Firearm and Bow Care, Part 2—Maintenance
By Bryan Martin
Before going on a hunt where it will likely be wet, which is most places out West or in Canada or Alaska, I take the stock off the gun and coat all metal parts that would be next to the stock with gun grease. I also coat the magazine spring and the inside of the magazine case with a very light layer, applying it with a cotton cleaning patch. When you put the gun back together, this will keep rust to a minimum. This is especially important for a standard, blued action. If you have a stainless firearm, I still recommend doing this as they can still rust (it just takes longer), especially when near salt water. Both of the actions on my guns have been Teflon coated, and one is also Parkerized underneath the Teflon. This seems to make the finish much more durable, as Teflon, especially on the barrel, scratches easily. Just to be on the safe side, I coat the metal on my Teflon coated guns the same as if they were still blued.
If you’ll be hunting in really cold weather, I’d recommend taking the bolt apart so that the firing pin is exposed. Make sure it is free from rust and any thick oil or grease. You can use a product like Shooter’s Choice spray-on degreaser to clean the bolt and trigger assembly of dirt and grease. I’ve seen the firing pin on guns freeze on two different occasions because of a dirty action and too much thick oil and/or water inside the bolt. For lubing the freshly cleaned bolt, I like to use a very fluid, slick, Teflon based product, that will stay very fluid at cold temperatures. For extremely cold conditions, some of the old timers used powdered graphite. Rem Oil is good for this purpose; it does not keep away rust very well, but is great for the moving parts, like the bolt and firing pin. I’ve found a product in an aerosol spray can called Rust Prevent by Shooter’s Choice, to be a good choice for keeping rust off the barrel, scope mounts, and top of the action. Also, before going on a hunt, I grease the sling swivels so they don’t squeak or rust.
After the gun is sighted in, I clean the barrel throughly. Use a high quality, one-piece rod and bore guide or a coated cable and always start from the action, pushing or pulling towards the muzzle. I also like my patches to fit tight, so I often use two patches, cutting some material off the inner one, until the fit is snug. Barrel cleaning products/solvents which work well are Shooter’s Choice Solvent, Butch’s Bore Shine and Montana Extreme (a new product that I really like). Before Montana Extreme was created, I used a strong, copper solvent, like Sweet’s 7.62 or Barnes Copper Solvent . When using either of these two products, I start with Butches or Shooters Choice, using a brass or nylon brush and patches, then I switch to the Copper Solvent with more patches and brushes, then end with Shooters or Butches and finally, a couple of dry patches. I’ve been told that the strong copper solvents can be hard on the barrel if there is residue left in the barrel, so that is why I end with the less caustic cleaners. These cleaners also seem to remove the powder fouling better when used before the copper solvent. With the advent of Montana Extreme, a bench rest shooter told me that I don’t need to do the combination cleaning that I’ve had to do in the past. He tells me that Montana Extreme will quickly and safely clean all powder, copper, etc. with just a nylon brush and cotton patches. I’ve heard these claims from more than one experienced shooter. They also make several other products; one worth noting is designed to clean Moly from the barrel. Moly is not removed by copper and powder solvents.
After cleaning the barrel, I shoot at least one and generally two to three “fouling” rounds through it. Since I usually clean my rifle’s barrel well after every 10-25 shots, depending on the situation and weather, the 1st round typically hits very close to the 2nd and 3rd rounds. It is important to know where the 1st bullet will hit, just after the barrel has been thoroughly cleaned. Each gun is slightly different though, but the cleaner you keep the barrel, in general, the less difference a clean barrel will have on the 1st bullet’s impact point. When I say clean the gun, I mean more than a 5-minute session. It usually takes me 15-30 minutes to really clean a barrel, to where the patches don’t come out dirty, with green copper residue on them. I feel that a good brush, when combined with plenty of solvent, can really get all the copper and grime out. The bench rest shooter mentioned above told me that Montana Extreme should clean the barrel in around five minutes, which should make us clean freaks even happier. A clean barrel will shoot more consistently than a dirty one and since I believe in controlling the things that I can, I take every precaution and step to make sure I don’t miss an animal due to faulty equipment or improper preparation and maintenance.
At home, I tend to use a one-piece rod and bore guide to clean the firearm. When in a hunting camp, I tend to use a coated cable, as it is light and easy to pack. The Gun Cleaning cable kit that I use is made by Otis. It has around 6 different brush sizes, several patch sleeves sizes, a few patches and a small bottle of solvent. Using a cable is slower than a rod, as you have to feed the cable down the barrel, but it still works well, especially for field use. I still recommend taking a one piece rod in the gun case also, in the event you ever get a case or some other object jammed into the barrel, as a cable does not work well for this.
Even when on a backpack or horseback hunt, I always pack the following maintenance products with me: cleaning cable with brush and patch sleeve, several clean patches, small container of cleaning solvent, small piece of superfine steel wool, partially full 1 oz. container of Rem Oil and several patches coated in Rust Prevent or a Birchwood Casey Take-Along Anti-Rust Gun Cloth. I also pack the proper wrench for tightening scope and action screws, a small leatherman squirt tool, plus an Acu-Sight Laser boresighter. These items are packed in a ziploc bag and only weigh a few ounces, and while I normally only have to use them in base camp, they can come in handy every now and then. If you don’t want to carry these with you during the hunt, at least have them in base camp, but be prepared to have a lot of rust if it rains often, especially on a non-stainless gun. I‘ve seen guns rust severely (barrel rifling included) in only a few days of super wet and humid weather. To help prevent rust in extremely wet weather, I’ll run a dry patch and/or brush down the barrel every few days, during the hunt.
