Hello all, I just recently started getting into shooting and firearms. No doubt I'm a total newb. But allow me to start by saying before I even took possession of my first rifle, I studied firearm safety and range ettiquette over and over again, and in the short time I've owned my two guns I've become very concious and aware of firearm safety, so I've got that stuff down pat.
Where I need some direction is maintenance. I tend to over-maintain things and I want to make sure I am maintaining my rifles properly.
The two guns I own are a Savage Stevens Model 325-B Bolt Action .30-30, and I just bought a brand new Ruger 10/22 Carbine. The .30-30 was given to me by my dad who was given it to him by his dad who bought it new.
Now the .30-30 has not been fired in probably close to 20 years, it has been stored in a case the entire time. I was planning on taking it to a gunsmith and having them do a once-over on it to make sure it is safe to shoot.
As for the 10/22, I took it to the range yesterday and fired probably 50 rounds through it, just to get a feel for it. I didn't mess with the sights or anything, I really just wanted to see how it shot. Also I'm planning on putting a scope on it as soon as possible.
As I said before, I tend to over-maintain things, and my guns are no exception. I have a bottle of Hoppes Elite Cleaner and some Rem Oil and some 3 in 1 Oil. I have a couple cleaning rods but they are the 3 piece aluminum ones and I've been reading all over the internet that those can cause damage to the bore. Still, after shooting at the range yesterday I used the rod to put a patch holder and a patch soaked in Hoppes Elite down the muzzle (can't put it from the chamber side since its an auto loader) of the 10/22 very lightly and then a patch soaked in Rem Oil down the muzzle and back. I didn't feel super comfortable doing that as I don't want to damage the crown by continually doing it. I was planning on getting a bore snake for it so I can clean it chamber to muzzle and not worry about damaging the rifling or crown. Is this a decent idea? Basically I'm looking for an idiot-proof way to clean the gun out. Also Should I buy two bore snakes? One to soak with Hoppes and one to soak with 3 in 1 Oil?
Again I'm very new to this and just want to make sure I'm taking proper care of my rifles. Thanks all!
Where I need some direction is maintenance. I tend to over-maintain things and I want to make sure I am maintaining my rifles properly.
The two guns I own are a Savage Stevens Model 325-B Bolt Action .30-30, and I just bought a brand new Ruger 10/22 Carbine. The .30-30 was given to me by my dad who was given it to him by his dad who bought it new.
Now the .30-30 has not been fired in probably close to 20 years, it has been stored in a case the entire time. I was planning on taking it to a gunsmith and having them do a once-over on it to make sure it is safe to shoot.
As for the 10/22, I took it to the range yesterday and fired probably 50 rounds through it, just to get a feel for it. I didn't mess with the sights or anything, I really just wanted to see how it shot. Also I'm planning on putting a scope on it as soon as possible.
As I said before, I tend to over-maintain things, and my guns are no exception. I have a bottle of Hoppes Elite Cleaner and some Rem Oil and some 3 in 1 Oil. I have a couple cleaning rods but they are the 3 piece aluminum ones and I've been reading all over the internet that those can cause damage to the bore. Still, after shooting at the range yesterday I used the rod to put a patch holder and a patch soaked in Hoppes Elite down the muzzle (can't put it from the chamber side since its an auto loader) of the 10/22 very lightly and then a patch soaked in Rem Oil down the muzzle and back. I didn't feel super comfortable doing that as I don't want to damage the crown by continually doing it. I was planning on getting a bore snake for it so I can clean it chamber to muzzle and not worry about damaging the rifling or crown. Is this a decent idea? Basically I'm looking for an idiot-proof way to clean the gun out. Also Should I buy two bore snakes? One to soak with Hoppes and one to soak with 3 in 1 Oil?
Again I'm very new to this and just want to make sure I'm taking proper care of my rifles. Thanks all!