Outdoorsman's Tip Of The Day (Break In Your New Hunting Rifle)

 A new hunting rifle is a big investment and for many hunters it is the biggest hunting equipment investment they will ever make. If you want to make the most of your new hunting rifle the first thing you will want to do is break in the barrel. Not every hunter knows this but if you don't properly break in your barrel the initial build up of gunpowder will coat the inside of the barrel preventing the fired bullets from properly honing the machined rifling on the inside of your gun barrel. At first there is no problem you simply sight your gun in and go but over time or when you eventually do clean your gun the action of the bullet travelling down the barrel will hone or slightly wear down the rifling of your barrel causing the bullets point of impact to change which means you will have to sight it in again. So why not break your barrel in properly the first time?? This will not only extend the life of your rifle barrel but it will also make the overall sighting in process much easier. For stainless steel barrels it is recommended to clean after every shot for at least the first 10 shots. For traditional blued barrels you can get away with every three shots if you want but I would recommend after every shot, after all you have your rifle cleaning kit out there already so why not?? This is a simple thing to do but something that many hunters choose to skip. Remember, take care of your investment and you will be rewarded with a more accurate hunting rifle. Another simple tip to remember for more accurate sighting in is to wait for your barrel to cool down completely after every shot, because heat expands your rifle barrel once again causing a change in the bullets point of impact.