Does anyone actually disassemble their rifle?

[brianf]

have a discussion with a few friends and we started talking about rifle care in general

a few questions kept coming around


unless used in foul weather;

does anyone take their action out of the chassis or stock?

does anyone take their muzz brake off?

if they take it off, some brakes have a rock set put on by the smith, do they lock-tite or rock set it back on?

does anyone take their barrel off if they dont have have a quick change system like AI/DTA etc?

questions along those line..


we came to an informal consensus that 90% of gun owners are not very handy and might have anxiety about pulling their 5000$ custom apart

id bet that 99% of gun owners do not have a barrel vice or action wrench either

it might be getting more popular with prefits and 6mm cartridges that burn barrels compared to life long 308 barrels 15 years ago


just spit balling ideas

 

[reelserious]

I built it and take it apart as necessary.

 

[spife7980]

I bet 90% of the gun owners on here take theirs apart as needed.

 

[ForgeValley]

I actually got irritated with myself for taking mine apart too much.. always f-ing up my zero.

 

[Nik H]

I shoot in bad weather pretty often. I take the barrel off and the skins off my AI and I clean it thoroughly but the action is epoxied to the chassis so that stays put.

I would take the AI armorers course but MHS only offers it to MIL and LEO....stupid

 

[264win]

Remove the stock / chassis sure, but I bet very few are getting out the action wrench and vise for a cleaning.
Is there anyone who can’t properly clean a bolt action with the barrel attached?

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

I bet 90% of the gun owners on here take theirs apart as needed.

Yeah I think the ones on here are far from your "average gun owner". I take all of mine apart as needed. There's only a few smith's I'd even trust to let near my rifles and none of them are local to me.

 

[spife7980]

Yeah I think the ones on here are far from your "average gun owner". I take all of mine apart as needed. There's only a few smith's I'd even trust to let near my rifles and none of them are local to me.

Id hate to be those other peoples friends then

 

[Vivacious Stallion]

Why take it apart without reason?

However, when I was living in Texas a huge frustration was taking my stuff outside in the early mornings and condensation building up on everything. I do not miss the rust issues with tools and guns I had living there.

 

[brianf]

We need some new shooters to start answering ..

 

[wigwamitus]

I like "I take it apart as needed".
I change barrels and stocks as needed or desired. An action is a part just like any other part. Mix and match as needed or desired !!

 

[hafejd30]

I pull mine apart for stuff that wouldn’t be routine. Trigger work, caliber change, swapping parts, cleaning from rain/sand etc

For just normal use and cleaning I won’t remove the chassis/scope/barrel or things of that nature

 

[Bacarrat]

If I can take a car apart and reassemble without labeling anything, I am sure I can take a rifle apart and put it back together. Most guns are actually pretty easy to take apart and put back together.

 

[Taylorbok]

I'm in the same boat of always tinkering with something and having to re-zero.
I just picked up a barrel vice and action wrench so I can switch barrels.
I will often remove the brake for cleaning.
If it's been rained on or super dusty I will for sure take the stock off to get moisture or dust out if there is.

 

[KnowNothing256]

have a discussion with a few friends and we started talking about rifle care in general

a few questions kept coming around


unless used in foul weather;

does anyone take their action out of the chassis or stock?

does anyone take their muzz brake off?

if they take it off, some brakes have a rock set put on by the smith, do they lock-tite or rock set it back on?

does anyone take their barrel off if they dont have have a quick change system like AI/DTA etc?

questions along those line..


we came to an informal consensus that 90% of gun owners are not very handy and might have anxiety about pulling their 5000$ custom apart

id bet that 99% of gun owners do not have a barrel vice or action wrench either

it might be getting more popular with prefits and 6mm cartridges that burn barrels compared to life long 308 barrels 15 years ago


just spit balling ideas

1) Yes, mine come out of stocks/chassis whenever they need to; in practice, this has mostly been barrel swaps on my centerfire lately. I haven’t pulled my Vudoo BA out in awhile, but this thread is making me consider yanking the barrel and doing a deep clean on it, esp around the barrel tenon/breech.

2) Brakes come off often enough, I use one brake for all my CF barrels, or sometimes I shoot suppressed so it gets pulled then too. Brake is an Insite Arms Heathen, can is a DT TBAC U7, so no wrenches required. I also like to clean my crown every other bore cleaning or so.

