Getting Your Firearms Ready for Hunting Season

Don’t be the one with a long face when the season starts, take care of your guns now!

Hey there shooters! Joshua Stevens here, bringing you a timely Tech Tip Tuesday. With the Oklahoma dove season already well under way and deer hunting season just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start pulling out your guns and getting them cleaned up and ready to go. Trust me, you don’t want to be dealing with a malfunctioning firearm on the first day of the season. Let’s dive into the essentials of cleaning and lubricating your firearms to ensure they’re in top shape when you need them the most.

Why Clean Your Firearms Now?

Imagine this: It’s the first day of hunting season, you’re out in the field, and when you pull the trigger, nothing happens. That sinking feeling is something we all want to avoid. Cleaning and maintaining your firearms now will save you from potential headaches and ensure your gear performs flawlessly when it matters most.

Regular cleaning prevents rust, ensures reliable operation, and extends the life of your firearm. With the changing weather and increased use during hunting season, it’s essential to keep your guns in pristine condition. So, let’s get started on how to properly clean and lubricate your firearms.

Essential Cleaning Tools

Here at TFirearms, we recommend a few key tools to make your cleaning process efficient and effective. Here’s a list of the must-haves:

1. Wheeler Gunsmithing Screwdriver Kit: This kit is indispensable for safely disassembling your firearms without damaging screws and components. The variety of bits ensures you have the right tool for every job. Any screwdriver kit will work but these ones are our favorites and what all of us at the shop use.
2. Real Avid Bore Boss: This pull-through bore cleaner is fantastic for quickly and thoroughly cleaning the barrel of your firearm. Make sure to get the Bore Boss in the caliber specific to your gun. Like the Wheeler screw drivers these are also exactly what we use at the shop.
3. Bristle Brush: A good quality bristle brush helps scrub away stubborn carbon buildup and residue from hard-to-reach places. This isn’t essential with a bore boss in your kit but it’s nice to have if you’ve got something really stuck in the barrel like a rust spot or gunk from the field.
4. Q-Tips: These are perfect for getting into small crevices and ensuring every part of your firearm is clean. I personally prefer the plastic stem ones over the paper because they hold up better for gun cleaning since the solvents will unravel the paper ones.
5. Rag or Gun-Specific Cleaning Cloth: For wiping down components and applying cleaning solvents and oils, a good rag is essential. I personally prefer to use a grease soaked sock turned inside out.

Cleaning and Lubrication Products

We generally like to use a combination of gun cleaning solvents, oil, and grease to keep our firearms in top working condition. Each product has its place and purpose, ensuring that your gun is clean, lubricated, and protected from wear and corrosion.

1. Gun Cleaning Solvents: These solvents are used to break down and remove carbon, copper, and other residues from the barrel and action of your firearm. Brands like Hoppe’s No. 9 or Lucas CLP (Cleaner, Lubricant, Protectant) are excellent choices.
2. Gun Oil: After cleaning, applying a light coat of gun oil helps lubricate the moving parts and protect against rust. Rem Oil and Break-Free CLP are popular options.
3. Gun Grease: For parts that experience high friction, like the bolt and slide rails, a bit of gun grease can provide superior lubrication and protection. Products like Mil-Comm TW25B or Lucas Gun Grease are highly recommended.

Step-by-Step Cleaning Process

1. Disassemble Your Firearm: Using your Wheeler 43 Piece Gunsmithing Screwdriver Kit, carefully disassemble your firearm according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Lay out all parts in an organized manner to keep track of everything.
2. Clean the Barrel: Run the Real Avid Bore Boss through the barrel several times, pulling it from the breech to the muzzle. Follow up with a few patches soaked in solvent until they come out clean. Finish with a dry patch to remove any remaining solvent.
3. Scrub the Components: Use your bristle brush and Q-tips to scrub all accessible parts, especially those with visible carbon buildup. Apply solvent to help break down the residue.
4. Wipe Down: Use your rag or cleaning cloth to wipe down all components, removing any remaining solvent, dirt, or debris.
5. Lubricate: Apply a light coat of gun oil to moving parts and a small amount of grease to high-friction areas. Wipe away any excess oil or grease leaking out of the firearm to prevent attracting dust and debris.
6. Reassemble: Carefully reassemble your firearm, ensuring all parts are correctly installed and functioning smoothly.

Functions Check

After cleaning your firearm it’s important to run a functions check. This makes sure that you’ve assembled everything correctly and checks to see if anything is broken or worn that you missed during cleaning that could make your gun not work correctly when you need it.

For a bolt-action rifle, clear the chamber and magazine. Open and close the bolt to ensure smooth operation. Engage the safety and try to pull the trigger—the gun shouldn’t fire. Disengage the safety and check trigger pull. Repeat the bolt cycling to verify proper extraction.

With a semi-auto rifle, clear the chamber and magazine, then charge the rifle to cock the hammer. Engage the safety and attempt to pull the trigger—the gun shouldn’t fire. Disengage the safety, dry fire, and listen for the trigger reset. Finally, cycle the action to ensure smooth feeding, extraction, and proper bolt lockup.

We always recommend test firing your firearm before heading out to hunt, as it’s the only surefire way to ensure your gun is functioning correctly and zeroed in for accuracy. Taking the time to head to the range will confirm that your sights or optics are properly aligned, the gun cycles as expected, and everything is ready for that crucial moment in the field. A quick session before the season can prevent missed opportunities and give you confidence when it’s time to take the shot.

Upcoming Article

We’ll dive deeper into where and when to use specific cleaning products in a follow-up article. There’s a lot to cover when it comes to choosing the right solvent, oil, and grease for different parts of your firearm, and it deserves its own detailed discussion.

We’re Here to Help

If you have any questions or if you get stuck during the cleaning process, don’t hesitate to reach out. At TFirearms, we’re more than happy to advise you at our in-store location. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time gun owner, we’re here to help.

We also offer professional firearms cleaning services starting at $30.00 for basic cleaning to $75.00 for detailed cleaning, depending on the gun. We highly recommend bringing your firearms in prior to the start of hunting season since we often get overwhelmed with work during that period, and our lead times can sometimes get pretty long.

Conclusion

With the right tools and products, you can keep your firearms in top condition, ensuring a smooth, successful, and stress-free hunting season. The last thing you want is to miss your shot at the big one due to a preventable issue. By cleaning and maintaining your guns beforehand, you’ll be ready when the moment arrives, without worrying about malfunctions or poor performance. Don’t let a lack of preparation cost you your chance—take care of your gear, and it will take care of you in the field.

Stay safe, shoot straight, and see you at the shop!

Joshua Stevens