Well I finally bit the bullet and purchased my first rifle today. After changing my mind about 5 times I ended up with a Browning A-bolt stainless in the .300 WSM caliber. I had my heart set on a Tikka T3 Stainless but after going to Dick's, Gander and 2 other local gun shops none of them carried what I was looking for and the 2 local shops gave me the run around about ordering one in, especially from Finland where the Tikkas are made. Luckliy I have a well respected/experienced hunter friend that was pushing me to get the Browning so I knew I was purchasing a decent rifle. It was a little more than I was planning on spending so it left me a little short on the scope but I had Dicks install a Nikon ProStaff 3x - 9x scope. This rifle is on the other end of the spectrum compared to the $315 Mossberg ATR 100 that I was going to originally get from Walmart, but I'm glad I spent a few extra $ for a better rifle. Hopefully I can get to the range tomorrow and dial this baby in!!! Thanks for everybodies input on a rookie's quest for his first rifle.
Finally....Bought my first rifle
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that gun if treated properly should last a lifetime and then some.dont go crazy at the range go slow to break in the barel im sure others will chime in on the break in procedure .congrats on a fine purchase i hope you get a lot of game and enjoyment from your new gun:thumbup:
um yes dont go crazy to break it in ive had my gun for awhile and i still dont think its toataly broken inbut to break the bolt in at the house just keep on preforming the bolt action routine over and over and over and maby use some rusty duck( basicly WD-40 for guns) oh and congrats on your new gun enjoy it dont destroy it
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Yup, what he said:yes:
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BukSeker,
Breaking-in a rifle barrel is critical for accuracy and usually overlooked or not done correctly. Here is a good link on how and why to do it right: Rifles / Rifle Bore - Break In, Cleaning For Accuracy If you take your time, and do this right, you won't be disappointed. After all, you are protecting your investment.
You guys with older rifles can still do this to improve accuracy. I couple of year ago, I had a rifle that always shot sub MOA groups until one day it started hitting all over the place. I discovered my cleaning process wasn't getting everything out, so I started from scratch. Now I'm back on target. See the current thread on solvents and cleaning in The Lodge for more cleaning ideas.
That's a great rifle that you bought. Good luck with it!
Breaking-in a rifle barrel is critical for accuracy and usually overlooked or not done correctly. Here is a good link on how and why to do it right: Rifles / Rifle Bore - Break In, Cleaning For Accuracy If you take your time, and do this right, you won't be disappointed. After all, you are protecting your investment.
You guys with older rifles can still do this to improve accuracy. I couple of year ago, I had a rifle that always shot sub MOA groups until one day it started hitting all over the place. I discovered my cleaning process wasn't getting everything out, so I started from scratch. Now I'm back on target. See the current thread on solvents and cleaning in The Lodge for more cleaning ideas.
That's a great rifle that you bought. Good luck with it!
Excellent link, I have been searching on "how to's" all day on break in. I do have one question though, in the owners manual it says to remove the ant-rust chemical before the first firing but it did not say with what. Do I just use a regular bore cleaning solvent or is there something else I shoud use?
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Regular solvent should be fine for removing any oil, etc. left on by the manufacturer. Make sure the barrel is wiped out with enough clean patches so that it's nice and clean before firing, and then follow the instructions that appear on the link for breaking-in. By the way, is your gun bore-sighted? If not, do you know how to bore sight using sand bags? Might as well sight-in and break-in at the samje time. Right?
I did make sure thay bore sighted it at the store, or atleast I watched what appeared to be bore sighting. Before any shots are taken at my local range the range officer will bore sight the rifle just to make sure you can get it on the paper @ 50 yrds and after that its a matter of minor scope adjustments. I am going back to Dicks on Wednesday to pick up a cleaning kit and then next Sunday I will start the break in process at the range. One bad thing about living in Michigan is you can't legally shoot a rifle in the lower part of the lower penninsula so it's tough to get some decent shooting time in and it's a 2 hour drive north to where I hunt and is legal to use a rifle. Does anybody practice with a air rifle or anything like that just to stay sharp? Something I've been contemplating since I can only shoot my rifle on Sundays.
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i grew up shooting an air rifle everyday in our basement .my dad made a target trap out of a big box and some phone books.Im a very good shot,by the way:biggrin:
My plan is to get a better one before next fall. I only wanted to pay cash when I was at the store buying the rifle so it would be done with and I had just enough left over from the rifle to pick up the Nikon. I saw some Leo's on GunBroker.com than I have my eye on for some good prices. My buddy just brought his Leo VX-III in to work, I think it had a 50 mm objective, might as well put a spotting scope on your rifle, it was sweet none the less. I did just pick up a $180 TZ aluminum rifle case of fleabay for $67, I was pretty happy!
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very good choise on your new combo. This is a set up to pass on down the line after you're down with it. You're now good for deer, elk, or whatever you're after. Brownings are a great gun!
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