3) I’ll be honest, someone who can’t apply their own thread locker to a muzzle device shouldn’t be touching any action screws either. Phrased differently, if you’re going to own a firearm, I would consider thread locker to be less than the very minimum mechanical aptitude required.

4) This question of yours is a bit of a logical mismatch to me, but bluntly, “Uhh, yeah, tons of people.” Frankly, I’d be surprised if the majority of bolt action barrel changes are using anything other than a vise and wrench; QC systems frankly aren’t that common. I’m not as familiar with ARs, I’ll leave discussion of that sector to others.


I’d agree that ~90% of gun owners don’t tinker; I would disagree that it’s because they aren’t handy enough. It’s more a fear of the unknown, coupled with a lack of necessity, in my mind. They don’t need to, so they don’t bother learning how to, and yes the price tag is a bit of a “stay away” indicator also. But I’m confident that I could basically teach any person who can safely operate a firearm and speak my language to do a shouldered barrel swap. It ain’t hard, at all.

 

[Yondering]

I'd guess most people don't pull their barrels for cleaning because they don't need to, not because they can't figure it out. There are always the few anal guys who excessively clean stuff and thing everything has to come apart to do so, but IMO most gun owners are more practical than that.

Personally, I build my own rifles and even make my own barrels from blanks on a lathe, so I have the capability and know-how, but have a bunch of rifles that get used but haven't been taken apart in 10-15 years or more. No reason why I would, unless they've been rained on real hard.

 

[E. Bryant]

I've threaded and chambered barrels, so I imagine I might be in the top few percent when it comes to DIYer competency. And yet, no, I don't dissemble my rifles to any significant extent unless required for repair - mainly because I'm kinda lazy and have too many other guns that need my hands-on attention. (A couple of boys shooting suppressed rimfires will quickly cause a backup on the cleaning bench.)

The serviceability of the R700 platform is somewhat to blame. Not really interested in stripping the optic and scope rail off a receiver just to pull the barrel to see if maybe I missed some crud. My AIAX is obviously a different story, and some aftermarket actions are easier to service without undo difficulty.

My muzzle devices are typically secured with Loctite since they are suppressor mounts. The last time I ran traditional brakes, they were some variety of self-timing (either clamp or lock nut) and with those I lubricate the threads. Regardless, they were rarely removed.

If there are any forum members who think of themselves as particularly handy just because they pull an action from a chassis for cleaning, we can get together for a project on my diesel Econoline van. I need to rebuild the D60 front axle in the next couple of weeks, and at some point I should do the EGR cooler and AC compressor. Afterwards, we can discuss why I'm less than enthused to spend another hour or two on a full rifle teardown and reassembly.

 

[brianf]

Naturally, as a firearm enthusiast we should all be able to dismantle our rifle or handgun for cleaning and maintenance purposes.

thats what one of our groups believes, but almost every old guy ive met who shoots a model 70 in 270 hasnt unscrewed a barrel since 1970

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I shoot suppressed so I like to take the brake off every 1K rounds or so to clean the carbon out of the brake good. Yes they always get loctite again.

Unless it’s a switch barrel rifle a barrel only comes off if it’s toast or the setup being changed up.

If using a chassis a line of blue or orange loctite along the mating surfaces will keep it from getting moisture in there and rusting/corroding if it gets wet. Same with under scope rails.

 

[KnowNothing256]

Naturally, as a firearm enthusiast we should all be able to dismantle our rifle or handgun for cleaning and maintenance purposes.

thats what one of our groups believes, but almost every old guy ive met who shoots a model 70 in 270 hasnt unscrewed a barrel since 1970

Well, I agree with the “one of your group,” but taking a barrel off isn’t necessary for “cleaning or maintenance purposes.”

Triggers? Yes. Broken bolt stop? Mhmm. Optics? Absolutely. Muzzle devices? Depends on how you feel about irregular crud on your crown. But whole barrels? Nah.

