How do you guys treat your hunting firearms?

Greg500sw · February 10, 2016, 11:11 PM

I'm just wondering how other people treat there hunting guns.

They way I see it, it is a tool and nothing more. I treat them as I would a hammer, tossing it over obstacles, dragging it through the dirt, having it bounce around my truck almost every day of the year, clean it once every few month and never worrying about it.

I guess quality parts give me a good sense of mind.

How do you guys go about with your hunting equipment?

TXAZ · February 10, 2016, 11:28 PM

That's a different attitude than I have.
I have my grandfathers 1920 auto shotgun.
Had it been treated as you describe it wouldn't be here.

Greg500sw · February 10, 2016, 11:38 PM

Ok, I probably should have stated, I have two types of guns, pretty guns and working guns.
I have my grand dads Spanish made side by side 10 gauge that I only use to turkey hunt and it is treated like a queen out in the field.

49willys · February 11, 2016, 01:01 AM

I wipe off my wrenches and put them neatly in the tool box drawer.I treat all my guns nice too.

Greg500sw · February 11, 2016, 01:02 AM

Ok, I guess I'm the only one.

FrankenMauser · February 11, 2016, 02:33 AM

All guns are tools.

But not all tools are treated like crap.

Treat them well, and they last. Treat them like crap, and they die prematurely.

All of my firearms fall into the former category.

I still hunt with my grandfather's 1929 Winchester Model 12, and my father's 1952 Winchester Model 25 ... because each owner has taken care of them over the years.
Likewise, my ".220 Swift" still looks brand new, aside from one minor scratch on the stock. ...Even though it has been used hard since it was built in 1978.

Incidental damage (slipping, falling, and denting/scratching the firearm) is unavoidable and a hazard that must be accepted.
But knowingly letting the firearm get bounced around in a truck, burying it under snow chains, or using it as a prybar while gathering firewood are all avoidable risks (abuses, really).

I treat them well, and they return the favor.

bamaranger · February 11, 2016, 03:01 AM

Hope you unload it before you toss it over an obstacle? After you toss it, or are done dragging it through the dirt, and bouncing it around in your truck, hope you check for muzzle obstructions? I'm being a bit cynical, but ......

I've got a pal that treats his guns that way. About every other season, he'll miss or lose a deer cause the scopes "off". Most all his guns have or have had rust issues, and the finish is terrible. The crowns are bad from riding muzzle down in his truck, and accuracy suffers. His 1100 was left in a case wet, and is a wreck. It won't run worth a hoot either.

I think there's an huge difference between honest hard use and pure neglect and abuse. A firearm that fails due to neglect and abuse can cost you more than a lost animal. It can maim, blind or kill you.

The old mantra "take care of your tools, and they'll take care of you" is how I treat my tools and my firearms. I got a semiauto rifle thoroughly soaked this year. When I got home, I tore it down as far as practical, dried, relubed, and reassembled. When I needed 3 quick shots a week later, then another, I knew it would run as it should. That is peace of mind to me.

Hawg · February 11, 2016, 03:18 AM

I don't abuse mine but I don't baby them either. The guns I've used the most over the years don't have much bluing left but they don't have any rust either and most have nicks and scratches in the wood from tree limbs and fence barbs. I don't own any safe queens and don't understand the mentality behind it. Guns were made to be used not to be investments. I use mine, some harder than others but all of them show signs of it.

Gunplummer · February 11, 2016, 04:24 AM

I have to agree with HAWG. We hunt rough areas and it is hard on guns. If I have one I am thinking of selling down the road, I may watch the weather I take it out in. My "Go to hunting guns are not pretty. On the side: I have been in machining or mechanical work my whole life. The one rule I adopted long ago is "Never trust a man with a clean tool box." It rarely steers you wrong.

Old Stony · February 11, 2016, 04:28 AM

I generally have at least a couple guns in my truck with me every day...as I start the day out in the woods checking traps and generally just getting out playing. I seem to rotate some of the guns now and then, but it's a random thing, and I can end up hauling anything from a trapdoor carbine to an AR15. Often times it's some version of a Winchester 92. I generally wipe down one before putting it back in the safe and grabbing another, but they don't even generally get unloaded.
I have to agree that they are tools to be used and not necessarily treated as some fragile thing to be worshiped.....but then I don't own things like "shottys, Remmys, Mossys, etc...just normal old guns.

