Gun tips from oldtimers

[Wordupmybrotha]

They're a dying breed and with them, the wisdom of the past unless it's passed down. I like shooting the breeze with the seasoned white-haired gun owners at the range. I learn something every time I talk to them. Here are some simple tips that I received. Perhaps others can share them here.



From Howard:
1. Use drywall anchors as snap caps for 22 revolvers.
2. Use spent shell casings to push out stuck shells in the revolver. Gives good leverage without hurting the thumb.
3. Use lighter rebound springs in revolvers to lighten the trigger pull without getting light primer strikes. Using lighter leaf spring may get light primer strikes.

[Jeepergeo]

Information exchange is important to the health of our hobby. I'm getting to be an older guy now (hard to say when that happened). As an old guy, I've learned there is a lot to learn from younger folks too. It really works both ways.

[golfrj]

Old guys says-- ALWAYS Buy what "YOU" like, ask questions, shoot them (if possible) then Buy what You want!

[Friesland]

"From Howard:
1. Use drywall anchors as snap caps for 22 revolvers."

Need to replace these and/or rotate them, they get damaged

[sealocan]

I will suggest checking all your revolver hammers for something that's referred to as " push off" " .
It's an easy test to do you just make sure the gun is unloaded ( and then double-check to make sure it is 100% unloaded!) and then you cock the hammer fully back, then without touching the trigger in Any way, start slowly and lightly slightly push on the back of the hammer, maybe even give it some light side to side wiggle to see if a hammer will fall with just a little bit of pressure.
Do not push excessively! You could actually damage your gun if you press it so hard that you are forcing it to fall.

But if your gun's hammer drops/falls by light pressure or side-to-side movement of the hammer ....that gun has "push off" issues and you should be aware of the fact that that gun could fire without your finger going any way near the trigger but accidentally pressing the hammer.
And that means you should either have it fixed by competent gunsmith ( that is the correct and proper thing to do) or at least you do not ever let anyone else shoot it without explaining it and always keep it in mind yourself.

It's sometimes caused by home gunsmiths going in and messing with things when they don't know what they're doing but I've also seen it happen with super high mileage revolvers.

I think technically the sear engagement has worn down to the point where just a little bit of pressure trips the hammer.

It's also a good way to check a used gun of dubious quality but again don't press so hard that your damaging any gun.

IF this prevents one person saying "my gun went off when I didn't press the trigger!" it's worth me repeating it.

[200Apples]

Gun tips from oldtimers

...wouldn't be complete without posting the Four Rules, originating as such with the late Lt. Col. J.D. "Jeff" Cooper:

1. All guns are always loaded
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it

[Snoopy47]

Don't know if I'm an old timer (mid 40s),

But I've started storing my firearms OILED. I put a thin film of oil on them.

I've come across too many rusty things in the consignment section, and recently noticed those my father owns (I presume I'm inheriting) with rust I don't remember at all.

YOU might not appreciate the time invested doing this, but your children will. At the very least it adds a few bucks into their pockets if they sell them.

[Snoopy47]

Make sure you get the right ratio of Saltpeter and Charcoal.

Also, ideally have as many muskets at the wall as can be loaded and fired by designated loader without having any down time between aimed shots. Some states have however banned this high capacity musket fire method so be aware of local laws.

[wpage]

Safety first always.

Keep your powder and ammo dry.

Be discreet.

[DrewN]

Shoot alot. Then shoot more. Shoot offhand more than from the bench. Airsoft is fine if that's what you can afford, I've seen some ridiculously bad *** shooters come out of airsoft. Don't overlook the old bullseye disciplines. 10 meter air rifle will teach you a whole bunch about shooting offhand. Sporting clays as well. Plus,the Olympic disciplines don't suffer the same social stigma, even in California no one looks askance at a skeet shooter.

[kmullins]

Not necessarily something I’ve picked up from an old timer, but a really useful tip. Have rust on a blued gun and want to remove it without hurting the bluing? Use a copper penny and some oil. Anything 1982 or earlier will be copper. This worked extremely well for me and didn’t require too much elbow grease.

[beerman]

Go thru the safe once a year and wipe a coat of your favorite lube on all your guns including the bore... and never use WD 40 on a gun.

[cannon]

1982 or later

Are you sure it isn't 1982 or earlier?

[The Gleam]

OK, so I don't have white hair all over (just yet) but seeing this a thing came to mind that I often see lots of young people not realize a well-known fact about bolt-actions, because they simply have not been exposed to bolt-actions with the majority of gun crowds being AR and AK crazy these past 30 years (can't say I blame them, just an observation.)

When installing and/or closing the bolt on most bolt-action rifles (empty obviously, no live cartridges) hold the trigger down with your support hand finger while doing so. That way, you won't charge the action and set the firing pin, which is especially useful on older/collectible guns with pins potentially prone to breakage, or rim-fire actions.

Save extra wooden unused Chinese chopsticks and keep them on hand for cleaning, popping out pins or stubborn shells/cases, as push tools on c-clips or other parts, or for reaching down into barrels and such. They won't mar the finish and they are sturdy enough longitudally to act as pin-punches and take a rap from a mallet, but without doing damage the way steel might. Some are made of plastic too.

Keep old Yellow-Pages/Phone books on hand; if you ever need to lock up a gun in a vise, put the phone book binder side down into the vise, and then the gun sandwiched between equal sides of pages as you close the vise jaws. That way, you can really get a good grip on the gun where the pages work better than wood or rubber jaw-blocks as they will mold and envelope to the shape of the gun to hold it in place without damaging the finish. You can even take out sections of paper to create detent sections for protruding parts.

If I think of others, will post. Just a couple that immediately came to mind.

[sigstroker]

They're a dying breed

Gee, thanks a lot.