 

[Gohring65]

Once or twice a year it comes out of the stock. The brake comes off often, I had my 338 start throwing a flier, low round count. Found out it was carbon on the crown. If you don’t address the carbon on the muzzle often you’ll end up with corrosion and that sucks…

 

[cas6969]

Usually the very first thing I do when I get them home is take them apart to their smallest possible level.
(unless I know it's a design where that's a really bad idea.)
Then again I've bought more than a couple guns simply because I wanted to take them apart.

Bolt actions, not really. What's the point. Not really anything special hiding in there, nothing to learn. I take them apart as little as possible to avoid having to start over with zeroing.

 

[whatsupdoc]

I take everything apart, guns, cars, planes, trains and anything that my OCD brain decides
it needs to learn.

WTF removing the two screws that are easily accessible to remove the action is equivalent to
solving the puzzle below.

 

[BurtG]

Who has time for needlessly disassembly guns ?

About like taking your car or clothes washer apart when it’s not broke.

 

[FUNCTIONAL]

Only when they misbehave....i brought them into this world and I can take them out of this world.

 

[Yondering]

Seems a lot like pulling the engine out of your car to change the oil.

 

[KnowNothing256]

Seems a lot like pulling the engine out of your car to change the oil.

Depends on your setup, honestly. Cleaning my barrels in place is still fastest obv, but I can take one off in less than five minutes, counting the walk out to the garage. That’s grabbing tools, removing the chassis, removing the scope (ARC M10 rings), removing the ejector since I run an Archimedes, popping the BA into the SAC Modular vise, and ripping the action off using an internal wrench and a breaker bar.

I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t need to, but I’d say it’s closer to rotating the tires when I change the oil. More work, but I’m kinda halfway there no matter what and sometimes it’s efficient to knock out multiple birds at the same time.

 

[Yondering]

Depends on your setup, honestly. Cleaning my barrels in place is still fastest obv, but I can take one off in less than five minutes, counting the walk out to the garage. That’s grabbing tools, removing the chassis, removing the scope (ARC M10 rings), removing the ejector since I run an Archimedes, popping the BA into the SAC Modular vise, and ripping the action off using an internal wrench and a breaker bar.

I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t need to, but I’d say it’s closer to rotating the tires when I change the oil. More work, but I’m kinda halfway there no matter what and sometimes it’s efficient to knock out multiple birds at the same time.

I think part of the key is that some people's definition of "need to" is a lot different than others. And the OP was pretty clear about "most people", which isn't the guys with custom stuff intended to come apart easy. The guy with the average Rem 700 or Model 70 has zero reason to pull the barrel and scope off the action for a cleaning; for the most part if it didn't get wet, muddy, or bloody there's not much reason to even pull it out of the stock.

I wonder if you included re-zeroing in that "less than five minutes"...

 

[KnowNothing256]

I think part of the key is that some people's definition of "need to" is a lot different than others. And the OP was pretty clear about "most people", which isn't the guys with custom stuff intended to come apart easy. The guy with the average Rem 700 or Model 70 has zero reason to pull the barrel and scope off the action for a cleaning; for the most part if it didn't get wet, muddy, or bloody there's not much reason to even pull it out of the stock.

I wonder if you included re-zeroing in that "less than five minutes"...

For sure, agreed on all counts (and I very intentionally omitted any discussion of zeroing haha). I spoke earlier in this thread on OP’s specific questions, and yeah I think it’s clear that most firearms owners don’t choose or honestly need to understand their machine. If you’re using it to put a hole in a deer at 150 yards, then yeah have Cabela’s mount your scope, feed it factory hunting ammo, and you’re good until you screw up and put it away with water on it from rain or condensation. And frankly you’re probably still good even after that, as long as the chamber and bolt didn’t rust too badly.

While I said that it’s easy to yank a barrel for me, I actually do prefer cleaning with at least the action on, because then I can use a bore guide. I have a barrel in the vise right now actually that I need to clean, and I’m honestly dragging my feet until my action gets back from my smith (long story, don’t ask).

 

[Yondering]

For sure, agreed on all counts (and I very intentionally omitted any discussion of zeroing haha). I spoke earlier in this thread on OP’s specific questions, and yeah I think it’s clear that most firearms owners don’t choose or honestly need to understand their machine. If you’re using it to put a hole in a deer at 150 yards, then yeah have Cabela’s mount your scope, feed it factory hunting ammo, and you’re good until you screw up and put it away with water on it from rain or condensation. And frankly you’re probably still good even after that, as long as the chamber and bolt didn’t rust too badly.