Pond, James Pond · February 11, 2016, 05:11 AM

Hunting gun or not, I will not swaddle it in cotton wool, but nor will I throw it around unnecessarily. I will protect it and treat it kindly when the situation allows. I will not expose it to abuse when it can be avoided.

If for no other reason than not being able to afford to fix/replace guns with regularity.

Mobuck · February 11, 2016, 07:42 AM

I don't intentionally abuse a firearm but honest hunting dings don't usually bother me. I do have a couple of guns that don't go to the field due to sentimental value and that's entirely different.
I carry either of a pair of AR's more than any other firearm. The.223 has been carried almost daily November-May for 6 years and the 5.45 gets summer duty(May-Nov). Both carbines still look pretty good(a testament to the phosphate finish) even though cleaning is a "sometimes" thing.
Although I hear guys talk about throwing a gun over the fence or tossing in the back of the pickup, I've never actually seen anyone do these things. If they really do, I think they need some counselling.

Scorch · February 11, 2016, 02:52 PM

I'm glad there are people that treat their firearms like trash, because I repair guns for a living.

Actually, I never understood how some people can abuse a gun and then get upset when it doesn't perform when called upon. I see a lot of it. Rusted guns (it was raining that day), broken parts (I was trying to get it off but it wouldn't move, so I hit it with a hammer/rock/2X4, etc), misguided repair efforts (it looked easy to do and I didn't want to pay you $$), general neglect (I always treat it that way), you name it. It's not unique to guns, the same people neglect their car/truck, their pets, their family, etc. But seriously, if you want the gun to work when you need it, you have to take care of it.

tedthorn · February 11, 2016, 09:46 PM

I have 3 types of rifles

Some I hunt in perfect weather from a stand and handle with white oiled gloves

One stainless laminate that I carry only when it's raining or rain is for forecasted

All the others get bruised up when we fall and a bit rusty in between cleaning....just like me

I have one old Remington 700 in 30-06 that has hunted 5 states and has eleven differant African animals under it's belt and it has the bruises and character to show for it

jmr40 · February 11, 2016, 10:13 PM

I use them hard, but don't abuse them. They get wet, muddy at times and occasionally dropped or go down with me if I fall. But I try hard to prevent that.

Blindstitch · February 11, 2016, 10:20 PM

I sure don't treat my guns like an episode of swamp people. Yes I will hunt in the rain, snow, sleet, and hail but not with my best guns. On most days if the conditions are going to be good I take the gun that I want. Sure it may get bumped, battered or lightly abused in the field but that's it. If it has a scope or easily moveable sights like my deer rifle, compound bow or crossbow I threat them this way.

Now if we're talking nock around field guns like shotguns with bead sights or even rifles with only open sights I'm willing to take those into worse situations but I'm still not going to use them as a hammer.

Treat something like junk and it soon will be.

Sure Shot Mc Gee · February 11, 2016, 11:47 PM

Those good ones I inherited stay in the safe. Those junkers I inherited also. I sold to the highest bidder.
Those I bought myself. Were bought with the idea to preform in weather & terrain I carried them into. If a firearm doesn't or I loose confidence in that firearms ability too. "Down the road it goes in a heart beat!!"_ I'll buy another. Maybe the same model maybe some other manufactures product.
I'm a realist at heart and a firm believer in:~ Life is to short to hang onto something that is un-relibable / broken /or worn out to where its not practical to have it repaired. Like any other tool in the box. Guns too. Occasionally need to be replaced also.

tahunua001 · February 11, 2016, 11:49 PM

usually they get beat to hell, I don't plan it that way... it just happens that way. usually they get more beat up in the safe and the truck than in the field but until i can afford a gun room where I can just hang them on the walls it'll just be that way.

hooligan1 · February 12, 2016, 07:10 AM

I treat mine to a backstraps wrapped in bacon, then a few cold beers to wash it down.
And if they get dirty they get washed, synthetic stocks get removed to get all that weed seed and blood washed out, bore scrubbed and coated with G96...

