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Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

pnorris

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 3, 2012
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I haven't had a new gun in a long time. Most of what I have were hand me downs or gifts from grandpa. Now, I've got a nice new AR I am about to fire for the 1st time. Other than going over the weapon carefully before firing it, do you do any other prep? For example, will you clean the chamber or the bore before you fire it the first time. Anything else other than ensuring it is properly lubed? Also, do you tend to see weapons from manufacturers with too much lube gunked in there to prevent corrosion?
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

Wouldn't be a bad idea to run a patch down the barrel with a jag and make sure the bolt carrier is properly lubed.

Other than that, find a safe place to shoot, put on some eye and ear protection and go at it!
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

I generally insert a loaded magazine, pull back and release the charging handle, switch off the safety and squeeze the trigger.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

I do the same thing and make sure the barrel is clean. Remove any shipping or long term storage oil or grease the manufacturer could have used before firing.

Other than that and I generally oil or grease the needed high wear areas.

Cut
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

My habit is to clean the crap out of any new (to me) gun. That way I am insuring that it will not fail on me. Mainly is a habit from the army but it will serve you well. So yeah, run a few patches down the barrel, clean everything else real good with a light coat of CLP or rem oil and wipe dry. Then you should be good to go.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

just clean the barrel, lube the moving parts lightly and go at it, it is an AR.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

Oh yeah, I am looking at two options for ammo right now. I am looking at Remington UMC or Fed. American Eagle. This is for a 308 and both loads are 150 grains. What would you choose. The Federal would be about $60 more for 1k rounds.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

a new gun is like a virgin, so you will need to caress it for at least 2 hours, then finger it it for another hour, then lube it up real good, and then shoot it, but you gotta be nekkid
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

Wow, that just created a disturbing image : ) Yet, at the same time it made me strangely horny.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

WTF?? That is exactly what my wife says each time she wakes up next to me : )
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

Lube it, if shooting steel ammo, lube it some more and check the barrel, maybe run a snake through it if it's a little dirty. Break it in with some brass first if possible. You'll be able to make sure everything works properly, help parts settle in, etc. My $.02
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

Clean it to remove the shipping lube and dust. Then shoot it.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

I took my new build out this past weekend for its first shoot. I just made sure all the parts worked and were smooth. made sure everything was oiled and ran a few patches down the barrel. went and shot it, felt great.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

On an AR I do the following:

-Clean it thoroughly
-Lube the shit out of it
-Separate upper and lower and make sure bolt fully locks into battery
-Safety check trigger (disconnector, safety engagement)

At the range:

-Load 1 round and fire it to make sure bolt locks back
-Load a couple of rounds and make sure your trigger doesn't double
-Finally, I load that bitch up and let her rip!!!
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

With my AR's, I generally run a wet patch and a boresnake through the barrel, apply a liberal amount of CLP, and shoot the shit out of them. I expect combat accuracy, not sub-moa, so I don't bother to clean it every five rounds or do a "proper" barrel break in.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BigBlue&Goldie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">On an AR I do the following:

-Clean it thoroughly
-Lube the shit out of it
-Separate upper and lower and make sure bolt fully locks into battery
-Safety check trigger (disconnector, safety engagement)

At the range:

-Load 1 round and fire it to make sure bolt locks back
-Load a couple of rounds and make sure your trigger doesn't double
-Finally, I load that bitch up and let her rip!!!</div></div>
Good advice! I separate upper & lower, disassemble bolt/carrier, and thoroughly clean all parts using mineral spirits & compressed air (100 PSI min) to remove all factory packing/shipping coatings. Special attention is paid to chamber, bore and FCG (fire control group). Dry patch the bore, lube, and reassemble. Then use same procedure as BigBlue stated for safety check and first rounds at range.

Kevin
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VJJPunisher</div><div class="ubbcode-body">a new gun is like a virgin, so you will need to caress it for at least 2 hours, then finger it it for another hour, then lube it up real good, and then shoot it, but you gotta be nekkid </div></div>

text book answer
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

ill strip the whole bolt down and blast it clean with non chlorinated break cleaner and do the same thing to the inside of the upper receiver and then re-lube the whole gun with CLP. Then i do the same thing with the barrel and finish with CLP just like the action and im good to go.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

Don't worry about barrel break-in unless it's a custom barrel. Factory barrels aren't worth the time. You will most likely do more damage cleaning it. Shoot till you loose accuracy then clean.

There are many threads about break-in. Read them and you will understand the age old argument.
 
Re: Firing New gun for first time--Do you do any prep?

Guns come from factories, and not from clean-rooms.

You need to get out the grit, etc. A good rule of thumb is that if two surfaces move against each other, it's safe to assume there's factory grit somewhere in there between them. Rifles live longer and better of they don't start their working lives with all that foreign stuff in there.

Bores and chambers, too.

Don't forget the magazines, all of them. Grit in, grit out.

Greg