First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

[Apache]

So I've had a Remington SPS-V in .308 for a few months now and have put about 120 down range. This is my first rifle and as thus, I am pretty clueless as to what I am doing; essentially teaching myself the ropes regarding long range shooting. I have access to a 550 yard range and have shot out to 200 and 250 with relative success. Nothing to gloat about, but I want to get better. I just needed to know if there was anything that I SHOULDN'T do in terms of rifle cleaning and maintenance? Any

I understand not to clean from the crown. Sadly I do not have a Dewey 1 piece rod, instead just the hoppes or equivelant 3 piece rod with appropriate jags and brushes, but I do have a bore guide sent to me by a very gracious hide member as well as a lapping kit from another. I have experienced nothing but great things from hide members and I thank you.

Any tips on shooting would be greatly accepted too. I'm not terrible, but I am not shooting as good as I would like. My rifle's mounted with a Bushnell 3200 10x40 and Burris XTR low rings on an EGW 20 MOA base.

I have also noticed that there has been a slight tinge of rust on the barrel and bolt handle, any way to prevent this other than oiling it?

I'm in a student at Chico state studying Criminal Justice and Sociology. That being so, I don't have a whole lot of money, but I do have a lot of ambition.

 

[Jimmy2Times]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

First off, DO NOT clean your rifle with that segmented rod. Get yourself a carbon fiber cleaning rod, or a Dewey rod. You can probably pick up a carbon fiber rod for about $20-$25.

As for marksmanship, there are several things you can do to improve that. Read the "Getting started in long range shooting FAQs" here on the hide. READ THEM ALL. There is excellent advice in there for not only the novice shooter, but the expert as well.

Next, I would recommend finding a local club that is a CMP affiliate. Go there and take a CMP clinic or 2. You usually don't even have to be a member of the club to participate in a clinic. The clinic will cost you about $10 or $15. In that clinic you will learn the basic fundamentals of marksmanship. Learn and practice these fundamentals. Without learning and knowing the basic fundamentals of marksmanship, one can never hope to become a proficient long range marksman. IMHO, CMP is excellent for developing those fundamentals.

Learn and get comfortable with a good shooting posture. (You didn't mention if you were shooting from prone, bench, or both) Learn the proper way to hold your weapon. Learn how to properly engage and pull the trigger. Get a set of snap caps and practice your form and trigger pull over, and over, and over again. Get down on your shooting mat, into position, settle into your rifle, find your cheek weld, control your breathing, establish natural point of aim as best you can in your house, and pull the trigger. 100 times a night.

And get out on the range. Nothing replaces quality trigger time. Get yourself some good ammo. Find a load you and your rifle like, and stick with it. Consistency is EVERYTHING in long range shooting. The more you develop consistency with everything you do (cleaning, loading ammo, NPA & aiming, posture, trigger pull) the better shooter you will become.

As for the rust, if it's just surface rust, clean it with some break free and a toothbrush. Oil it when done. Wipe off any excess oil. Get yourself a silicone impregnated cloth and wipe the entire weapon down with it every time you handle it, especially the areas you touch with your hands.

Hope this helps,

J2T

 

[Victory]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

Find someone from the hide in your area and go shooting with them.

 

[smokenruger]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

Check out the Online Training forum. It only costs $10 for access and it's a great resource.

 

[oneshot onekill]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

Instruction wise... you can definitely find everything you need here but learning from a qualified instructor is also important. There's a saying: "Practice makes Perfect". This statement is COMPLETELY WRONG!!! Practice makes "PERMANENT". If you're practicing incorrectly you will develop bad habits that are harder to break than if you started from scratch. Before you get too far into this or get frustrated because of inconsistant results, have someone who knows what they are doing help you.

Edited to fix spelling mistake...

 

[OFIS]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

i appreciate that youre absolutely devoid of all mall ninja sensibilities.
im just jealous you have a 550 yard line...
i only have 2 words of constructive advice: snap caps

 

[desertHK]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jimmy2Times</div><div class="ubbcode-body">First off, DO NOT clean your rifle with that segmented rod. Get yourself a carbon fiber cleaning rod, or a Dewey rod. You can probably pick up a carbon fiber rod for about $20-$25.

</div></div>

1000+ Couldn't agree more.

 

[shooting4life]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

Use your 3 piece cleaning rod to help support your tomato planets. 3 piece rods are only ok in shotguns and even then I try to avoid using them.

 

[Jimmy2Times]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 051F</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i appreciate that youre absolutely devoid of all mall ninja sensibilities.
</div></div>

Ha ha, I love that line. At least he didn't ask about making his rifle "even more deadlier than his brother's"

 

[Apache]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

Thank for everyone responding, good insight and I will definitely be buying a carbon fiber rod. I don't have a bipod and i shoot off of both the ground and some bench work with a few bags up front to support the rifle. The range is actually pretty nice with 100,200,300,400,500 and 560 yard berms. Ya...no need to be a mall ninja here, just want to get better at long range shooting. Thanks Jimmy2Times, I'll definitely be picking up a couple of snap caps.

 

[OFIS]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

where is this range? i may end up in CA in the upcoming years and despite the legal environment it seems like theres no shortage of ranges.

btw, 6mmbr.com is a great resource too.

 

[Apache]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

It's called the Oroville Clay Pit, its open land with no RSO. It all depends on what time and day you go out there, the weekends are met with a bunch of weekend warriors who's closest idea to range safety is "don't pull the trigger while aiming at another person."

I would really recommend the Sacramento range:
http://www.sacvalley.org/SacVal/Range_Information.html

They go out to 1000 and are very courteous to everybody. They also allow for handgun, rifle, and high power rifle.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: First rifle questions...what "not" to do?

1. Buy a Dewey Rod. It's worth it. Hands down, the best rod I have used to date. Get a Parker Hale Jag while you are at it.

2. Put the lapping kit away and do not touch it until you can shoot well enough to tell if you need it.

3. Get some CLP and wipe down anything steel with it. I put some on my fingers, rub it in, then wipe it off with a rag. This will keep the rust away unless you shoot in the rain a lot. If that's the case, it will rust a little. The only cure for that is a different finish or a can of spray paint.