winter care of bore

[turner]

I have a rem 700 bdl 22.250. It's only ever been used off of the bench, in good weather.
Now it's going coyote hunting in S Ontario, in COLD weather.
Any recommendations as to bore care before and after the hunt. I'm afraid of condensation & potential rust.
thanks in advance

 

[K22]

Like many hunters, I use tape(masking) over the end of the muzzle to prevent rain / snow from entering the barrel. Just make sure you keep the tape on the outside of the bore. You can shoot through the tape and it will not change point of impact or harm the rifle at long as you don't plug the bore.

I wouldn't be worried about condensation on a hunting trip. Clean the the rifle when you get home after the trip.

Wipe the rifle and bolt down at the end of each day after being in the field with light coat of a rust preventer such as Barricade. Don't be afraid to get the rifle exposed to inclement weather - it's hunting - not target shooting - a little wear gives the rifle character.

I've hunted in all kinds of nasty weather - the rifles survived just fine.

 

[Bojo]

In bad weather I use finger cots over my muzzles. You can get a box of them for under a buck at Walmart or the likes.
Other than that I do not take my rifles in and out of hot to cold . Once my rifle starts a season I keep it in a hard case in my truck bed and then into an unheated garage. Taking your rifle in to warm up and get all sweated is a sure fire way to promote rust or a major cleaning during mid season.

 

[people]

Clean and oil your stuff and put some tape over the muzzle.

 

[joshb]

I have a rem 700 bdl 22.250. It's only ever been used off of the bench, in good weather.
Now it's going coyote hunting in S Ontario, in COLD weather.
Any recommendations as to bore care before and after the hunt. I'm afraid of condensation & potential rust.
thanks in advance

Just keep it as clean as you can while on your trip. When you get home, take it apart and clean everything, especially the parts hidden by the stock and the stock. “Hidden moisture” is your enemy! I use Eezox.

 

[ckrifles]

Be sure to clean all old oil from bolt and firing pin and spring before your trip. Cold weather will cause things to slow down or not move at all. No lube is better than to much. Like joshb said clean when you get home.

 

[Toddmack]

If/when you bring it inside at night make sure to take it out of the case or whatever it's in or you'll get condensation inside the case.

 

[turner]

thanks all - great advice

 

[John from MN]

Years ago, I simply left my guns in a cold vehicle to avoid the condensation issues that come with bringing a cold gun into a warm house. Sadly, it's not really safe to do that anymore, even out here on the farm.

If I bring a cold bolt action into the house overnight, but need the next cold bore shot to be on, I'll normally pull the bolt and set the rifle in front of a small fan or a duct outlet to get rid of any moisture that may accumulate in the bore.

Ditto to what others have said about cleaning any old lube off of moving parts. I normally use a combination of moly and Ballistol on my firing pin assembly.