on the driving sides of the rifling lands."
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