So yesterday my buddy and I took the rifles to the range for some more practice and we brought along his new brother-in-law. After a good shooting session we shot the breeze for awhile and as we were packing things up i made the comment that i had to give my rifle a good cleaning when i got home, to which the brother-in-law replied and told me it would be unethical for me to clean my rifle barrel because it would change my zero and i wouldn't have any idea where my shots were hitting. I explained to him that i had never had any problems like that and that i was taught to always clean my guns after every time i shot them and my buddy said he was taught the same thing. The brother responded by saying my friend and i were unethical and irresponsible hunters and gun owners and we should have our firearms taken away. I shrugged it off as some peoples views are different than my own but i am curious as to what your thoughts about it are? Have any of you ever had a problem with a change in your zero from cleaning your rifle?
Unethical??
- Thread starter Hawkeye
- Start date
fowladdict
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2005
- Messages
- 2,562
I feel sorry for your buddy's sister. Sounds like she married a real piece of work. I'm like you, I clean my rifle after shooting. I've never noticed any significant shot placement change.
Goldtip
New member
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2009
- Messages
- 1,142
I've heard that cleaning them after zeroing them can change point of impact, but never really seen it happen in practice. I think to consider you cleaning your gun as "unethical" is way out of line.
wingman1
New member
Just ignore your brother in law.
JohnCushman
Well-known member
My Remington shoots better with a little fouling in the barrel. I run the bore snake through it every 10 shots or so. That's just how my gun works and what it prefers. I can't see it as unethical to clean your guns, especially after 14 years in the military and having gun cleaning crammed down my throat...lol
highmountian
New member
What wingman1 said!
grizzly5028
New member
Dido that!
npaden
Well-known member
I've always heard that the first shot after you clean a barrel it might not shoot as accurately as once that first round has gone through, but that might be 1/2", not enough to worry about.
You might make a bet with him and see how it shoots the next time you go to the range after cleaning it. I bet if you are shooting the same ammo it is going to be pretty close.
You might make a bet with him and see how it shoots the next time you go to the range after cleaning it. I bet if you are shooting the same ammo it is going to be pretty close.
putm2sleep
New member
If you know your weapon, you should know where the clean, 1st shot will go, or if it changes your zero and by how much. Your brother-in-law is an idget, and you should have punched him in the mouth throwing words out like that, and in front of your friend. note: My shotguns always get the good once over before they go in the case, just like muzzle loader does. The rifle not so much. (note - the school of thought i was taught for muzzle loading process was to fire a cap once through a clean bore before you load up and hit the field hunting - cannot do that with rim fire)
huntfishcamp
New member
Unethical? Wow.
RockyDog
Member
I agree that you are highly unethical. I also dont think you should change your clothes, especially underwear, to maintain all conditions exactly as they were when you sighted in your rifle. the guy sounds like a pompous donkey.
NChunter
New member
I think it could change it slightly. But so could air temperature, barrel temperature, altitude, and probably several other factors too. I have never been able to tell that much of a difference.I guess when you see that elk or deer you should fire a test shot first, just to be ethical. 
I bet brother-in-law won't be invited back to the shooting range anytime soon.
I bet brother-in-law won't be invited back to the shooting range anytime soon.
tarheel
Well-known member
I have a Win model 70 in .243 which has been known to throw one off by 1.5" after a good cleaning but I know where it likes to go so I'll compensate if I haven't been able to fire a fouling shot first.
So far as that being unethical; I'd like to know at whose knee he learned that little bit of etiquette. I have the book "British Game Shooting" which I've read front to back and there's no mention of any such plus spent over 60 years with a gun of some kind in my hand, learned under some of the best and strictest, and can only conclude that he's full of it!
So far as that being unethical; I'd like to know at whose knee he learned that little bit of etiquette. I have the book "British Game Shooting" which I've read front to back and there's no mention of any such plus spent over 60 years with a gun of some kind in my hand, learned under some of the best and strictest, and can only conclude that he's full of it!
nbell
New member
putm2sleep
New member
I like these NC boys. Good luck this season fellas - shoot straight.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Send your buddy's sister a sympathy card....and her hubby a new buttplug for enhanced retention.
That said, I always hunt with at least a one shot fouled barrel.
That said, I always hunt with at least a one shot fouled barrel.
sweetnectar
New member
So if you can't circumcise a gnat a 1000 yards with your bullet then you are unethical??? Yes you can be more accurate but it usually isn't enough to even bother with...unless your into circumcising gnats.
mtelkhntr78
New member
If you dig into the bench rest competition shooters they will almost never use their first shots as scoring shots.They usually shoot approx 5 shots to get it dirty and warm, aka fouling shots. A clean/cold bore shot will rarely be on the same zero as a warm/dirty bore shot. How much that can differ really depends on the rifle and the quality/condition of the barrel.
I will usually site my rifle in to where the cold/dirty bore shot falls and then I will hunt with the bore dirty. I find it to give me the best accuracy and most consistency in my shooting.
Now all that said I think your friends Brother in law is a giant DB,,,, and I dont mean Defensive Back. If you are comfortable with how your gun shoots and can put bullets on target thats all that really matters.
I just cant imagine calling someone that cleans thier weapons unethical and should have them taken away ???????? RIDICULOUS!
Sounds to me like he trying to compensate for some kind of defficency....in the gun department.
I will usually site my rifle in to where the cold/dirty bore shot falls and then I will hunt with the bore dirty. I find it to give me the best accuracy and most consistency in my shooting.
Now all that said I think your friends Brother in law is a giant DB,,,, and I dont mean Defensive Back.
If you are comfortable with how your gun shoots and can put bullets on target thats all that really matters. I just cant imagine calling someone that cleans thier weapons unethical and should have them taken away ???????? RIDICULOUS!
Sounds to me like he trying to compensate for some kind of defficency....in the gun department.
