LACEY WASHINGTON -- The spring is upon us here in the North West. Within the last week the weather finally broke from a record setting winter of consistent rain and cold to mild and sun. I was able to contemplate the misery of the winter while getting a sun burn at a 1000 yard practice on Fort Lewis on Saturday followed by some more very pleasant sunshine at a 600 yard prone match held at Tacoma Rifle and Revolver on Sunday.

My thoughts transition from these beautiful blue skies and warm weather to the image of hunters beginning to show up on the range to zero their rifles for the upcoming hunting season. I have personally witnessed many scores of riflemen take their rifle to the range to zero it and toss 'dollar a shot' bullets down range without the slightest idea if either the ammunition or their rifle is sound. The shooters who do experience mechanical problems normally blame themselves as being 'poor shots' or simply say the rifle is not accurate. The frustrating fact to so many shooters is that they do not really know if it is them or their gear. They continue to shoot boxes of very expensive hunting ammunition with no effect. I can not fathom from an economical or a confidence standpoint this very expensive and unproductive means of doing business. This and some future articles will concern some mechanical issues which we as shooters can control with our rifles and ammunition.

First -- and foremost -- INSPECT THE RIFLE! The majority of the time, poor mechanical performance is due to a failure of the shooter to inspect and tighten up his rifle before he shoots. I normally begin with the end of the barrel and work my way back to the stock. Unload the rifle and remove the bolt if you will, then do the following:

1. Inspect the 'crown' of the barrel for nicks or damage. The crown is the very end of the barrel where the bullet first meets the air when fired. It is normally machined into the barrel and serves the purpose of protecting this very sensitive part of the barrel from damage. If you have a nick in the crown, gas from the combustion of burning powder will shoot out of this small nick before the base of the bullet has completely left the barrel and this gas will force the bullet to yaw and pitch badly and inconsistently. The results will be poor performance which you will readily see. You don't need a crown cut in any barrel but they do protect this part so are done on every factory rifle I have seen. Yes -- they also do add some ballistic potential but this is not necessary to discuss here.

2. If you use a iron sight -- ensure the front sight is tight on to the rifle and that what ever type of blade you may want to use is on the sight. Do not try to zero with a front sight system you won't use for your hunt.

3. Work your way down the barrel to the forend. Some rifles have floating barrels and others do not. A floated barrel is one which the barrel does not rest on the barrel channel of the stock. If the barrel is floated, insert a dollar bill between the barrel and barrel channel and draw the dollar bill down the barrel until it stops by the action. If the barrel is floated and the paper stops somewhere before it hits the action, remove the barreled action from the stock and find out what stopped this movement. Remove the obstruction then affix the barreled action back into the stock. You do not want a floated barrel to have some rock or debris jammed between the barrel and the stock as it will cause severe problems with consistency.

4. Tighten the front and real action screws. On bolt guns, the front screw normally affixes the front of the magazine base plate to the recoil lug, holding the stock firmly between the two. The rear screw affixes the rear of the trigger guard through the stock into the tang. Both together ensure the action remains firmly in the stock for consecutive shots and is just one more thing that must not move around when the rifle is fired or inconsistency will occur. Almost every hunter I have seen have problems with accuracy had one or both of these two screws extremely loose -- so much that you could tighten them by hand. These screws do not have to be extremely tight, but I suggest being firm with them. The Army M-24 Sniper Weapons System uses a 62 inch pound torque wrench to tighten these two screws uniformly. You don't need a torque wrench but you do need to get them uniformly tight. Tighten them by first getting front then rear finger tight then alternate between them -- front, rear, front, rear, increasing the tightness until they are firmly in place. They also have a tendency to loosen up particularly when you use a wooden stock due to expansion and contraction of the wood, so before shooting you must check them for tightness. The center screw which is in front of the trigger normally does little for accuracy but must be at least tight enough not to come loose.

5. Most hunters use optics of some sort. I will do some writing on optics in the near future but for now the shooter must ensure his optic is secured to the rifle. Again, I have seen people fire boxes of very expensive ammunition and not get results -- only to find the optic was so poorly secured to the rifle that it was literally sliding and moving for each shot. First -- ensure the bases are secured tightly to the receiver. Some people use Red Loctite for this purpose as they leave their bases on and do not want to risk them coming loose. Even if you use Leupold bases which are very commendable in design -- use some Red Loctite on the dry and grease free screws and thread holes. With secured bases, affix the lower rings on to the bases in the manner described by the manufacturer. Check them visually to ensure they are mating to the bases and not off kilter. Once this is done, clean off the five years of rust and dirt from the inside of the rings and the scope body and put the optic on to the lower ring and then put the upper portion of the rings on and loosely tighten the allen screws to secure the scope. Allow the scope some play so you can adjust it more before tightening. Before tightening them up, get behind the rifle in the position you will be using for your purpose and have someone adjust the optic for your eye relief and turn the scope until you see that the cross hairs are level. Slowly tighten the ring screws alternating side to side, front to rear and check to see you did not cant the scope in the rings. The rings need to be tight but do not use so much force to break anything. Now your optic is placed on the rifle where you want it and you are confident it is not loose.

6. Pick up the bolt and inspect it for damage and dirt. With Remingtons and Post 64 Winchesters, make sure the ejector is very much free of debris around its port or you may find it sticking inside the bolt when you try to extract a round. Clean out under the rim of the extractor with a tooth brush and ensure the bolt face is clean.

7. Put the bolt back into the rifle, close the bolt then open the bolt to check that your bolt stop functions. Remingtons have a habit of getting dirt into the bolt release, locking the release in the open position which comes as a surprise when you shoot then work the bolt aggressively. In other words, you end up throwing the bolt back over your shoulder or the bolt plain falls out on the ground when unlocked. I have found the best way to get one of these things working again is a liberal dose of carburetor cleaner sprayed on it which drains out the dirt pretty well.

8. With the bolt in the rifle and cocked, point the barrel where you want it and then test the safety to ensure it functions. Finally dry fire the rifle several times while working the bolt to ensure that the system functions to your requirements.

Start out on the right foot and you will save yourself time and money. Be safe and enjoy the clear weather.

Gene Econ
econ@goosepit.com