Ignorant newbie q's

[teamnoir]

Thankfully, ignorance can be cured.

I'm a new shooter with a bunch of questions. I've purchased a ruger mark III and a 10/22. Those seemed like easy choices - cheap guns, cheap ammo, reasonably reviewed, apparently popular. And I'm already dreaming and researching what the next guns for me will be. .

So here come the questions.

Cleaning. How often do people clean their guns? Is it really every time you shoot?

With the mark III, it's so hard to take apart and put back together! I've already screwed it up once and had to take it back to the shop for them to sort out. Now I'm scared of mucking it up again. Do I just need to "get over it"? Are there folks who clean infrequently? Is cleaning something I can pay someone else to do cheaply much like I pay to have people change my vehicles' oil?

Sight pictures. Where can I learn what the site picture on my guns is supposed to be? And if it doesn't seem to be shooting there, do I assume that I'm pulling when I fire or is it reasonable to adjust my sight picture to compensate? Or is that normal on fixed sight guns?

Scopes. I'm thinking that after I have some experience with the iron sights on my 10/22, I'm going to want to put a scope on it. I've figured out that this involves installing a base, finding a scope, and some rings, but aside from that I really don't understand what's involved or required. What about sighting in? As a newbie, I'm thinking I really want to either pay someone else to do it or watch someone else do it the first time or two. Is that reasonable?

Thanks in advance.

[MaHoTex]

-I clean mine every time I go shoot. I am overboard though.
-You need to know how to take it apart, clean it and them put it back together. You can take it to a gunshop to do it for you, but not necessary. Do not know the price though.
-Practice and you will get better. Do not adjust your sight picture. Are you sure the sights are adjusted? Try bench rest shoorting to make sure the sights are adjusted.
-Sighting in is easy... Get a paper at 25 yards... Aim for center... adjust from there. The scope tells you which was to adjust. When set at 25, move it out to 50 and do it again. keep moving out in steps units at zero for the distance you want it set for. Use good ammo to do it!

[The Machine]

Cleaning is a balance between what the gun needs and personal preference. This will be decided as you gain experience. I clean my guns after every shoot, I never let them get dirty. Some areas may need more attention than others, such as the action and chamber. I would recommend .22lr ammo with a copper coated bullet, this helps keep the barrel cleaner.

Taking apart your guns will help you understand their operation and perhaps help you overcome malfunctions. You can't see potential problems if you don't look. Follow the manual and look on Youtube for help. The more you break down a weapon, the easier it will become.

I believe the manual has a picture of the recommended sight picture. Use this and focus only on the front sight. Your rear sight and target should be blurry. The first thing you should do is establish consistency with your shot groups. Once you can shoot a tight group, then you can try to adjust. Adjust by aiming in the opposite direction or even adjusting the sights themselves.

I believe your 10/22 comes with a weaver/picatinny rail that you can mount yourself.

[G lock]

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]
How often do people clean their guns? Is it really every time you shoot?

there are many people that have never cleaned their 10/22 and MK1,2,3 and they still function fine. personally I clean when my mk2 starts misfeeding, depends on what ammo i use, wont hurt to clean more often though.

With the mark III, it's so hard to take apart and put back together! I've already screwed it up once and had to take it back to the shop for them to sort out. Now I'm scared of mucking it up again. Do I just need to "get over it"? Are there folks who clean infrequently?
almost every ruger mk1/2/3 owner has gone through the same thing. While it is confusing to put it together for the first time, it gets better with practice. also, there are videos on youtube to show how to dissasemble/ reassemble.

Is cleaning something I can pay someone else to do cheaply much like I pay to have people change my vehicles' oil?
cleaning is something that every firearm owner should know, I see it as more of a matter of safety. It gets easier with practice.

[Flyingpootang]

For dis assembly/DIY mods/tricks/shooting tips YouTube is your friend. Learning to shoot take some time. If your right handed, your shots are going low/right you're anticipating your shots/pulling your trigger to hard and flinching. Try to use only the middle tip of your finger being sure the rest of your finger doesn't touch any part of the stock/grip. Learn to breath in and out deeply a couple of time, on your last 1/2 of an exhale hold your breath and apply pressure on the trigger with the center pad of the first joint of your trigger finger. Also remember to always see your front sight clearly, while aligning the front blade sight in the middle and level with the back U grove sight. Your target will be on top of the front sight while being slightly blurred in the back ground.

[rojocorsa]

Keep in mind that while many clean their guns ever time after they shoot, you don't have to.


If anything, I just wipe things down. But at 600ish rounds out of a new bore, I will not bother cleaning my rifle. There is no point with dealing with all those chemicals and stuff.


Oh, and a boresnake in the appropriate caliber is your friend. (Hence another reason why I don't "clean" my guns.) Run the b-snake a couple times, and you'll be good to go after a normal shooting session.

