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4 Firearm Drills to Practice

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Whether you are taking your AR-15 or Glock to the range, you can do some firearm drills to improve your skills or keep your technique sharp. Whether you are planning on signing up for a competition or just want to put your AR-15 cleaning kit through its paces, these drills are a must for any firearm enthusiast. The right drills can help you become fast, accurate, and ready for any malfunctions that could pop up. Here are a few options you can try the next time you head to the range. Shotgun Cleaner Practice Clearing Malfunctions One of the most important drills you can practice is clearing malfunctions. You will want to start the drill in the ready position with your firearm of choice. No matter how well you use your pistol cleaning kit , the ammo itself could result in a malfunction. You can use an empty brass case or snap cap to simulate a complication when shooting. Get the casing caught in the slide to simulate a classic stovepipe malfunction. Then, eject the mag and pull the s...

4 Answers to Frequently Asked Gun-Cleaning Questions

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Whether you are new to the world of firearms or have been collecting different models for years, you might have questions about cleaning your guns. Do you need to break out your AR-15 cleaning kit after every trip to the range, or can you wait? What about after a waterfowl hunting trip that exposed your gun to plenty of moisture? What items are necessary for a cleaning kit? Knowing the answers, no matter how experienced you are as a gun enthusiast, can help you keep your firearms in top shooting shape. Here are some common questions related to cleaning firearms and the answers you need to perform proper maintenance. Pistol Cleaning Kit Do I Have to Clean My Gun After Every Trip to the Range? You’ve just come back from a day at the range where you only fired a few rounds from different guns. Or maybe you’re returning home from firing 500 rounds through one pistol because you are training for a competition. In the first example, you probably don’t need to clean your gun. Doing a coupl...

4 Tips for Long-Term Gun Storage

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Whether you are storing an antique gun that still fires or the end of hunting season is approaching, and you won’t be using your rifle for a while, you need to prepare your firearms for long-term storage. There are a few steps to ensure they’re properly stored, and a reliable gun cleaning kit offers everything you need to get the job done. Here are four tips you need to know to keep your firearms from rusting when storing them long-term. Gun Cleaning Kit Break It Down The first step is double-checking to make sure your gun is unloaded and breaking it down. At the very least, you should field strip it. This makes it much easier to thoroughly clean major parts. It’s best to break your gun down as much as possible so you have easy access to perform a detailed cleaning. You will want to uncock the gun to relieve any tension in the springs. Remove hammer springs, recoil springs, and firing pin springs. Ensure all the parts that aren’t lubed are dry before returning your gun to storage. ...

How Often Should You Clean Your Firearms?

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You’ve enjoyed a day at the range, returned home, and put away your firearms. Should you have cleaned them first? What happens if you wait too long in between cleaning sessions? How often should you break out your trusty pistol cleaning kit for an in-depth clean of your everyday carry gun? Knowing the answers to these important questions can help you keep your guns in top shooting shape. Here’s everything you need to know. What Happens When You Don’t Clean Your Gun? Every time you fire your gun, it leaves behind a buildup of residue—known as fouling—inside the gun. Firing rounds builds up more of this grime, along with gases and powder residue, all of which can hinder your gun’s performance. Copper, carbon, lead, and other materials are left behind, which can cause corrosion and, eventually, rust which can lead to further damage. Leaving this fouling to accumulate could prevent your firearm from firing properly. In short, if you don’t clean your gun, it could become less accurate, l...

5 Tips for Safely Cleaning Your Vintage or Antique Firearms

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In the past century, dozens of firearms have been manufactured that continue to work to this day. These models were designed so well that they truly stand the test of time. For gun collectors, that provides an exciting opportunity while also presenting a unique challenge. Shooting an antique or vintage firearm is a whole lot of fun, but it often requires careful cleaning and maintenance. With that said, a few precautions and the right gun cleaning kit could be all you need to safely and effectively clean your vintage or antique firearms. Here are five tips to keep in mind. Gun Cleaning Kit Check and Clear Before You Clean The first and most important step in cleaning any gun is unloading and clearing it first. That means always checking the breech and chamber, along with the cylinder or magazine when it applies, to ensure all ammo has been removed. This rule of thumb is just as crucial for vintage and antique guns as it is for newer models. Consider a Bore Guide for Long Guns Prot...

A Guide to Buying a Surplus Rifle

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Buying a surplus rifle can be an exercise in frustration if you go about it the wrong way. You could get a perfectly preserved firearm that hasn’t seen the light of day for half of a century, or you might receive a gun that was thrown in a box after being thrown in the dirt. Maybe it’s slathered in cosmoline, and now you need a deep clean with a pistol cleaning kit . Whatever the case, buying a surplus gun offers an entirely different experience compared to buying other used guns. Here’s everything you need to know. Pistol Cleaning Kit What Is a Surplus Gun? In general, a surplus gun is an old military or law enforcement gun. It may have been used, or it may never have left storage after being manufactured or shipped. The military might not have ended up using them, or they could have seen use across multiple conflicts and been repaired as needed. Surplus firearms have often been rendered obsolete as newer models or new technology appears. Examples include the Short Magazine Lee Enfi...

7 Tips for Refurbishing Your Grandpa’s Old Rifle

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Did you find your grandpa’s old rifle while rooting around in the attic? It might have been a hunting workhorse back in the day, but it’s been in storage for years, unused and largely forgotten. Will it still fire correctly? Can you take it to the range or on a hunting trip? Should you break out a gun cleaning kit and hope for the best? With all these questions to be answered, here’s everything you need to know about making old guns new again. Rifle Cleaning Kit Check with a Gunsmith Before doing anything, take your old rifle to a gunsmith. A trained gunsmith can evaluate the rifle and see if it is still in shooting condition. If not, they might be able to tell you the steps you need to take to get it working again. They can identify the parts that need replacing if there is too much pitting in the metal and whether cracks need to be repaired or could potentially break open from the stress of firing the gun. A Deep Clean No matter what the gunsmith told you, you’ll likely need to ...