Fla_dogman · February 12, 2016, 09:08 AM

My AR gets beat up a little due to the type hunting I do with it, it takes it pretty well, my others get treated better.

jersurf101 · February 12, 2016, 04:52 PM

It's funny, I keep my fire arms immaculate most of the year. But here in eastern NC we get almost three months of Bambi rifle season. I certainly don't àbuse my deer rifles but they are treated as the tools they are in the field. I am careful not to bang them around and knock the scope off, but my hunting rifles do see some honest wear, especially the stock. It pains me greatly to leave the barrel fouled for three months at a time.

rickyrick · February 12, 2016, 10:30 PM

when I did hunt, it was several evenings a week. I'd keep the actions dirt free and run a boresnake before every outing. The other surfaces were quite dusty

Gunplummer · February 13, 2016, 06:26 AM

I clean and oil two or three guns before deer season and head for the range. After they are sighted in, the bore stays dirty until after deer season. The first shot at the range is always off until it gets some dirt in there.

Panfisher · February 13, 2016, 09:50 AM

I guess I would describe them as well cared for tools. If they get varied for a while in the back seat of the truck they get a coat or blanket under them. If carried I try to be careful but the nicks etc. are character marks, like little scars, and like scars it hurts me when they happen. If I needed to wade through a swamp with one or be out in the pouring rain, so be it. But it get cleaned and cared for when I get home. Also depends on the rifle, sometimes things like my AR just gets dried off with a paper towel.

Art Eatman · February 13, 2016, 10:09 AM

Sorry, Greg, but what you wrote tells me of carelessness and a lack of respect for tools. Not good.

IMO, tools should not be used carelessly such that there is unnecessary damage. They should be maintained such that they will be as useful at some future moment as they are in immediacy.

Sure, little nicks and dings or scratches are unavoidable in what is commonly seen as normal wear and tear--but those are not careless abuse.

Sloppiness with a rifle can result in the sights being no longer accurate. Easy to merely cripple an animal, or have a complete miss and a bullet out there which might be addressed "to whom it may concern".

February 10, 2016, 11:11 PM	#1
Greg500sw Member Join Date: February 23, 2014 Posts: 43	How do you guys treat your hunting firearms? I'm just wondering how other people treat there hunting guns. They way I see it, it is a tool and nothing more. I treat them as I would a hammer, tossing it over obstacles, dragging it through the dirt, having it bounce around my truck almost every day of the year, clean it once every few month and never worrying about it. I guess quality parts give me a good sense of mind. How do you guys go about with your hunting equipment?

February 10, 2016, 11:28 PM	#2
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	That's a different attitude than I have. I have my grandfathers 1920 auto shotgun. Had it been treated as you describe it wouldn't be here. __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

February 11, 2016, 02:33 AM	#6
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	All guns are tools. But not all tools are treated like crap. Treat them well, and they last. Treat them like crap, and they die prematurely. All of my firearms fall into the former category. I still hunt with my grandfather's 1929 Winchester Model 12, and my father's 1952 Winchester Model 25 ... because each owner has taken care of them over the years. Likewise, my ".220 Swift" still looks brand new, aside from one minor scratch on the stock. ...Even though it has been used hard since it was built in 1978. Incidental damage (slipping, falling, and denting/scratching the firearm) is unavoidable and a hazard that must be accepted. But knowingly letting the firearm get bounced around in a truck, burying it under snow chains, or using it as a prybar while gathering firewood are all avoidable risks (abuses, really). I treat them well, and they return the favor. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

February 11, 2016, 03:01 AM	#7
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,300	what? Hope you unload it before you toss it over an obstacle? After you toss it, or are done dragging it through the dirt, and bouncing it around in your truck, hope you check for muzzle obstructions? I'm being a bit cynical, but ...... I've got a pal that treats his guns that way. About every other season, he'll miss or lose a deer cause the scopes "off". Most all his guns have or have had rust issues, and the finish is terrible. The crowns are bad from riding muzzle down in his truck, and accuracy suffers. His 1100 was left in a case wet, and is a wreck. It won't run worth a hoot either. I think there's an huge difference between honest hard use and pure neglect and abuse. A firearm that fails due to neglect and abuse can cost you more than a lost animal. It can maim, blind or kill you. The old mantra "take care of your tools, and they'll take care of you" is how I treat my tools and my firearms. I got a semiauto rifle thoroughly soaked this year. When I got home, I tore it down as far as practical, dried, relubed, and reassembled. When I needed 3 quick shots a week later, then another, I knew it would run as it should. That is peace of mind to me.

