My dad and his dad were the ones who took me hunting as a kid. My grandfather was of a mindset that you bought a box of ammo every year. Before hunting season started, you cleaned your rifle thoroughly, then went to the range. Shot 3-5 shots of the new ammo to make sure you're on target and do any adjustments you need to, then save the remainder for deer. At the end of the season, you fired off any remainders you had and got a fresh box for next season.
My dad, on the other hand, was a stickler for cleaning his weapon the moment we got home whether he shot it or not, but unlike my grandfather, my dad was a Vietnam vet and had the mentality from the jungle that a dirty weapon was more likely to fail when you needed it the most.
Of the two, both better shooters than myself, my dad always shot the best and was a police firearms instructor and former sharpshooter for Mobile county before moving across the bay to be a small town cop in Baldwin county.
For me, I find a load my rifles like, go to the range before the season starts to make sure I didn't lose zero, and then wait until the season is over (or I drop my rifle in the mud, whichever comes first) then do a deep clean. My hunting rifles only tend to get a half dozen shots a year through them unless I get invited to cull a bunch of does or hogs
My dad, on the other hand, was a stickler for cleaning his weapon the moment we got home whether he shot it or not, but unlike my grandfather, my dad was a Vietnam vet and had the mentality from the jungle that a dirty weapon was more likely to fail when you needed it the most.
Of the two, both better shooters than myself, my dad always shot the best and was a police firearms instructor and former sharpshooter for Mobile county before moving across the bay to be a small town cop in Baldwin county.
For me, I find a load my rifles like, go to the range before the season starts to make sure I didn't lose zero, and then wait until the season is over (or I drop my rifle in the mud, whichever comes first) then do a deep clean. My hunting rifles only tend to get a half dozen shots a year through them unless I get invited to cull a bunch of does or hogs
