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Weatherizing your hunting rifle?

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BEAR View Drop Down
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    Posted: 03 December 2018 at 09:44
Big game hunting often occurs during rain/snow.  It seems harsh to take my nice rifle from the safe to the blizzard.  My guns all have a thin wipe of oil on them.

But is there anything that you do to further protect them in really cold/wet/ snow conditions.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 December 2018 at 10:01
I'm sure there is, but I can't recall anything except as you say, a very light wipe of oil, Hoppe's #9, or pledge, where each is appropriate. The Pledge might not be the "best" choice for the wood, but I've been using it too long to stop now.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 788Fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 December 2018 at 10:15
I saw a trick many years ago in an issue of Sports Afield I think.  The writer would put a single strip of cellophane tape (Scotch tape) across the muzzle to keep snow out the barrel, especially if you hunt in brush or deep snow.  It's not enough to block the barrel if you shoot, but enough to keep it from becoming plugged.

I do this when still hunting in the snow.

Good luck.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RobertMT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 December 2018 at 23:07
If it's below freezing, leave them out in cold. Bringing them in each night, to warm tent/cabin, allows condensation to form and freeze up next day. When hunting in cold, Dad always stripped rifle down and cleaned with Coleman gas and then either lubed with light coat of kerosene or left it dry, depending on how far below zero it was. I've done same thing down to -40 and never had issue, with frozen rifle.

If it's raining, cleaning/oiling every day, is usually enough, but I've had light rust, in hours too. I've known people, who wiped down shotgun with car wax, before hunting in wet and it seemed to work. Don't see why wax wouldn't work on rifle too.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jsgbearpaws1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 December 2018 at 14:57
BAr grease and candle wax, then dip-er- in orl!

Read an article on this some years ago and found that the cheap way was to spray rustoleum on everything metal and coat the stocks with Varathane….that was on the cheap side of things. Moving parts get Nickle-Boron coating, barrel and action gets coated and the barrel gets chromed inside, dropped into a rubber or synthetic stock and unless you move to the surface of the sun, they become somewhat indestructible.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wing master Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 December 2018 at 20:26
I have used Renaissance Wax. It was recommended to me by several S&W collectors. 

It's great stuff. It works as good on wood as it does metal. Water beads up like rain on a freshly waxed car. 

Also, a side benefit is that you won't leave finger prints on a deep blued gun. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Irish Bird Dog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 December 2018 at 11:07
As another option you can use BALLISTOL on metal and wood to protect both with no damage to either and it won't gum up in cold and lubes well too.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BEAR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 December 2018 at 12:23
In the old days I use to put a piece of tape on the muzzle...think I should start doing that again.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Irish Bird Dog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 December 2018 at 13:18
Originally posted by BEAR BEAR wrote:

In the old days I use to put a piece of tape on the muzzle...think I should start doing that again.

Bear, I don't know about the "old" days but back when I was younger around 1961 or so the local fellow who was also the NRA shooting instructor in our town told us then to put electrical tape over the end of the bbl in wet weather or to use "finger cots".

Definition of Finger CotsA finger cot is a medical supply used to cover one or more fingers in situations where a full glove is unnecessary....looked like a mini condom.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BEAR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 December 2018 at 13:45
finger cots, or rubbers.  I left that out of my post, didn't want to explain what a ribber was to some of the younger guys!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jsgbearpaws1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 December 2018 at 18:43
I knows what rubbers is, we used to wear them on our feet all the time as kids. Got them for all six of mine til they quit playing in puddles. You would think that would make it awful end heavy though. Maybe a small balloon would work better.
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