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#207634 - 09/10/10 02:47 AM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: dweste]
Byrd_Huntr Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 01/28/10
Posts: 1174
Loc: MN, Land O' Lakes & Rivers ...
As others have suggested, the question as you posed it is unanswerable.

That said, I prefer copper plated bullets on my .22 cal ammo, as I don't like handling bare lead or cleaning lead fouling. As far as shooting either in my Remington Fieldmaster, it doesn't seem to matter.

New shotguns except in 28 and .410 usually come with at least 3 interchangable choke tubes. The reason is that there is no one choke that is best for every situation. As an upland bird hunter, I prefer a light SxS 20 gauge. Depending on the time of year in the boreal forest, I will vary the choke and the shotshell shot size and load based on the amount of leaf and brush cover I have to bust and the range I expect to jump birds at to get a clean shot....a different choke size and shot size in each barrel. It is like carrying two guns.

I use my trusty Rem 870 (with three chokes) and Federal ammo for everything else.

I suggest you ask a friend who has several guns to go to the range so you can try out several different firearms. You could chip in on the ammo expense. You could also just hang out yourself in the visitor area at an outdoor range. Most guys there are only too happy to talk guns. You might even strike up a conversation with a gun shop owner, many of whom have a wealth of practical advice.

A good source of definitive information is the National Rifle Association and their magazines and website.
_________________________
The man got the powr but the byrd got the wyng

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#207658 - 09/10/10 12:24 PM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: dweste]
unimogbert Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 08/10/06
Posts: 882
Loc: Colorado
I second THR as info source.

Bear in mind that gun cleaning rituals and materials tends to be a religious issue where "the best" discussion can turn into a verbal cage wrestling match.

My view is that rust prevention in storage is generally more important than cleaning powder residue out after use. (since modern ammo uses non-corrosive primers)

My Ruger 22/45 target pistol would get cleaned every 1000 rounds or so just because I couldn't stand to look at it being so dirty.
With the right ammo (SuperX preferred- copper washed projectiles mandatory for reliable feeding)the only issue would be duds (very, very few with SuperX) or the broken firing pin at 11,000 rounds fired.

Some guys make a point of never cleaning a Glock - just adding a little oil on the rails now and then. (kind of like seeing how long you can grow your beard or your fingernails....)

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#207660 - 09/10/10 12:58 PM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: dweste]
LesSnyder Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 1680
Loc: New Port Richey, Fla
Birchwood Casey Barricade (formerly Sheath) for exterior protection...TICO tool for the shotgun bore....I use Mercury Outboard Quicksilver 2 cycle racing oil for lube as it dissipates carbon the best of any gun oil tried (dissolves loctite) lightly oil, don't routinely disasemble... couple drops oil on action bars, bolt carrier rail, bolt body,extractor spring, cocking piece of .22...my STC 10/22 and M41 had a preference for HV Super-X, and I use Federal 100pack in the Benelli with light modified choke loctited in place

you will get difference in accuracy with how tight the mounting screw is adjusted, and how the forend of the stock bears on the barrel due to barrel harmonics... it will vary according to the speed of different brands of ammo

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#207665 - 09/10/10 01:58 PM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: dweste]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3842
Loc: USA
What I've found is that different guns perform differently based on what ammo I feed them and what lube I use.

For ammo, follow the gun's manual to the letter. Within those limits, test with different loads and brands until you find one or more that works well. Some guns I own are really picky about what loads they shoot accurately and reliably, and others will take anything I try in the correct caliber and work fine. I'm not fond of using steel-cased ammo in guns that weren't designed for it, though.

As far as bore cleaners go, many work well. I use Hoppe's or Shooter's Choice because that's what I was taught to use when I was a sprout. Breakfree CLP works for this but tends to need a bit more elbow grease.

For lubrication, I tend to use a Tuf-Cloth and Tuf-Glide on most of my guns, with excellent results. Friends who shoot AR-15s a lot recommended that I use Mobil 1 Full Synthetic to lubricate my new AR-15. So far I'm well pleased. Breakfree CLP is in the gun care kit in my BOB, as I can use it to (as it says) clean lubricate and protect -- I can keep any or all of my guns up and running if it's all I have.


Edited by chaosmagnet (09/10/10 02:02 PM)

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#207674 - 09/10/10 03:01 PM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: dweste]
MartinFocazio Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/21/03
Posts: 2203
Loc: Bucks County PA
I have a K.I.S.S. approach.

For ammo, I shoot name-brand stuff - I avoid the eastern European surplus. I avoid Wolf brand ammo. I have been very happy with all CCI rounds, as I have also been happy with the lower end American Eagle brand stuff for my .22.

For my handguns, I stick with brass-cased name brand stuff - Winchester and so on. I don't use reloads in the handgun, just because I don't have time or the inclination to reload. I'll occasionally buy reloads. I practice with my carry ammo - a JHP round is what I shoot in all but .22 handguns, for .22 handguns I shoot CCI stingers and Mini-Mag.

I use Boresnakes for my .22, I also use Hoppes cleaners and cotton patches to clean my guns after use. I clean my guns after EVERY use, even the Glocks and the AK's, which some people claim to "never" clean.

My gun safe has an electric heater and large desiccant pillow in it.

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#207692 - 09/10/10 06:17 PM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: dweste]
nouseforaname Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 02/28/04
Posts: 76
hoppe's #9 will probably serve you well for just about any firearms application you encounter.

i also use simple green.

boresnakes > ramrods for cleaning.

cleaning your guns on the back deck on a sunny day is pretty durn awesome.
_________________________
"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known" - A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

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#207710 - 09/10/10 08:59 PM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: MartinFocazio]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
Originally Posted By: martinfocazio
I avoid the eastern European surplus. I avoid Wolf brand ammo.

Commie ammo for commie guns, US/European ammo for US/European guns.

Wolf runs perfectly in my AK47. Never a hiccup. (So does everything else I've put through it, for that matter). I shoot 1970-1980 surplus Russian in my Mosin Nagant. But in my non-eastern-bloc firearms, I shoot non-eastern-bloc ammo. US and European firearms don't necessarily digest the eastern steel cased stuff so well, but the eastern-bloc guns gobble it up. That's what they were designed to use.

Also, steel cased doesn't expand as much as US/European brass cased. Mixing the two ammos in a US gun can lead to failures (until you clean the chamber). Since the steel doesn't expand much, more gasses blow by, and cause build up in the chamber that in turn causes the subsequent brass cased ammo to not feed or extract reliably. Best to stick with one type of ammo per shooting session, then clean thoroughly between sessions.

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#207725 - 09/11/10 12:22 AM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: dweste]
ireckon Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 04/01/10
Posts: 1629
Loc: Northern California
Cleaning provides an effective refresher course on how your gun works. One day you may need to fix your gun in a survival situation, but first you need to know how it works inside and out.
_________________________
If you're reading this, it's too late.

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#207740 - 09/11/10 03:57 AM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: ireckon]
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
This looks pretty good for the choke-shotshell decision generally:

http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-Shotgun-Shells-and-Chokes

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#207743 - 09/11/10 04:22 AM Re: Proper care and feeding of shotgun and rifle [Re: dweste]
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
Appears to be a comprehensive 22 article:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_roundup_22LR.htm

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