Another item I always carry is the black coated nylon gun sleeve sold by Kifaru. If you are hunting in wet/freezing weather, it will keep ice and snow out of the action. If you cut a couple of the threads where your front sling stud touches the sleeve, then seam seal the rest of the seam with Seamgrip, it provides great protection for a muzzleloader. You can reattached the sling over the sleeve, as the stud will be poking out through the hole in the seam, and you now have a relatively weatherproof cover that only weighs a couple ounces. The other thing that should be done to all firearms is to tape the end of the barrel with a electrical tape. You need to get a roll of the good stuff – it costs around $2-$4/roll and often comes in it’s own plastic container. I’ve had good luck with Scotch/3M Super 33 plus. It will stick to steel, even in sub-freezing weather and can be reused several times. I put two layers over the barrel, at 90 degree angles to one another, each about 4-5 inches long. And no, shooting through the tape will not effect the impact of your bullet; there is no need to take off the tape before shooting! On a cold weather hunt, leave your gun in the truck or outside the heated cabin or tent as the extreme temperature changes can help speed up the rusting process and if your scope has a Nitrogen leak, it will fog up.
To protect your scope, I’ve found the Leupold Scopesmith Neoprene covers to be the best. They cover the entire scope and come in 4-5 sizes. When backpacking or on horses, I always keep one on my scope as it keeps the finish from wearing off and protects it against scratches. It also keeps most dust and moisture off the scope. When stalking an animal in heavy brush, I take them off, but most mountain hunting does not require run and gun or snap shooting. The Butler Creek Bikini Scope cover is another option. I’ve had good luck with scope covers like the Butler Creek flip-up (the one with the red button) and the Quake see-thru flip-up mounts, but they don’t protect the scope adequately enough in a rifle scabbard or when backpacking. I’ve also seen them snag in a saddle scabbard and break at the hinge. The see-thru mounts are excellent for still-hunting the timber in the snow and rain.
You really need a couple of different scope covers for your rifle’s scope to optimize each situation. Also, when traveling, I always bring an extra scope. I’ve seen one Marco Polo hunt nearly ruined because we did not have an extra scope or rifle in camp. It is cheap insurance. Also, never pack a scoped rifle with a big windage target turret (side knob) in a flat, aluminum or plastic case as they can get severally damaged. An Acu-Sight works well for bore sighting the gun if you need to install a different scope. Don’t travel anywhere without them, especially when you are limited to the number of bullets you can take. To keep your scope lens’ coatings free from scratches, use a Leupold Lens pen to dust off the lens in dry conditions. In wet conditions, I’d recommend a good cloth like the new lens cloth from Crooked Horn Outfitters. I often just use a clean, cotton handkerchief. The key is to not use a dry rag on a dry lens. If necessary, spit or put water on the lens before rubbing.
For archery hunters, I recommend waxing your strings/cables every couple days. You should also take along an extra pin or two, depending on the model of the sight, extra string and cable (shot in), extra rest components, tools for repairing and tightening components and a portable bow press. We’ve had some of our hunters bring two bows and some extra limbs. It is easy to borrow a rifle, but difficult to impossible to share bows. For packing extra broadheads and arrows on a backpack or horseback hunt, an arrow tube. Once you have tuned/matched a broadhead to each arrow, number them before removing the broadhead. You can pack the extra heads in their original case or in a piece of thick foam. I also recommend figuring out a way to strap your bow to your backpack if going on a backpack hunt as you might need both hands in some steep and mountainous situations. Both the Mystery Ranch and Kifaru Internal Framed packs have worked well for packing bows. When archery hunting there are a lot of little things that can get out of alignment, but surprisingly, most of the bows I’ve seen have held up well and are quite reliable, even in the harsh environments of a western hunt.
Hopefully, you’ll never have a hunt ruined or miss an animal due to faulty equipment or lack of planning. If you go prepared and don’t cut corners, most bad and unexpected situations can be handled and solved in a positive manner. Be prepared to deal with the unexpected. Control the things you can and manage the things you can’t.
Bryan is an outfitter in British Columbia and a true gear nut, call him with any questions at (250) 317-5525 or visit his website www.canadianmtnoutfitters.com
Manufacturers & Dealers:
Kifaru: www.kifaru.net - Patrick Smith (303) 278-9155; Nylon Gun Sleeve
Gunaccesories.com: www.gunaccessories.com - Wayne Cohen (704) 821-4679; Cleaning and all shooting supplies.
Huntsinc: www.huntsinc.com - Kelly Davis (888) 777-8098; Acu-Sights
Crooked Horn Outfitters: www.crookedhorn.com -Lennis Janzen (877) 722-5872; Lens cloth
Shooter’s Choice: www.shooters-choice.com - (440) 834-8888; Cleaning supplies and solvents
Cabelas: www.cabelas.com (800) 237-4444; Duffels, gun cases, cleaning supplies, lens covers
Sportman’s Warehouse: www.sportsmanswarehouse.com - Cleaning supplies