Not sure if this post should be here or down in Black Powder and Cowboy... so redirect if so.
Just yesterday my Shiloh 1874 Sharps, their Sporter #1 with the 30 inch heavy octagonal barrel in 45-70 arrived. Although I'm sure there are plenty of folks here that have paid much more for a gun, for ME this is the most I've ever spent on any single one. After the added tang sight/ front sight, 2d day air shipping, tax and FFL, was $3400. I think it's a work of art looking at it, but I'm biased having just bought it! The fit and finish seems top notch. This thing weighs a full 12 lbs. A Garand and a half, but not planning on hunting with it, so not going to be carrying this rifle farther than from the safe to the car to the rifle range and setting it on bags full or rice on a bench. Being this is the finest firearm I currently own, I want to take extra care of it. So... first thing is to clean the film of oil in the barrel that it was shipped with, drop the block and clean the apparent heavy coat of oil from that and the firing pin. At some point I do plan on casting my own bullets, reloading with gunpowder and paper patching, the whole nine yards. That will be months down the road. In the meantime, I'm going to put some factory 45-70 rounds through it (smokeless powder).
My question to you folks is... is there anything I maybe should, or should NOT do with this rifle as I take it to the range for the first time? I'm basically saying... I don't want to screw this one up by doing anything stupid!
Just yesterday my Shiloh 1874 Sharps, their Sporter #1 with the 30 inch heavy octagonal barrel in 45-70 arrived. Although I'm sure there are plenty of folks here that have paid much more for a gun, for ME this is the most I've ever spent on any single one. After the added tang sight/ front sight, 2d day air shipping, tax and FFL, was $3400. I think it's a work of art looking at it, but I'm biased having just bought it! The fit and finish seems top notch. This thing weighs a full 12 lbs. A Garand and a half, but not planning on hunting with it, so not going to be carrying this rifle farther than from the safe to the car to the rifle range and setting it on bags full or rice on a bench. Being this is the finest firearm I currently own, I want to take extra care of it. So... first thing is to clean the film of oil in the barrel that it was shipped with, drop the block and clean the apparent heavy coat of oil from that and the firing pin. At some point I do plan on casting my own bullets, reloading with gunpowder and paper patching, the whole nine yards. That will be months down the road. In the meantime, I'm going to put some factory 45-70 rounds through it (smokeless powder).
My question to you folks is... is there anything I maybe should, or should NOT do with this rifle as I take it to the range for the first time? I'm basically saying... I don't want to screw this one up by doing anything stupid!