[BOFH]

For the MKIII really all it needs is q-tips and a Boresnake until you put a few thousand through it. As for having a hard time taking it apart, don't worry, after a few times its really easy.

Eta: for a 10/22 scope the Meuller APV is hard to beat, its a hell of a scope for the price.

[CaliforniaLiberal]

Cleaning. How often do people clean their guns? Is it really every time you shoot?

Huge variety of gun cleaning philosophies. Some folks grandfathers beat their butts if they didn't clean a gun every time it was fired. Others never clean their guns until they stop working. You get to figure it out for yourself. I say clean when you feel like it, every now and then.

With the mark III, it's so hard to take apart and put back together!

It's not really that hard, it's just not intuitive. Guys that have been taking things apart and figuring things out by just following their nose all of their lives are usually flumoxed by the Ruger .22 Pistol. It's like going to a church you've never been to before and everyone is standing and kneeling and replying to the pastor with one voice and you don't know what the Heck is going on. You have to learn the correct steps. And follow exactly the steps in the right order every time. Once you've gone through it about 20 times it's never a problem. There are tons of videos online.

http://ruger.com/resources/videos.html - Go to "Ruger Tech Tips"

http://www.guntalk-online.com/fsprocedures.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYHJm2P4kP0&feature=related

Sight pictures. Where can I learn what the site picture on my guns is supposed to be? And if it doesn't seem to be shooting there, do I assume that I'm pulling when I fire or is it reasonable to adjust my sight picture to compensate? Or is that normal on fixed sight guns?

Your manual has a picture of the proper sight picture. You're probably moving your point of aim when you pull the trigger. Have someone watch you while you're shooting, they can usually see the movement of the gun as you fire. Dry firing is good training.


Scopes. I'm thinking that after I have some experience with the iron sights on my 10/22, I'm going to want to put a scope on it. I've figured out that this involves installing a base, finding a scope, and some rings, but aside from that I really don't understand what's involved or required. What about sighting in? As a newbie, I'm thinking I really want to either pay someone else to do it or watch someone else do it the first time or two. Is that reasonable?

I find it convenient to have a shop mount my scopes but lots of folks are skilled at doing it themselves.


I think that Ruger .22s are an excellent choice for learning to shoot. Have fun!

[socalsuper]

I clean every 3- to 4-trips to the range. In between it's bore snake for the 'inside' and a rub down with a silicon cloth for the 'outside.'

[yuccales]

I was going to add my 2 cents worth, but no need to. Everyone has given great advice and done so in a polite & mature manner! All I can add is, go shooting!

[thunderbolt]

You MUST clean your firearm every time it fires and that means breaking down the firearm completely including every pin and spring and soaking it in solvent for no less than 15.5 hrs or else the universe will cease to function. Ok not really. Like rojocorsa said most times a simple boresnake and a quick wipe will do. I clean after every session but that's just cause I'm neurotic control freak and I like the smell of Hopps.

The key to taking down the Ruger is repetition. The key to breaking down the Ruger is repetition. The key to...

To help get an idea of where to put your sites, rest your gun on a steady surface, keeping a consistant sight picture and shoot a couple groups. If they are not tight then relax and try again. You'll probably find that your sights are pretty close. Don't move them until you absolutely know where they need to go and even then I prefer to adjust my point of aim instead.

Scopes are a lot easier than you'ld think. Much easier than dismantling your Ruger. If you don't have a rail already (most newer guns do) have a gunsmith mount one for you. Should cost like $35. Simple.

[TKM]

RimfireCentral.com is the go to place for answers. Those guys know everything.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/index.php

[dangerranger]

I like to drive a clean car, some people arent bothered by a little mud and will wait till after winter to wash theres. its personal preferance. both of your guns are semi automatic and will need a little more maintance than a bolt gun. if you dont enjoy cleaning , try to stay with better ammo and you will find that the insides dont get as dirty. CCI mini mags come to mind. they dont leave as much debris in the action. remington ammo seems to be the worst, it leaves alot of unburned powder behind. I personaly enjoy cleaning my guns. I like the smell of solvents too. DR

[LTP90]

as everyone suggested more is better, but do not fill like if you don't clean it the world will fall apart, especially on the 10/22. I have had times where I have put my guns away dirty. It didn't affect their performance, sometimes things happen, and I have to go to fire for several weeks and forget that I had even been out shooting. That said, I have seen 10/22's that have NEVER been cleaned and run just fine, but its not a good idea to try to find out if thats possible, because I have seen ones that have problems because they haven't been cleaned.

[pdude]

For all you that don't clean after shooting, I'm sure this is only for your rimfire handguns/rifles? Not centerfire pistols like a 357/38 revolver or semi?