While I said that it’s easy to yank a barrel for me, I actually do prefer cleaning with at least the action on, because then I can use a bore guide. I have a barrel in the vise right now actually that I need to clean, and I’m honestly dragging my feet until my action gets back from my smith (long story, don’t ask).

It’s not about “knowing the machine” though; that’s what I and a couple others here have been trying to point out. Or anything to do with cheap scopes mounted by the Cabelas guy.

I think the OP was trying to push some idea that people who know how to work on their stuff will take them apart for cleaning, and a couple others here seem to have latched onto that too. But it’s BS; nothing more than a petty excuse to act superior or justify OCD cleaning.

Speaking from experience, a guy can have intimate knowledge of the whole setup right down to the thread specs and metallurgy of the steels used, and the best setup in the world. That doesn’t mean he needs to take it apart for cleaning, or even that he’s want to. In fact I suggest the opposite, that most guys who really understand what they’ve got and know it’s put together well, avoid screwing with it until it actually needs to be taken apart. I’d say people who don’t are just more realistic than the OCD cleaning types.

 

[BurtG]

petty excuse to act superior

 

[oso1]

I think even on this forum many will not take the rifle apart, look at cleaning threads, many will not even clean until the rifle will no longer shoot, so I don't see them taking their rifle apart.

 

[hlee]

If you can’t get your gun sufficiently clean with a simple field strip, you probably shouldn’t be trusted with going further than that.

No, I don’t pull barrels for cleaning because it’s not necessary. Remove from stock/chassis? Maybe, but generally not necessary. If it is, I will. But, a few patches down the bore any they’re generally clean enough. If they get rained on, then a more thorough cleaning might be necessary. Funny, living near Houston, I’ve never had the rust issues others speak of.

 

[BurtG]

never had the rust issues others

Depends on the gun

Remington sps finish will rust taking it from a cold to warm environment.

AI / cerkote / good hardware finishes in pretty sure you can leave in the surf zone of a beach with no rust.

Some gun manufacturers like Desert tech / krg / manners / Jae / mdt really need to step up their game on hardware / fastener finish

 

[Mormegil87]

All depends on what I'm doing.

Simply cleaning after a few range trips or a regional 1 day match, I'll pull the brake off but leave everything else in place to clean. Full cleaning after a two day matches about the same unless the weather was shit or there was a lot of mud or dust.

End of the season cleaning, it gets broken down all the way. Barrel gets pulled, either for cleaning or replacement

I dont loctite brakes. The ACE brake doesn't need to be and it needlessly gums up threads. I've thought about switching to the 419 system since that doesn't need loctite either but haven't found a reason to switch.

 

[BLEE]

Only, as needed. When younger and more gungho and curious, the teardowns were more frequent. After realizing I was doing nothing but wasting time and losing pins and springs, I stopped. I keep my rifles clean and very lightly oiled. I've used Sheath/Barricade and Rig for 40 years and it has done a good job of preventing rust on stored guns.

 

[lash]

Some gun manufacturers like Desert tech / krg / manners / Jae / mdt really need to step up their game on hardware / fastener finish

Very much this. Also scope ring fasteners. Most are using standard grade fasteners that start to rust the first time you hunt or shoot a match in the rain and put your rifle in a bag to take home.

 

[Cr1775]

If i need to i will as long as it isn't a Winchester 88, that's just to much of a pain in the ass.

 

[Modoc]

If i need to i will as long as it isn't a Winchester 88, that's just to much of a pain in the ass.

I hear that!

Personally, I only do a full tear down/deep clean on the competition guns before a major match, unless they have been out in bad conditions. 1873 and 1892 winchesters can be a booger to tear down .

Most get a decent field strip, clean and lube.

Before a major match/hunting season they get a deep clean and a trip to the range to settle back in, then it is just a normal cleaning and lubrication.

FWIW, the Black Powder guns get a full cleaning each time they go out.

 

[frost1235]

Full tear down (Barrel off action, bolt disassembly, scope off-mount, etc) usually after a season, unless there is significant mud/sand in my rifle.
In between seasons, when I am tinkering, I pull apart every few weeks.