February 11, 2016, 05:11 AM	#11
Pond, James Pond Senior Member Join Date: July 12, 2011 Location: Top of the Baltic stack Posts: 6,079	Hunting gun or not, I will not swaddle it in cotton wool, but nor will I throw it around unnecessarily. I will protect it and treat it kindly when the situation allows. I will not expose it to abuse when it can be avoided. If for no other reason than not being able to afford to fix/replace guns with regularity. __________________ When the right to effective self-defence is denied, that right to self-defence which remains is essentially symbolic. Freedom: Please enjoy responsibly. Last edited by Pond, James Pond; February 11, 2016 at 03:26 PM.

February 10, 2016, 11:38 PM	#3
Greg500sw Member Join Date: February 23, 2014 Posts: 43	Ok, I probably should have stated, I have two types of guns, pretty guns and working guns. I have my grand dads Spanish made side by side 10 gauge that I only use to turkey hunt and it is treated like a queen out in the field.

February 11, 2016, 01:01 AM	#4
49willys Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2010 Posts: 158	I wipe off my wrenches and put them neatly in the tool box drawer.I treat all my guns nice too.

February 11, 2016, 01:02 AM	#5
Greg500sw Member Join Date: February 23, 2014 Posts: 43	Ok, I guess I'm the only one.

February 11, 2016, 03:18 AM	#8
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	I don't abuse mine but I don't baby them either. The guns I've used the most over the years don't have much bluing left but they don't have any rust either and most have nicks and scratches in the wood from tree limbs and fence barbs. I don't own any safe queens and don't understand the mentality behind it. Guns were made to be used not to be investments. I use mine, some harder than others but all of them show signs of it.

February 11, 2016, 04:24 AM	#9
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I have to agree with HAWG. We hunt rough areas and it is hard on guns. If I have one I am thinking of selling down the road, I may watch the weather I take it out in. My "Go to hunting guns are not pretty. On the side: I have been in machining or mechanical work my whole life. The one rule I adopted long ago is "Never trust a man with a clean tool box." It rarely steers you wrong.

February 11, 2016, 04:28 AM	#10
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	I generally have at least a couple guns in my truck with me every day...as I start the day out in the woods checking traps and generally just getting out playing. I seem to rotate some of the guns now and then, but it's a random thing, and I can end up hauling anything from a trapdoor carbine to an AR15. Often times it's some version of a Winchester 92. I generally wipe down one before putting it back in the safe and grabbing another, but they don't even generally get unloaded. I have to agree that they are tools to be used and not necessarily treated as some fragile thing to be worshiped.....but then I don't own things like "shottys, Remmys, Mossys, etc...just normal old guns.

February 11, 2016, 07:42 AM	#12
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	I don't intentionally abuse a firearm but honest hunting dings don't usually bother me. I do have a couple of guns that don't go to the field due to sentimental value and that's entirely different. I carry either of a pair of AR's more than any other firearm. The.223 has been carried almost daily November-May for 6 years and the 5.45 gets summer duty(May-Nov). Both carbines still look pretty good(a testament to the phosphate finish) even though cleaning is a "sometimes" thing. Although I hear guys talk about throwing a gun over the fence or tossing in the back of the pickup, I've never actually seen anyone do these things. If they really do, I think they need some counselling.

February 11, 2016, 02:52 PM	#13
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	I'm glad there are people that treat their firearms like trash, because I repair guns for a living. Actually, I never understood how some people can abuse a gun and then get upset when it doesn't perform when called upon. I see a lot of it. Rusted guns (it was raining that day), broken parts (I was trying to get it off but it wouldn't move, so I hit it with a hammer/rock/2X4, etc), misguided repair efforts (it looked easy to do and I didn't want to pay you $$), general neglect (I always treat it that way), you name it. It's not unique to guns, the same people neglect their car/truck, their pets, their family, etc. But seriously, if you want the gun to work when you need it, you have to take care of it. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

February 11, 2016, 09:46 PM	#14
tedthorn Member Join Date: December 7, 2014 Posts: 34	I have 3 types of rifles Some I hunt in perfect weather from a stand and handle with white oiled gloves One stainless laminate that I carry only when it's raining or rain is for forecasted All the others get bruised up when we fall and a bit rusty in between cleaning....just like me I have one old Remington 700 in 30-06 that has hunted 5 states and has eleven differant African animals under it's belt and it has the bruises and character to show for it Last edited by tedthorn; February 11, 2016 at 09:51 PM.

