What initial steps do you do prior to shooting a brand new gun?

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Aim1

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I have a new Savage 220 Bolt-Action shotgun that I need to sight in. I was going to clean the outside with WD40 and then push a few patches down the bore to make sure no residual metal from the rifling process were left but later thought that the proof test firing would have already done that and that it is probably ok to skip that step now or am I wrong?

What initial steps do you do prior to shooting a brand new gun?
 
Detail the bore ,wipe outside down. Shoot,breakdown for complete cleaning. If its a bolt gun I and its shooting how good I keep record of torque setting and assemble with same settings.
 
New or used I disassemble and wipe down everything, do a quick bore cleaning, proper lube job and reassemble. There is frequently machining debris in the action and the lubes the factories use are more intended for indefinite storage times not actual operation.
 
On a rifle , I will inspect the bore and run a dry patch through it. Loosen and retighten to torque spec action screws, remove/degrease screws and holes on scope base. then apply new threadlocker and re-install to torque spec before properly mounting the scope.
 
I typically just lube anything I can get to without disassembling or stripping and then shoot it. If there’s a problem, I don’t want to have a question about whether I fouled something up in the disassembly/reassembly process.
 
I have a new Savage 220 Bolt-Action shotgun that I need to sight in. I was going to clean the outside with WD40 and then push a few patches down the bore to make sure no residual metal from the rifling process were left but later thought that the proof test firing would have already done that and that it is probably ok to skip that step now or am I wrong?

What initial steps do you do prior to shooting a brand new gun?
Since your new Savage is a shotgun, just check for function & go start shooting!

When I get a new rifle I always clean the bore. I use a tight patch & J-B's paste followed by a thorough clean-up with Hoppe's.
 
I use a micro fiber cloth with motorkote and mobile 1 as a wipe down cloth instead of WD40. With a shotgun clean well and relube, if it has screw in chokes use anti-seeze on the threads. Be sure to check all screws.
 
People buy new guns?

Honestly when I did buy new guns I didn't know any different so I just took them out of the box and shot them. I still have nearly every one of those guns still and they work fine so I don't think any sort of damage was done.

Now used guns, I take a closer look at, stripping them down, inspecting the barrel, and cleaning them up before they get fired.
 
Field strip, look for manufacturing debris, wipe down, lube, reassemble and shoot.
 
It depends... I've picked up guns at a local shooting range / gun shop and proceeded to shot them without doing anything other than verifying there's no bore obstruction and no obvious physical defects.

Most guns are going to have been test fired/proof fired already. Putting a couple more rounds downrange isn't going to do anything to a revolver or bolt action. On a semi-auto I'd recommend oiling the appropriate areas.
 
Depends on the gun.

If it’s a high end build with a match grade barrel, I’ll do a barrel break in process.

If it’s something basic like the 10/22 I just bought, load her up and go.

In between like an ar, or mid range quality rifle, I’ll just inspect, oil, and shoot
 
I have a new Savage 220 Bolt-Action shotgun that I need to sight in. I was going to clean the outside with WD40 and then push a few patches down the bore to make sure no residual metal from the rifling process were left but later thought that the proof test firing would have already done that and that it is probably ok to skip that step now or am I wrong?

What initial steps do you do prior to shooting a brand new gun?
put ammo in it.
 
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