I've been cleaning down to bare metal since I started in 2016, and it's been helpful in learning my gear.

 

[trob]

I generally don’t even take it out of the stock unless im getting a new stock or chassis. With a used rifle, I will take them out of the stock and put it back in, so I know everything is torqued and set correctly.

If i was in a bunch of rain, for some reason……maybe.

Quick cleans, maybe once or twice a year (200-1k rounds, depending on the rifle), that’s about it.

The only reason I’ve taken apart a bolt, was to put a new handle on.

Once that shit is torqued and zero’d, I don’t fuck with it.

 

[Oryx]

I wouldn't normally take it in/out to clean, but I removed my BA from chassis last week to make some changes an re-installed an torqued back ... I had negligible POI change... no more than a normal day.

 

[SporterII]

Two day rain match. I’ve done it:

 

[tthomp302]

I pretty much always take my barreled action out to clean my barrel. If I put it back in and torque it the same torque with my fix it sticks, my POI is the same every time.

 

[BurtG]

Who am I kidding , AI uses quality finishes
Hose it off put it in a low humidity environment to dry

 

[Sandhog308]

have a discussion with a few friends and we started talking about rifle care in general

a few questions kept coming around


unless used in foul weather;

does anyone take their action out of the chassis or stock?

does anyone take their muzz brake off?

if they take it off, some brakes have a rock set put on by the smith, do they lock-tite or rock set it back on?

does anyone take their barrel off if they dont have have a quick change system like AI/DTA etc?

questions along those line..


we came to an informal consensus that 90% of gun owners are not very handy and might have anxiety about pulling their 5000$ custom apart

id bet that 99% of gun owners do not have a barrel vice or action wrench either

it might be getting more popular with prefits and 6mm cartridges that burn barrels compared to life long 308 barrels 15 years ago


just spit balling ideas

I do when feasible / asap.
Field strip as far as I can , clean , oil , reassemble. The thought of putting a weapon away dirty isn’t in my thought process.

 

[RetVetOperator]

Depends on your setup, honestly. Cleaning my barrels in place is still fastest obv, but I can take one off in less than five minutes, counting the walk out to the garage. That’s grabbing tools, removing the chassis, removing the scope (ARC M10 rings), removing the ejector since I run an Archimedes, popping the BA into the SAC Modular vise, and ripping the action off using an internal wrench and a breaker bar.

I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t need to, but I’d say it’s closer to rotating the tires when I change the oil. More work, but I’m kinda halfway there no matter what and sometimes it’s efficient to knock out multiple birds at the same time.

-First post, here goes- I know this is a little off topic but I didn't see another thread closer to what I was looking for. Does anyone know where I can find a thumbhole stock for my .338 LM model 112? Also looking for any reviews of Warner projectiles as I understand they have the highest BC to date.
I'm finally getting into fine-tuning this rifle I've become fond of since I retired from the military.
Thanks

 

[b6graham]

-First post, here goes- I know this is a little off topic but I didn't see another thread closer to what I was looking for. Does anyone know where I can find a thumbhole stock for my .338 LM model 112? Also looking for any reviews of Warner projectiles as I understand they have the highest BC to date.
I'm finally getting into fine-tuning this rifle I've become fond of since I retired from the military.
Thanks

just make a new thread Mr. Operator

Warner here https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/forums/elr-beyond-1000-yards/

stock here https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/forums/sniper-s-hide-bolt-action-rifles/

also thumbhole stocks are dead fudd stuff. do people really still wrap their thumb?

 

[lash]

-First post, here goes- I know this is a little off topic but I didn't see another thread closer to what I was looking for. Does anyone know where I can find a thumbhole stock for my .338 LM model 112? Also looking for any reviews of Warner projectiles as I understand they have the highest BC to date.
I'm finally getting into fine-tuning this rifle I've become fond of since I retired from the military.
Thanks

Have you looked at the Boyd’s stock line?

At-one Thumbhole, Savage 112 Bottom Bolt Release | Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks

From grips and handguards to buttstocks and forends, Boyds offers thousands of gunstocks designed to fit hundreds of firearm brands and styles.

www.boydsgunstocks.com

 

[Bigfatcock]

I thought internet lore said guns are more accurate if you don’t clean them?