February 11, 2016, 10:13 PM	#15
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	I use them hard, but don't abuse them. They get wet, muddy at times and occasionally dropped or go down with me if I fall. But I try hard to prevent that.

February 11, 2016, 10:20 PM	#16
Blindstitch Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2013 Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 2,692	I sure don't treat my guns like an episode of swamp people. Yes I will hunt in the rain, snow, sleet, and hail but not with my best guns. On most days if the conditions are going to be good I take the gun that I want. Sure it may get bumped, battered or lightly abused in the field but that's it. If it has a scope or easily moveable sights like my deer rifle, compound bow or crossbow I threat them this way. Now if we're talking nock around field guns like shotguns with bead sights or even rifles with only open sights I'm willing to take those into worse situations but I'm still not going to use them as a hammer. Treat something like junk and it soon will be.

February 11, 2016, 11:47 PM	#17
Sure Shot Mc Gee Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,876	Those good ones I inherited stay in the safe. Those junkers I inherited also. I sold to the highest bidder. Those I bought myself. Were bought with the idea to preform in weather & terrain I carried them into. If a firearm doesn't or I loose confidence in that firearms ability too. "Down the road it goes in a heart beat!!"_ I'll buy another. Maybe the same model maybe some other manufactures product. I'm a realist at heart and a firm believer in:~ Life is to short to hang onto something that is un-relibable / broken /or worn out to where its not practical to have it repaired. Like any other tool in the box. Guns too. Occasionally need to be replaced also.

February 11, 2016, 11:49 PM	#18
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	usually they get beat to hell, I don't plan it that way... it just happens that way. usually they get more beat up in the safe and the truck than in the field but until i can afford a gun room where I can just hang them on the walls it'll just be that way. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

February 12, 2016, 07:10 AM	#19
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	I treat mine to a backstraps wrapped in bacon, then a few cold beers to wash it down. And if they get dirty they get washed, synthetic stocks get removed to get all that weed seed and blood washed out, bore scrubbed and coated with G96... __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

February 12, 2016, 09:08 AM	#20
Fla_dogman Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2015 Posts: 265	My AR gets beat up a little due to the type hunting I do with it, it takes it pretty well, my others get treated better.

February 12, 2016, 04:52 PM	#21
jersurf101 Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2013 Location: Eastern NC Posts: 553	It's funny, I keep my fire arms immaculate most of the year. But here in eastern NC we get almost three months of Bambi rifle season. I certainly don't àbuse my deer rifles but they are treated as the tools they are in the field. I am careful not to bang them around and knock the scope off, but my hunting rifles do see some honest wear, especially the stock. It pains me greatly to leave the barrel fouled for three months at a time.

February 12, 2016, 10:30 PM	#22
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,236	when I did hunt, it was several evenings a week. I'd keep the actions dirt free and run a boresnake before every outing. The other surfaces were quite dusty __________________ Woohoo, I’m back In Texas!!!

February 13, 2016, 06:26 AM	#23
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I clean and oil two or three guns before deer season and head for the range. After they are sighted in, the bore stays dirty until after deer season. The first shot at the range is always off until it gets some dirt in there.

February 13, 2016, 09:50 AM	#24
Panfisher Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,337	I guess I would describe them as well cared for tools. If they get varied for a while in the back seat of the truck they get a coat or blanket under them. If carried I try to be careful but the nicks etc. are character marks, like little scars, and like scars it hurts me when they happen. If I needed to wade through a swamp with one or be out in the pouring rain, so be it. But it get cleaned and cared for when I get home. Also depends on the rifle, sometimes things like my AR just gets dried off with a paper towel.

February 13, 2016, 10:09 AM	#25
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Sorry, Greg, but what you wrote tells me of carelessness and a lack of respect for tools. Not good. IMO, tools should not be used carelessly such that there is unnecessary damage. They should be maintained such that they will be as useful at some future moment as they are in immediacy. Sure, little nicks and dings or scratches are unavoidable in what is commonly seen as normal wear and tear--but those are not careless abuse. Sloppiness with a rifle can result in the sights being no longer accurate. Easy to merely cripple an animal, or have a complete miss and a bullet out there which might be addressed "to whom it may concern".

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